2021 A Year in Review: Post COVID’ish

Year in Review
Written By Joel

Last year was such a hard year. No matter how you cut it, coming out of 2020 all you could do is feel like you were fortunate to come out of it with your health and sanity. Unfortunately, it wasn’t like the pandemic decided that with a new President and a change of the calendar year everything would magically disappear. Although not the raging panic that it was in New York City in March of 2020, much of 2021 was still dominated by COVID. We started 2021 in California, still in Newport Beach after temporarily relocating back to our old apartment complex in June of 2020. Writing that now at the end of 2021 doesn’t feel real but it's true, for the first quarter of the year we were still hunkered down getting through the holiday wave of COVID and not sure how the rest of the year would shake out. 

We started the year off as well as we could have hoped. We had an incredible breakfast thanks to a New York Times recipe, played tennis, and picked up a Michelin star dinner from Kali to make at home. But if I try and put myself back in my shoes at the start of 2021 we were having constant conversations about when to move back to New York and what the end of the pandemic could look like. It was only six days into the year that the insurrection at the US Capital happened. It will go down as one of those few memories that I’ll never forget where I was when it occurred. I literally stopped working and couldn’t turn off CNN not believing what I was seeing. A year later it’s obvious now (and probably was at the time) that this was caused by our former President and his constant lies about the election. Throughout all of 2021, this story never went away, it's something that as of this writing is still being investigated and still seems both believable and impossible to believe it really happened. 

Fortunately, the transfer of power (although not peaceful or as dignified as almost all before it) did occur on January 20th and honestly, our stress level with politics for the remainder of 2021 went from an eleven to the low single digits. The pride of seeing our first female Vice President Kamala Harris, and President Biden finally taking office was something I’ll never forget. And let's not also forget the incredible poetry by Amanda Gorman, a moment that struck me at my core. 

Jenn is one to always work hard but the start of February was nothing short of a herculean effort. Jenn hosted her first “virtual offsite” and I am not sure I’ve ever seen her work harder. Since we were both working from home I got to see her concept of making an “Amazing Race” themed offsite come from a conversation on our nightly walks to reality. It was one of the most incredible work-related experiences I’ve had in recent memory. The event went off beautifully and the feedback she received was flawless. During the event Frasier turned 2 years old, we had some gifts for him and long walks and loved on him like any other day. It’s incredible how ingrained Frasier is with our family, we are now a trio and it feels odd any other way. 

The month closed out with us making a final decision on moving back to New York. With our lease ending in March in Newport Beach, we started heavily looking for new apartments and contemplated flying back to New York to check out places to live. We had been in contact with our old apartment building and they just so happened to have a corner 2-bedroom available and after a lot of negotiation allowed us to sign a lease a month and a half prior to moving in. It was signed, sealed, and delivered on February 25th that we’d officially be moving back to New York City in mid-April. 

That decision of course set off a multitude of other activities over the next month and a half. Now that our end date in California was near we spent a lot more time with family and friends as well as starting to plan out what furniture would come with us to New York and what we would sell and giveaway before we left. We had lots of visits with Amy, Jake, Ryan, and Gracelyn before we left as well as a board game night with Jenn’s cousin Holly and her boyfriend Weston. One of the things that Jenn and I also made a concerted effort to get Frasier to the Huntington Beach dog park as often as possible as going to the Hamptons is just a lot more work than the 20-minute drive down PCH. 

March absolutely flew by. Once we made the decision to move back to NYC the next six weeks almost don’t feel like they happened. As the calendar turned and March became April the pace of our upcoming move quickened. We decided after a lot of back and forth to drive across the country rather than selling our car and flying back with Frasier. During COVID the FAA decided to stop allowing “emotional support” animals on planes so we would have had to crate Frasier and have him put with cargo something we weren’t willing to do. Instead, we mapped our drive from Newport Beach to New York City and booked hotels for each night of the journey. 

