When Mom and Grandma Come to Town

I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend from Mother Nature to show my mom and grandma about town.  While my mom has actually been out to New York three or four times since I moved here, it was Grandma Nancy’s first trip since the late 80’s (or that’s about what we figured).  I wanted her to see the place that I have called home, the routes that I run, and simply see how the city has changed over the years.

We started out on Thursday night with a late dinner at the Flatiron Eataly.  She had encountered some trouble in Denver with the weather but still made it to Manhattan ready to take on the town.  I had taken Friday off so after a quick (terribly lethargic) run along the East River, it was time to meet them for breakfast and and begin our own walking tour.

Marvelous with Meghan in Manhattan

Don’t you just love Mondays?  No, well did you know about 78% of Americans get Sunday night blues in anticipation of Monday?  Thank you Fitness magazine for that enlightening information.  Anyways, since I don’t exactly gravitate towards Mondays, I turn to alliteration?  This week I decided link up to the “Marvelous Monday” partay and photodump my weekend with y’all and share the marvelous adventures with my sister and her friend Rae.  

Meghan and Rae arrived on Thursday night and off into NYC we went.  There was plenty of eating and running and even a musical on Broadway.  Sure, I could do a whole bunch of restaurant review posts, but I think it will be more fun to bundle it all together 🙂

Dinner #1 at Eataly – La Pizza – Flatiron district – arugula salad with raddicchio, endive, radish, and picked vegetables – QUADRATI con Ricotta e Spinaci – divine chocolate gelato

Friday was a day of exploration for Meghan and Rae (Union Square & Strand Bookstore) while I was working.  Meghan then met me for dinner #2 at the Ellens Stardust Diner, where we both selected the quiche + salad combination.  It was located along Broadway near the theatre and had quite a fun looking menu. Most of the staff was made up of aspiring actors and actresses and so they would break into song as the patrons were eating, serenading us all with popular Broadway hits.

Dinner was followed up by a MARVELOUS cup of frozen yogurt (self serve can never go wrong) and “The Book of Mormon”!  Oh goodness it was absolutely HILARIOUS – and I don’t think i have laughed that hard in awhile.  Have you seen “The Book of Mormon”?

Marvelous is running along the east river trail in 60F (got to love humidity) and dragging Meghan to my favorite workout class, which KICKED OUR BUTTS.  Yes, thi week I even fell off the aerobics bench.  Thank goodness only the back half of the class was privy to this sight.  After breaking a sweat we cruised over to Le Pain Quotidien for brunch.

Marvelous is visiting the 9/11 Memorial.  The engineering of such a space is breathtaking and inspiring.  We will never forget.

Besides the occasional rain shower, the weather turned out to be quite lovely this weekend.  Later on Saturday we picked up Rae and tried our luck at S’MAC.  I’ve been dying to try this restaurant (read…ALL MACARONI AND CHEESE) and it was well worth it.  We tried three different combinations and I have to say my favorite was the 4 Cheese.

FOUR CHEESE – Our four cheese delight! Cheddar, Muenster, Gruyere and a touch of Pecorino.

GARDEN LITE – Lite Cheddar, Parmesan, roasted cauliflower and portobello mushrooms, roasted garlic, broccoli and scallions.

CAJUN – Cheddar & Pepper Jack cheeses, andouille sausage, green pepper, onions, celery, garlic and, of course, some genuine Cajun seasoning.

Still reading?  OK, thank goodness pictures are worth 1,000 words because I could go on and on and on.  Well, post-dinner, Meghan and I raged with pajamas, tea, and a movie.  #success

Marvelous is our Sunday Funday, which consisted of a long run in Central Park, breakfast at a local coffee shop, a walk through The Highline/Chelsea Market, and dinner at Vanessa’s Dumpling House.

Breakfast was at Gene’s, an old style coffee shop run by a few older New Yorkers (who I plan to make my friends), with classic diner food (not out of this world but tasty), and an air of familiarity.  I mean, how much better could my Sundays get with a long run in the most beautiful place in Manhattan + breakfast out? Also, what is it about diner coffee?  It’s so drinkable.

Dinner was divine.  I guess I haven’t been exposed to decent Chinese food in ages and oh.my.goodness, I’m once again hooked.  I’m so happy Meghan suggested trying something new – inexpensive, huge portions, and I’ve expanded my palate 🙂 We finished the weekend with a classic Black/White cookie and the Golden Globes.

Meghan and Rae both head back to California today and it’s been more than marvelous to have them in town.  I’m never really that good at goodbyes, so until next time…