Sisters in the City — Micro-Closet

Last Christmas when my visit home was drawing to a close, I found myself in tears at the thought that I didn’t know when I’d next see Hilary. The end of any visit leaves me in tears, but it’s particularly hard when there isn’t another visit on the horizon. So instead of accepting uncertainty, I asked Hilary to meet me in New York over Memorial Day weekend. To my delight, she agreed. Before I even blubbered goodbye, we had dates locked down, and Hilary was already looking for hotels. “Now you have something to look forward to,” my mom said as I wiped my eyes.

A rather jet-lagged lunch break in Central Park

I dreamed of this trip all through winter and into spring. It seemed forever into the distance when we planned it but time flew and suddenly I was on a red-eye flight from Seattle to New York. I probably slept two hours at most, Hilary was jet-lagged from travel and a six hour time change, but our excitement and adrenaline carried us through our first day, up 5th Avenue and through Central Park. I convinced Hilary to venture into Chinatown for hand pulled noodles that night for dinner. Despite both of our experiences with various subway systems and public transportation, we got turned around, and it took us three train and two hours to go two miles south. But the roasted duck, congee, and fried noodles at Great NY Noodletown were worth the effort.

Sunday was by far my favorite day. After coffee from Starbucks, we got on the B train and headed towards Brooklyn to see the High Line, Brooklyn Bridge, and Coney Island. We joked that we rode the subway for an hour just for a corn dog, but again it was worth it. The sun was warm, the breeze was cool, and our trip still seemed wonderfully endless.

Multiple people told us to get a hot dog from Nathan’s in Coney Island, but the line snaked around the block and our feet were sore, so we opted for a no-name shop that offered up fried clams, shrimp, and beer. We got and ate it all under a roller coaster that had me thinking of Annie Hall.

All of this food was for me. Hilary had her own food-laden tray.

My outfit matched my monochromatic lunch and most of Coney Island

Hilary is a good cook and has a good eye for food to try, and as we munched on our corn dogs, she spotted an ice custard shop across the street. We had agreed that we’d need to eat more than three times a day to fit in all the food we wanted to try, so we waddled across the street after lunch.

Ice custard at Coney Island was perfect for the 80+ degree weather

We stumbled upon Grand Central Station Sunday evening after dinner. It was beautiful and nearly deserted.

Monday we indulged in a little shopping and took in a Yankees game. It was Hilary’s suggestion and my treat as a belated birthday gift. They played the San Diego Padres, and Hilary got annoyed that I cheered indiscriminately for whoever scored. I purchased pinstripe passes which came with free beer but meant we had to stand the entire game, most of it in line for beer. The Yankees won, but I don’t remember the score. I do remember the tub of chicken strips and fries we bought. That evening we went to a speakeasy in the Village called Bathtub Gin and heard the Dandy Wellington Band perform. I’ve never had a better gin and tonic in my life.

Tuesday we explored the New York City Library and had pizza at Rubirosa. It rained that day, which felt appropriate, because we were hyper aware that the next day we’d have to return home and felt a little melancholy. The rain stopped and the skies cleared just in time for our trip to Bar 65 in the Rainbow Room at the Top of the Rock. We opted to have a drink there instead of paying $40 buck each to go to the observation deck. We had a clear view of the Hudson River and the Empire State Building. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a view of the city.

NYC Public Library had the best lighting!

We should have had multiple photo shoots here

Rubirosa’s famous vodka pizza…it was the size of a quilt!

Wednesday was a tad rough. We knew we were leaving and to top it off I’d had to much fun the night before. I sent Hilary out at 8am to get me a “bucket of Coke with chipped ice,” but was grateful for the bottle she brought back instead. Once I was able to pull myself into a standing position, we went to the Costume Institute at the Met, walked through Central Park, had Shake Shack for lunch before heading to the airport. Hilary noted after her burger and milkshake that her pants felt as tight as when she was 12 weeks pregnant.

Caught in a thunderstorm on our last night

It has now been almost three weeks since we returned from New York. We both took a handful of pictures with the idea that we’d write a couple of blog posts about the trip, but it has been harder than I thought it would be to write about because the best part of the trip wasn’t the sightseeing, the food, or the drinks, it was spending time with Hilary. I’m lucky to have a sister who is also my best friend. We have grown past our adolescent bickering and selfishness. We enjoy each other’s company and share a familiarity that comes from growing up together and sharing a childhood. Every night we’d lie in bed, revisit people, places, and stories, and laugh. When I initially suggested this trip, I envisioned it as a one time thing before Hilary has anymore children and before I have any at all, and now I want to it to be a regular occurrence. So I was delighted and touched when on our last evening in New York when she turned to me and said, “This was a great idea. Where to next year?”