Am I famous?
Hot Mom Diaries NYC recap: The Tortured Bloggers Department, a pinch me moment, and hot mom meetups!
A little gem that somehow drowned in my drafts folder. I rescued it, enjoy!! 💖
June 26:
My first time flying completely on my own in four years! I’ve taken plenty of trips without the children in that time (thanks mom and dad!), but to be a completely solo lady navigating the airport independently? What a feeling. I don’t even know how to behave.
Back in my single days, I lived for the thrill of not knowing if I’d make my flight on time. I’d calculate the last possible minute that I could leave for the airport and be able to walk directly onto my flight as boarding ended. Being early and waiting around gives me anxiety. I loved the thrill I would get after being stuck in traffic, running late, only for all the lines to miraculously open up for me, so that I could still make my flight!
The only time I ever actually missed a flight is when I was traveling with another person that messed with my flow, it worked for me!
Enter: my husband, the man that loves an airline perk (he’s dialed in on all the perks). His airport flow? Arriving to the airport at least two hours early for a flight. A shock to my system.
At first I resisted this change, trying to seduce him into the thrill of running late and then arriving perfectly on time, but ultimately, I knew that my travel style was not conducive to a thriving relationship, and as an amenity whore myself, I was all in on the lounge life… so I quickly adapted. (Did you know that you can cash in your credit card points for a bottle of Dom in the lounge? You’re welcome.)
Years of this treatment morphed me into a total airport princess. I’ve particularly leaned into the luxury of the airport princess life since becoming a mom— to be able to completely switch my brain off and simply follow my husband around the airport as he carried my bags, handled check in, and got us into the lounge, even telling me when I needed to go to the bathroom before leaving the lounge (because I’d inevitably want to go as we left the lounge and put him 5-10 minutes behind his airport flow and risk missing his early boarding perk).
So here I am today, going through security, finding a lounge, and settling in with a cappuccino and it hits me that I need to look at my boarding time and where my gate is, because there was no one to tell me when to leave. Do I set an alarm?
The whole thing was a bizarre out of body experience, but I’m happy to report that I made my flight (and stood in line at the gate, can you believe?!)
The moment my feet hit the ground in the airport, my pace quickens, the synapses in my brain start firing faster, and I receive the infusion of lightness, energy, and inspiration that only NYC gives. I’m filled with the thrill of knowing that anything could happen.
Later on, I popped in to give a hug to my NYC family at an event they were hosting. I told them how I was in town to do a reading from my blog and my NYC Dad responded, “wow, what’s next? Good Morning America?!” As he gave me am enthusiastic pat on the arm, love you Stu!
My friends and I grab a 9 PM sushi dinner around the corner and as we waited for dessert, I pulled out my phone to read my piece before my first audience. Smiles, gasps and bated breath through the drama, perfectly timed laughs… all the confirmation that I needed to fill me with confidence for the next day.
June 27:
Taking deep breaths and trying to remain calm as I do my makeup in the back of my Uber, running an hour later than I had planned. I knew I should have brought my change of clothes with me, hair appointments always take twice as long as expected, even when you plan on them taking twice as long as you think!
No matter, I make it in times to clink a glass of champagne, with
aka The Champagne Diet and my Girl on Fire Collective girls and before we take the stage to read our essays.I open the second half of the reading with fully engaged smiles, gasps and bated breath through the drama, perfectly timed laughs (People laugh at my jokes! I still can’t get over it!)
What a night.
June 28:
I have aspirational plans of changing up my regular NYC itinerary and spending the day on the Upper East Side. I check in with one of my favorite coffee shops that I used to frequent in my travel nurse days when I worked at Cornell— Gotham Cafe on 68th and 2nd. (Go visit and order the ginger latte and a California club sandwich- they’re the best!!)
I’m swelled with pride to see that they are thriving and even opened a second shop next door called Gotham Green Cafe! Many of the familiar faces from NINE YEARS AGO are still there running the place! I grab my old go-to, an almond milk ginger latte (YUM!) and it tastes exactly as I remember. I’ll make two more visits during the course of my trip.
I quickly fold on my Upper East Side day and head “home” to Gramercy. I’ve done far too much legwork in NYC to take my chances on a new nail salon, so I go back to my regular spot, to find that it has a new name and they’ve revamped the space! I’m assuming it is under new ownership, but didn’t ask, I’m just happy they’re thriving and better than ever. All the familiar faces are there and the absolute best mani-pedi (+10 minute chair massage) that I’ve had in a long time.
I have my friend Myles meet up with me to grab a cocktail. After scouring google maps looking for a new cocktail spot to try as I alternate my hands to be manicured (there are so many new spots!) we walk out the door and decide to walk one block over to Barbounia… another go-to spot of mine. I never mean to go there, it always looks so inviting! Plus I love Mediterranean food.
As we approach Barbounia, we see dressing room trailers lining Park Ave. I know exactly what this is for and exactly where they are filming! I tell Myles. (I had seen it on Cara’s Instagram story earlier that morning!)
We excitedly link arms and continue around the corner to Pete’s Tavern. Sure enough, a production guy is stopping traffic on the sidewalk. Myles and I press past him with we live here, we see this all the time energy. As we hustle by, I look across the street to see Cynthia Nixon filming a scene for And Just Like That! Myles continues to try to hold the energy while I quickly turn to snap a picture.
