We’re coming down the home stretch. As I write this recap Jenn is now 36 weeks and we know her arrival is imminent. April was a month fully dedicated to prepping for her arrival, one that we cannot wait for.

It's a bit wild to think this might be the last monthly recap I write where I’m not a Dad. If I were going to summarize everything that happened in April, it would be a month fully dedicated to prepping for Elle’s arrival. We spent a lot of April redecorating the apartment, finishing the nursery, and ensuring we were as prepared as possible for her eventual arrival. The month began with several furniture deliveries and a weekend at the theater. On Friday the 5th we went to see our first opera at The Met this season La Rondine. The next day we were back at the theater this time to see the 90-minute play Doubt. It was so nice to have these moments with Jenn. We know they are going to be tougher to come by over the next few years so being able to go out and enjoy all that New York City has to offer made for a great start to the month.

We concluded the weekend with our first of two birthing classes that we took over Zoom. Each class is two hours and is meant to give Jenn and me as much information as possible going into birth. The first class mostly covered the prep before arriving at the hospital what to expect when we get there and how best to keep Jenn comfortable. The next day we were back at Weill Cornell Hospital to have Jenn’s 32-week scan. Elle is ahead of schedule in almost every category except overall size where she is measuring on the smaller end. These appointments are always a bit overwhelming, they can take 30-60 minutes, and depending on the technician they either tell you everything or nothing, this visit was the latter.

Later that week Jake came for his second visit of 2024. We planned to go away for a long weekend while our apartment got a much-needed new coat of paint. Jake arrived on Thursday the 11th of April and the next morning we packed up the Mercedes and drove the 4-hour drive to Cape Cod. After a lot of discussion, we decided to stay at Wequassett Resort & Golf Club a 5-star resort on the coast in Cape Cod for two nights. Frasier joined us and after making a brief stop at McDonalnd’s along the way we arrived at the hotel a little after 2 PM on a rainy cold day. After checking in we were told we were upgraded to an oceanfront villa and we immediately unpacked and got ready for a long weekend. We took Frasier for a walk and explored the vast property before coming back and ordering room service. We indulged in clam chowder, fish and chips, pasta, and a sandwich. Jake even brought a great bottle of red wine from Somm Cellars to enjoy with our dinner (Jenn was quite jealous). We wrapped up the cold spring evening watching one of our favorite movies of all time, That Thing You Do.

Saturday arrived on a beautiful crystal clear morning. After taking Frasier for a walk, Jake and I went to the gym and met back in the room for a room-service breakfast. From there we got back in the car and headed to Provincetown the very tip of the cape. There we walked around on this beautiful Saturday morning, went into quite a few shops including quite a few book stores, and enjoyed the morning stroll. After walking up and down the various shops we stopped for a quick lunch at Bayside Betsy’s a small cafe/diner right on the water.

From there we started driving back to our hotel stopping at Highland Lighthouse situated alongside the Highland Links Golf Course. It made for a beautiful walk and a little bit of golf envy as we wish we could have played a round at one of the oldest courses in the country. From there we made a final stop at Truro Vineyards. Jake and I both did their wine tastings and it was some of the worst wine we’ve ever tasted. Thankfully as the day turned from warm to cold Jenn got us a seat inside and we were able to warm up while drinking the terrible wine.

We wrapped up the day by driving back to our hotel and having a light dinner at The Knack in our hotel room before calling it a night and watching the very odd The American movie on Netflix. The next morning we woke up to another beautiful day in Cape Cod. After taking Frasier for a walk we got back in the car and made the long drive back to Manhattan. The drive home was uneventful but I did have Jake and Jenn listen to a few of my favorite short stories from Table for Two which made it go by a little faster. We arrived back in the afternoon to a beautifully painted apartment. We got the apartment back in order before heading out to our last-minute reservations at Rezdora. We’ve never had a bad meal at Rezdora and this evening was no exception. We split four or five pasta dishes, their parmesan tasting, and finished with the exquisite olive oil cake.

Monday arrived and it was already Jake’s last day of his visit. Jenn needed to work so Jake and I went out and enjoyed a perfect spring day in New York City. Our first stop was Torch & Crown Brewing Company where we both did their beer flights and split wings, pretzel, and a chicken sandwich. The beers were great and the food accompanied it well. From there we walked around the nearby neighborhood, went to a bookstore (where I bought a signed copy of Table for Two), had coffee at Moshava, walked through Washington Square Park, and finished up the afternoon looking at sunglasses at Moscot. That evening the three of us went back to another staple in the city, Cote, a phenomenal Korean BBQ restaurant. We went with their butcher’s feast and enjoyed every last morsel of food.

