NYC

Francisco and I had the absolutely best Christmas present this year--two nights in NYC sans children thanks to Nana and Papa! 

I love Hopkins' use of the line, "Start as you mean to go on," and it resonated in my head as Francisco and I walked around NYC on January 1. I mean to spend the year walking around cities with him. (A bit of an aspirational thought if you know where we live.)

Gertrude Stein.

Picture of a gorilla for the boys. 

Below: The Empire State building from our hotel room. 

We took the ferry, as usual, into the city. I sent Francisco out for $1.50 pizza slices after we arrived. 

Then we headed to a piano bar for cocktails (mine came with smoke!). 

Francisco: "Do you think they just did violence to all these books?" Indeed. 

We went to a very nice, very small Italian restaurant for dinner. Francisco ordered better than I did (usually I'm a very good orderer)--he had veal and risotto. This implement (below) was for eating the bone marrow! Good thing he always shares. 

The wine at this restaurant was sky high, so Francisco and I split a glass of their cheapest: $19. I had pasta with duck ragu and parmesan and orange which was also very good. I still like soft risotto though I acknowledge it's not traditional.

It was a perfect restaurant and we loved it. 

After dinner: A walk. 

Overheard as we talked: "...and I said, 'so I'm just going to be stuck with a Christmas tree for 364 days?'" Write a short story that puts that line in context!

Previously, Blaze during mass when I tried to get him to smile at an adorable baby starting at him, "You know I'm not the biggest baby lover." That's the truth--Q loves babies like a descendent of mine should; Blaze is uninterested.