Did you get a good one? He gushed, squeezing my arm as we scuttled away.
He then goes on to tell me a story of a time that he ran into Cynthia Nixon on the Upper West Side when he had pink eye. She was wearing a long, fabulous leopard print coat and his eye was oozing as he made his way to the pharmacy to pick up his eye drop prescription. It was the only time he had left the apartment and the Sex and the City box set he was binging.
We return to Barbounia and opt to sit outside so that we can continue to stalk the dressing room trailers and be in the perfect position for SJP to sit down and join us for a drink after she finishes on set enjoy the sunshine. Michael Patrick Harris circles the block and walks right past us multiple times, Myles immediately hushing his voice and pointing him out to me each time.
As Myles and I part ways, I head up to meet another friend at the MET (at least I round out my day on the Upper East Side!) Having no idea what I was actually walking into, I meet up with my friend Jonathan and proceed to have a super interesting private tour of the MET by his friend Peter, an art enthusiast! I love being with anyone as they geek out over their passion.
June 29
I wake up with thoughts of cancelling my first hot mom walk because only one person signed up. Fortunately, I fell back to sleep and by the time I woke up, I was running too late to give any more worry to cancelling. I hop into IG messages to let her know that I’m running a few minutes behind, only to see that she messaged me that she is on her way and is SO excited.
I made it to Gotham Cafe in plenty of time, in fact, I sat out front long enough to witness an altercation between a lady trying to eat her breakfast and a man reading with his weekend paper and coffee while smoking a CIGAR (at 10 in the morning!) The manager eventually got involved and it all ended with the man shoving his newspaper under his arm and angrily walking away, cigar tucked between his lips. Oh NYC, I love you!
I instantly lit up when I saw my new friend crossing the street with a pink and purple wagon loaded up with her two girls, I just knew we were about to have the best morning. And we did!
We grabbed a coffee, hot-mom-walked to Central Park and found a gorgeous playground for her kids to play as her and I chatted motherhood, business, dreams, goals, and wild past lives.
Note to my entrepreneurial hot moms: NEVER cancel because “only” one person signed up for ANYTHING. Show up and give them the experience you got them excited and I promise you will be glad you did. You never know what that one person needs from you and how much that one person can mean to you, too!
As we parted ways and I head toward the subway to head to Williamsburg to meet my friend Luiza, I pass a Strand Book Stand on the sidewalk. I stop at the best seller table and take a minute to manifest my book insluded among all of the incredible books displayed there. One day.
Luiza and I catch up over lunch as her daughter nibbles through my french fries (another hot mom date!). We tap the waiter to place an extra order of fries, avocado, and bacon.
I had brought my laptop with me with plans to finish out my day writing and working, but Luiza had other plans.
Want to come to a Brazilian rooftop party with me? It’s my friend’s birthday.
Of course I did.
Interesting side note that I haven’t mentioned: I haven’t been drinking alcohol really since early May… I honestly just feel a lot better without it and lost the desire to drink, I’ve become quite hooked on being sober and feeling good every morning when I wake up! So outside of having a couple glasses of champagne with The Champagne Diet herself, I stuck to virgin mojitos and soda water + bitters for the rest of the trip!
So off we go to SoHo for the rooftop party where I am introduced to Brazilian after Brazilian— She’s a non-Brazilian, speak English to her, Luiza would add with each intro.
I got to chatting with another one of the non-Brazilians and he asked what I was doing in NYC, I told him about my reading at TTBD.
I write a blog called the hot mom life, I said.
The hot mom life? He asked, I’ve heard of that!
I’m instantly star struck… by myself. Are you sure? The hot mom life. It’s so new, it’s only a year old.
Yep, yep, I’m sure that’s it! My ex-girlfriend reads it and I’m pretty sure she broke up with me because of something you wrote.
Iconic. My first time meeting someone in the wild who had heard of my blog!
Am I famous now? Did I inspire a breakup?!
June 30
My last day in NYC. Katie and I grab breakfast then stop into Gotham Cafe one last time for another Ginger Latte (Katie says it tastes like Fall, I always took my travel nurse assignments in the Fall, and that’s when I discovered the ginger latte, so that made my heart so happy, even though it was 90 degrees out!)
We finish out the morning with a walk to Central Park and a stop at a nearby pub to catch the Euro Cup game with her new man.
I give her a big hug and take my melancholy Uber ride out to the airport, mourning the place that I feel most at home, but looking forward to giving my family a big hug and settling back into the comforts that my little mountain home provides.
I pull my phone out to scan my boarding pass for security— FLIGHT CANCELLED. I call my husband in for this one— time for the airline perks!
The next flight isn’t until the morning. Best they can offer is a Marriott in the middle of Long Island— further from the airport than just going back to the city, but oh well.
It honestly turned out to be the perfect place to go to the gym, order up food to the room, take a long shower, and catch up on 3 episodes of Love Island and get one last night of quality solo sleep before getting back to the babies!
Until next time! ❤️
This made me miss NYC so much! Time to get booking another flight I think 😂
yes you are famous 💗💗💗
honored to be the one hot mom on your NYC hot mom walk!!