Tag: New York City

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Old (to me) New York

Ghost Signs

Me: Can you send me a message using that voice record thing you have on your phone?
Her: (puzzled) It’s just text-to-speech Logan.
Me: Well, I dunno if I have that on my phone.
Her: You definitely have that on your phone.
Me: You’re so snobby with your fancy advanced technology.
Her: It’s text-to-speech!

Probably one of my favourite things about living in NYC is seeing bits of old New York City peek through our modern lives.

Like, look at the old ferry terminal downtown against the modern skyscrapers behind it.

Or this ignored subway station entrance that looks like it came right outta the 1970s:

Or the cobblestone streets built with stones from at least 250 years ago:

Like when Sara and I took our walk downtown and we walked past alla these cast-iron buildings.

Some of which would tell you more about them if you looked a little closer.

I mean, even the coffee shop that Rain used to live above looks like it came from a different era.

Actually, walking around the city, I always try and if I can echoes of old New York.

Like this old school diner, we ran across in Tribeca the other day…Or this building below – which I found out later is the Corbin Building at the intersection of John Street and Broadway (13 John Street and 192 Broadway) – which I found on another one of our walks.It’s not mentioned in its Wikipedia entry, but I noticed that it had faint lettering that said, “Optical Journal.”

So, then I spent a good amount of time trying to figure that out – it turns out that there wasn’t an “Optical Journal” that operated there, it was literally just an ad according to this paper.

And those faint letterings of past NYC are called ghost signs.

Honestly, I love seeing ghost signs when I run across them, for reasons that I can’t really explain.

Maybe it’s because, after living in NYC for so long, I run into old ghosts on the regular and this feels like another form of that?

Dunno. But I like it.

Lemme know if you know of any ghost signs or glimpses into Old NYC?

Location: in my head again, wondering
Mood: alone
Music: Smoke my cigarettes – I should quit, I know (Spotify)
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Three meals in a night

Hanging out downtown

My kid and Sara’s kid are coming back from their respective summer months away.

Her: This is our last weekend to be DINKs.
Me: Then let’s go out.
Her: I’ve got just the place.

We started the night pretty early at this gorgeous rooftop restaurant called One40 Rooftop that Sara picked out.

We were surprised that it overlooked Ground Zero.

Her: I wasn’t expecting that. It’s beautiful. So crazy that so much happened right there.
Me: I’d gone there so many times in my life. I remember so much about that day.

Her: I read that they’re about to break ground on Two World Trade Center. I have no idea where they’re going to put it.
Me: I didn’t even know that. (thinking) We should probably change the subject.

There’s something that will – for me and many lifelong New Yorkers – always be quiet and sacred about that place.

So, I’ll stop talking about it now and leave you with our view.

We were the only ones there, which is part of why I like to eat so early.

Her: You’re so old. Eating so early.
Me: I have my intermittent fasting deadline!

The food was delicious…

…and while it was enough for her, it was not for me.

Her: Do you wanna get something else?
Me: Yes. But not here. Let’s just see what’s around.
Her: (checking her phone) Oh, The Malt House looks nice.
Me: Done – let’s go.

But, as we were paying the check, the waiter leaned over our table.

Him: You know, before you leave, you should really go over to the other side. The views there are even better than the view here.
Me: Oh man, thanks! We’ll do that.

So, we did.

He was right, the view did not disappoint.

Afterward, we made our way to the other bar and ordered some more drinks.

Me: I’m still hungry.
Her: Big surprise.
Me: Oh, they have sweet potato fries. That’s paleo.
Her: Well, it’s not the worst thing.

We had a few more drinks and continued to chat.

Her: I like it down here.
Me: Me too – it’s a lot different here than when I was a kid. But the major issue is that it’s at sea level or below.
Her: This is true.
Me: It’s ok. We can visit.

Afterwards, it was still pretty bright outside – see, the benefits of eating early – so we went for a stroll.

Sara made a new friend.

But he was too busy staring at his paperwork to notice her.

His loss, really.

As we started to go home…

Me: I’m still hungry.
Her: I would say I’m surprised, but I’m not.
Me: Look! Dollar pizza.
Her: It’s $2.
Me: I’m still getting one. Maybe two.

It was a nice way to wind down our time without the kids for a spell.

We still had one more thing to do, though.

But I’ll tell you all about it in the next entry.

