Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day #9. “Culture Shock and Lots of Fun”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

We got an early start today (leaving the hotel at about 11:30) to get something to eat.  Breakfast looked much better than it tasted here are two photos for Claudette’s enjoyment. 

Patrice had the omelette.
Jamón, tomato, and toast for me.

Following lunch, (oops I meant breakfast.  I got confused because we ate at noon, the traditional breakfast time for Spaniards) and headed to look at an apartment with Erica.  I was very uncomfortable because some of the jamón from breakfast was stuck between my teeth.  We didn’t have time to go back to the hotel so I made a quick stop at a pharmacy to get some floss.  When I saw they wanted 8 € for a small container of floss my tooth discomfort was almost completely relieved.  We later found some floss at a supermercado (supermarket) for about 2 € and my faith in the Spanish system was renewed.

Erica seemed to like the apartment we saw today so we visited a bank to see if she could get a hipoteca (mortgage).  At the bank we learned she could get a mortgage at a 2.5% annual rate.  I then interrupted the conversation and said “Forget about Erica, can you help ME refinance  my house?”  The banker gave me a rather curious look.  I supposed it was because they don’t do mortgages for properties in the USA.  I asked Erica and she said that was not the case, it was because my Spanish is not very good.  Apparently, instead of asking about a mortgage I asked if the fishing is good in Madrid swimming pools. 

This afternoon we were the honored guests at the Irish Embassy Christmas party.  Actually, we were invited to attend after they finished eating.  Apparently Erica told them if I was invited for the meal they would have to increase the party budget. It was great meeting her coworkers because they all seem to love Erica. I never tire of hearing how wonderful my children are.  I also met some of Erica’s colleagues who were very interested in my blog and promised to become followers.  They seemed like two wonderful people with whom I’m very pleased to share our travels and I say welcome to Patrick and Tamzin.  They each agreed to get 1,000 of their closest friends to sign on as followers so I can make this a second career. 

Next we headed to one of my favorite places to eat in Madrid, El Brillante (Plaza del Emperador Carlos V, 8, Centro, 28012 Madrid).  This place is famous for their calamari sandwiches and the waiters who yell at each other. 

The waiter spotted us as Americans and handed us the menu with pictures. Look at all the yummy choices we had. See below.

This is why you come to Spain, you just can’t get a great fried pig ear in L.A.
Lamb intestines are also a tough item to find.

I also had a choice of pig stomach but even those the above items were temping but I opted for the bocadillo (sandwich) they call, “El Brillante”, the same name as the restaurant. It is fried calamari and absolutely delicious.

After eating we went to the Madrid Comedy Lab for a comedy show.  I hope you are impressed that my Spanish is good enough to enjoy a comedy show in Madrid.  Unfortunately I need to confess that it was all in English.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Madrid.  If you don’t think it will be tough for me since we will soon be leaving our dear baby, then you don’t know me. 

Adios y hasta mañana. 

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day #8. “A Night of Adventure”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

We had a wonderful day with Erica yesterday.  We looked at another apartment which was a bit of a disappointment but had a great time going for wonderful meals, visiting the Matisse exhibition, and of course dealing with my toes.  I failed to report about our after-dinner visit to Retiro park.  For those not familiar with Madrid, El Retiro “The Retreat” is a real treasure.  Besides its unusual beauty it adds special holiday lighting during the Xmas season. Erica was excited to share this with us.  Dinner was at a restaurant across the street from the park so after a brief walk we were treated to a beautiful show. We stopped for a quick photo as we planned to circle the display and then return to the hotel.  

You can see part of the Xmas light display behind us.
I am sure you will agree this is very special.

