wedding road trip

Bea y Jed en Nuevo York

On Day two in New York, we spent an evening with our hosts, Bea and Jed. Bea was one of my best friends at grad school. Now she and her husband Jed live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in a classic NYC setup: a Puerto Rican and a Jew living in a Polish neighborhood. Their son Sebastian will probably become a Rastafarian.

This was also the interview where Jaime met her match. Jed and Jaime debated the appropriateness of one question for seemingly hours, which allowed Bea and I time to catch up and make fun of them both. Still, it seems that Jaime missed her calling as a lawyer, since she battled Jed to a draw.

One of the major challenges that Bea and Jed face in their marriage is how to juggle raising a one-year old while maintaining intense careers – an issue in which we have a great deal of interest. One part of their solution is a nanny, which takes up a chunk of income but who provides childcare, bilingual instruction, cleaning, and cooking. The last may be the best part, since when you get home from work at 9 PM (typical in New York) it is a godsend to have dinner waiting. (I guess if we were really good guests, we would have made dinner for them, but hey it’s our wedding.) The other solution is that one of them goes to work a little late each morning, getting a chance for some one-on-one time with Sebastian.

Beyond that, they showed us the strength that friendship can play in a relationship. They’ve known each other for over 15 years, and that allows them to operate in total comfort with one another. So maybe by the year 2022, Jaime and I will have a totally comfortable, drama-free marriage and can start thinking about having kids.

Day 25: Hell’s Luncheonette

Finally. After 24 days we have reached New York City, which was pretty much my goal the entire trip. The rest of the journey is just a pleasant journey through fly-over country. Wait, is anyone actually reading this?

On Day 2 of New York, we traveled to Hell’s Kitchen (G to the E, if you’re keeping score) to see my friend Merrill for lunch. Merrill and I met in college and have kept in touch ever since due to our mutual interest in international politics. Merrill is an incredible world traveler and over the years has sent me postcards from exotic venues like Nepal, Finland, and Indiana.

I am happy to report that our Wedding Road Trip outfits were taking a break for cleaning, and so we met Merrill in civilian clothes. And, in that spirit, we spent most of the lunch discussing reality television rather than marriage. So we don’t have any pithy insights from Merrill to report but honestly just talking to a friend about something other than weddings, kids, and relationships was a treat. Merrill is such a calming spirit who can tame even the crankiest of road trip beasts. So Merrill, thanks for saving us from ourselves for at least one hour.