And To All, A Merry Christmas

It is 6pm on Christmas, but it feels like 9pm given that the sun has been down for over an hour now. Either way, Merry Christmas everyone! 

I am spending today resting, cleaning, and watching my favorite tv show on Netflix. I got all of my Christmas presents last week, so I have nothing to unwrap today. I am in no way complaining about this! I love resting after the adventures that I have had on Christmas Eve and the day before. 

Initially, I went into the city to see my grandma's best friend who was in town for the holiday (she is an absolute gem of a person btw). But then while booking my travel, I realized that I have a friend in NYC who has been begging me to visit for almost a year now. So me being my semi-adventurous self said “hell yea” and we coordinated one of the best nights I have had this year. 

I spent almost three hours trying to figure out how exactly I was going to get into nyc. The LAST thing that I wanted to do was drive. I was going to take a bus because I remember being 18 and taking the $1 bus in and out of Philly almost every weekend. Unfortunately, the bus system is not like it used to be and I thought the scent of an overripe fabric cushioned seat might send my stomach over the edge. My next idea was Amtrak (naturally). Calculations came up to around $150 round trip - not including parking, and I was ready to swipe my card until I remembered that the NJT exists! After about 30 minutes of figuring out the correct route and parking situation at the station, I was able to do roundtrip tickets and overnight parking for under $60. It only required me to drive into NJ which was a 20 minute drive, and like $3 on my EZPass. 

Look at me being more mindful of my spending! Let’s hope I keep up with this trait going into 2025.

So Monday afternoon rolled around and I did my hair, packed my bag, took the trash out and drove to my spot to park. I got my ticket and boarded the train immediately. The ride was about 1:30 and I was able to finish a book that I have been messing around with for almost two months now. That book can be found HERE, but we’ll talk about it later. 

Upon arrival, I found my friend and we went to get drinks at a rooftop bar before dinner. We chatted, caught up on life, exchanged inappropriate jokes, and then headed to dinner around six. Ever since I met this friend, I have been told up and down and all around about this hole in the wall omakase sushi spot that was going to blow my mind.

Consider my mind blown. I have no idea how I am going to eat AYCE sushi in my little suburban town anymore. 

We had such a phenomenal time. We did like 8 courses, soup, dessert, got an intimate lesson about sake distilleries and the processing of rice to get the clear and phenomenal flavor that we were drinking all night. 11 pm rolls around and we are BUZZED. Walked back to my hotel literally spinning off of a table. We said our goodbyes and I watched professional poker until I fell asleep. 

I had a god-awful rest, so I rolled around in bed until 9am. Once I finally got my grandma’s friend on the phone to coordinate a place and time to meet, I sprang up and got busy with my makeup. Whisked myself out of the hotel room (obvi after taking a million selfies), and then went to try a new cafe that I had never been to before. I usually stick to Pret. They are overpriced, but they have never let me down around breakfast time. This place was called 1000, and I swear I wanted to kiss whoever makes their baked goods. 

This is the Purple Sweet Potato Latte (Hot) - 10/10

I relaxed in their seating area collecting my thoughts and reminiscing about the night before for about 30 minutes and then headed over to Grand Central for the train. On that walk, I got a bit distracted by this super cute store where I found the funkiest flavor of Lays chips that I have ever seen! I swiped my card without looking at the total and went about my way. 

Something about tapping my card and hearing “a downtown 5 train is approaching the station” made my heart so freaking warm. Growing up in NYC was not the easiest thing for me, so being back and in a position where I can actually enjoy everything that the city is actually known for, was wonderful. I traveled all the way down to a Flatbush area station that has now been renamed to include “Little Haiti”. 

Gave my granny’s friend another ring, met up about a mile away, and then we had the most beautiful conversation about gratitude. Wow. She handed me a document with my grandma's handwriting on it and when I tell you I wanted to drop to my knees and CRY. I did eventually cry, but not until I was already settled back in Brooklyn heights. 

I said my goodbyes and decided to take a seat in the “Little Haiti” train station to gather my emotions before getting on another train to my next destination before home. When the next train came, I knew exactly where I was going. 

Off I went to my favorite spot in the city to cry - the pier by Borough Hall overlooking the island of manhattan and a smidge of lady liberty. 

I searched for some comforting Italian food and a place caught my eye on a corner that I had walked by almost daily when I used to live in Brooklyn. I stopped in without a reservation and sat at the bar to have what I thought was an extraordinary piece of lasagna. I washed that down with a spicy margarita and some chill tap water. 

So beautiful!

I then proceeded to slide the bartender a $100 bill and said “keep the change”


Umm.. Who the fuck do I think I am? My rent is literally due next week. 

Anyway, I went to the pier, cracked open a bag of those lobster chips from earlier and stared into the sunset. 

When the time felt right, I headed back to the NJT station and sadly boarded my train home. I could not understand my overwhelming emotions so I texted my best friend “do I miss NYC?”. A few moments later, I was in deep conversation with a girl that I almost shared a seat with during boarding at Penn Station. The train ride flew by as we exchanged Goodreads recommendations and then wished each other a Merry Christmas before departing. 

I get off the train and quickly find my baby! My gorgeous car was there on the third level just waiting for me in the cold air. I sped home, quickly undressed and fell asleep on the couch. 

It is currently the next day and boy do I somehow still feel hungover.. I had plans that fell through earlier and now I am just prepping a croissant dough that I'm realizing requires an extreme amount of work that I was NOT expecting. 

As I grow older and reflect on all of my growth around this time of year, I am happy to see myself evolve into someone that I love. Let’s ensure next Christmas is even more eventful than this one!

Merry Christmas, 

Fran & Frank.