New Jersey and New York - May 2025

After our month in DC, we decided to spend a week in NJ/NY to see friends.  We originally had planned on going straight to NY from DC but we had to go back to TX for a couple of days to attend Ginny's (Peter's mom) Celebration of Life.

New Jersey

We arrived in Newark on Sunday mid-day - Tom picked us up at the airport and then we had lunch at Coniglio's in Morristown, sharing a pizza and salad among the three of us.  Kim was working at a track meet so we stopped by to see her and Riley.  We then went back to their house and had some wine before going out to dinner at Huntley Taverne where we shared a great salad and fish dish.  We stayed the night and then Riley dropped us off at the train staton the next morning to catch the train into the city.

New York

We spent the next six nights at Mark and Alicia's apartment. While in NY, we did the following activities::

Central Park - We walked around Central Park, checking out the newly renovated Conservatory Gardens which had beautiful tulips and the newly constructed Davis Center in Harlem which will operate a pool in the summer and ice skating rink in the winer.  The park was heaving with people - more than what we would have expected for a Monday.

Walking around Central Park

Good Night and Good Luck - We went to the matinee performance of this play with George Clooney. The play was a little show at parts but overall very good and funny.

Good Night and Good Luck

9/11 Museum - We spent a little over two hours here and wish we had more time - we could have easily spent three hours.  The museum is very well done - excellent exhibits and cool how they did the layout.  The museum is underground surrounding the original footprint of the towers - you could see the original spots where the columns were.  We would definitely go back to do it again.

9/11 Fountain Memorial with World Financial

Hell's Kitchen - We went to this Broadway musical that is based on Alicia Keys early life and includes all songs from her.  The music and dance was spectacular!

Hell's Kitchen

And ate/drank at the following places:

Lava Shawarma - Had lunch here - we each got a beef and lamb shawarma - Keith had his in a pita and Shawna had hers in a wrap that they crisped under the grill.  Very tasty. 

Buceo 95 - We met up with Helen and her husband, David, for dinner at this tapas restaurant on the Upper West side. We shared several dishes for the table - all good.  We then went back to their apartment to meet their kids.

Dinner with Helen and David

Masa - We had lunch at this three Michelin Star Japanese restaurant.  We sat at the counter and the decor was minimalist.  We were not allowed to take photos. The wine pairing was excellent.  Every course except the first and last was nigiri, which Shawna had not had before, and it was made by hand in front of us.  We enjoyed every piece except for the sea urchin. Overall, it was very good but probably not worth the money.  

Masa

Chez Mark/Alicia - We had dinner at Mark and Alicia's place.  We started out with Aperol spritzes out on the 3rd floor outdoor space.  Then we had a couple of bottles of wine.  Mark made a very yummy salad and chicken parm.

Fushimi - We had dinner at this Japanese restaurant before our Broadway show. We shared a few appetizers - all very tasty.  The restaurant was a bit of a scene but not bad for a pre-Broadway place. 

Baccarat Hotel Bar - We met Rak (who was in town for work) and Mark here for a drink.  The drink prices were outrageous but was nice to see Rak for a bit. 

Drinks with Rak and Mark

Black Iron Burger - We met Guy for lunch here in the Theater District - Mark joined us.  We each got a burger - very good.

Lunch with Guy and Mark

Chez John/Edi - We drove out to NJ to have dinner at John and Edi's House. Mark and Alicia also joined us. They ordered in Mediterranean which was really good so we had that for dinner with a few bottles of wine.  It was great to meet Edie and their two girls.

Dinner with John/Edie and Mark/Alicia

Bar Hugo Rooftop - We had drinks at this rooftop bar in Soho with Mark/Alicia and Kim/Tom and Kaley prior to dinner. The place was packed.  We lucked out with some nice weather - views were nice.  Service took a while but drinks were good.

Night out with Kim/Tom and Mark/Alicia

Altro Paradiso - We had dinner at this Italian restaurant in Soho with Mark/Alicia and Kim/Tom - cute place and pretty good food.  We shared a few pastas and appetizers for the table and then the two of us shared a pork chop.

Cork Wine Bar - After dinner, we had one more drink here - we shared a bottle of bubbly among the six of us (Mark/Alicia, Kim/Tom).

New Jersey - March 2024

We spent five nights in Chatham, NJ at Kim and Tom's house where we stayed in Ryan's room.  On our way to their house, we stopped in Easton PA to take Kaley out to lunch at Stoke Coal Fire Pizza.  We shared a pizza and some meatballs - tasty.  She then took us on a tour of campus (Lafayette College) and we got to see her dorm.

Lafayette College with Kaley

We arrived at the Snarr house around 4pm and after we unloaded, we had a few beers out on the back deck.  For dinner, we ordered Indian from Four Monkeys Indian Bistro - food was very yummy.  We got butter chicken and a few veggie dishes to share.  

On Saturday, we had bagels for breakfast and then drove out to Spring Lake to see Kerry and Stuart and to finally see their town.  We also got to see their boys which we had not seen in many years.  We walked around a bit, including the boardwalk, and saw all of the beautiful homes.  We then went out for a late lunch in Asbury Park to Porta where we all shared some salads and pizzas - great place.  When we got back, we watched the Duke/UNC game (Duke lost) and then went to bed. 

Lunch at Porto with Kerry, Stuart, the boys, Kim and Tom

On Sunday, we had bagels and frittata for breakfast and then went to play paddle / pickleball at the local Fish and Game club.  We then cleaned up and went to Morristown for an early dinner at Agricola. The food was great - we shared a salad and cauliflower appetizer for the table and then we shared the short ribs for our entree.  We stopped for one more beer at The Homestead and then went home to watch most of the Oscars.  

Shawna and Lily

On Monday, we worked out at the YMCA in Madison - the place was huge! And then did some admin/planning stuff.  That evening, we went for a walk with Kim and Lily (their dog) and then Shawna made dinner - spicy lentil tostadas.  Keith took Tom to the airport as he had to fly to CA for a family funeral service.  On Tuesday, we went back to the Y to work out and then had dinner at the Summit House with Mike (former Aimco colleague of Keith's) and Rebecca which we had not seen since we lived in Denver.  Dinner was yummy - we shared a butter tasting and cauliflower dish for an appetizer for the table, halibut for our entree and then the apple cobbler and olive oil cake for dessert for the table.  

Dinner with Mike and Rebecca at Summit House

Wednesday was our last day here so we went to the Y again and then ran a few errands before we packed up and then drove into NYC for the next leg of our trip.

New Jersey - October 2015

While we were in transition between the Denver and Baltimore houses, we were living on the ground floor of the Baltimore house on a four-inch foam mattress.  We thought it would be more fun to get away for weekends so we headed up to New Jersey to see Kim and Tom and the kids.

We drove out on the Saturday morning in the Audi (sadly too cold for convertible) and made it to their place in about 2:45 - a pretty easy trip with little traffic.  When we arrived at the house, only Kaley and Kim were home - Tom was wrapping up a round of golf.  We chatted with Kaley for 15 mins while Kim was getting ready - then headed out to lunch at Food in Summit with Kim.  We then learned what suburban parenthood was all about by shuttling kids back and forth to their sports events - we were exhausted and suggested that Kim might have vodka in her Starbucks tea that is always at her side!  After that exhausting afternoon, we unwound with some beers on the patio before Danelle showed up.  We then all got ready for dinner and went to Serenade for a delicious meal.  

We all went to bed after dinner, with Danelle staying the night as well.  Breakfast was Starbucks and bagels before we drove Danelle to the station - then we drove back to Baltimore.