Anniversary in NYC

By Thomas Morrone, CFP®, CPA

Recently Cathy and I celebrated 38 years of marriage together. Over the years we have celebrated our anniversaries in different ways. I won’t bore you with a historical recount of what we have done in years past. What we decided to do this year was to trek into NYC, see a Broadway Show, have a nice dinner, stay overnight and head home the next day. For starters, the decision to drive or take the train did not need to be decided until basically the day of. Over the years I have driven into the city numerous times, but most times we take the train. Now that we are senior citizens, the round-trip train tickets for both of us from New Haven to Grand Central are less than $50. To drive, there is the cost of gas, tolls, and parking. Parking alone can be $50-$75 per night. Then there is the stress of driving to and from and if you have ever driven to the city, I do not need to tell you what the traffic can be like. The decision to take the train was an easy one. New York being what it is, we were certain to have dinner reservations. This was done in advance, so we were not scrambling around that evening on where to dine. We did purchase show tickets months in advance, more on that in a minute.

We took the train from New Haven to Grand Central and chose to walk to our hotel on 6th Avenue and 38th Street. It was one of those nasty, hot days but the walk went quickly and there was always something to see along the way. After all, it is New York. Our room was ready, so we were able to ditch the luggage, freshen up and had some lunch at the rooftop restaurant within our hotel. We had a matinee show, so the timing was perfect. We decided to walk the 17 blocks to the theater, even though it was hot and sticky. When we arrived at the theater, the A/C inside was welcome and relaxing. The show that we saw was Funny Girl with Lea Michele as the lead. I enjoyed the show much more than I thought I would. The dancing, the energy, the music and of course the singing were all amazing. Man can that girl sing. If you are looking for a musical to see, I highly recommend it. 

After an entertaining afternoon at the theater, we stopped for a quick cocktail before heading to the restaurant for dinner. It is always interesting to sip a cocktail and people watch in the city. There is every type of person and to say it was crowded would be an understatement. After all, it is New York. After a refreshing cocktail, off to the restaurant for dinner. We dined at Becco which is on West 46th Street. Dinner was fabulous. Cathy had a salmon dish, and I ordered their signature veal Osso Buco which lived up to its reputation. A nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc rounded out our fabulous dinner. There was a little excitement in the air inside the restaurant. Sitting at the table next to ours was 2024 presidential candidate, Chris Christie. Forget politics for a minute, it was cool to sit next to him. It created a buzz in the air.

After a wonderful afternoon at the show, cocktails, and dinner, we started making our way back to the hotel. On the way, we walked pass delis and bakeries, all with their tasty treats on display in their front windows. We gave in to our temptation to satisfy our craving for something sweet. A pistachio cream stuffed croissant won the vote. Yes, it was as good as it sounds.

Another great year, another anniversary, another trip with fabulous memories. Who knows where we will go next year. It is not where you go in life, it is who is with you by your side that makes the journey wonderful. Life is Good!

Until the Next Tom’s take…………………….

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