Much of our time before our trip across the country was packing up our apartment, selling off lots of big furniture, and saying goodbye to our family. We had a goodbye dinner just Jenn and me at Five Crowns one of our first restaurant meals of the year. We went to Menifee for Passover with the family our first big gathering since Christmas which was an incredibly special occasion and was one of the first senses of “normalcy” in 2021. We even had drinks at the Montage with Jenn’s Dad and Joan and dinner afterward nearby as our final send-off with them. 

On April 9th all of the planning, discussions, and packing all came down to this. The movers (the same we used when we first moved to New York in 2018 and back to California in 2020) came first thing in the morning and by lunchtime, our stuff was loaded and on its way to New York City. All we had left was the three of us and a fully packed Mercedes SUV ready for a cross-country journey. We handed in our keys, had In N Out and checked in at The Westin in South Coast Plaza for the evening. That night we had dinner with Jake, Amy, and Ryan at Vaca (on of our favorite places in the OC) as a final send-off. Frasier sat with us and we had just an absolutely incredible time. Its always hard to say goodbye but if you’re going to, Vaca isn’t a bad spot to do it.

The next morning a little after 8 AM we made the first part of our journey from Costa Mesa to Phoenix and for the next six days we made the nearly 3,000-mile drive to New York City. Without redoing the entire recap (which I did capture every day of) of the journey I will say in summary that it was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. Jenn and I got into such a great routine waking up, hitting the road, grabbing coffees and lunches, and finding places to take Frasier for walks. We were so fortunate to have perfect weather for the entire trip and the Mercedes held up beautifully the entire ride. Frasier did struggle a bit the first two nights in hotel rooms but once we started to ask for rooms away from the elevator or people the rest of the trip went incredibly smooth. I’ll never forget walking around a deserted Oklahoma City or taking pictures in front of St Louis Arch, or running up the steps with Frasier in Philadelphia. The 9-month pitstop back in Newport Beach was never part of our plan but it all happens for a reason and I am grateful we did it and so happy we were all able to have the experience of driving across the country together. 

One of the things I’ll never forget from this time period was trying to get a COVID vaccine. The Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine started rolling out right around when Biden became President but wasn’t widely available until late March. Jake and Amy were able to get there’s a lot earlier than most, but for the rest of us when the floodgates opened for everyone over the age of 18 getting an appointment was incredibly difficult, especially in New York. Jenn and I waited as patiently as we could and I spent more time then I’d like to remember refreshing the New York Vaccine portal doing everything I could to secure us a spot. At some point a new batch released and I was able to get both Jenn and I vaccine appointments for the day we drove into New York City (April 16.) That morning we left Philadelphia and a little after 10 AM dropped Frasier off at Biscuits & Bath and got to see our apartment for the first time in person. Waiting for us in the second bedroom was a TV, a mattress, and probably 30-35 boxes/packages of items that we had purchased for our arrival. We spent the day unpacking before heading to the Javits Center an hour apart to get our first shot of the Pfizer vaccine. That evening we celebrated our arrival, new vaccines, and new dining table with our favorite, Bengal Tiger. 

We spent the rest of the month getting fully moved in. Our stuff arrived a week after we got to New York City (April 23) and by the end of that day the boxes were all unpacked and by the time the clock hit midnight that evening all of our boxes were unpacked and we started to get settled. Having moved as much as we have Jenn and I have gotten pretty good at unpacking and making sure that we make our places feel like home as quickly as possible. Having not seen the apartment in person before we were blown away with how nice and spacious it felt in comparison to our first place. We now have beautiful views of Central Park, the Empire State Building, while still maintaining the Hudson River view. Before the month ended the good news train kept rolling, on a random one on one with her boss Jenn was given incredible news that she had been promoted to a Senior Director. Jenn had only been with this company a year at this point but her work had been so stellar that they recognized that with a promotion. We of course celebrated that same day with a beautiful bottle of champagne. I couldn’t have been more proud. 