Location: my humid room, interviewing someone
Mood: hungry
Music: down this empty street, let’s walk in the cool evening night (Spotify)
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Meeting with the Boss(es)

Half of it’s gone

Me: Hey, I gotta meet up with my boss after work this week. Do you wanna join us?
Her: Sure! (thinking) Actually, can you leave a little early and swing by my new office? You haven’t seen it yet.
Me: Bet!

My first apartment in Manhattan was on 46th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues, on a street called Little Brazil.

Back then, I worked at 42nd and Broadway, so I could literally wake up 30 minutes before work and be at my desk before anyone.

Like I said, I had so many lives before I started this blog back when I was 32.

Now, the thing is that my current gig is just southeast of my old pad, and Sara’s new gig is just northeast of it.

So, I decided to check out her new digs before we met up with my boss to discuss a case that I was working on.

Her: What do you think?
Me: (shielding my eyes from the bright afternoon sun) Too bad you don’t get any light or views here.
Her: (laughing) Yeah, the windows are awesome, but the sun can be a bit much – that’s why we always have the shades drawn.

We walked past my old pad, and I was shocked to see that half the block was demolished.

Me: WHOA! Everything’s gone!
Her: Is your old building still here?
Me: Yeah, but most of the buildings to the east of it are…gone. (sighing)
Her: Are you ok?
Me: (nodding slowly) Yeah. Everything I knew and loved is fading away. (pointing off across the street) Man, I spent so many nights in my 20s in that Barnes and Noble.
Her: I didn’t even notice that was there.
Me: At least some things I remember are still here.

The place we were meeting my boss was called Valerie, which wasn’t there when I lived there some three decades ago.

We got there first and ordered a few drinks, before my boss came.

But he showed up pretty soon after.

After some pleasantries…

Him: I’ve been here before. Don’t remember what for but I’ve definitely been here.
Me: I think I may have come with you.
Him: What made you pick it?
Me: It’s one of the few places left in NYC where you can still get dollar oysters.
Her: That tracks.

…we settled into a nice conversation where we discussed my case…

Me: What do you think?
Him: It’s interesting. There might be something there. I’ll dig a little bit and let you know what we find.
Me: Sweeeeet.

…and then all chatted.

Her: How many oysters did you get?
Me: 24? Protein!

Nuthin like protein and alcohol for dinner.

Afterward, I snagged the check.

Him: I’ve got it, this is a business dinner.
Me: Nah, it’s my case and I invited you out.
Him: (laughing) OK, next time.


The place was empty when we got there but, by the time we left, the whole place was hopping.

He went east, back to the office or home, while Sara and I walked west to catch our ride uptown.

Her: I’m really impressed with how intelligent your boss is.
Me: He’s literally one of the only people I could ever work for.
Her: Why is that?
Me: Because I respect him. He’s an excellent lawyer and good guy. That’s why I’ve worked for myself for so long – there aren’t too many people I respect enough to do that.

Location: the UWS, narrowly missing a thunderstorm
Mood: humid
Music: So cool, she was like jazz on a summer’s day (Spotify)
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Cosplaying as DINKs

Very questionable

Her: What do you wanna do for dinnner?
Me: I can always do Persian/Arab food; we also haven’t done Slavic food since we went out to eat with [the Frenchman and Bryson] on the east side. I will literally eat almost anything, though. Maybe no Italian/pizza? But otherwise, pretty flex. Sushi?
Her: I’ve been wanting to try Mezze on the River, downtown?
Me: Great choice, let’s do it.

We’re continuing to cosplay as DINKs, so we hopped the train to head downtown as adults, sans children.

First, we had to navigate the Oculus…

…which is always super cool. Literally and figuratively.

Me: Man, that air conditioner is on point!
Her: Yes, but now we have to walk outside.
Me: Rats.

There was a lotta construction down there and there was this HUGE private pool that was sealed off that was blocking our path.

So, I hopped the fence to open the gate for her so she didn’t have to.

Her: I don’t think this is a good idea.
Me: (hopping over) Too late. (opening gate) Come on in.
Her: You’re 53!
Me: Eh. I’ll never act it.

The restaurant and views were gorgeous.

As was the food…

…and company.

Me: Man, I’m stuffed.
Her: Really?! You so rarely say that.
Me: I’m just not used to this amount of carbs.

So, we decided to take the long walk to the express train home to work some of that off.

Me: Hey, that’s Century 21. I haven’t been there in years. Did you know that I first went in there back in high school? I was trying to find something to wear for the prom?
Her: Really? Did you?
Me: Yep. It was very unfortunate as it was the late 80s/early 90s so my clothing choices were very questionable.

