Love your visits Emma, I've been to New York once and I'll admit I found it quite overwhelming. It was such a whirlwind, I feel like I could go back, but I'm even more sensitive now than I was then. I do love Buenos Aires and have been more than once, that is one cool place to visit.
I totally get that. Going back without and expectation or ‘list’ of things to see was incredible. Getting out of Manhattan into Brooklyn, not doing too much, people watching, finding space amidst the madness. Now Buenos Aires - wow wow wow. I would love to hear more about that. I have never visited South America, only North and Central 💖
I think you would love it Emma. Lovely people, lovely food and so much to see. Watching authentic tango is the best and everything is relatively cheap compared to other big cities.
Oh I love Dubrovnik!! Totally fell in love with Croatia, such a wonderful country. Edinburgh also fab. Paris is also one of my all time faves - obvious one perhaps but I’m such a huge Francophile. Too many to choose from! New York is intense but it does have space to breathe…it’s all about how we approach it I think? When I visited Dubrovnik it was August and the streets were so packed we could hardly move. Busier than I’ve ever seen New York! 😱😍
I hope it is in how we approach it as I really want to visit New York🙏 the thought of the buildings I find really daunting. I went to Dubrovnik in August too! Super rammed. Glad to hear New York is not the same 😆
I visited last summer, in fact, I was there exactly one year ago! Had pizza in a restaurant near the Brooklyn bridge. And I did the Friends experience too.. there’s something about that series that draws me to it when feeling down.
Your daughters are so beautiful you all are together in those pics 🩷
I visited DC too and I might prefer it to NYC, mainly because I prefer less crowded places and in DC you got more greens and spaces around that makes it feel less crowded 😜
Aaw thanks so much - yes I also love DC. I used to go there for work and I agree it feels so much more open and spacious for sure. I think I associate it with work though rather than play!! I loved the waterside there. New York is mad (well Manhattan) but there's just something about it I cannot resisit... ❤️
I’d love to live DC a little bit more than just three days. I do understand your feelings about New York, I think I have the same thing for London, although it’s chaotic at times and very touristic, I do find it very attractive.
Oh my gosh, Emma. This actually made me tear up. I lived in NYC for 2 years while I was a grad student many years ago. Upper West Side, a few blocks from the Seinfeld diner. In the spring of 2001, a friend of mine visited from the UK, and we had a drink at the top of the WTC; it was the first and only time either of us had been, and for whatever reason, we made a point of it during her stay. I moved out of the city that summer, and watched that horrific day unfold from suburban CT, where I was a newly minted elementary school teacher. So many parts of that day are seared into my memory, not least of which is what an absolutely stunning day it was, the sky such a radiant, cloudless blue and the temperature so perfect that it nearly made one question reality. I find your account as an air traffic controller astounding and I'm so grateful that you've shared it. New York changed me forever, and though I haven't had a good visit (quick ones, yes) in years, it will always have a deep hold on my heart. Thank you so much for writing this.🍎🌃❤️
Also, I lived in Cambridge, MA for many years too, so I'm eagerly awaiting your notes on Boston...😂. And...I watched The Lost Boys not too long ago with my teenage son. I told him it was a classic (hehe)! I have to say that Kiefer Sutherland is still pretty darn creepy, even with cheesy 80s effects.
Oh Maria this has given me goosebumps all over. I have so much to say about working that day as an air traffic controller. I spoke about it recently at a talk and realised I hadn't really spoken about it for so many years. What I wrote here is but a snippet and a very distanced perspective as I am so conscious of the enormity of others' experiences. I do feel very connected to it in a fundamental way that it's hard to articulate.
When I went to Boston we actually spent half of our time in Cambridge! That's where my family live - we had a lovely day ambling around Harvard and my girls visited a U.S. High School before going for a big family dinner. We also went to Salem on the train which was bonkers as it was Halloween week. Feeling inspired to write it now! Thank you for your lovely words, and I hope you get to revisit NYC with more time on your hands. Where are you based now?
Oh and I now will play The Lost Boys for my daughters!!! Happy memories indeed ❤️
I understand what you're saying. So many of us felt, and continue to feel, the outer circles of the ripple effect of 9/11. Maybe not the outermost, but not the center either, which doesn't make them any less real. I think what struck me is that, even with an ocean between us, your understanding and depth of connection to that day, and to the city itself, is so true and heartfelt. Thank you.
