I’m sure none of you are ever guilty of this: You have a night out with your spouse or partner and you end up spending an undue amount of time talking about your children because, well, that’s what you do together. My wife and I are coming to the end of our first string of weeks without either of our children at home—three-and-a-half weeks to be exact—and while it was nice not play the role of the father all the time, I have to admit that our children still managed to be the primary topic of conversation between my wife and me. But not last Saturday night, when another woman intervened.
Rebecca and I had been looking forward to this past weekend for a while, ever since we won the key ingredients for relaxation at a school auction in the spring. School auctions are at their best when you find an item that would cost you more if you actually invested the energy to purchase it on your own, but here it is for the taking at a lower price and with the knowledge that all the money you spend goes to your child’s school—which, in the case of my son’s public school, is a meaningful contribution. The package we doggedly bid on, and eventually won, included a two-hour sail boat ride on the lower Hudson, dinner at the amazing Kittichai restaurant in SoHo, and a night at the Maritime Hotel. We could have enjoyed each of these delicacies separately, or in any combination, but we pulled them all together for a big Saturday night out to celebrate my birthday (which was technically this Monday).
We arranged for the sunset cruise on the City Clipper Tall Ship, which sails out of South Street Seaport, then dove into a tasting menu of heavenly Thai food, and finally—around midnight—navigated the throngs of gorgeous young people hovering on East 16th Street for entrance into a trendy night club beside the Maritime. “You know where we’re from?” I shouted over to Rebecca, who looked back at me quizzically. “Planet Old.” She agreed.
Still, we had a good time of it all. The role of the mysterious other woman was played by none other than Lady Liberty. What can I say? There’s something about being out on the Hudson on a balmy summer night—with a setting sky of brazen reds and blues silhouetting the country’s most famous symbol of freedom—that can make you forget parenthood for a while and just enjoy the moment with the love of your life (though we later did talk about how it’s time to take the kids to visit the Statue again).
A few photos for your viewing pleasure:
Eric Messinger is the Editor of New York Family. He can be reached at [email protected]