She ended up buying a few things for herself and I got a shirt for the kid for his new school before we continued our walk and then caught the train home.

All-in-all, it was a perfect summer day.

I’ll take as many of those as I can get.

Location: smokey NYC
Mood: cough, cough
Music: feeling ok, don’t let it get away (Spotify)
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Day Tripping

DINKs

Oh, because of the stupid rat drama, I forgot to tell you that the kid did another recital right before his school ended.

He decided to play a cover of the Beatles Day Tripper – he’s singing but you can’t really hear it.

He was upset because he messed up a tiny bit in the middle, but I still thought he did great.

Now, just like we’ve done for the past few summers, while both kids are away, Sara and I got to live a DINK (dual income, no kids) lifestyle for a couplea weeks.

Her: What are you in the mood for?
Me: (thinking) Sushi? We haven’t done that in a while.
Her: Yes! Let’s do that. I know just the place.

So, off we went to a place just to the east of us called Momoya. I’d never been but have walked by a million times.

I got my usual, which is a dragon roll, and something to drink.

But it definitely wasn’t enough for me.

Me: I’m still hungry.
Her: I’m not surprised.
Me: Tikki Chick is close to us, how’s about we get some sandwiches and another drink?
Her: Sure!

So, off we went.

Ended up getting two chix sammies and cider – I didn’t expect it to be red.

Her: Do you want my umbrella?
Me: …Yes. Thank you.

Afterwards, we took a walk home.

Me: I’m still hungry.
Her: How is that even possible?
Me: Oh, it’s possible. (stopping) Whoa, these guys have a $9 chopped cheese!
Her: Are you sure you wanna do that?
Me: I dunno.

In the end, I didn’t, but it was nice having the flexibility to do that.

Plus, it’s nice being just the two of us for a bit.

But I miss the kid.

Me: Heya, are you free to video chat?
Him: I’m actually going out with my cousins soon, can we chat tonight?
Me: Oh, ok. Sure.
Him: Great, bye!

I’m not gonna enjoy when he leaves for college.

Location: 207 West 75th Street, NY, NY 10023
Mood: forever hungry
Music: got some time on my hands if we both ride together (Spotify)
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My second baseball game

But my first with the kid

Me: Do you like that I don’t watch sports?
Her: Oh yeah, I couldn’t be with someone who was locked into the TV every weekend watching some sports ballgame.

The last time I saw a baseball game was a Mets game that I saw when I was about 11 or so with my brother and his buddy Ira.

I brought a canteen for water and was mercilessly mocked by the people around us – my brother was (rightfully) embarrassed.

But people regularly walk around with 32-ounce water bottles so maybe I was just ahead of the curve?

In any case, after 42 years, I caught my second one the other day with both kids, Sara, and *50* of ABFFs friends and family.

It was kinda a surprise for the kid the day before the last day of elementary school but he figured it out.

Me: Why can’t you let me have these things?
Him: But you told I could guess!
Me: I didn’t think you’d figure it out!

So, this past Thursday, we all hopped the train for a 90-minute ride to Coney Island to check out the minor league team, The Cyclones, at Maimonides Park.

The first thing I did was get a beer and some food – essentially a burger and fries cost $20 and things went from bad to worse from there, food wise.

Me: I can’t get full. I’m gonna have to get a second mortgage and some more food.
Her: Are you even watching the game?
Me: There’s a game on?

I have to admit that it had its moments, but I was really there because the kid loves sports so much.

I wanted him to have some memories of the two of us going to a game together so that was really my main impetus.

He was definitely into it.

And the fact that Sara and the ABFF’s kids were there just made it that much better.

Oh, the tickets we got included some food, a hat, and a ring – all together, it wasn’t a bad deal.

It had some fun moments here and that we all enjoyed.

The stadium was about half empty, which I appreciated as I don’t like crowds, or people in general.

It was nice seeing the kid so into the whole experience.

I liked checking out the rest of the stadium and all of the cool things at Coney Island that I never get to see.

Ultimately, the Cyclones lost – they gave it their all in the 9th inning.

Her: They have nothing to lose so they’re going for it.
Me: Makes sense. Do you like that you have to explain sports to a man?
Her: I love the strategy of the end of the game – it’s super exciting. I’m happy to explain it!

The ABFF’s sister was the one that came up with this idea in the first place as she’s a teacher that’s really into baseball, so she figured it was a nice thing to do the day before school let out.

