I am very fortunate to call myself a kid of curious, open-minded, and generous parents, who decided to go on a family vacation to my old stomping ground New York. To join them was a no-brainer for me.
The timing was perfect: My sister and my brother-in-law were about to move out of their fancy apartment in Williamsburg in Brooklyn, and leave New York. So right before the last of the Muts said adiós to the City, they invited us to make use of the spacious - and free! - accommodation.
The first week in New York we skipped all the touristy sights we’ve seen so far and did what I always do when I am back in the City: Walk around and do some serious people-watching. And if I say “walk around” I mean it: Our phones confirmed that we walked about 85 km (53 miles) in total. Although at the end of every day the exhaustion was too real, the next day we did it all over again. I love walking and I have never minded it. It is like meditation to me. So our feet took us to the Lower East Side, Chinatown, Financial District, SoHo, Midtown, Chelsea, and back to Williamsburg. To fuel up we stopped for mini cupcakes at Baked by Melissa, got some bagels from Kossar’s Bakery & Deli, and satisfied our caffeine need at many local coffee shops. New York has more than fine coffee and there is no need to get your cup of joe only from Starbucks anymore.
The weather was spring-y enough to take our parents on a hike to Minnewaska State Park. After a two-hour car drive from Brooklyn, you will arrive in a well-cared and protected preserve in Upstate New York. Before we started our five-hour hiking endeavor, we stopped at one of our favorite restaurants (probably in the world!): Karma Road. I’m not vegan nor vegetarian, but this restaurant offers the most delicious organic vegan dishes you’ll ever taste. All hail the tempeh bacon and cashew cheese! After that, we were ready to hit the trails.
Hiking must be one of my favorite activities. The combination of exercise and nature gives me so much energy. My constantly overthinking brain takes a pause and gets a well-deserved rest.
On another day we went out to the Woodbury outlet mall, which also requires a two-hour drive. Having a car in New York makes outings like this so much easier - and kind of a must. While I just did some window shopping - gotta be responsible since my regular income is pretty irregular these days - we found some bargains for the rest of the family.
After a week of reunion with New York we thought we shake things up a bit and show our parents a different side of the US:
Welcome to Miami, kids.
Staying true to its nickname, Miami greeted us in full Sunshine State manner with rays en masse and perfect temperature. Thanks to our beautiful friend Jan we stayed at the Mondrian in South Beach. To our surprise, he arranged the sweetest welcome gift including sunglasses, a bottle of champagne, and a print-out of our family picture to welcome us in his apartment. Again, Jan, thank you a million times! You are amazing.
After checking in and having a glass of bubbly, we went to one of our favorite places in South Beach for dinner: Bodega Taqueria y Tequila. We splurged on delicious burritos, tacos, guacamole and chips and frozen margaritas.
We went back to the Mondrian to catch the sunset, which falls into, hands down, the top five sunsets in the world. It is truly magnificent and from the balcony on the sixth floor, we got a full-on view of how the sun slowly disappears in the skyline of Miami City.
The next day we hit the beach right away, but not before stocking up on sunscreen with at least 30 SPF. Miami’s sun is like no other. 28°C (82°F) will give you easily a serious sunburn (I had my fair share) if you do not cream up. My dad hates everything chemical and thinks he is invincible. So he skipped the protection and two hours later he was burned. That still did not convince him until he actually started skinning on his forehead and shoulders after just two days. Mom made him put on sunscreen for the rest of our stay.
For lunch we loved going to La Sandwicherie, a corner bistro offering delicious and huge sandwiches. You sit along the long counter outside while watching the masters create your sandwich.
Wynwood Art District was a must-see on our trip. I love this neighborhood and its ever-evolving street art. We started with an early dinner at Le Chic, where we feasted on different dishes by sharing everything we ordered. A family who eats together, stays together, right?! After dinner, we explored the murals on the walls. The sun just set and the light was the perfect shade of twilight.
