Kris and I had this great pick up where we left off relationship. For us that was NewYork City. We have had these epic weekends together every other year since 2017. We often talked about getting together in between these trips, but we rarely did. And then, when the time for the trip rolled around again, she’d say, “I’m in”. She would then proceed to research these unbelievable events, restaurants, and shows for us. We liked all of the same things so it was an easy trip to plan. We always met at a coffee shop a couple of months before the trip to explore our options. Kris loved to just wander and discover new places so our agenda always left room for that. I can not tell you the number of times she would turn to me and very emphatically, accenting each word say, “I love this” after just discovering a new restaurant or cute shop. She could always find something unique. Kris wanted to walk everywhere. I love to walk too, so it was a nice fit. But Kris elevated walking to an olympic sport. She could move. Honestly, I used to train for these weekends so I could keep up with her.
She had this amazing way of just going with whatever happened. The last show that we saw together was Sweeney Todd starring Josh Grogan. I wasn't too sure about that show, but I knew she liked Murder Mysteries and since I did too, I thought maybe it was a good idea. After we saw dozens of throats slashed and murder victims hurled into a burning oven, she said, “Wow, I didn’t expect that, I just wanted to see Josh Grogan.” We laughed really hard about that and went out for drinks. We saw lots of shows through the years, probably our favorite was Hello Dolly with Bet Midler. Her performance was incredible, really beyond words. So powerful it felt like it went right through our bodies. (Please read the next sentence emphatically, accenting each word) We loved that.
On our last Saturday in New York City, according to my apple watch, we walked over thirty miles. We headed downtown early in the morning and worked our way uptown through street festivals, out of the way deli’s, shops, and parks. We ate dinner after dark in Little Italy which was beautiful and delicious and reminded us of a former trip when we stopped in at the bar across the street. On that day we stopped in for a quick drink. She was drinking Sangria and me white wine. We were sitting at the bar with evidently a very lonely bartender who kept refilling our glasses everytime that got half empty. After a couple of hours, we got to wondering about our bill. Turns out, we had stumbled onto an incredible pre-happy hour deal. He charged us each only a couple of dollars and we left him a huge tip. That worked out well for everyone, except possibly the restaurant owner. We talked for hours that afternoon. I remember Kris talked a lot about her family and her friends. She loved everyone so much. We spent a lot of time talking on these trips. It was really special.
After dinner, we continued to walk our way uptown. We went as far as the tree, hung out for a bit and then headed back to our room sometime after midnight. Every year we planned what we thought was the quintessential girls’ trip. This always involved matching pajamas. And on this particular trip we also had red wine, unbelievable gingerbread cookies, and face masks. Kris brought makeover supplies for us. So fun! We turned on Hallmark Christmas movies and talked through them and through the night.
I am really grateful for the memories that I have of my time with Kris. I know in my heart no one will ever be able to make that city sparkle the way she did. I miss you so much my friend. Cheers to you Kris until we get to pick up again where we left off.
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