And she picked this particular game because (a) it let the kids round around the bases when the game was done and (b) there was a fireworks display at the end.

Of course, the kid was thrilled at these two extras at the end.

It was close to 10:30PM by the time we left…

…which meant that it was dark and relatively cold as we made our way to the station.

We were all pretty exhausted.

And, unfortunately, the trains went local for a good part of the way so that meant we got home even later than planned.

Him: Can we take a car home?
Me: We’re not made of money, kid. Plus, we’d literally just save like 20 minutes at most.

The kids tried to go to sleep but no luck.

They were too wired from the experience and the copious amounts of junk food they had while there.

It well after midnight when we got home.

Me: Did you have a fun time?
Kid: Yeah. But now I just wanna go to sleep.
Me: Good call – tomorrow’s your last day of elementary school!
Him: (sleepily) Yeah.

But he was actually excited to finish up elementary school, which I’ll tell you about in the next entry.

Location: Somewhere over Pennsylvania, I would guess
Mood: hungry, what else is new?
Music: You know I think it’s time to give this game a ride (Spotify)
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We should stop drinking tea

It was seven

Her: We need to stay at a hotel.
Me: What are we, made of money? We just have one more to go.

When the exterminator didn’t show up, I texted him. This is what he wrote me.

I had so many questions – both about his business sense and his parenting skills.

But I didn’t have time to mess around as Sara was at the limits of her patience.

Her: OK, we can get a two-bedroom in midtown for essentially what this place is worth and there’s also a wraparound…
Me: (interrupting) I’m working on it, baby. I’m working on it.

In the past, I’d used AlleyCat Pest Control – who were here last in 2021, and we literally didn’t have a lick of trouble until this time – and I really liked the owner as he was both really good at his job and a great guy.

But he couldn’t make it.

Don (the owner of AlleyCat): You know I’d love to help you, but I’m swamped and I’m also covering for someone else.
Me: Oh crap.
Him: (continuing) But six rats in 12 hours usually means you have a serious infestation. Still, based on everything you’re telling me, it could well be as you think – that when the construction workers next door took down all their stuff, the rats hiding and living in their stuff just ran into your building and set up camp.
Me: That’s what I’m hoping.

Another tenant in my building suggested Chelsea Pest Control, so I rang them up.

They sent someone within two hours that same day (!).

The guy that came, Sammy A., went through my entire apartment and did a bang-up job sealing the pad but couldn’t find the last rat.

Him: I assume he ran out. But your apartment’s totally sealed now; I think a pregnant rat got into your place and had her litter here. Because you definitely have signs of rats but not like a colony.
Me: Well, at least there’s that.

It turns out that, for every rat you see, you have 10-20 hidden behind the walls.

That means that if I had SEVEN rats – the mother, the five I killed, and the one missing one – which could have conceivably been up to 140 rats in my building (gross).

But both Sammy and Don said the tenants would be losing their minds with the scratching and the squeaking the walls and would have definitely seen something.

Here, literally no one had a single problem – including me – until the past Sunday.

Both Sammy and I assumed that the mother was dead in the wall, because flies started coming out from under my radiator (vomit) but, luckily, I had a bug zapper, so they didn’t make it far.

By Friday, we hadn’t seen the last live rat, so we assumed it was gone.

Because of this, I cleaned the entire apartment a second time, which – again – took almost the entire day.

Feeling satisfied with my job well done, I stopped to make tea and heard something in the cupboard.

Opening it, there it was.

I yelped and slammed the door shut.

Running into the bedroom, I geared up in my sweater, jeans, sneakers and got some thick gloves. I was ready for yet another rat battle.

Her: You know you look ridiculous, right? Why are you wearing a SWEATER?! It’s 100% degrees!
Me: OK, do you wanna go grab the rat?
Her:
Me: Yeah, I thought so!

There was only one hole in that cabinet for the power cable to my microwave. It was so small. I still have no clue how the rat got through the hole.

I stuck my hand into the cabinet and sealed the hole with some Gorilla Tape. I did try to grab the rat but I was worried that I’d let it escape if I kept trying.

So, instead, I sealed the cabinet doors and called Chelsea again.

They had a different guy come out literally 40 mins later. He came in, grabbed the live rat, and shoved it into a bucket.

Sara: Did you get it?
Him: (grinning broadly, holds up the bucket, and answers in a thick Slavic accent) Ya!

So, I then cleaned the entire kitchen and bathroom a THIRD goddamn time.

The moral of the story?

