When we live our lives it’s something like a race — our minds become so concerned and covered over and we get depressed and have to get away for a holiday.
and then sometimes there are moments of perfection
and in these moments we wonder why we ever thought life was difficult.
—Agnes Martin
Michelle and I went to New York last week and it was such a special stay. I already know this trip will be with me for years to come because it was filled with so many “moments of perfection.” For the briefest of moments, I fully felt the freedom available to me when my own (often limiting) self-chatter is quieted. The time will inevitably come when I’ll feel pulled back into the race of it all, but I’m so grateful for the perspective this trip provided. Who knows, maybe seeing these moments gets easier? Feeling hopeful that practice makes perfect.
When compiling my map of places I wanted to visit while in New York, restaurants were notably missing. I was still feeling a bit burned from my previous trip to the city where the restaurants and bakeries I’d anticipated visiting left me feeling underwhelmed. Glad that tune has changed. Top bites from this past visit include:
Egg Katsu Sando from Little Egg Lately, I’ve been taking note of what makes an experience of dining out a good one and I’ve whittled it down to it being “better than it needs to be.” Little Egg is a quaint, casual restaurant in Prospect Heights which you can tell—even as a first time diner—is a beloved neighborhood spot. The servers are kind, the decor is cozy, and the overall vibe is relaxed and unfussy. There is absolutely no reason that their Egg Katsu Sando needs to be as good as it is but, wow, am I glad that it is.
Brown Butter Cornmeal Cake from Radio Bakery I know this spot is largely known for their laminated pastries, but as someone who doesn’t really like croissants (in this pastry competition literally no one is pitting, I am team scone!) I was happy to spot their Brown Butter Cornmeal Cake on display. I actually flew it back to LA to share with Van, and even with the day-long transport, that first bite was bonkers. Fingers crossed that this NYT recipe is the exact one Radio uses, because I need to share this with others.
Insalata Verde from Via Carota Shoutout to my friend emily fiffer for steering me in the direction of this truly memorable salad. I was able to get a seat at the bar for a solo lunch before I headed to the airport. As Emily shared with me when describing the Insalata Verde, each! leaf! is! ice! cold! Refreshing and perfectly dressed with a simple shallot vinaigrette, this salad is a revelation.
While in New York, I got to meet up with an Instagram friend for drinks. Neither of us could recall our “origin story;” we’d been following each other for years but had never met in person. I can be awkward and shy at times, but felt inspired to reach out because my track record of meeting internet friends has been pretty great. (Hi, Camilla Wynne!<3) It was a really sweet evening of filling in gaps (lol that I come off as an extrovert online), swapping sentiments, and sharing future plans. Glad to have met an old/new friend and experience a dimensionality that’s only possible when we get off our damn screens.
Thanks to my logistics king of a husband, I finally have TSA Pre-Check. I always remarked that I don’t travel much anyway and didn’t need it, but Van must have gotten tired of waiting for me all these years and made the arrangements. I was feeling pretty smug as I arrived at the airport for my flight to New York, fully ready to flash that ✅-ed boarding pass to anyone who asked. Couldn’t help but chuckle as I rolled into security to see that both regular and pre-check lines were completely empty. Gotta love Burbank Airport!
One reason this trip was so memorable was because of the time we got to spend with the team at Mark Morris Dance Center. We were able to sit in on a private rehearsal of the Mark Morris Dance Group, observe student and community classes, and even take a few dance classes ourselves. The classes spanned many styles, but every instructor prefaced each one by encouraging their students to move according to their own body’s unique ability and expression. Every class we sat in on and participated in were beautiful reminders of each student’s capaciousness, made even more beautiful—in contrast and in synchrony—together.
Our visit to New York was anchored by a 3-day on-site visit to one of our newer clients, Mark Morris Dance Group at the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn. We were fully immersed in all of the center’s many incredible dance offerings, one of which was a “Move and Flow” class we attended. This class was brimming with joy from the moment we walked in. It was 45 minutes of pure happiness and the most genuine connection I’ve felt with a room of people in a while. It reminded me how quickly and simply one can arrive at joy, you just need to choose it. As one of the elder attendees said so emphatically, “I am so happy to be alive!”
<3 Special shout out to Joyce for walking 25,000 steps around Manhattan with me after our redeye the day before!
A highlight of the trip was dinner with my in-laws at Semma, a southern Indian restaurant on Greenwich Ave. From start to finish it was a meal to remember, but my favorite part was hearing about their adventures in the city the day before and the many activities they have planned for the months ahead!
When I was planning to visit NYC I found myself getting nervous about reaching out to a few friends I hadn’t spoken to in years that live in the city. I’m not on social media, so the passage of time feels different when it comes to relationships for me. For better or worse, I literally have no idea what people are up to unless I make the effort to build and maintain my relationship with them. I was pleasantly surprised when these friends were up to hanging out and even happier when our coffees and dinners felt natural—as if I had just seen them yesterday. It brought me joy to reconnect and I’m grateful we were open enough to try.
“Central Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in continuous use in New York City and is both a New York City and a National Historic Landmark.” I didn’t know that went I went to visit the Moorish building designed in 1872. I had read the Senior Rabbi’s memoir, Heart of a Stranger, and was drawn to her story and the promise of the building’s façade. Upon entering, I felt completely transported. A calm in the middle of the city, a moment to just be.
I spent the weekend at my friend Edjola and Braem’s place in NYC. Edjola was my freshman roommate and has lived in NYC ever since we graduated. Every time I visit there is a new addition to the family: a husband, a child (Jack, now 5) and, this time, a baby on the way! I spent hours this weekend playing stars and planets with Jack. A game we made up together where I play the Sun and he gets to choose which planet he wants to be, what moons he has, how he orbits, when its dark on his planet, etc. It instantly brightened both our faces when I’d come back from a walk or from visiting another friend and he’d ask “Will you play stars and planets with me? I’ll be the urff and these are my two moons—baby moon and moon moon. You be the sun.”
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