In early May things were starting to really come alive again. I wouldn’t say “normal” per say but I would say as close to normal as it had felt since February of 2020. We got our second jab of Pfizer a week into May and with that second dose felt much more comfortable traveling to the Hamptons with Frasier a little over a 2 hour drive from our apartment. Frasier loves the beach and seeing him run up and down the shoreline, and giving us a little smirk before going head first into the ocean is a memory I’ll never forget. After he tired himself out and we enjoyed an hour on the beautiful sandy beach we packed up went to a nearby winery and headed back. 

Jenn flew back to California in mid-May to host Ally’s bridal shower at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. I stayed back with Frasier but from all the photos and stories Jenn did another amazing job hosting. The day and event looked beautiful and somehow along with a full-time job and taking care of Frasier and myself Jenn was able to remotely host a COVID era party and it went off great. In another life Jenn would have made a great party planner (although you could say that about 20 other professions as well.)

We ended the month with our first Michelin in-person dinner of the year and first since the pandemic to celebrate Jenn’s promotion. We went to Daniel in the UES and although it was pouring rain that evening it didn’t damper the incredible food. We got all dressed up and took an Uber to the dinner where we engulfed in a multi-course French tasting menu. If that wasn’t enough Jenn took us a few blocks away to UES a small ice cream shop with a hidden speak easy. To say we finished the evening a bit toasty might be an understatement. 

If Jenn’s news wasn’t good enough I too received a promotion a few days into June. I had been interviewing for a Chief of Staff (SVP) role and received the offer. I had no real expectations when I joined Citi what my career would look like but when I finally found my footing there (six months after joining) I started to set my sights on moving up the corporate ladder and this first step was one that I was incredibly proud of.

Jake came to visit a few days into June and we had quite the extended weekend. From incredible meals at Musket Room, Carbone and Bohemian to drinks at Dear Irving, and drives to both the Hamptons and Philadelphia the weekend was jam packed and an incredible time. Having a second bedroom definitely made the sleeping arrangements easier and the weekend although busy felt like the gang was all back together again. 

We closed out June with me finishing up my time as a VP at Citi and flying out to San Diego for Ally & Tim’s wedding. We, unfortunately, missed our first flight to San Diego with a massive traffic jam trying to get through the Lincoln Tunnel and arrived a day late but still with plenty of time to take in all of the wedding festivities. We had an incredible stay in San Diego spending time with family as well as just being able to enjoy being back in California with a live outdoor performance by Carmen Cusack and some great meals and walks. Ally & Tim’s wedding was the perfect event, it was a beautiful day, and from the time they walked down the aisle to when we waved them away to their honeymoon in Hawaii it was a flawless occasion. It was good to see everyone together again celebrating the happy couple.

When we arrived back in New York it was time for me to start my new job and the New York summer to hit in full force. We did keep ourself pretty busy over the 4th of July weekend with a trip to Governors Island, Redhook Winery in Brooklyn, and a trip to the Met Cloisters. With us now fully vaccinated we were ready to be out in the world again and luckily New York City was just starting to oblige. Before we arrived in New York Jenn bought us tickets to watch a live outdoor Frank Sinatra concert on a rooftop in midtown, one of those first few moments of normalcy that summer. 

In late July right before our birthdays we dropped Frasier off at NY Tails and drove to Washington DC for the weekend. We hadn’t been to DC since 2011 and even that was a very short trip that we tacked on for a conference Jenn was attending. The drive to DC was terrible, we had a massive rainstorm that made visibility incredibly difficult but luckily by the time we arrived in DC the weather had started to subside and the rest of the weekend was gorgeous. From sightseeing to an incredible 1 and 2 Michelin Star meal we had a great stay in DC and it really did inspire us to do more traveling again. 

Speaking of travel, shortly after our birthdays I met Jake in Reykjavik, Iceland for a four night stay there while Jenn’s Dad came to visit in New York City. Jake and I had an incredible time. Its the first time in a long time that we traveled just the two of us and our adventures in Iceland will be something that I’m not soon to forget. We drove all over the country, had a Michelin dinner and a crazy long Chef’s counter experience. Jenn and her Dad from all accounts had quite a journey of their own with a trip to the Hamptons and some pretty epic NYC meals as well. 