As we came to the end of the display a security guard drove rather close to us and gave me a bit of a startle.  We continued our stroll, then suddenly all the display lights turned off.  At that point we started to walk toward the exit.  Before we got to where we entered we were told by another tourist that the gate was closed and we had to find another place to leave the park.  So we then started towards the metro exit.  Before we could get to the metro station we met 4 tourists from Belgium who let us know the metro exit was locked. Erica said let’s try the Atocha exit.  She seemed confident that we would be able to leave the park at that location but I was nervous about possibly being forced to spend the night in the park.  We then picked up 3 Spanish speaking women who seemed more interested taking pictures than finding a way out of the park.  Next we met a French student doing a study abroad year   She seemed very grateful to Erica for apparently leading her to safety.  I wasn’t as confident. Finally, all 8 of us, (we and our new found friends) made it to the Atocha gate and were able to exit the park and get back to our hotel.  The whole event was a bit traumatic but will make for a funny story one day (hopefully today). Later, Patrice read about some tourists who got stuck in the park for two hours looking for an exit after closing hours. I suppose by comparison we were very lucky.

With the trauma of last night behind us, we spent today mostly looking at apartments for Erica and………. eating.  Both are very fun activities for me. 

A little travel tip that most of you probably already know, but maybe will help one of you.  Years ago, prior to travel you would need to get local currency prior to boarding your plane at home. Now that is totally unnecessary.  You will find that pretty much every merchant will take your credit card (I recommend using Apple Pay) for reimbursement.  You might want some local cash for small purchases (for a dollar or two).  When you use your credit card you will be asked if you want the merchant to charge you in the local currency (in Spain, it is the Euro) or US Dollars.   ALWAYS choose the local currency.  You will get a much better exchange rate from your bank than from the merchant.   For example today we had a lunch that cost us 44.05 €.  The merchant option was to pay $56.01.  The conversion of 44.05 € using Google was $52.22.  I was charged $51.88 on my credit card. 

We are headed to a late dinner now so I will check in with you again tomorrow.

Love those comments.  Please keep messaging me so I know I am not just writing to myself. 

Adios

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day #7. “A Day Devoted to My Feet”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

We are staying at the AC Carlton for the umpteenth time.  Sorry I don’t recall the number of times we have stayed here but it is a lot.  Its main attraction has been that it is near Erica’s apartment.   We actually have one of the nicest rooms we’ve ever had here.  Typically we have had a tiny shower and small room.  This time the room and shower are very spacious.  I don’t know if this has been true in the past but downstairs they have free coffee and small pastries in the morning.  So this morning we opted for this new discovery of a “healthy” breakfast.  

We then met Erica for a special outing.  Erica has raved about her “podóloga” (foot care specialist).  All my close friends know that I run for one hour four times a week.  This is great for my heart but not so great for my toes.  So we went to see Irene (same name as my dear mama but born about 80 years later).  Erica had told us how wonderful she is and that she would transform my feet. Irene inspected my feet, opened her eyes wide, took a deep breath and then got right to work.  Twenty minutes later I was a new man.  My toes look and feel so much better.  Irene suggested I should come back every 2 months or stop running.  I have some “before and after” pictures of my toes but Patrice and Erica said, “Don’t you dare post those pictures, they are DISGUSTING”. This picture was deemed acceptable.

From right to left, Erica, Irene, guy who previously had disgusting toes.

We then headed to the Matisse exhibition at the Caixa Forum.  It was advertised as costing 6 euros per person but free if you are less than 16 years old or if you have an account at Caixa bank.  We didn’t qualify for either but the cashier stated if you are a professor you can get in free.  So I pulled out my UCLA card indicating my academic appointment and voila, I was admitted for free and my spouse was admitted as well.  We still had to pay for Erica but what a lovely surprise.  The museum was first class. If you have been following the blog you know that means the toilet had a seat.  The exhibit was first class as well.

Matisse self portrait.

After resting up back at the hotel, we went for a wonderful dinner at El Perro y la Galleta (Calle de Claudio Coello, 1, Salamanca, Madrid).  Erica has set up meals for the Irish ambassador and other dignitaries to meet.  If it is good enough for them we had to give it a try.  We had an excellent dinner.  We also had an interesting group sitting near us.  There were 3 women speaking Spanish and one of the ladies had a dog sitting on her lap.   

I don’t want to bore you with too many food pictures. So I will limit tonight to this one photo of Tarta de Queso Cremoso con dulce de leche. This is in honor of blog follower, Eric, who frequently asks for pictures of desserts.