My two oldest boys were born in Cambridge! We lived out by Fresh Pond. There was a Middle Eastern cafe not far from our house called Sofra that is seriously the most amazing food ever, so good that you should put it on your list for your next visit. And I did that Salem trip once in October! Quite the scene. 😆
Now I'm out in California! Santa Barbara. A few hours from Santa Cruz, and about as far as you from my favorite East Coast cities. Amazing the changes life brings.
Ooh that cafe in Cambridge sounds lovely, I'm sure my family will know it. I never got to visit Santa Barbara although I hear it's very beautiful. Maybe one day... 🫶
Emma this was such a lovely read! As fun as it was heartfelt ❤️
I've only been to NYC once but like many have such a "thing" for that city. I was 23, visiting a friend who was working there at the time, and went with a packed itinerary for myself to get around all the sites while he was at the office, then we'd meet for dinner and shows and bars. It probably took me longer to recover than my time there ha! Loved every minute, and have a real hankering to go back soon, though this time at a slower pace with time to wander round the boroughs outside of Manhattan too 🙏🏼🗽
The dream is to go on a pre-Christmas shopping trip with my Mam one day, and see Macy's wrapped up with a bow! 🎁
Gorgeous reflections on an ever-changing city and your evolving relationship to it, Emma. So lovely to read about how you were able to give your daughters freedom to explore during that recent visit. They look so at home in the city! I think we experience oft-visited special places so differently depending on our circumstances. I have been to New York four times. The first two times as a backpacking student in my teens, then as a mid-20s person with my husband and finally as a 30 year old mum on a glam break with pals. Each time I felt I was in a different NY, though. In fact there were places I was sure had disappeared entirely from one trip to the next. I wonder if we just experience and remember it differently depending on where we're at in life? Maybe true of other cities, too?
One city I've fallen deeply in love with is a small place called Las Margaritas, Chiapas, Mexico. The name translates to The Daisies, not the drink. (In fact, it's difficult to find margaritas to drink there.) It's a beautiful city up in the mountains with lots of color and stunning parks. But what makes it truly beautiful is the people. They pride themselves on being an honest people, and they live up to it, more than anywhere else I've seen. For holidays, they have a competition with a nearby city, Comitán, to see who can put up the best decorations in their parks. The food is a huge plus as well!
Love your visits Emma, I've been to New York once and I'll admit I found it quite overwhelming. It was such a whirlwind, I feel like I could go back, but I'm even more sensitive now than I was then. I do love Buenos Aires and have been more than once, that is one cool place to visit.
I totally get that. Going back without and expectation or ‘list’ of things to see was incredible. Getting out of Manhattan into Brooklyn, not doing too much, people watching, finding space amidst the madness. Now Buenos Aires - wow wow wow. I would love to hear more about that. I have never visited South America, only North and Central 💖
I think you would love it Emma. Lovely people, lovely food and so much to see. Watching authentic tango is the best and everything is relatively cheap compared to other big cities.
*books ticket*
Love this Emma :) and amazing pics
Thanks lovely, hope you’re having the best time 😍🇺🇸🫶
New York is one place I want to go! Dubrovnik has been my fave city so far. Took a trip there is 2016. Before that it was Edinburgh for many years💙
Oh I love Dubrovnik!! Totally fell in love with Croatia, such a wonderful country. Edinburgh also fab. Paris is also one of my all time faves - obvious one perhaps but I’m such a huge Francophile. Too many to choose from! New York is intense but it does have space to breathe…it’s all about how we approach it I think? When I visited Dubrovnik it was August and the streets were so packed we could hardly move. Busier than I’ve ever seen New York! 😱😍
I hope it is in how we approach it as I really want to visit New York🙏 the thought of the buildings I find really daunting. I went to Dubrovnik in August too! Super rammed. Glad to hear New York is not the same 😆
I visited last summer, in fact, I was there exactly one year ago! Had pizza in a restaurant near the Brooklyn bridge. And I did the Friends experience too.. there’s something about that series that draws me to it when feeling down.
Your daughters are so beautiful you all are together in those pics 🩷
I visited DC too and I might prefer it to NYC, mainly because I prefer less crowded places and in DC you got more greens and spaces around that makes it feel less crowded 😜
Aaw thanks so much - yes I also love DC. I used to go there for work and I agree it feels so much more open and spacious for sure. I think I associate it with work though rather than play!! I loved the waterside there. New York is mad (well Manhattan) but there's just something about it I cannot resisit... ❤️
I’d love to live DC a little bit more than just three days. I do understand your feelings about New York, I think I have the same thing for London, although it’s chaotic at times and very touristic, I do find it very attractive.