We should stop making goddamn tea in the house.

Location: my rat- and mouse-free home.
Mood: still exhausted but also still grossed out
Music: They don’t push, don’t crowd. Congregate until they’re much too loud (Spotify)
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We have to burn this apartment down

My unwanted houseguests

The below is why I didn’t post this past Sunday.

Her: Why do you think it happened all of a sudden?
Me: They were doing construction right next door for a year, and they just pulled out all their tools, junk, and equipment. I guarantee you that they were nesting there when alla sudden their home disappears and they scattered and went into the closest place.
Her: Our building?
Me: (nodding) Our building…and this apartment, evidently.

It was a pretty uneventful trip back home from my mom’s but I was beat and just wanted to crash.

As I walked into my apartment, past my kitchen, and glanced at my stove, I saw TWO furry heads looking back at me.

I froze. Mice. Two of them.

Both Alison and Sara were/are neat freaks and keep an immaculate house, which means that, in the 30 years I’ve been here, I’ve only ever seen 8-9 mice ever, but I’d never seen TWO before.

Not putting up any gross pics, so this entry will be fulla rando pics of NYC.

So, I quickly ran out of the house and looked for some traps.

Had to go to three stores before I picked up a bunch at my corner bodega.

Ran back and laid them out in my kitchen – but then a RAT (!) not a mouse ran past me, into my bedroom (!!) and disappeared into my bathroom.

This was my first rat sighting EVER in my home.

But I had two to contend with. So, I pretty much covered my kitchen and bathroom with traps.

I took a shower (yes, in that bathroom) and Sara and I went to bed but just as we were settling in, I heard some shrieking in my bathroom and ran to find one trapped.

Me: Holy cow, that was fast!
Her: (running in from the kitchen) LOGAN! I was getting a cup of tea and saw another one in the trap.
Me: There’s another one?!

I ran into the kitchen and, yup.

I quickly dispatched both of them, beyond relieved.

Me: Honestly, that was the best possible outcome.
Her: It’s still gross.
Me: Well, alls well that ends well.
Her: Did you put away the other traps you had out?
Me: Nah, I’ll do it tomorrow. I’m beat.

The next morning, Sara went to work before me, as she usually does, but she pounded on my door.

I groggily went to the kitchen, but Sara was already halfway out the door.

Her: (leaving) There’s another rat!

Except, she was wrong.

There wasn’t A rat there – there were TWO of them, each in their respective traps.

That means I went from zero rats in 30 years to FOUR rats in eight hours.

I took a deep breath and dispatched those as well.

I had just two traps left.

There can’t possibly be more, can there? I thought, before starting the long process of cleaning and sanitizing every inch of the kitchen and bathroom.

Spent the entire morning cleaning before taking a quick break at noon or so to make a cup of tea.

I went to my bedroom to doom scroll when I head the trap go off in the kitchen.

What the…?!

It was a fifth rat.

Her: (on phone) You’re kidding.
Me: Oh man, I wish…

That’s gotta be the last one, I thought.

So, I dispatched that one and continued to clean the entire kitchen again.

Sara came home and couldn’t believe there were FIVE rats but was happy it was over.

Her: We should move.
Me: (shrugging) If you’re buying, sure.

We settled into a quiet evening when she went to get a cup of tea, herself.

Her: (from kitchen) LOGAN! I almost touched it!
Me: (running in) Touched what?!
Her: ANOTHER RAT! It was sitting on the sink, and I went to wash my hands and almost touched it before it ran away.

That’s SIX rats if you’re keeping count.

That was enough for me.

A neighbor highly recommended this “great” exterminator to come the next day, so I did that.

We just ate out and kept all the doors closed – but the exterminator was 90 minutes late and didn’t bring the right tools.

He’d come back tomorrow, he said.

But he didn’t.

This is getting crazy long, so I’ll wrap it in the next entry.

Her: Clearly, we have to burn this apartment down.
Me: Clearly.

Location: a sparkling and ridonk clean kitchen
Mood: ex-haust-ed
Music: They don’t scurry when something bigger comes their way
 (Spotify)
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Catching Celebrity Autobiography

Cringy

RE Mike shot us some tix to go see this Broadway show called Celebrity Autobiography, the other day.

Him: I heard it’s funny.
Me: Sweeeeet – Sat at 5PM works for us. You going?
Him: Let me check – I might go with you but [the wife and kid] are in Florida.

