East Coast Trip Part 1: NJ, NYC & Providence

Our East Coast trip by the numbers: 3 kids and 2 parents in 1 van visiting 5 states in 14 days to see places we used to live and family and friends we love.  In short-awesome and tiring, but way more awesome than tiring.

NJ
Our road trip began (to be clear we flew across the country and rented a van for the road trip-we aren't completely crazy) where all great road trips should begin, at my friend for life's house.  Janine and I became friends for life thanks to the Brown Housing Office's excellent ability to place together roommates based on a simple survey of about 5 questions.  Neen would tell you that I answered two of those key questions incorrectly and that is how she got stuck with me.  The questions in question were: "Do you go to bed before 12pm?" and "Are you organized?". I answered yes to both even though I stay up late at night and at the time I thought I was organized until I met Neen.  Who really wants a sloppy roommate that is up all night? Not me! :)  Turns out my lies worked out for both of us because we are still friends and godmothers to each other's kids. Oh and the "friends for life" title? A former inhabitant of our room in Keeney Quad knocked on our door freshman year and said that people that live in our room remain friends for life, so you can bet that we returned there each year and told the new freshmen that. Okay, getting back on track now!

In addition to Neen's family of five, our friend Susan, who Janine and I  met while studying abroad in Melbourne, was also there visiting with her three kids.  Is Susan Australian? No! She is from Ohio but we met through our program and the fact that we lived in the same apartment building in Melbourne.  To top it off, our friend Alison, also from our hallway freshman year and a roommate in later years, drove from Brooklyn with her husband Bill and 8 month old son Rowan.  Thanks to the Manolakos family for hosting all of us and to the Hunter and Washabaugh families for making the drives!

Night one: Riley and Jenna up late giggling.

Maggie & Ben

The dads in the kitchen - Bryan cooking up a storm and Mesh eating. :)

Alison and Bill with the Brown kiddos: Rowan and bottom row from left: Nate, Riley, Jenna, Paige, and Ben. (Neen & Bryan's youngest, Will, was napping)

Brown grads: Mesh, Neen, Meg, Alison

The Melbourne crew and kids! I'm putting last initials with the kids because they were all mixed together - fast friends! Paige M., Ben I., Meg, Jake H., Jenna M., Riley I., Nate, I., Dylan H., Will M., Janine, Maggie H., Susan.

Last night in NJ-dads and kids.

And today happens to be my goddaughter Jenna's 5th birthday! Happy birthday to a sweet, smart, funny, beautiful girl! I can't wait until you and Riley go to Brown and become friends for life! :)

NYC

Our next stop was the Statue of Liberty, catching a ferry from Liberty State Park in NJ, before heading through the Holland Tunnel (while waving at my old town of Hoboken) to see family in NYC.  We stayed at Uncle Joey and Aunt Sabrina's with cousins Cameron and Colin and also spent a lot of time with Auntie Raji and Uncle Josh.  Bonus-we got to see my cousin Jason's wife Eagen and their son Liam at dinner one night.  Ramesh and I lived in NYC from 2001 through 2005 and it was great to be back visiting family and getting to share the city with our kids.

Nate, Ri & Cameron

Dinner at Rosa Mexicana:

Nate, Ben, Riley, Cameron, Liam and Colin

Riley finally gives up her crown to Uncle Josh, if only for the moment.

Subway ride and Times Square:

ferris wheel inside Toys R Us

We ran into John and Lil (Neen's parents) at the Hershey store in Times Square. Love them!

 Central Park and Museum of Natural History:

Our next destination was Providence, RI and Brown University, where mom and dad met!  Of course, the kids were much more impressed that Hermoine Granger attended Brown recently but someday they may thank us for dragging them all around campus for our trip down memory lane.  We also got to see our friend Emily, from you guessed it - our freshman hallway, and her husband Brad and sweet daughter Lucy!

 Van Winkle gates

Ben walking into the fraternity quad drinking from a plastic cup - seems appropriate.

 

 

The Main Green

Mesh and I posing in front of our freshman year dorm - we were friends for a few years before we dated.  I sure do owe a lot to the 1997 employees of the Brown Housing office! They hooked me up with some amazing people.

Nate reading at the Brown bookstore.

Nate, Lucy, Riley & Ben

We are starting Part 2 of our trip which includes trips to both grandmothers' houses and visits with a few more friends from college. Let the fun continue!