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Weekend in New York

Well, that was pretty great. We took the kids to New York City yesterday to see the Big Apple Circus. Ever been? It’s a wonderful, wonderful circus. I don’t like circuses, but boy, is this one terrific. It’s intimate and creative, versus the overwhelming spectacle of a Ringling Bros. show. Julie and I took Matthew […]

Well, that was pretty great. We took the kids to New York City yesterday to see the Big Apple Circus. Ever been? It’s a wonderful, wonderful circus. I don’t like circuses, but boy, is this one terrific. It’s intimate and creative, versus the overwhelming spectacle of a Ringling Bros. show. Julie and I took Matthew to it 10 years ago, when we lived in NYC, and we were both so surprised by how charming and enjoyable the show was. So once we realized we were moving to Louisiana, we wanted to make sure all three of our kids got to see the show. What made yesterday’s performance special for our kids was that we had ringside seats. What made it even more special was that the show’s famous clown, Grandma (played by Barry Lubin), pulled me into the ring for a water-spitting skit:

“Did you arrange for that?!” Julie asked me after it was over. Uh, no. Not a chance. But I’m glad it made the kids happy. The circus was a joy all the way around. The kids loved the Chinese acrobats, the magic tricks, the porcupine (!), the trapeze artists, the whole dang thing. Walking back out into the plaza at Lincoln Center, Lucas said, “I think that is the best thing I’ve ever done in my whole life!” We walked across the street and got a table for lunch at Rosa Mexicano, which was a favorite of ours when Julie and I first moved to Manhattan (we frequented the location on First Ave., near our apartment). Because this was our first time there in at least a decade, and the last time we’d have a chance to eat there for a long time, we had pomegranate margaritas to go with the guacamole made at tableside. Hans, the guacamole maker, invited the children to help him mix the stuff, and gave them all souvenir aprons to wear. It could not possibly have been better, all this. After our lunch, which was, of course, delicious, I stood out on the sidewalk swooning, wishing that we lived in New York.

I e-mailed that sentiment from my phone to a New York friend, who e-mailed right back, “You’re on vacation.” I knew he was right, of course, but still, we were floating on a cloud of Big Apple love. All of us walked across town to see Christmas windows in Midtown department stores. Julie took Nora, an Eloise fan, into the lobby of the Plaza hotel to see the Eloise Christmas tree, which lit her up. Then we stepped over toward Bergdorf’s to see what they’d done with their windows, pointing out to the kids where an Indian restaurant called Pondicherry used to be, and told them how the late Ismail Merchant had given Mom and Dad a personal cooking lesson there once. (None of them can appreciate yet why this is one of their parents’ favorite New York memories.) Anyway, the Bergdorf windows were spectacular, as they always are. Look at this one:

If you’re in the city over the Christmas season, this is a must-see. Careful to avoid FAO Schwarz — a wonderland for kids, but for parents, the Mines of Moria — we ambled over to the wonderful Sherry-Lehmann to pick up some wine to take to our friends’ house later.

We bought a bottle of their house Champagne, which is reasonably priced and which I would drink every day if I could, and a bottle of nonvintage 2008 Chablis recommended by Pierre, a salesman there. It was less than $30, which I thought reasonable. Unfortunately, it’s not listed on the Sherry-Lehmann website, because let me tell you, this was a delicious wine — flinty, minerally, crisp, just what you want Chablis to be. For me, heaven is to sit at a cafe in Paris with a platter of cold, briny oysters and a bottle of cold Chablis. So, wine in hand, we walked over to nearby Barney’s to check the windows out there. What a disappointment! Uncharacteristically so. Lady Gaga designed the windows, and they were pretty much a dud. The kids had been stunned by the Bergdorf’s windows, but barely noticed these. Can’t say that I blame them. Who in the world would think it a good idea to have Lady Gaga do their Christmas windows? Wait, don’t answer that.

On to Saks, and Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree. Alas, on the way, the crowds and the cold and the walking wore the kids down. And when the children ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. They tried to be troupers, but they were overcome by it all. They were underwhelmed by the Rockefeller Center tree, which told me how tired they must have been. Julie and I realized that it was true: New York City is a great place to visit, but when you have three kids, it takes a lot out of you to live there.

We stopped at Magnolia Bakery to buy some cupcakes to take to our friends, caught a cab to Lincoln Center, picked up our car, and drove to Westchester for a dinner of clams and pasta, and tuna steak. S., our host and a French Culinary Institute-trained chef, really outdid himself. I ended the evening on a fold-out couch bed next to Lucas. I saw him in the dim light from the kitchen staring off into the distance, just before falling asleep. “What are you thinking about?” I asked.

“The Big Apple Circus,” he said, grinning. “I can’t stop thinking about how great it was. It made me so happy, Dad.”

Just the reaction I had hoped for. Happy.

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