New York Part III
One of the biggest joys of our month in New York was spending time with family and friends. IN PERSON.
Amy was here for four days during her school's fall break (see New York Part II). Maria's mother Susana (aka "Lola") traveled from Florida to spend ten days with us. And Maria's sister Marg and her family (wife Gabriella and 4-yr-old son Emmett) live in Brooklyn, so we were able to gather as a family several times and celebrate Lola and Marg's November birthdays a little early.
Maria's mom is 81, but that didn't stop her from walking all over New York City with us. She especially loved Times Square at night.
Naturally, every Filipino family reunion must feature good food. At the Purple Yam in Brooklyn, we had the little backyard patio to ourselves, and Chef Romy served up one delicious dish after another.
Emmett loves riding his scooter in the alley behind their row house in Brooklyn. He challenged every adult to race with him, with "Mimi" (Marg) as play-by-play announcer.
One Sunday, Emmett hung out with Tita Maria, Tito Steve, and Lola at the Midtown apartment while his moms had a well-deserved date. Lola decided he needed a new truck from FAO Schwarz. Their new store is smaller than the original that we remember as kids, but just as over-the-top.
One Saturday evening, we invited Marg, Gabriella, and Lola to see a Broadway show (one of our all-time favorites, Come from Away). Emmett's wonderful aunt Loretta came in from Philadelphia to stay with Emmett. (She also took the family photo for us - thanks, Loretta!)
One Sunday, after Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, we had delicious dim sum with Maria's childhood friend Angie (Pabalan) O'Dowd and her husband Patrick. This was an unexpected bonus - they were visiting from North Carolina. All the funny stories from 3rd and 4th grade came rushing back!
We were also delighted to see college friends Stephanie Davis (pictured) and Jennifer Hoffman, and Tampa friend Emil Fabic. Apologies to other NY area friends - we ran out of time to see you on this trip...but don't worry, we will be back!
