Family Festivities for Julie's Birthday

The day after arriving from our long drive to Ardmore, Julie and I got back in the Escape to drive to Jersey City to celebrate her birthday with our family.

Jay and Sasha prompted the party when they phoned us in Big Sky to say they would be in New York City on the night of Julie's birthday on the way to celebrate their third anniversary --- WOW, time flies! --- with a return to beautiful Bermuda, where they wed in 2019.  They had already been to Niagara Falls, then Ithaca for a Memorial Service for Sasha's grandmother,  followed by working a few days at their New York City offices before they met with us for the evening.

Amy and Lukas live in Jersey City, right across the Hudson River from the Big Apple.

Gina, Laszlo and Emma took the train from Merion Station to join the festivities at the Wurst Bar, which Amy selected as an ideal spot to meet the dietary needs of our crew.

The Wurst Bar proved to be a terrific choice, with delicious food at a long, outdoor table similar to what you might find at an Oktoberfest.  The sausages, French fries and Brussel sprouts were delicious.  Amy and Jay insisted on paying.

After dinner, we walked back to Amy's place, where Gina and Sasha arrived with birthday cupcakes and parfaits.  

As always it was the attendees that made the celebration special.  

The most convenient high-rise hotels close to Amy's condo were pricier than during Julie's east coast jaunt to shop for Amy's wedding dress last winter, so we opted instead for The Holland Hotel, so named because it is located by the Holland Tunnel to New York City.  We were greeted to the property by a smiling receptionist of Hungarian and German heritage, interesting to us because our son-in-law Laszlo was born in Hungary and Amy's fiancé Lukas is German.

Our room was very clean and attractive, and our stay included a nice continental breakfast.  We only stayed for one night, but Gina, Laszlo and Emma arrived a day earlier than us.

Our hotel was a mile away from Amy's chic condo and the sleek Canopy by Hilton, where we walked to meet Gina's family in their lobby before dinner the first day and after breakfast the second day.  The first evening, we were joined by Maple, a sweet girl Emma met in summer camp, whose parents were helping her sister move away to college.  Laszlo, who had climbed to the top of One World Trade Center before we arrived, had departed early in the morning in order to get to back to Philadelphia for his regular work day at Drexel University.

On our way to Amy's, Julie, Gina and I watched Emma skateboard in a parking lot and then were joined by Amy to walk to the waterside across the harbor from Lower Manhattan.

On the way, we picked up some delicious take-out bowls at Cava.  Julie opted for a burger, fries and Diet Coke from Five Guys, which timed out perfectly with our bowl preparation time.

After returning home, Julie received four gorgeous wreaths, one for each season, Gina had printed out photos of the wreaths to illustrate at her birthday party, saving the hassle of carrying the gifts home.

This birthday gift from the kids could not have been more perfect for Julie, who upon taking our first neighborhood walk immediately fell in love with the way our neighbors display wreaths on their front doors throughout the year rather than just at Christmas.

The best gifts are the time and effort to make this birthday event happen.

Jay's and Sasha's Photos of New York and Bermuda