New York City Adventures

This past Memorial Day Weekend I visited my sister who lives in New York City. I hadn’t been back to NYC in probably six years or so, and it was great to be able to explore and visit some of my favorite places again.

Day 1:

On Friday we had breakfast at a cute little restaurant with Moroccan fair. The orange juice was so fresh it was light biting into an orange just picked from the tree. As we were eating, we noticed that actor Jon Voight just happened to be reading at the bar behind us. Not a fan of his politics, but it was cool to spot a celebrity.

We then went to one of the greatest bookstores on the planet – The Strand. I had been there before, but it’s always so fun to stop in an indie bookshop with such character (and a great selection). We walked around Union Square before ending up walking across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Dinner was on a rooftop garden – French/American cuisine so delicious I didn’t want the meal to end. I’d never had French-style grits before (more like a polenta?), but every bite was scrumptious.

Day 2:

Breakfast at Lillie’s Victorian Establishment was as delicious as the restaurant was beautiful. Fresh strawberry and blueberry pancakes were to die for. The restaurant was inspired by British actress Lillie Langtry – their website has her entire story, but let’s just say she was a BAMF.

We then trekked to Liberty and Ellis Islands. My sister and I recently tracked our great-great grandfather’s passage through Ellis Island, so it was wonderful to see the place where he would have seen his first glimpse of the United States. The security and ferry lines there definitely recreate the feeling of being herded through immigration services in the 1880s… but at least we had some great views to keep us occupied.

Day 3:

Brunch and boogie woogie blues at a British speakeasy? Yes, please. Have you ever had fresh French toast with lemon curd? WHY NOT??? It is one of the greatest innovations of our time. The sugar-induced coma afterwards was totally worth it.

We played Broadway Roulette and got to see School of Rock. I was a little skeptical at first, but as soon as you hear those kids sing and play their own instruments you will be blown away by their talent. I had no idea that Andrew Lloyd Weber was behind the music, but you can tell by the tad of opera in the show 🙂 STICK IT TO THE MAN!

Our day ended with a thing that actually exists: a Mac N’ Cheese burger. I felt like Leslie Knope:

 

It was a thing of beauty. And cholesterol.

 

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris

I have so many feelings about this book! Grace is a food buyer for Harrod’s in England and has never found Mr. Right. She is the guardian of her sister with Down’s Syndrome, Millie, and she travels a lot for her job, so she has a lot on her plate when she meets and marries the Perfect Guy. Or is he? DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN….

After Grace marries Jack, there is an abrupt change in his demeanor and we slowly figure out what is really going on. Not to give to many spoilers, but we quickly find out that Jack isn’t exactly the guy we think he is. The book is told from Grace’s perspective alternating between the present and the past.

Paris is great at creating suspense in the first portion of the book, but I think once we find out what is going on, it’s more of a “oh crap how are we getting out of this situation” kind of vibe which goes on a bit long. Some of the plot points are a bit week, but what really bugged me was abuse of an animal – I honestly just couldn’t handle reading those parts and so I kept skipping over them.

I also am troubled by how many thrillers I’ve read where a woman lacks power in a relationship and this leads to *bad things*. I feel that women are portrayed too often as weak or doe-eyed in thrillers and can only become powerful through ridiculous struggles. Why can’t a woman start out as powerful and savvy and still overcome the adversity she faces?  Why does a woman have to be clueless to start with?

I listened to the audiobook version of this novel – the narrator was perfect for this book and did a great job at leading the suspense with her voice. Overall, I think Paris has a knack for suspense writing, and this being her debut novel, I think I will definitely check out her other books.