NYC Solo

I'm a little overdue with this post, seeing as I've been back for over a week now but such is life with a busy toddler.  So, New York.  Sans enfant.  Was it so very different travelling on my own?  Hell yes.  

I left the flat for the airport a bit morose.  Chloe scuppered my plan of catching a taxi before she even woke up, to avoid a painful goodbye.  She reliably wakes up at 7:30-8am every morning.  Despite this, on the morning of my departure she awoke at 5:30am.  It's like she knew.  So a tearful goodbye saw me sitting through an early morning taxi ride feeling rather sad and anxious about how she'd get along without me.  Now, I'm not normally a fan of overly talkative cabbies, especially first thing in the morning, but I was quite glad for one on that morning.  He got me talking and I was grateful for the distraction.  Once at the airport the benefits of solo travel were soon apparent.  The minimal carry-on, the relaxing cup of coffee, the ability to actually sit down and read something for more than 20 seconds at a time.  As much as I love my child, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that a 7.5hr plane ride is immeasurably more pleasant without her sitting on my lap.  

Upon arrival I made my way by rail through the stark, mist-veiled, industrial landscape of New Jersey to  the familiar skyline of Manhattan and then on to Brooklyn. I arrived to a mild New York winter with blue skies, sunshine and a freshness to the air - it was perfect.  After a brief stop at Kate & Daniel's apartment I headed back into town for an appointment with some scissors. A few hours later, my hair and wallet were considerably lighter.  But hey, surely every girl needs a really expensive haircut at least once in their life, right?

On my way back to Brooklyn after my haircut.

Kate arrived home from Miami later that evening and we headed out on foot to Colonie, a really great restaurant on Atlantic Avenue.  I sipped a caipirinha while Kate abstained with a tonic & bitters while we waited for a table, and chatted about wedding preparations.  The food was fabulous, but then so was pretty much every single thing I ate in New York on this trip.  A lovely evening to break through the jet-lag barrier and start my holiday.

Our table at Colonie

The next morning Kate and Daniel had a bit of a lie-in while my jet-lag had me up at the crack of dawn.  Teddy was sounding like he could do with a walk and my stomach was making similar noises so off we went for a stroll down to a local cafe for some breakfast.  I must admit, walking through the quiet Brooklyn Heights neighbourhood with a new look, dressed quite differently from my normal day-to-day garb and sporting a large(ish) canine on the end of a leash, I almost felt like I was someone else.  A local out with their dog for a mid-morning stroll and cup of coffee at their cute local. 

Me and the Ted-ster

The rest of the weekend was a Brunch-fest.  We met up with Daniel's Mother and two sisters-in-law on Saturday at The Fat Radish.  It was lovely to meet them, and a pair of adorable 9 month old twins that came along too!  Baby cuteness, or what?  Made me miss my little pirate.  Saturday night saw us out with Daniel's cousin Aaron, eating Montreal Jewish Deli style at Mile End.  I think it was the first Pastrami sandwich I've ever had.  Thick cut, smoked meat goodness.  

We ate lots, drank a fair bit too, and then drank a little bit more in a bar afterwards.  They free-pour in New York.  It's kind of lethal, or would be if you weren't as light-weight a drinker as I am.  My desire not to have to deal with a toddler whilst hung-over is so deeply ingrained that I'm not sure my brain would let me drink to excess any more, even if I wanted to!

Post-dinner bar-crawling (to one bar)

Sunday's brunch was another girlie affair to celebrate the engagement, this time with six of Kate's close friends.  The cooks surpassed themselves - spinach pancakes with lime butter, waffles with fresh berries and Maple syrup, chocolate fondue and blood orange mimosas.  Yummers.

Sarah, Sarah, Iza, Ana, Pippa, Kate, Rachel, Me

Sarah's and Kate's wedding plans were popular topics - bridal magazines were perused, food was devoured, shoe and honeymoon ideas discussed.  It was all very relaxed and we whiled away the afternoon slowly working through the chocolate fondue pot.  Come evening Kate and I decided to stay in and she cooked the most amazing food for us, not that we were that hungry after our earlier gluttony!

On Monday I headed over the bridge (well, actually through a tunnel) for some serious clothes shopping.  I was on the hunt for some jeans and it is much easier to do that without having to untie a toddler from you every time you go into a changing room.  So I was intent on making the most of this opportunity and I was going to find some jeans that fit, no matter what!  Luck was with me and three pairs of jeans and some lip liners later I was ready to meet Kate at Eataly for dinner.  It's a great place with several different restaurant stands that you can move between and sample different types of Italian food. Italy, eating, Eataly.  Get it?  Anyway, I discovered that while I had previously thought that I hated everything about Sushi, it turns out that I just hate everything except the raw fish.  I had crudo for the first time, the Italian way of serving raw fish, and I actually really enjoyed it.

And this was after the aubergine pesto and arugula costini, the seafood crudo, and the scallops entree.  

Sarah came along to join us and then we decided to crash Daniel;s evening and headed back to Brooklyn to Marlow & Sons where I kid you not, I had the best pate I have ever tasted in my life.  Creamy chicken liver goodness.  I never thought I'd be writing those words, but this stuff was something else.  The chocolate and salted caramel tart wasn't too bad on the taste buds either!  

The Pate, it didn't stand a chance.

I basically spent 5 days gorging myself on fabulous food, drinking fancy cocktails, hitting the shops and having a great time with everyone.  No complaints there.  It was strange being away from Chloe and not being automatically defined as a "mother" everywhere I went.  And I realised that it isn't just other people's perceptions that define me as such.  It's how I define myself.  It's what I do now, who I am.  If people asked me what I did I used to tell them I was a Vet.  Then for a while I would tell them that I was a Vet, but on maternity leave.  Now if people ask, I just say that I am a mother.  I don't mind that.  I've chosen it and wouldn't have it any other way, but for 5 days I got to be just "Leigh" again and there was something nice about that too.

Brooklyn Heights

Chinatown

The Promenade