Labor day came and went without much work. A small group of friends celebrated with a salute to processed meat.
I got on a plane Tuesday Morning to head to the city that never sleeps, the big apple, the home of pizza rat: New York City.
LeadDev New York was the catalyst for the trip. I met up with 11 workplace proximity associates to soak up everything we can to grow as engineering leaders. This was my second year in a row attending the conference, and I continue to be impressed with the British organization.
Outside of the conference hours, time in New York City was excellent. We walked The High Line two evenings in a row. It’s much different in late summer than early spring.
We ventured to Milk Bar two evenings in a row. I got the crunchy cereal milkshake the first evening. I had to settle for soft serve the second evening because Milk Bar was, ironically, out of milk. Talk about branding problems.
Dinners took place at Roberta’s, Wayla, and Hudson Clearwater. Each meal more impressive than the last.
A bagel with cream cheese and fish is a must. This time we went to Russ & Daughter’s. Very good.
DMA and I ran about four miles on the Hudson River Greenway. Running with a buddy is very different. We stopped, looked around for a while, and I still outpaced myself compared to running alone. But also, just the volume of people running in NYC changes the feels. It feels like the energy of a race day, which also helped me pick up the pace.
We wound up at the 9/11 Memorial, which was corded off in preparations for a cemony on 9/11/2024. We grieved being able to not get close with a Simpl coffee.
Navigating the subway felt simple. Zero horrifying stories this time around.
I didn’t return to Lexington. Instead, I flew back to Cincinnati. Emily and I got a night away in the queen city. We watched Beetlejuice and ate snacks without any small humans asking us to do stuff for them. It was everything I want in a getaway.
Brunch at Maplewood on Saturday preceded a day of shopping. Sierra is my new favorite store. It’s like browsing TJ Maxx but with stuff I actually want.
We ventured into Over the Rhine to grab dinner at Teak before seeing Mamma Mia at the Aronoff. They did a good job. Abba Gold is now back on heavy rotation.
I got back home to see my kiddos on Sunday. It’s good to be welcomed back.
Published: 2024-09-08