prologue : I have done this trip with Anya & this mom + kids girlfriends getaway but doing something on my own with friends has always been something very out of my comfort zone.. I don’t like leaving Anya behind (my friends here know that about me too hehe), it’s just deeply ingrained in me. But then the pandemic & this last year having to leave Anya & going back to Pakistan to take care of mama after she got diagnosed with cancer.. I think it changed the way I think a little & that’s how I ended up saying yes to this wishful plan my friend would mention often. (Isn’t it crazy how long it gets between seeing our old friends if we don’t prioritize it?)
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AND HERE WE WERE; flying in from Toronto, bay area & Seattle; together in New York City for two July days on our own – three of us together after 17 years!
What I didn’t realize was how therapeutic it would be & how much I needed it (more ahead)!
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Scroll down for an imperfect photo story, some NY links (if you have a trip coming up) , takeaways because they might be helpful ..
: a few favorites things about old friendships :
- how we slip into that younger version of ourself when with friends we’ve known from school/ college/ university days.
- despite how much us & our lives have changed, the things that can still feel the same.
- how easily you can switch from raw heart-to-hearts to nonsense conversations you can laugh your head off at.
- discovering random quirks when you are together every minute after such a long time, like who is the crankiest without their morning caffeine & who takes the most photos (lol)
- & the late night conversations; they’re always my favorite most thing.
Day 1: We all arrived at JFK airport | Uber-ed to our hotel: New York Hilton Midtown | yummy brunch at Le Pain Quotidien | walking by the Hudson River & cooling down at a random splash park | checking out the Vessel | walking a little of the High Line trail | Dinner at Aiyara Thai & Uber-back to the hotel since I was too exhausted & sleepy to continue..
Day 2:
Brunch at Sarabeth’s by Central Park | Renting Bikes (linked) + heading to Central Park | Stops at Bethesda Fountain, Belvedere Castle & biking the whole of Central Park | Back to the hotel to freshen up & eat some street food we grabbed | Made ourselves some chai (always keep our Tapal teabags) | walking on 5th Ave & by Rockefeller Center | ending up at Times Square at dusk; just chatting about everything under the sky before heading for dinner followed by gelato at Amorino Gelato
A FEW THINGS
- Sahrash made sure we planned this months ago so there are no issues with schedules & not being able to find flights/hotels last minute.
- New York City felt easy because we all had direct flights. We bought tickets together while on a call. We really wanted our flights to be within a few hours from each other to maximize our time together & it worked out perfectly (well almost, with a few adventures lol).
- We had a Whatsapp group just for this plan.
- Sahrash planned our full itinerary for the days. We just asked her what we were doing & followed her hahah.
- New York heat: I didn’t realize it would be a little too much for me. Flowy, cotton/linen clothes are best. Would’ve been helpful to have a handheld fan.
- Travelled light, only carry-on’s in fact my friend came in just a backpack!
- Desi chai lovers: I always keep my teabags in my bag.
- After the trip my friend made a shared photo album so we could all collect our memories there. Re-living these memories has been almost as beautiful as making them.
- Our kids are all tweens or teens so they were happily home with their daddies, infact happier without mamas rules and disciplining (even our kids need a break from us sometimes lol)
- Covid situation: All three of us had luckily had covid within the last 1-2 months so we felt okay being a little relaxed about masks. Otherwise, I had discussed bringing rapid tests & testing each day since we were sharing a room.
Did I forget something? Have you done a reunion with your old friends?
Love, Nataliya
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