Oh my gosh, Emma. This actually made me tear up. I lived in NYC for 2 years while I was a grad student many years ago. Upper West Side, a few blocks from the Seinfeld diner. In the spring of 2001, a friend of mine visited from the UK, and we had a drink at the top of the WTC; it was the first and only time either of us had been, and for whatever reason, we made a point of it during her stay. I moved out of the city that summer, and watched that horrific day unfold from suburban CT, where I was a newly minted elementary school teacher. So many parts of that day are seared into my memory, not least of which is what an absolutely stunning day it was, the sky such a radiant, cloudless blue and the temperature so perfect that it nearly made one question reality. I find your account as an air traffic controller astounding and I'm so grateful that you've shared it. New York changed me forever, and though I haven't had a good visit (quick ones, yes) in years, it will always have a deep hold on my heart. Thank you so much for writing this.🍎🌃❤️
Also, I lived in Cambridge, MA for many years too, so I'm eagerly awaiting your notes on Boston...😂. And...I watched The Lost Boys not too long ago with my teenage son. I told him it was a classic (hehe)! I have to say that Kiefer Sutherland is still pretty darn creepy, even with cheesy 80s effects.
Oh Maria this has given me goosebumps all over. I have so much to say about working that day as an air traffic controller. I spoke about it recently at a talk and realised I hadn't really spoken about it for so many years. What I wrote here is but a snippet and a very distanced perspective as I am so conscious of the enormity of others' experiences. I do feel very connected to it in a fundamental way that it's hard to articulate.
When I went to Boston we actually spent half of our time in Cambridge! That's where my family live - we had a lovely day ambling around Harvard and my girls visited a U.S. High School before going for a big family dinner. We also went to Salem on the train which was bonkers as it was Halloween week. Feeling inspired to write it now! Thank you for your lovely words, and I hope you get to revisit NYC with more time on your hands. Where are you based now?
Oh and I now will play The Lost Boys for my daughters!!! Happy memories indeed ❤️
I understand what you're saying. So many of us felt, and continue to feel, the outer circles of the ripple effect of 9/11. Maybe not the outermost, but not the center either, which doesn't make them any less real. I think what struck me is that, even with an ocean between us, your understanding and depth of connection to that day, and to the city itself, is so true and heartfelt. Thank you.
My two oldest boys were born in Cambridge! We lived out by Fresh Pond. There was a Middle Eastern cafe not far from our house called Sofra that is seriously the most amazing food ever, so good that you should put it on your list for your next visit. And I did that Salem trip once in October! Quite the scene. 😆
Now I'm out in California! Santa Barbara. A few hours from Santa Cruz, and about as far as you from my favorite East Coast cities. Amazing the changes life brings.
Thank you ❤️
Ooh that cafe in Cambridge sounds lovely, I'm sure my family will know it. I never got to visit Santa Barbara although I hear it's very beautiful. Maybe one day... 🫶
Emma this was such a lovely read! As fun as it was heartfelt ❤️
I've only been to NYC once but like many have such a "thing" for that city. I was 23, visiting a friend who was working there at the time, and went with a packed itinerary for myself to get around all the sites while he was at the office, then we'd meet for dinner and shows and bars. It probably took me longer to recover than my time there ha! Loved every minute, and have a real hankering to go back soon, though this time at a slower pace with time to wander round the boroughs outside of Manhattan too 🙏🏼🗽
The dream is to go on a pre-Christmas shopping trip with my Mam one day, and see Macy's wrapped up with a bow! 🎁
Gorgeous reflections on an ever-changing city and your evolving relationship to it, Emma. So lovely to read about how you were able to give your daughters freedom to explore during that recent visit. They look so at home in the city! I think we experience oft-visited special places so differently depending on our circumstances. I have been to New York four times. The first two times as a backpacking student in my teens, then as a mid-20s person with my husband and finally as a 30 year old mum on a glam break with pals. Each time I felt I was in a different NY, though. In fact there were places I was sure had disappeared entirely from one trip to the next. I wonder if we just experience and remember it differently depending on where we're at in life? Maybe true of other cities, too?
One city I've fallen deeply in love with is a small place called Las Margaritas, Chiapas, Mexico. The name translates to The Daisies, not the drink. (In fact, it's difficult to find margaritas to drink there.) It's a beautiful city up in the mountains with lots of color and stunning parks. But what makes it truly beautiful is the people. They pride themselves on being an honest people, and they live up to it, more than anywhere else I've seen. For holidays, they have a competition with a nearby city, Comitán, to see who can put up the best decorations in their parks. The food is a huge plus as well!