Hercules in New York

Daddy always travels.

He goes to interesting-sounding places like Houston, TX, Boston, MA, RockSprings, WY, Dickenson, ND, Washington D.C., Denver, CO, and New York, NY. Every time he leaves, he tells me how much he is going to miss me…so, I always tell him to just take me along!

I want to see these far-off places. Remember, I got such cabin fever in the womb that I forced my way into in the world 3 months ahead of schedule…I am not one for hanging out at home.

Every time he leaves, I tell daddy to take me along, and every time he smiles and says, “I promise that I will take you everywhere.”  Then he leaves without me….

Last week was no different; Daddy left on Tuesday to give a lecture at some place called Harvard.  As a result, Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty typical. I spent the days playing with toys, hanging out with my nanny Heather, and loving Mama when she got home from work….but Thursday was different.

Mama got home from work at the normal time, but instead of playing with me as usual, she loaded me and bunch of stuff in her car. Then, she told me that we were on our way to New York City to see Daddy!

I pride myself on keeping my cool; Daddy always says that every hand’s a winner and every hand’s looser. But, this news was just too exciting for even me to play it cool…I was going to the Big Apple!

We got to San Francisco Airport at about 8:00 pm for our “Red-eye” flight. Not surprisingly, Mama had planned ahead; she had all my stuff and her stuff packed in just one suitcase! And, she expertly took me through security. When the TSA agents questioned me, I told them who I was…they didn’t seem impressed, which is bizarre – don’t you think?

My first time on an airplane was awesome!

We were in economy class – which Mama calls “cattle car.” I don’t quite understand why she calls it that because I only saw humans in the cabin. But, I sure enjoyed riding like the cattle that Mama thought would be there. I got to curl up in Mama’s lab for 5 straight hours!!!! It was awesome. I did not cry at all; I was too happy!

When we arrived in the Big Apple, Mama showed me how it’s done. She got our luggage, hailed a cab, and even fed me in the back seat of the taxi as we drove from JFK to the hotel that Daddy was staying at. When we got the hotel, the hotel staff rolled out the red carpet…they knew who I was.

We rested in the room at bit, and in the afternoon, we went out into the city to find Daddy. 

It turns out that Daddy had spent that day at a conference put on by Reservoir Capital, one of his investors. Mama and I met Daddy at the conference’s cocktail reception at the Pierre Hotel, which is very fancy. All the important looking people were drinking important looking drinks and talking about important sounding things, but I when I got there, I stole the show! The people love me…they really love me!

I got to meet Nora and Brian and Greg and Craig and Jenna and Eric and Dan and on and on! The Reservoir Capital people were very nice, and they showered me with well-deserved, but very sweet, compliments!

After the reception, things got especially interesting.

Mama, Daddy, and I went out to dinner with Brian and Eric from Reservoir Capital. Brian & Eric brought their significant others, Kat & Alex, respectively. The seven of us went to an uber-fancy restaurant called Wallse. That restaurant had 2 Michelin stars, which brought my lifetime total of unique Michelin stars to 5…I am hoping to keep my ratio of unique Michelin stars to adjusted months of life at 1.

The dinner at Wallse was extraordinary. I had my standard milk, but the adults had the 6 course “chef’s tasting menu.” Judging by the hyperbolic expressions of glee, I think the adults got the better meal that night. They also drank copious amount of not inexpensive wine…Daddy sure does have some cool investors!

The group ate, drank, and talked until well past 2 AM! And I loved it all. Sure I slept in my stroller next the table most of the whole night, but just being with Mama and Daddy out late was special. It was neat to wake up temporarily and hear the joy in their voices. They had a rough year last year; so it makes me very happy to see them happy.

After a long and worthwhile rest, we woke up to a beautiful day in NYC. We met Serena Wong, Mama’s dear friend from medical school for lunch,// and then we went the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the special exhibit on the Stein family and their art collection. The exhibit was very well done; it reminded me that Matisse and Cezanne are, while impressive, quite derivative. That is a too say there is a near continuous path from Delacroix, Manet, and Pissarro to Cezanne, and, similarly, there is an obvious evolution from Russel, Gauguin, and Signac to Matisse….the two really were followers. 

But, Picasso is something else. No other figure in art changed its trajectory more dramatically than Picasso. And as such, I have limited time for the others.

After the MET, we went back to our hotel where, to my delight Gran Twiga (aka my Grandmother), was waiting for us! Could this weekend get any better?

That night Mama and Daddy went out to another fancy restaurant, while I got to hang out Eloise-style in a stylish Manhattan hotel. Gran Twiga ate room service while I drank my milk, and for the rest of the night, we sat on the couch looking out the window on marvelous Manhattan. As we looked at the lights, she explained New York’s importance…everything from the price of copper to the latest fashion is decided daily on that small island…I am going to lobby Mama and Daddy for a weekend place there.

Meanwhile, Mama and Daddy enjoyed a night on the town. They went to Jean Georges, a 3 Michelin star restaurant, with their friend Serena, and from what I understand, the night was magical. They had four courses of modern French cuisine paired with perfectly selected wine….my parents are a bit absurd at times.

On Sunday, the weather in NYC was even better! We walked up and down 5^th avenue so that Mama could gaze in all the windows….she sure likes some guy named Harry Winston.  When we got to midtown, we all went to the top of Rockefeller Center. It was a perfect day to gaze around at the greater New York area. Daddy pointed out the 5 boroughs, and he showed me 3 different states!

Back on ground level, we continued our stroll along the avenue, when my eyes popped! There was a statue of Atlas holding up the world; that is very personal to me because, as you all know, my 9^th labor involves temporarily holding up the world for Atlas. I had to have a photo of me with this statue!

As day turned to dusk, we headed back to our hotel where Gran Twiga and I were going to have another fun night of play in the hotel, while Mama and Daddy went to the Broadway musical called “The Book of Mormon.” Mama and Daddy had another marvelous night on the town. They saw the performance with Serena, and afterward they ate a late night sushi dinner with Mark and Jess. Mark and Jess are two of Daddy and Mama’s dearest friends, and they live in NYC. It was very special for them to be able to spend time with Mark and Jess who are doing remarkably well in their professions.

When they got back to the hotel room, Mama and Daddy were effusive about the musical. Indeed, Daddy said that it is the best stage performance that he has ever seen by a large margin, and Mama kept singing this sultry sounding song called “Baptize me.” Even as we went to bed, I could hear Mama sing,

Never known a boy to be gentle,
One like him is hard to find.
A special kind.
Who makes my heart kind of flutter,
Like a moth in a cocoon.
I hope he gets to baptizing me soon!

Monday turned out to be our last day in the Big City. We all stopped by Daddy’s investor’s office to say hi, and then we headed to the airport.

The flight left on time, but unlike the flight to New York, we were not in what Mama calls “Cattle Car.” We were in “Business Class,” and boy what a difference! Apparently all that traveling that Daddy does pays off in the form of Elite Status at United Airlines….and with this Elite Status comes the keys to the kingdom. The three of us got upgraded at no charge, and enjoyed big comfy seats all the way to the City by the Bay.

On our flight home, I had a lot of time to reflect. New York is a great city. It is a place where people from all over the world gather to do business, to discuss world affairs, to play, and to be entertained. It is a special place. But, more than that, this trip taught me that the whole world is there for me; it is in my grasp. Living in Napa, CA, does not make me a citizen of Napa; I am a citizen of the world, and I plan to never stop exploring my vast home.