Last Month, Up North

You may have previously read that I spent the week of my fiftieth birthday with family in the NY/NJ area.  I can't adequately express how blessed a week it was.  We spent time with my and my wife's relatives in a dizzying variety of locations.  Home base: Waldwick, NJ.  Then we went to Merrick, Long Island to hang with my wife's second cousin, her husband, and their two kids.  We joined them for church and a cookout. We strolled through their 'hood and saw....Spring! When things bloom! Haven't seen that in some time.  We noted cherry blossoms several times during the trip. We also had really quality Chinese food from a local spot.  None seems to exist in my area anymore.

The next day we joined the cousins' parents in Howard Beach, Queens.  Had a lovely Indian brunch and listened to Mike update us on his mission work.  I'll do a separate post sometime.  That evening we journeyed deep into Brooklyn, all the way to the Avenue X stop on the F train.  Relatives on my late mother's side met us at L & B Spumoni, a real neighborhood family Italian joint, for dinner.  I had not seen them since the early '90s.  So much to talk about.  About their lives, but also the passing of my grandmother and mother in the past few years. We split a real New York pizza. Is it just the water that makes it so? And check out this outlandish birthday dessert! At least there were six of us to share it.

Tuesday night? Peter Luger steakhouse.  Scroll back, slacker.

Wednesday we took the Long Island Railroad to the Hicksville station to meet my wife's second cousin (another one) and spouse.  Their home is in Muttontown, near Oyster Bay.  Very nice area.  I was informed that the cousin's house is on property once owned by the Vanderbilts.  We had another wonderful Indian meal.

Thursday I was in Manhattan for a night at Blue Smoke, a BBQ restaurant on East 27th, in the Flatiron district.  Very good baby backs, and the cornbread Madeleines? Unbelievable! Afterward we caught a show downstairs at the Jazz Standard. You share long tables with other aficionados.  The trio of musicians (one of whom was on a Hammond B) were quite good.  Recommended.

A nice birthday party the next evening at my brother's and sister-in-law's house.  50! Balloons and all. Yacht rock on the Bluetooth speaker.  Great food, but the love of family made it the best ever.

There, another one for the diary!