Time to head to bed.  

Adios

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day #6. “Let’s Go Look For an Apartment”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

We spent the morning looking for an apartment for Erica.  In Spain they don’t have an MLS system where everyone lists their properties for sale.  To the contrary, each realtor has their own listings and the real estate agent represents both the buyer and seller.  So if you are looking to buy a property you need to register with multiple agencies.  This seems like a system in the need of a computer genius and a salesperson.  We did find one apartment to look at this morning.  It seemed old and expensive. From what we were told it’s a seller’s market.  Always seems like it’s a seller’s market until you want to sell. 

After leaving the apartment we went to lunch at Arrocería Imperial.  They specialize in rice dishes. We were accompanied by Erica’s friend Sofi (pronounced like Sophie not like So Fi Stadium).  The four of us shared two dishes. They were both very good but if you aren’t into rice meals this might not be the place for you.  You could tell this was a high class place because the toilet in the bathroom had a toilet seat.  I needed to find the toilet because the urinal was too high for use by a mortal male.  The bottom of the urinal came to my mid thigh.  Granted I’m not the tallest man in the world but I wouldn’t describe myself as short.  I opted for the toilet because the urinal would have required me to aim up at about 45º in order to clear the edge.  That would have been fine but it would have made for an interesting finale. 

I would tell you what this is but I don’t remember.
This was called, “It tastes good but it is a lot of work to eat”.

And or course we couldn’t leave without……………. see below.

Some more Crema de Orujo. “Patrice, look for a 12 step program! Not now, let’s wait until we return home.”

After lunch we visited another apartment.  This place was very interesting  in that after entering, the first room you encounter is a bathroom on the right.  The second room is another bathroom on the right.  That means that if you need to get up at night to use the bathroom you need to bypass much of the apartment in order to get to one of the two bathrooms.  We will continue the search tomorrow. 

After a rest back at the hotel (at which point my step count was 15,514) we headed to dinner.  We went to La Oveja Negra (The Black Sheep), a vegan  restaurant for dinner.  The chef (head honcho) is Sofi, Erica’s friend from this morning.  We had a wonderful meal and then headed back to the hotel. 

Leek Soup. Very yummy.
Vegan Milanesa, also very good.
Sofi, Erica, Famous Blogger, Patrice.

Final step count 18,743.

Adios

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day #5. “A Day of Rest”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

Today is a holiday in Spain. December 8th is the Day of the Immaculate Conception.  In a Catholic country this is obviously a big deal and pretty much everything thing in town was closed so we spent the day chilling out.  Erica perused the web for a possible apartment to buy (tear, tear, she’s not coming back to be with mommy and daddy).  Patrice went to the fitness room to work out.  I sat here thinking what it would take to be a full time blogger. 

The thought of blogging full time seemed quite attractive to me since it would give me a reason to wake up and get out of bed each day and I could get paid to travel.  So we did some research to see what it takes to earn a living as a blogger.  I read that quality over quantity can make for a profitable blog.  A blogger can do quite well with as little as 1,000 followers.  That being said, in view of the quality of my posts I will be needing at least a million followers.  

Another key concept is to know your niche.  I clearly know my niche but unfortunately it’s only things that I find interesting (Patrice here, took him this long to figure that out?). 

Apparently to make real money on a blog you have use product placement in your photos.  That’s like selling yourself to the devil.  Clearly something I’d never do.  That reminds me Patrice took this candid shot of me the other day.  Don’t you think it’s very flattering?

I just happen to have those things on the table when she shot the picture. I would never resort to product placement to earn a buck. Hey General Mills, please notice the box of Cheerios!

After a lot of chill time we decided to go out for a walk and meet up with an old friend.  In 2008, I visited Spain and took a Spanish class when I was here.  One of my teachers was Angelica.  During class I mentioned that I was from California and she said she would be going to California soon.  I told her to come stay with me.  She warned “Don’t say that because I will.”  Well she came to LA and stayed at our house and we have been friends ever since.  Every time I would travel to Spain she would help me make plans.  I have affectionally referred to her as my Spanish mother.  She is significantly younger than me so for her to be my mama that is a real case of Immaculate Conception. 

