This weekend saw our first out of town trip - to Manhattan to see our wonderful friends Simon and Claire. We were all baby solicitors together about nine years ago (oh my god I feel so old). At the time 222 Gray's Inn Road must have been the horniest place in WC2 as we are two of the three couples from that 2001 trainee intake who ended up getting married.
Simon and Claire moved to New York about 2 years ago and live just a few blocks from Central Park with their lovely doggy Rocky. We hadn't seen them since they left London, and hadn't visited New York since 2006 when Eamon came to run the marathon for Great Ormond Street Hospital. On that 2006 trip we had a ball - shopping in all the department stores, drinking cocktails, sightseeing and going for big dinners. Needless to say this trip was a little different now that Zoe is here.
We took the Acela Express to NY's Penn Station. How bittersweet to find a train service as expensive and yet as disappointing as First Great Western! Even the service in the buffet car was surly and inefficient; I felt quite homesick. Describing a journey of 220 miles that takes 4 hours as "Express" is surely an actionable misrepresentation, but the route takes in some beautiful Connecticut coastal scenery and Zoe was such a good girl, hardly complaining at all and charming everyone in her path.
Once in New York we had a splendid time catching up with Simon and Claire and getting to know Rocky, who had been to the doggy beauty parlor for a wash, cut 'n' blow dry in honour of our visit. Zoe in particular found Rocky absolutely hilarious. Goodness knows what she will make of the cats when we get home.....
We headed to Central Park for a walk and stumbled across this cute gay couple out for a walk with their surrogate baby.
In the evening, after a mercy dash to Duane Reade for infant Tylenol (trans. Calpol - alas, poor Zoe has a stinking cold), we had a spag bol dinner and chatted until the small hours, leaving me with a frighteningly short period of time to sleep before Zoe woke up at 5.30 am having decided it was time to get the day started. There was only one thing for it - a Southern-style brunch in Chelsea with a few bloody marys*. Not only had I never had grits before (and doubt I will again), nor had I had a bloody mary so early in the day. It made me feel absolutely tremendous I must say, and even Zoe was keen to test its incredible healing powers!
Sadly, it was all too soon time to board the "Express" back to Beantown. A splendid weekend was had by all, including Zoe and Rocky, and without a department store or open-top bus in sight!
* It was my first Mothers' Day after all
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