Later in August, we made our first return trips to both MoMa and The Met. In fact, a lot of the rest of the year was all about returning to places we loved. When the pandemic hit, you immediately were struck with the things you lost. For Jenn and me a lot of that was restaurants, travel, museums, and the theater. And as those things started to re-open in New York we were some of the first to re-partake. Jenn’s friend got us tickets to see Merry Wives in Central Park our first real live theater experience in almost two years. 

And it was this return to almost normalcy that had Jenn and I start to plan our one and only big vacation of the year. We had blocked two weeks in our work calendars at the start of the year and had about 50 different ideas of what to do with the time off. As we got closer to those two weeks in September we were oscillating between doing a local road trip up the East Coast, going to Europe, or maybe doing something a bit more remote and relaxing. After a ton (more than normal) of back and forth, we finally landed on going to the Maldives for a week and coming back home through Abu Dhabi for a quick stopover. The big concern with any travel at this point is getting COVID while abroad and working through that healthcare nightmare but we felt like going somewhere warm and with fewer people would be safer than going to a big city in Europe. 

And like that the trip was booked only a few weeks before we departed. We booked Frasier’s stay at Far Fetch and on September 16th we took our Uber to JFK and departed on an 18-hour multi-day business class flight aboard Etihad to Male, Maldives. When we arrived in Male we were whisked away to the St. Regis lounge and then aboard a seaplane for an hour flight to the St. Regis Resort in the Maldives. For the next week, we literally soaked up every second of island luxury. From morning tennis to our breakfast with duck confit, mimosas, and bloody Mary’s to sitting out on our back patio overlooking the ocean, the entire stay was a dream that I cannot believe we were able to experience. Each day was special. Each moment was cherished. Of all the trips we’ve ever taken this is the one that we truly tried to live in the moment and capture it. After 18-months of pandemic living, to be on the resort with near-perfect weather and enjoying this natural beauty was something I’ll never forget.

We left the St Regis in the Maldives and made it to Abu Dhabi where our driver picked us up at the airport and took us to the St. Regis (the same place we stayed with Jake in 2019.) We love Abu Dhabi and continued to in our second visit. Although our time was short in Abu Dhabi it was great to be back and I could totally see us traveling back or living there one day. 

When we arrived back from our big trip the city continued to re-open. Broadway had opened a few weeks prior and we went to go see our first Broadway show since the start of the pandemic, Come From Away. It’s a musical that has been running for a number of years now but we hadn’t got around to seeing it. I am so glad we did though because it was an incredible story and one that brought hope and optimism that is becoming harder to find. Around the same time, my office re-opened up and I started to go to Tribeca two times a week. 

In mid-October, Jenn got us tickets to go apple and pumpkin picking in Outhouse Orchards an hour outside of the city. It was a beautiful day and Frasier was able to come with us so we got to walk around the orchard picking apples (far too many) and our Halloween pumpkins. It was one of those weekend getaways that made having our Mercedes so much more convenient. 

Once the floodgates opened up for us to be back in Broadway we didn’t let up. We started buying tickets to as many live performances as possible. On a Saturday morning in late October we got last minute tickets to see Boris Godunov an opera at the Met Opera where we had second row seats for a beautiful show. We even went back to the movies for the first time to see the new James Bond movie, No Time to Die.

Towards the end of October and early November we went on full alert for when Amy & Ryan would text the news of the arrival of their second child, Camden. He was due at the end of October but just like Gracelyn before him, he was late. But finally on November 5, 2021 Camden joined the world. Both Mom and baby were fine and Camden came home a day later where Gracelyn became a big sister. Although it was two months before we were able to meet Camden, we are so excited to have a nephew and watch him and his sister grow up. 

The day after Camden was born we went to Central Park to have our now annual family photoshoot for our Christmas cards. This time we spent most of the photoshoot near the Bethesda terrace and fountain. Frasier was an absolute angel, sitting for all his photos even with the massive amount of people nearby setting up for the NYC marathon. It was a beautiful but cold morning and after we wrapped up the photoshoot we nearly ran home to warm up. 