Patrice, Erica and I met Angelica at a local cafe to have some coffee and talk.  The coffee was delicious and the conversation even better.  I always feel so wonderful seeing her.  She is a wonderful mama but even more importantly she is a regular follower of the blog making me an International sensation.  I consider 1 follower in Spain a sensation.

Patrice had tea.  They brought it with a timer instructing her not to pour it until the 5 minute timer completed.  See below.

Notice the 1, 3, and 5, minute timers.

Erica and Angelica had specialty coffees. See below. 

Barraquito (Left): sweetened condensed milk, milk, espresso, foam, and a slice of lemon soaked in liquor.
Mocca (Right): chocolate syrup, milk, espresso, foam.
Chocolate chip cookie in the center

I had a café con leche as usual. Boring but pretty. See below.

A quick selfie with Patrice, Erica, Angelica, and me prior to parting.

After leaving Angelica we headed to an Indian restaurant close to our hotel for dinner.  The food was superb and I strongly recommend you try Atocha Tandoori located at Paseo de Santa Maria de la Cabeza, 27.  Sorry, no pictures of the food but I did get a picture of the aperitifs they served after the meal.  See below.

Patrice had the mango puree with yogurt. Erica and I had the Crema de Orujo.

Those who know me are aware that I am a non-drinker.  Tonight was the 4th time I have had a Crema de Orujo on this trip.  I might need a 12 step program when I get back. 

Adios

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day #4. “The Bitter and the Sweet”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

Last night we had an incredible meal.  We ate at El Pimiento Verde (Calle de Lagasca, 43).  We had been there before, but to be frank I didn’t remember how good it was.  Patrice and I enjoyed the monkfish (in Spanish it has the unenviable name of “Rape”).    This might have been the best fish I’ve ever eaten.  David and Erica each had the filet mignon. We all shared the artichoke which too was probably the best artichoke I have ever eaten.  They also supplied us with delicious bread, a palate cleansing broth to drink, and yummy croquets.  If that wasn’t enough we shared a baked apple with ice cream for dessert.  Oh my God I’m getting full just writing this.  I need to take a break from writing because it’s time for breakfast. 

Monkfish (Rape) with potatoes. The before picture.
And after. A thumbs up from David.

Earlier in the evening Erica took us to the “Repair Cafe”. At this location some very smart people get together and share their great minds repairing items. So if you have a hair dryer, coffee maker, or some other device that is not working properly, you can bring it to the Repair Cafe and get it fixed for free or a small donation of your chosing. So instead of an appliance being added to the waste of the world it is brought back from the dead and the owner and society both profit. David was working on a hair straightening iron. I was totally amazed by his ability. He was explaining to Erica what he was doing and I was trying (I emphasize trying) to follow along. My only thought was, “Could this genius really be my son?”

Last night was bitter sweet in that we had a wonderful time with the kids but this morning it was time for David to return home.  I can’t feel too sad because we will see him again in a couple of weeks.

Today we met up with Erica and went to El Rastro, an open air market that is open every Sunday.  If you love crowds and buying junk that you don’t need this is your place. 

For example, we traveled about 5,800 miles to get here, shouldn’t I go home with a Lebron James jersey?  

A vintage jersey from when he was with the Cleveland Caviliers.

I offered to buy this for Patrice. See below.

She was very considerate of my sleep and financial well being when she said “Dream on! Save your money”.

The Rastro offers tables for people to eat while shopping. See below.

Don’t you just want to dig in when your food has been hanging out on a trash can?

If the latest in tech hardware is your area of interest then you might want this offering. See below.

I asked the salesperson what this was and he said, “Un momento, necesito preguntarle a mi padre” (One moment, I need to ask my father).

Here is a “must have” item. See below.

Wouldn’t a used beard trimmer fill out your bathroom drawer?

In addition to the hoards of people, the place was very clean. Just look, as this woman adds one more item on top of this trash can (or should I say lunch table?). 

