Project Travel : Times in New York City - Day 1
As I sit in my office typing out these words, I am both thankful and exhausted after spending 3 days in NYC. Our trips to NYC are always a mixed bag of nostalgia, heart ache, and late nights breaking bread in beautiful restaurants, with our employees who’ve become more like family friends. These opposing emotions wash over me all at once, or sometimes one inevitably leads to another. I love NYC, it’s where I grew up as an adult, where my personality was forged, the good and complicated parts. It is where I found success doing what I love, where my husband found success as well. It’s also where we found strong and long lasting connections with people from all around the world and different backgrounds. It is also a place where our ability to make a livelihood was torn down by the then powers at be at the time during COVID. Yet I still look back fondly at our days there, and it is where my husband considers his true home.
On day 1 the morning starts early, as I wake up at 4am to make a 7AM flight. Our flight lands in the city at 10AM. I arrive at the airport and pick my favorite parking spot in the short term lot. I take once last moment to double check the car is locked. I cherish my last breath of warm humid air and head into the doors towards the airport. I put on my NYC armor, and I walk into the doors heading to the Delta counter. I manage to locate, our latest hire. Her sweet smile and bubbly personality are a refreshing sight after being sick for a week, battling my second flu of the year. We walk down the airport to find Stacey, our first hire in FL. She reminds me so much of Joe, predictably she is early, has already ordered her coffee and is waiting in the Starbucks line. Her hair is impeccably styled, loose curls fall over her shoulders and her earnest eyes lock in on mine. I find her gaze unsettling, living in the city for a decade has left me uncomfortable with making so much eye contact. Eye contact in the city is unanimously avoided when walking in the streets, I found the anonymity of it comforting in a world where I feel out of my depths much of the time, even now. Not sure if or when that will change. Part of living our life on the edge of normalcy has led to so many amazing opportunities and experiences, but it also means perpetually pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone.
We settle down for a few minutes, making small talk, then we head over to the boarding zone. We sit separately since this was a last minute trip. The truth is we had known for a while that this was going to be needed, however the exact dates are never known until 1-2 weeks beforehand. There is too much unpredictability with construction and design industry, add in our clients busy and evolving schedule, and last minute bookings are the norm for us. I am thankful that our employees are down to travel last minute with us. The trip is much more enjoyable and predictable with the whole team, especially as I am not 100% back to normal and Joe has been evading my cold for a week or so.
Without Joe on this flight with me, I finally get the joy of having the window seat. I start to reminisce while looking out the window as we fly over Sandy Hook and I look fondly at the beaches where I spent a couple of summers catching the ferry to and from the City. The beach is devoid of people, the ice cold waters lap up and down the sand, singing their rhythmic and soothing song for no one but themselves. I long for that sound, but I keep my hope to myself, that maybe one day I will be able to set foot there again.
We continue flying North , fly over Coney Island, where I rode the famous wooden rollercoaster with my younger sister, my best friend growing up. I remember her yelling out of fear and apprehension, the wind through my untamable curls. In my memory I lift my face to the blue skies and laugh. Laugh at the screams and squeals of my sister, at Joe and her then partner’s smiling faces. I laugh at the little butterflies in my stomach, I laugh because I am overjoyed to be spending time with someone whom I share an unbreakable bone with. The memory fades leaving a smile and tears in my eyes. We continue heading north Over queens, over the Whitestone Bridge we turn around over Westchester, the trees and lawns are immaculately groomed, even in winter. We pass barren trees and landscapes, and begin to descend quickly, first over water, then the tarmac comes into view, and we come to a hard stop. We’ve landed.
I wait for the girls, Joe has been in the city for a couple of days. We wait for my bag at baggage claim and head out where we are met with a cold wind, horns blaring, and cloudy gray skies. We grab a cab and the cabbie asks for the hotel. Ale pipes up with the address almost immediately, I am grateful, in my cold brain fog, I can’t find the address.
We make our way into Manhattan, driving down FDR, we pass our old apartment building. We pass the Gracie Mansion, I look out the river and see it flowing south. I remember standing in the park and watching the ice flows slowing crash and grind against each other as they make their way south to the ocean. What a special waterway, during certain tidal patterns the rivers flows North, the ocean waters pushing against the river towards upstate, mixing and making the water brackish. In the old days, mussels and a variety of marine life were able to grow and thrive here. Most of the marine life in the river is history and I look to my side to continue in the chats with Ale and Stacey. We arrive at the hotel to find a smiling Joe in the lobby. We run upstairs, drop our bags and head over to Animo our first restaurant stop in the city! Joe heads off to a meeting with potential clients from abroad. We happily dig into our meals. Stacey and Ale go with green enchiladas accented with fresh crema lines on top. I chose chilaquiles with egg and avocado on top. After we have filled our bellies, we head over to the D&D. I take over mapping and lead the group. The streets are numerical, and I am glad to be of use and to relieve Stacey of her usual duties. Secretly, I think she pulls the directions on her phone, double checking that my brain fog hasn’t lead us astray. Double checking is a good thing, considering my usual forgetfulness. We hop scotch our way through seeing our usual favorite vendors once there and discover a company based abroad who facilities bringing in foreign skills mastered in Europe into the US. I am excited at the prospect, knowing Joe is greatly inspired by old world craftsmanship. I know he will be able to use these intricate details and crafts in his designs.
Joe meets us at the Schumaker showroom, where we are blown away at their variety and their newest line of wovens. By this time, I am exhausted; I bail and head to a doctor’s appointment. I can’t bear parting with her, she is kind, honest, and I appreciate her skill and wisdom. I make my yearly stop at her office. Ale, Stacey and Joe head to a client in Chelsea. Joe takes a step back and lets the girls lead and manage the meeting. This is one of the fruits of training our employees well, and also it is part of our ethos to allow everyone in the office to continue to grow and become better. This is one of those moments where we see them step up and handle themselves so well. We couldn’t be prouder and happier! It’s awesome to be part of the team where we can share shouldering responsibilities as a team. Go DBH family!
We meet up at the hotel. Rest for a few minutes then settle on a restaurant close to the hotel. We get a table in the back, the windows are almost floor to ceiling, outlined in black metal, it is dark outside and the lights are blurry through the privacy glass. The hexagonal tile on the floor is such a classic design. We share a delicious meal, there are plenty of gluten free options, shout out to Stacey for doing a wonderful job finding legit restaurants that have gf items. We laugh over the days highlights and things get serious as we discuss future travel plans and business opportunities (a trip to Bali, Indonesia is finally in sight!). We head back to the hotel, content to be back in the city, with our crew, and finding success together.