Another night we tested our parents’ limits by bringing them to the notorious Mango's Tropical Cafe on the Ocean Drive. Tourists, bachelorette parties, couples, and many more flock to this establishment with live music performances, seductive dancing, and very revealingly dressed female waitresses and male bartenders, who all also double as performers on stage. My folks stayed out of respect to the establishment for a short while, but after seeing one too many booties and boobies, my parents said “We came, we saw and now we’re leaving. Have fun!” and let us kids do our thing. I looked at my sister and we both thought “Yep, we worn them out with this one lol!”
On our last full day, we rented bikes to tour South Beach, which is ideal for bike riding. It was so much fun and I highly recommend it. On our tour, we rode along the promenade from the furthest south point up to Damien Hirst's golden mammoth display at Faena Hotel Miami Beach.
Since my mom has never learned how to ride a bike, she and my brother-in-law shared a tandem bike. It was my mom’s first time '“riding” a bike and she was a little nervous. She couldn’t be happier and proud of herself afterward.
While riding - carefully and mindfully (traffic, folks!) - we checked out Miami and its art deco architecture from a different angle.
For our last meal, we chose the restaurant Puerto Sagua, which offers authentic Cuban food. From ham&cheese sandwiches to shredded beef, regular beef with vegetables, avocado salad, brown and regular rice, grilled chicken, and black beans sauce, we ate everything. Come early here since it tends to be packed at peak hours. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed. It is a family place.
That same night we flew back to a much colder New York City. On the plane, I witnessed a clear skyline view of New York. This view never ever gets old and never fades to amaze me. It was just magical!
Birds view of the Empire State at night.
With one week left, before my parents’ return to Europe, we made the most and visited the places they’ve never seen during their previous trips to the City.
One new sight was recently added to the Manhattan scene: The Vessel at Hudson Yard, a honeycomb-shaped (or is it a Döner grill?), copper-colored staircase. There is a lot of controversy around this new landmark. Locals hate it, tourists and investors love it. I was curious enough to check it out, yet not curious enough to get a ticket, wait in line and go up. I also don’t have to see it again, I think. The latest scandal was about a hidden clause within Vessel’s visitor terms and conditions that ticket-holders agree to give Hudson Yards the rights to “photos, audio recording, or video footage depicting or relating to Vessel” for “any purpose whatsoever in any and all media”. The outcry was so big that a spokesperson responded following: “The intent of the policy is to allow Hudson Yards to amplify and reshare photos already shared on individual social channels through our website and social channels […] This is a practice utilized at nearly all major attractions and we wanted to over-communicate, be transparent and disclose to all users. We are refining the language to be more clear.” (Source: Curbed New York) So be aware of this.
I was eager to see the Frida Kahlo exhibition in the Brooklyn Museum, so one day I dragged my parents there. And like any major exhibition in New York, it was sold out with some spots open in three hours. Since we already had plans for the evening, I had to pass on this. On our way back to Williamsburg via MTA bus service we passed the Jewish quarter in Bedford-Stuyvesant. This neighborhood is known for its Hasidic Jews population. And since it was the Friday before Passover the streets were packed with men, women, and children in traditional/religious clothing.
For my dad’s birthday, my sister bought tickets to see Fazil Say in New York, a famous Turkish pianist and composer. My parents really enjoy his music. So one night, to surprise him and my mom we headed to the theater at Broadway. Once we sat down the usher handed us flyers about the concert. It said “Say in New York” - lol. Luckily that did not give much clue what and who my parents were about to see. After some chitchat, we disclosed the surprise and they were very happy, to say the least. It was a fantastic concert! The passion he put into his art was palpable.
The rest of the days we relaxed with good homemade food, provided by mom, some shopping, and “helping” my sister and her Johnathan to get ready for the big move (more like playing dress-up with some of their clothes, see a picture of dad below).
Emotionally this trip to New York was eye-opening to me. I love New York and it will always be in my heart. A place I’ll always want to return to. But I also realized that I lived here at the right time in my life and then left at the right time. It was like talking to an old lover you still love - on a different level.
It was so good to see you again, New York. Until next time!