If you are a long time follower of this blog, you know we are NOT in Japan.

After an hour or so at El Rastro it was time to eat.  Today we dined at Casa Erica.   She made us a luscious seafood salad.  She was very kind, making sure that her dog didn’t lick me during lunch. Unfortunately after lunch I became too much for the doggie to resist. I know there are a lot of dog lovers out there but if I am going to get licked by a female I want her to have 2 legs, not 4.

At night Erica took us to La Parcería (the partnership).  It’s a cultural organization formed by Brazilians and Columbians.   We saw men and women dancing, accompanied by 2 percussionists and a singer. They were very energetic, very entertaining, but too loud for my gentle ears.

After the show we shared a quick bite at a local bar. In Spain, restaurants are referred to as bars. We shared “Huevos Rotos” which means broken eggs. See below.

They weren’t broken when we received them but they were soon after this picture was taken.

I need to get to sleep now because we have lots of big plans for tomorrow. I would tell you what’s going on but the truth is I have no idea.

Hasta mañana.

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day #3. “Another Great Day With Our Kids”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

Last night we had a wonderful dinner.  We ate at El Valle (Calle de Sebastián Herrera, 6  Madrid, Spain).  It only gets a 3.6 on Trip Advisor but this was our second time visiting this restaurant and we give it 5 stars.  Clearly Reiss Travel Blog is about to surpass Trip Advisor with users.  The food was excellent.  We had a Turbot that fed all 4 of us.  The food was very good and the waiter deboned the fish (not all bones were gone, so be careful when swallowing). Last time we were here the server did the deboning at our table which provided a wonderful show.  This time it was done out of sight.  The service was good except for one of the busboys spilling our water (which we paid for) and then he planned to just put a small towel over the wet area that encompassed almost half our eating space.  We convinced him to change the table cloth instead.  In addition to the turbot we had a side order of potatoes (that came with the fish) and appetizers of calamari and croquettes.  They gave us a complementary after dinner drink called Crema de Orujo which was a lot like Bailey’s.  Then we shared a Tart de Santiago (almond cake) for dessert.  It was a wonderful meal. Following dinner we hung out at the hotel for a while and then it was off to bed. 

The Turbot before deboning.
Turbot after deboning and ready to eat.

I slept in this morning and got us off to a late start.  Erica gave us instructions on how to take the bus to her place.  I love learning how to get around town with local transportation.  I did a great job, turning a 16 minute walk into a 20 minute bus trip. 

For breakfast Erica took us to a local place which was one of the few places that were open because today is Constitution day (December 6) a holiday in Spain.  The place had seating inside and out. It is not horribly cold so we might have chosen to sit outside but outside there are frequently smokers nearby.  We were told there was only one table inside that would seat the four of us.  They said we could have the table ONLY if we promised to vacate by 3 pm.  We were told this at 11:30 AM.  I LOVE SPAIN. 

We then strolled around the town seeing the opera house, Plaza España, Cervantes statue, Sol, and something I’d must have walked by numerous times but never seen before, Raton Perez (known by locals as the “Tooth Fairy”).

Don Quixote in front, his sidekick Sancho Panza, at his side, and their creator, Miguel de Cervantes.
Raton Perez, aka “The Tooth Fairy”
Outside the building we saw where Raton Perez enters and exits the building

We did a fair amount of walking today (obviously I am feeling guilty for not exercising on the treadmill) so this deserved a little treat (oops, need to get back on the treadmill) so we went to the famous Chocolatería San Ginés There we had churros and Spanish style hot chocolate. The hot chocolate is more like a dipping sauce.  It was divine.  

Churros and Hot Chocolate from Chocolatería San Ginés.

We need to go back to the hotel to rest before our next activities.  Maybe I will go to the fitness center and work out (who am I trying to kid?). Speak to you tomorrow.

