Family Business: Part II

     Saturday a fairly chill day for us. We all slept in, and Monteil and I weren't feelin too hot; and I grumpy gills for most of the day because Monteil had broken my camera. Perfect! So we went into Manhattan and walked around the Financial District more and went to see Ground Zero. That was on Monteil's Must-See List, so we fit that in, and then we were able to talk my mom into making dinner. It's been a while since I've had a homecooked meal--probably since about February when she came to visit me when I had wrist surgery. So anytime I can get my mom to cook, then I'm pleased. 

Because we'd played it cool Saturday, we had to make the most of the Sunday. It was also their last full day in the city, so we got up early and I made pancakes! Then we made the long trek up to Harlem. Also on Monteil's Must-See List was Rucker Park, which wasn't far from Yankee Stadium, so we were able to see both of those. Then we headed back about 40 blocks and stopped at Harlem Tavern to have a few drinks and relax. We then walked around that area a bit and saw the Apollo Theater before heading back downtown. We saw the big flagship Macy's Store, and the Empire State Building and Madison Square Garden and all of that.

 

    After that, we walked around West Village and stopped at some little cafe where I finally filled with my soul with some long-sought after delicious guacamole! Oh, my little heart was so content. After walking around for a few more hours, we headed home to Brooklyn, changed, and then back into Manhattan for dinner. Standard night. 

   By the end of the night, I was DEAD tired. I'm not used to being nearly as active as I had been in those few days, and I was ready to sleep and get back to the normal work grind. So I passed out as soon as we got back to my place.
   The next morning, I slept while they prepared for the travels back to DeKalb. Hah, I can't say that I was terribly sad to see them go. Perhaps because I'm well-accustomed to the goodbyes by now, or perhaps because I was overdue for some quiet Janai Time. Either way, I had a blast while they were here. My brother actually warmed my heart a couple times during the visit. And by that, I basically mean that he complimented me, which isn't exactly his norm. At one point, he was like, "I don't know how you just moved here without knowing anyone or anything," and by that I know he was at the very least, slightly impressed with how I'd adjusted to life in New York City. And the second time came at dinner, I started this little self-absorbed game I like to play sometimes when out of nowhere I'll just ask someone to name their 3 favorite things about me. I generally get really sarcastic, insulting responses. My mom decided that she wasn't going to play because I was getting on her nerves, and Monteil said, "your mental strength; it amazes me." 
    To be quite frank, I've done some downright dumb shit in my 22 years, and I've had some moments when I disappointed a lot of people. But at the same time, I've done and am doing some pretty awesome things, and it feels good being on the opposite end of that spectrum, knowing that I'm making at least a few people proud--especially when it's these two. 

Family Business: Part I

  

Mom & Brother in Time Square

Monteil & Diddy

  Thursday morning, Mom and Monteil arrived. I had Thursday and Friday off of work so that I could spend as much time with them as possible. I'd decided early on that we'd try to get all of the touristy stuff out of the way on Thursday in hopes of avoiding as many crowds as possible. My mom had been to the city once before when she accompanied me for a career workshop I went to last November, but this was my brother's first time. Naturally, he had his own little list of things and places that he wanted to see. So Thursday we started with the basics: Time Square, Central Park, Columbus Circle, Financial District, skyline, etc...all that stuff. We rode the subway a lot, so they were able to experience all of the craziness that is the New York Subway system. Thank god we did ride the subway a lot because my mom's high-maintenance self was not up for doing too much walking. Often times, like when we were here before, I had to kind of trick her to milk her for as many blocks as I could. "Don't worry mom, we're almost there," ten blocks later, "only a little further." Haha, but she did well.

     So we walked around Time Square and made our way towards Columbus Circle and the Upper West Side. We stopped for Pizza before lolly-gagging through Central Park. The park is so gigantic that I feel like it's nearly impossible to navigate through. Fun Fact: Did you know that Central Park accounts for approximately 6% of all of Manhattan? So, we did that and continued down 5th Ave past all of the Pradas and Guccis. Most importantly, we passed Harry Winston. I'd been down 5th Ave before, but I guess I never paid attention, but oh my gosh. In the window, there were some of THEE most beeeeauuutiful diamond rings I've ever seen. And it was then that I decided, undoubtedly, if I am to be expected to marry someone and share the rest of my life with them...it will come at a cost no less than the finest of Harry Winston's most recent collection. Emerald Cut. Anyway, then we headed way downtown to the Financial District and I took them on the Staten Island Ferry. Mom loved that because we were able to sit most of the time, and it was a pretty warm day, so the breeze felt great. So we road over to Staten Island and then headed right back.

      By the time we finished on the Ferry, we were all pretty tired, so we headed back to Brooklyn and chilled there for the remainder of the night. We'd also planned to wake up early to go to Coney Island the next day, so we were able to restore our energy for that.

     Friday morning, we got a bit later of a start than originally planned, but were still able to make the most of the day. We took the subway to Coney Island, and it was a gorgeously sunny and warm day. As I am a firm believer than I am vitamin D-deprived in comparison to summers spent in the Midwest, I really just wanted to lay out and get my extra dark on. But they weren't really in agreeance--so they sat under the umbrella. There were people walking around on the beach selling "nutcrackers," and we had no idea what they were. So, I inquired; vodka (or a variety of liquors) and juice. Monteil and I figured it'd be a good idea to start drinking, so we bought some. We'd each get 2, and my mom would have 1. We did this like 3 times, but I only recall the first 2.