Day 13 - Kate Ellis, Brooklyn, New York

The 350 mile drive from Vermont to NYC seemed to pass pretty quickly. We had mountains for about two thirds of the way, and we drove along Long Island Sound as we headed into New York. We arrived while Kate was still at work, and that gave us the opportunity to walk around the neighborhood, enjoy some coffee at a cute local coffee shop and find a great parking space.

Kate (we’re assuming that everyone knows Kate is our daughter!) had made reservations at a trendy Italian place called Aurora. It was only about a 10 minute drive from her place in Brooklyn. We got there around 8 p.m. and were surprised that it wasn’t very crowded because it had had such good reviews. However, by the time we left at 10, every table was filled and there were people waiting. We ended up sampling a good cross section of the menu, we ordered 3 appetizers to share (a flatbread with cheese, scallops and a raw shrimp dish in a light sauce) and they brought them one at a time. For the entrée we all chose something different, but tasted everyone’s choice. Kate had the special – a fish and scallop dish, Sandy had linguini with clams, Joe had a whole deboned white fish that was baked with lemon and fennel inside, and Mo had a steak that melted in your mouth. Her friend Mazique (“Mo”) Smith was able to join us. He is a very nice young man who Kate has known since she started law school. After dinner we went to a club for a night cap before returning to Kate’s apartment.

In the morning Kate had a 2nd interview for a job with a general practice law firm. She was interviewed by one of the partners in the firm who is also a State Senator from New York. She thought it went well. We have our fingers and toes crossed! She dropped us off at a Farmer’s Market where we could shop and get a walk in while she had her interview. Joe brought his trumpet and was able to earn $76.93 – just enough to cover parking. And while we had a good time, we sure weren’t in Iowa anymore: instead of fruits and vegetables, they sold small squares of grass, canned pears, plastic apples and gift certificates for the local grocery store. Ok, we’re just checking to see if you’re paying attention! LOL! It was a pretty nice farmer’s market, but because of the time of the year, it was pretty small, only about a dozen booths. So we found a coffee shop and lingered there, then went for a long walk – long because when we got near to Kate’s place we turned the wrong way and walked about a mile before we realized it…… In the process we walked through the middle of a Hassidic Jewish neighborhood. And of course it was then another mile or so back once we realized our mistake!

When Kate got back from her interview, we visited a while longer, then headed out for a “slice” – pizza. We went to her favorite place, and Sandy just loves New York Style Pizza. All the toppings go on top of the cheese. We visited there for nearly an hour, then went back to her apartment to gather our stuff and move on. We hated to leave, it seems like way too short of a visit. It was so hard to leave her. But! We are retired now, so we can come back and visit our beautiful daughter Kate more often.