Adiós 

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day#2. “We Get to See a Celebrity Today”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

Any of you parents out there will be able understand why today was so wonderful.  Erica met us at the hotel after breakfast and then it was off to visit the Irish Embassy where she works as the Executive Assistant to the Irish Ambassador to Spain.   And if you don’t know how much I enjoyed writing that sentence or telling it to anyone who will listen then you definitely are not a parent.   When we planned this trip I asked Erica if we could meet the Ambassador and she said definitely.  I asked, how she could be so sure and her answer was “I make his schedule.  Hmmm, Friday December 5th, 11:00 AM: Meet my parents.  There, it’s done”.  If you don’t think that put me in parent ecstasy you are out of touch with reality.   

Meeting Ambassador Brian Glynn was a real treat.  As expected this career diplomat was very diplomatic and said all the things we wanted to hear about our daughter.  We also spoke about world affairs.  He had viewpoints about Ireland, Britain, and the United States that were spell-binding. In addition he gave me a chance to show him a few of my magic tricks.  I was amazed by how much time he devoted to us.  Mr. Glynn is a very impressive person who speaks 6 languages.  That reminds me of a joke you’ve probably already heard.  A person who speaks 3 languages is “trilingual”, someone who speaks 2 languages is “bilingual” and someone who speaks one language is of course an “American”.  

Irish Ambassador to Spain, Brian Glynn, yours truly (aka Proud Papa), Patrice (aka Proud Mama), and Erica (Executive Assistant to the Ambassador).

After leaving the ambassador we stopped for a quick snack.  I was feeling a bit guilty about not exercising so I decided to work out while eating.  See below.  

I guess I was lying when I vowed to never get on a bike again.

We bought our treats at a local market. Here are a couple of pictures from the market.

Poor little piggies hanging in the market.

If that isn’t enough to make you give up meat try looking at this picture.

Poor little piglets.

Then it was off to meet a celebrity.  Wait, did you think I meant Brian Glynn when I wrote about meeting a celebrity?   Absolutely not!  A very prominent and respected software engineer has been in London working on a project and is traveling through Madrid on his way home.   Yes, our son, David made it to Spain.   How lucky we are.  We met David at the airport and cautioned him to try hard to carry on his luggage and avoid the problem we had.  The 1500 steps to baggage claim is another matter but some exercise is actually a good thing.  Unfortunately David was not allowed to carry on his small bag but luckily his wait at baggage claim was a lot shorter than ours.

It was great having 2 of our 3 children with us.  We visited the Museo Arqueológico Nacional and saw some fascinating  exhibits some dating back to about 500-600 BC. 

Patrice and me with 2 of our 3 wonderful children.

That is going to have to be enough for now because we are off to dinner.

Adiós

Off To Visit the Baby, Madrid 2025 Day#1. “The Joys of Travel”

by reissmd, posted in Madrid

We got off to an early start to LAX today, thanks to our good friend Mike.  He has frequently volunteered to give us a ride to the airport and I think it is mostly because he feels guilty about kicking my butt during our weekend cribbage matches.  Today we are beginning a visit to see our daughter, Erica, who lives in Madrid. 

Today I fell victim to the risk of traveling from a warm climate to a cold one. I was very comfortable in Mike’s car but when I exited I realized that my jacket was safely resting on my bed at home.  No problem I thought, I’ll just buy a jacket at the airport.  Ha!  The only thing I found was something that might keep me warm in Northern California but certainly not in Madrid in December.  One thing that did warm me up was looking at the price ($699).  I messaged Erica letting her know we will need to stop at a men’s store soon after arrival.  She said the magic words, El Corte Inglés.  For those who’ve never been to Spain, ECI is the shoppers heaven.  They have everything.  From high end men’s and women’s clothing, sporting goods, jewelry, to groceries.  Mind you, not everything is in one place.  They have multiple stores around the city so you need to know which ECI store has what you need but as I said they have it. 

Our flight was wonderful.  We flew on Iberia Airlines.  The flight crew were very kind and I managed to get a little sleep. We arrived on time to Madrid.  Getting through customs was a breeze.  I went for a run in the morning but got a second work out at the Madrid airport. I’d estimate the walk from the plane to baggage claim to be about 1500 steps.  In spite of that long walk and need to go through customs we still had to wait for our luggage.  I texted Erica an update saying I think our bags might have been on a different plane because we had been waiting such a long time.  We didn’t see anything on the conveyor belt for another 25 minutes after that comment.  Total baggage wait time about 40 minutes.

