Inez and John were already up in New York for the past 2.5 weeks – out in Southampton – spending QT with her family, especially her 87.5 year old mother.

Chrissy was going to join them. And at her age, 15, she can technically fly up from Florida all by herself. But at the last minute I decided to escort her, meet Inez in Manhattan (100 miles from the Hamptons), and spend 4 days in our old, beloved neighborhood of Battery Park City and Tribeca. John stayed “out East”, working in a restaurant as a busboy. He will share his experience on the Kids Get Rich Podcast and with his KGR members.

Thursday

We flew out EARLY – a 6:40am flight. I prefer early flights for several reasons.

One, you don’t lose a day traveling. Two, they are cheaper. Ubers cheaper too! Three, there’s less traffic going to and within the airport. You can nap on the plane, right? (My family hates it when I book these early flights, LOL.)

Chrissy and I had Thursday all to ourselves. She got a bagel from our deli (which is open 24 hours) and she treated herself to a $14 salad at Sweet Greens. She hit her old stomping grounds (the ballfield and Rockefeller Park) and met up with a friend. And went to a movie at night.

How awesome was it for my kids to have EVERYTHING from a Barnes & Noble, a gym, ballflields, playgrounds, a library, malls, and a movie theater within feet of our apartment!

I rode a CitiBike up the Hudson to Chelsea Piers, saw the new park (Little Island – pic below), started sweating and had to go topless to protect my finite stash of clean laundry…and went back to the hotel because our room was finally ready.

We stayed at the luxurious – I mean PRICEY – Conrad Hotel. “The Conrad”. Usually it’s $500-$600 per night and packed full with Goldman Sachs’ clients. Looks like prices are already creeping back up:

We got it for $325/night. A bargain!

Hey, we just paid roughly $300/night out in freaking Utah in May, so….so what’s the difference?  #hyperinflation

I hit my preferred local pizza joint. I go with mushroom or mushroom AND pepperoni if I’m feeling like an oinker:

It’s called Little Italy Pizza – even though it’s not in Little Italy. #touristtrap

The guy that runs it is borderline insane from stress. I like to just watch him deep-breath (and scream) his way through the order flow. It touts only 2.5 stars on Google Reviews. These haters have no idea! .

Even though I vowed not to ride the smelly, hot, and increasingly dangerous subway on this trip… I had to that night. It was pouring, rush hour, and Uber wanted a ridiculous $60+ for a ride less than 2 miles. No thanks. I took the R-train from the Oculus no problem.

Well, the only problem was that I didn’t have a mask. Luckily I was able to bum one off a Port Authority cop.

I enjoyed great dinner with a great friend from Hillsong church. “Joe” was on a couple volunteer teams with me. I was delighted to get spicy, fancy, Asian food at The Bao. ***This is our favorite place in all of NYC! The street it’s on though, St. Marks (8th Street) is pretty funky and dicey these days. Lots of marijuana smoke. I’m sure it’s MEDICINAL. Ha!

Afterwards, I walked down to Levain’s Bakery and inhaled a ginormous chocolate chip walnut cookie. I intended to only eat half, but failed the fraction test. Note – these cookies are insanely good!

I stopped at my (former) local watering hole in Tribeca (Monk McGinn’s) on the way home. Some of the guys there didn’t even know I had moved to Naples, Florida. BTW, the bar was packed – and that was good to see. Because many bars and restaurants in the City have obviously shuttered in the past year of “shutdowns” (and crime!).

I told Inez to come as early on Friday as she could because I knew she’d love the hotel. While I’m okay at Super 8 (which is 33% better than Motel 6), she’s a bit of a hotel snob.

Friday

I woke up early, got me a bagel! Everything, cream cheese, tomato, and jalapeno! I enjoyed coffee, Brookfield Place (mall), and the waterfront via a CitiBike. I did some writing before Inez made her way into town (via the Long Island Railroad and the subway).

We hadn’t seen Inez (beyond FaceTime) in 2 weeks!

We got lunch and coffee at Le Pain Quotidien on South End Ave, in the shadow of the WTC/Freedom Tower – well, Chrissy slinked off and got pizza.

It’s interesting that this particular neighborhood probably has LESS pizza than any other in the whole metro NYC area!

That afternoon, Chrissy went to meet a friend I think in Chelsea at La Bergamote.  I vetoed one place they wanted to go (sketchier neighborhood that I wouldn’t have vetoed 1.5 years ago!).

Inez and I then biked up the Hudson to have lunch at Saigon Shack. They have these fabulous “classic” sandwiches (Vietnamese ham, house bacon, and pate) for only $5. We got some other stuff too. It was great – as always – and the type of food that simply doesn’t exist in Naples, Florida.

We then walked down to Little Italy and had dessert at the famed Ferrara’s. You can see pics of it in the full photo gallery linked below. There, I highly recommend the “assorted cookies” (ask for an extra pignoli cookie!) and the stracciatella gelato (1 tiny scoop, $7). You can thank me later.

I believe Chrissy went to Shake Shack because there were fries….in her hotel bed!

Saturday

We took a bike ride up the East river:

Ate dinner at The Bao (again, for me):

Had sunset drinks outside Le District:

The view here never gets old!

Sunday

I went for an early morning walk:

I ramped up my normal bagel order with BACON:

We biked to a new church – Kings’ Church – one that was actually OPEN and meeting in person!

We biked back and my girls packed up to take the train out to Long Island. I’ll see them in 3 weeks or so!

I raced up to get a shwarma at Mamoun’s in Greenwich Village (near Washington Square Park, i.e. the open air, legalized drug dealing, party zone!).

The hot sauce there is TERRIFIC. But you have to dispense with an “eye dropper” or you may combust!

Then I went back downtown. I went to my favorite thinking/reading/writing place on Earth in Hudson Eats. That’s the food court in Brookfield Place Mall.

I had one more must-hit eatery before I left – and that would be Joya in Brooklyn. 20 years ago it was the #1 rated Thai restaurant in all of NYC. Entrees were $6.95 for years and have only recently ticked up. No menu needed for me. I always get the “spicy noodles with chicken, 3.5 out of 5 on the HOT scale”.

Alright I biked home over the Brooklyn Bridge. That was the selfie pic at the very top of the page.

Did I feel unsafe in the “defunded” City?

No. A couple times I swerved us away from groups and individuals – yes, more than I would have in the past.

We did not go to Midtown – which I hear is the most overrun with violent mentally ill “homeless” people.

We did not go out carousing at night where the young people are at.

And I would not let my kids travel all over town like they used to. Definitely not now.

When they were younger and smaller….in a sense they got a pass because the teenagers wouldn’t mess with them.

But the City is more lawless and my bigger kids are more of a target now, they are fair game in a sense.

Sunday afternoon, after doing my writing, I was wandering around the waterfront practically in tears that I don’t live there anymore. It was a FUN trip for me but also profoundly emotional.

I’ve lived in many places and returned to them all. Philly can tear me up too, but for different reasons. I served my time there as a lost soul. Those 9 years in West Philly and Center City Philadelphia were my “deformative” years.

Manhattan was the 12th place I lived and I was sure that I would never move again. I was going to “die” there.

Man plans, God laughs.

Indeed.

I have a lot more to say about this trip on my podcast – The Einstein Blueprint Podcast.

And you can see the full photo album below (and a cobbled raw video).

CLICK HERE – to see my pics!