phyllis visits new york

Before my mom arrives in New York, she tells me of two things she wants to accomplish:  find a nice dress and have the shrimp parmigiana at Tony’s.

She does both.

In the three days my mom is here, we walk a lot, eat too much, shop plenty, and have great conversations.

My mom gets here Sunday, late afternoon.  Despite her very-long bus ride, she spends no time relaxing.  At 84, my mom has lots of energy.  We go to Bloomingdales where my mom is hoping to find and buy that nice dress.  She doesn’t.  But it’s only day one.

At 6:30, we meet my nephews (Adam and Jason) for dinner at Tony’s. I love going out with them.  First, they are hilarious.  I doubt my mom laughs harder with anyone else.  And two, they typically over order.  We get a bit of everything and miraculously finish it all.  Despite all the good restaurants my mom has eaten at in New York, her favorite is still Tony’s. 

On Monday my mom and I go to the showroom of Magaschoni for their invitation-only fundraising sale.  I expect hordes of people, disarrayed clothes, no dressing rooms, and zero help.  That’s not what we find. We are the only shoppers.  Everything is beautifully arranged by style and color.  There are two dressing rooms.  And Allison acts as our personal shopper.  My mom and I each buy a pair of cashmere/silk leggings (from $280 to $50).  I am pleased to fit into a size small, but my mother fits perfectly into the extra small.  We also get some heavily-discounted and comfy cashmere sweaters.

Next we go to Saks where my mom finds not one, but two nice dresses that meet all her criteria.  One is all red and the other is kelly green.  She looks beautiful in both.

We meet Valerie and Abbey for dinner at Pietro’s.  The food is outstanding and the portions are enormous.  Their Caesar salad may be the best I’ve ever had.  

Today my mother meets my sister for another fitting for the gown she is wearing to Jason’s wedding; it’s the reason for her visit here.  I go to class #9 (11 to go).  We don’t meet up until later in the day.  Finally, on day three, my mom rests.

We order in dinner, play gin (she of course beats me), and get to bed early.

In the three days my mom has been here, I think I've gained at least that in pounds.  Good she's not staying a month!  But she will be back in a few weeks for her third and final dress fitting.  When she returns, I hope she’ll remember that:

    Cabs without a light on are not available.

    Express busses don’t allow you to pay onboard.

    NYC has great food; not just great Italian food.

    Most people eat dinner here after six pm.