After finally getting our bags we saw the sight that brought us to the country, our daughter, Erica.  She was kind enough to pick us up at the airport and was very thoughtful to turn up the heat in the car and get me to a store so I could buy a survival jacket.  Instead of ECI we wound up going to another local favorite, H & M (actually based in Sweden and not Spain). They had a variety of jackets for me to choose and I found one that cost less than the tax would have cost me for the jacket at LAX. 

How do we look? 

When I say WE I mean the jacket and me not, Erica, Patrice and me.

Sorry, I’m a little batty. I didn’t sleep much on the plane.  I need a nap.   Erica has plans for us tonight so I’ll say good night and talk to you tomorrow. 

Adios. 

Birthday Celebration Day #3 “Recovery Day: Or Californians Cannot Deal With Rain”

by reissmd, posted in New York City

Yesterday was so special we were bound to have a let down today.  It started out well in that I did make it to the gym today.  Oops, I forgot we are at a fancy hotel and they don’t have a gym.  I got up early and went to the Fitness Center.  I did a short run on the treadmill and then headed back to the room.  Much to my surprise, Patrice was awake and soon we were on our way to the lounge for the breakfast we missed yesterday. 

The hotel breakfast buffet was good but not great.  I tried to eat healthy after my day of debauchery yesterday. For example, today I thought some cheese would be good.  Since the tomato and cheese (mozzarella) salad was a little devoid of cheese (see below) I decided to have a cheese danish instead.  Healthy choice, no?

Where’s the cheese?

After breakfast we whined for a while because today was much colder and it was raining.  Definitely something Californians do not enjoy.  We decided to brave the elements and take a short walk to MOMA (Museum of Modern Art).  I have to confess I am not much of a modern art guy but the other museums were much further away so MOMA was my choice as well. 

First we saw this Jackson Pollock painting.  I don’t recall the name but I think it was “Painter falls and spills his supplies”.  See below.

If your mind works like this is it any surprise the artist had a drinking problem?

We also saw this sculpture.  I think it was called “Jafar from Aladdin”. 

Admit it, doesn’t it look like Jafar?

We did see one of Patrice’s favorites, Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh so the trip was worthwhile.  

Okay, okay, I liked it too!

Another art piece I enjoyed was this one with a medical theme entitled “Jewish Penicillin”.  See below

Andy Warhol’s rendition of our cure all.

Please don’t think I didn’t enjoy myself.  Actually I had a very good time.  I really enjoyed the Senior Discount we received and all the steps I racked up on my pedometer. 

After MOMA it was time to eat.  I told Patrice I wanted to head to Junior’s across the street from the hotel for a corned beef sandwich.  Followers of the blog know that I never eat Shrimp and Grits (which I love) north of the Mason Dixon line.  I have a similar rule for corned beef on Rye.  I only eat it when we come to New York.  This serves me well in that I always enjoy a good corned beef sandwich  on our trips here and my longevity is not severely compromised.   The meal was delicious but I was disappointed that they didn’t offer potato knishes. A New York deli and no knishes?

Tonight we decided to stay at the hotel for entertainment.  The reasons are simple, it is cold and raining outside and Monday is typically a dark night for Broadway so all the shows that interested us are not performing.  Instead we saw “Stranger Things: the First Shadow” at the hotel theater. This was a prequel to a show of the same name on Netflix. The people in attendance seemed to love it. I assume they were fans of the show because I didn’t get it and could hardly wait for it to end.  

We leave early tomorrow so this will be my last post of the trip.  Followers know I like to end with some interesting photos so here you go. 

Do you really need to tell people this?
Junior’s tribute to our Dodgers?
Health food truck around the corner from our hotel.

See you in December when we travel to ………………….

Ciao

Patrice here. Thank you for a very nice birthday trip.