Sara loved the last three things that he sent us to – a private party, The Heart of Rock and Roll, and Once Upon a One More Time – so she was def up to see this one as well.

Me: You wanna go? From RE Mike, of course.
Her: Ooooooh! Fun!

The premise is clever; essentially, celebrities read excerpts of autobiographies from other celebrities – and most are pretty cringe.

I went mainly to see Eric McCormack from Will & Grace (he lived on my block so I have a story about him that I’ll tell you about one day), who’s the last person in the pic below, and Tony Shalhoub from Wings and Monk – two shows that I’ve seen pretty much every episode of, back in the day.

That first guy – Mario Cantone – was hilarious, as was Mikey Day from SNL.

Ralph Macchio was also there, as well as Nia Vardalos from My Big Fat Greek Wedding – she was also hilarious.

The others were good, but they were the stars of the show, in my opinion.
Having said that, the show was 90 minutes, and I definitely feel that it coulda been a faster, more interesting 60-minute show.

If nuthin else, I don’t think celebrities with no writing chops – at all – should hold themselves out to be authors. The poetry of Matthew McConaughey, the love story of Kenny Loggings, and the musings of Khloé Kardashian were particularly funny/cringy.

Then again, maybe in a few decades, people might find this blog and find everything I write cringy.

In any case, while I’m not sure I woulda seen it but for RE Mike sending us the tix, it was a nice change from our usual.

Afterward, we stepped out into the warm spring evening.

Her: It’s supposed to be the hottest summer on record this summer.
Me: No!
Her: (nodding) Yup.
Me: (shaking head) Why do you gotta ruin everything? (grumble)

Oddly, thinking about celebrities and their hidden talents – or lack thereof – got me to thinking about Scarlett Johansson’s song Relator, which was a song that I heard from a magazine I used to read to find new music – waaaaay before Spotify – called Paste Magazine.

I liked it before I found out it was her singing.

Here it is if you’ve never heard it before.

Location: midtown with the kid and his friends, looking for a kitchen and a party
Mood: heated already
Music: life’s for us to talk about (Spotify)
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An impromptu mid-weeknight out

…with hand-pulled noodles

Both boys needed a haircut, and Sara was hankering for some noodles the other day.

Me: Wait, they have tomorrow off right?
Her: Yup.
Me: You wanna just head down to Chinatown and we’ll let both boys get a haircut and you can have your hand pulled noodles?
Her: Sure!

I gave her some hand-pulled noodles a while back and she’s been enjoying them ever since.

She’s been wanting to go to this hole-in-the-wall joint in the video above for a while now and the weather was just beautiful so off we went.

In that video, the chef’s making a buncha different kinds of hand-pulled noodles, two of which we had below.

The knife-cut noodles at the end are probably the coolest in my book.

But first, the boys had to get their hair cut.

They each picked out their own style and showed it to the aunties.

After they finished, we just turned the corner and we were there. We grabbed some seats outside for food.

Normally, I hate eating outside – mainly because it’s usually in some shed on the street which is inherently dangerous, and pretty uncomfortable to boot.

But Doyers Street – which I should tell you about onea these days – is closed to cars now, so it’s a lot nicer an experience.

I accidentally ordered the wrong dish for Sara, which worked out fine because I could then indulge in my inner fatty-fat-fat.

The below pic is of the thicker, flatter hand-pulled noodles that are hand-ripped as well. That’s the kind I like the best.

I think, scientifically, carbs don’t impact the body if you eat them because you ordered the wrong food.

That’s what I tell myself, anywho.

The bowl below is of the thinner long-pulled and hand-cut noodles varity.

Me: Why are you cutting the noodles?!
Her: They’re so long!
Me: They’re supposed to be so long!

Afterwards, we took a nice (loooong) walk to the west side and hopped the train home.

The weather was just perfect.

Me: These kinda nights are my fave.
Her: Because they’re spontaenous?
Me: Yeah. I think these impromptu things we do are the most fun.
Her: Agreed.
Me: I hope the kids remember these things. I’m hoping I’m giving them some nice memories to look back on.

Not the place we went to but another famous Chinatown hand-pulled noodle joint.

I think that’s why I miss my dad so much.

Because he used to do alla these small but really meaningful things for me.

And they inspire me to want the same for his grandson that he never really got to know.

I know that I’ll never have those experiences again. But they live on in my head.

Ah, shit.

I did it again.

Location: the kid’s new middle school, hoping I made the right decision
Mood: sigh
Music: It’s my feeling we’ll win in the end (Spotify)
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