A few weeks later Jenn’s Dad and Joan came to visit and we enjoyed a nice long weekend with them, going to some great restaurants like Craft, grabbing champagne at The Plaza and even leaving the city for some wineries an hour outside the city. It was a great visit and we were lucky to have great weather and finished off the visit with a nice walk down Riverside park. 

Unfortunately when Thanksgiving rolled around a week that we had planned full of shows and eateries turned into a week of me being sick. My doctor thinks it was something I ate but regardless it meant that for most of the Thanksgiving week I was huddled in the bedroom fighting a fever and stomach issues. Jenn was absolutely incredible the entire time, taking great care of me and not complaining once even though we had a lot going on at the time beyond just me being sick. 

At the end of November both Jenn and I made massive decisions to leave our current jobs and take new opportunities at new firms. Without going into the lengthy details both new positions were steps forward for both of us and are roles that we are both very excited about. To put the icing on the cake, we actually received our offers at the exact same time. As I was wrapping up my initial offer conversation, Jenn received a call for hers. That night we celebrated with champagne and truly grateful hearts. 

The next couple of weeks before Christmas were a whirlwind. We both were wrapping up our current jobs and getting ready for what was next. A week late but we were able to decorate our Christmas tree which was one of the best ones we’ve ever done. The next night we went to Wallse, the restaurant we had booked for Thanksgiving to enjoy our turkey day meal a week late. It was a lot better than the matzah ball soup I had on Thanksgiving. 

Before we left for the holidays Jenn and I were both able to get our booster shot. Jenn went to a local CVS and I went to Citi Field after a coffee meeting with my new boss. To celebrate our new jobs we went to Le Coucou my favorite restaurant in NYC and the perfect spot to celebrate. They have a new tasting menu since recently re-opening from a long COVID shutdown and it is better then ever. That’s one of those nights that I’ll never forget. 

And like that the holidays had arrived. We both started our new jobs a week before we were scheduled to leave to California. In a bout of irony Jenn’s new role had her fly to Sonoma for a group offsite, so Jenn had two flights to California in December. I started my new role on December 13th and that night was the groups holiday party in Columbus Circle. Quite the way to start a new job. 

The following week we left for California for over a week to see family and spend the holidays there. We had an incredible visit, driving over 700 miles from Orange County (where we stayed) to Riverside, Menifee and Oceanside to visit family as much as we could. We got to meet Camden for the first time and spend a lot of time playing with Gracelyn who’s growing up before our eyes. Although the weather rained almost every day the visit was something that will fuel me into the new year. It was great to be back with everyone and close to an area that we called home for a decade. 

We arrived back from California with only a few days left in the year. Jenn was off for the last two weeks of the year and I worked remote due to the new Omicron variant that’s now running rampant in New York City and the rest of the country. We were worried that it might hinder our new years eve plans at The Modern for dinner but when December 31st rolled around we were able to have our 6-course (it was originally five but Jenn had us upgrade) meal before watching the fireworks in Central Park from our living room at midnight to close out 2021. 

There’s no doubt in my mind that 2021 was a far better year than 2020. We have a new President, a vaccine, things are re-opening, and there’s a sense that things are moving in a positive direction. And yet it’s hard not to look back on 2021 and see that COVID is still around and impacting a lot of things day-to-day. We still wear masks and there are restrictions for most things especially in New York and California. But even with the latest variant, it does feel like we are nearing the end of this phase of COVID and getting to the point where it will just be part of life. 

And yet when I look back on 2021 I will only partially think of COVID, instead, I’ll spend more time thinking about our walks with Frasier in Riverside Park, our adventure in the Maldives, or the brave move we both made at the end of the year to take a leap of faith at new companies. 2021 was a great year that I can only hope leads to an even better 2022 that’s full of travel, broadway shows, and plenty of memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you 2021 for being better then 2020, but 2022 we know we can do better then that! 

Joel

https://www.worldofjoel.com
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Our Favorite Things from 2021