Jake flew back to California on Tuesday morning and it was only four days later I was flying for my last work trip for a while. I left on Saturday the 20th of April late in the evening to London. Jenn’s Dad came to keep an eye on her while I was gone and they were able to enjoy a beautiful week together in the city. Meanwhile, I arrived in London early in the morning of the 21st to marathon day in the city. I walked from my hotel (The Andaz) to Pepa a children’s clothing store that we meant to go to when Jenn came with me earlier in the year. I bought Elle a book and a beautiful outfit and walked back to catch a movie (Civil War) at Everyman a few minutes walk from my hotel. The movie was a downer but it was nice to enjoy some popcorn and a movie after a full day of walking. I finished my evening with some sushi before getting ready for a long work week. The one upside of this trip was that I was able to try a few new restaurants while in Europe including a great Italian one in London called Bancone that I ate at the chef’s counter for. I finished my trip in Paris and ate at Maison Bes across the street from the hotel. I made sure the morning before my flight to get a run-in, making the long trek to the Eiffel Tower.

I arrived back from Europe on Thursday to a beautiful spring day. I’ll never forget walking Frasier that afternoon and remembering how great this city can be. We had our final birthing class this weekend and were back out to see Uncle Vanya starring Steve Carrell at Lincoln Center. We wrapped up the month by taking Frasier to Central Park on what ended up being the women’s half marathon but he still enjoyed his time running around playing fetch. As I write this a few days into May we’re almost done with redoing the apartment and having everything ready for Elle’s arrival. I wonder what it will feel like to write next months recap?

TV WE WATCHED

Jenn’s now coming down the home stretch of her pregnancy which means getting up and around is getting more challenging. In April we have to spend more time at home, redecorating, and catching up on TV which we neglected at the start of the year. We gave a strong college try to the new Apple TV + show Palm Royale but threw in the towel at the halfway point of the season.

One of the month's highlights was finishing the final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. We haven’t always kept up with the show but loved how it ended. Towards the end of the month, Jenn and I started One Day on Netflix and is quickly becoming one of our favorite shows of the year. And lastly, I don’t think I’ve laughed as hard as the first two episodes of Conan O’Brien Must Go his travel show on HBO.

BOOKS I READ (OR LISTENED TO)

An abundance of riches is how I’d describe my reading list this month. Let’s get the bad out of the way, I didn’t like The Algebra of Wealth which felt like a few popular finance TikToks wrapped up into a finance 101 book. I’m a big Scott Galloway fan, but this book wasn’t written for me and that’s fine. I also read his co-host on one of my favorite podcasts Pivot, Kara Swisher’s book Burn Book. I’ve followed her for decades so there wasn’t a lot of new ground in the book but I still enjoyed it.

The pinnacle of my reading this month was Table for Two but easily one of my favorite authors Amor Towles. It’s a string of six short stories and a novella. I loved all the short stories, and I re-read two of them. The only part of the book I didn’t adore was the novella which didn’t have the same punchiness as the short stories. The other book I loved was Wellness by Nathan Hill. It’s the second book I’ve read from him (might be his second book) and I loved it. I waffled on whether to give it 4 or 5 stars and ended up going lower mostly because I don’t think the book stuck the landing. It’s still a book I’ve thought about a lot long after finishing it.

MOVIES WE WATCHED

Ten movies in a month is a lot for us. A lot of them were during Jake’s visit and our trip to Cape Cod. I’ve now shared my love for the Before trilogy with both Jenn and Jake and they agree with the trilogy’s brilliance. It’s likely been twenty years since I’ve seen Alien and hearing Jenn scream toward the end in the infamous scene shows how long-lasting and brilliant that movie is.

On my trip home from Paris I watched Love at First Sight a movie I’d probably never sit down and watch. Maybe it’s the altitude but I loved this movie and even shed a few tears. The low of the month was Civil War which I saw in theaters in London and it was such a downer of a movie with little plot and even less pacing.

THEATER WE SAW

I’m going to miss writing this section, I know we’re nearing the point where going to see a show is going to be a big ordeal. For now, though I’m so grateful to have seen both Doubt and Uncle Vanya. Ironically I was more excited to see Uncle Vanya starring Steve Carrell but it was Doubt starring Liev Schreiber and Amy Ryan that not only was my favorite this month but likely this year. A strong and gripping 90-minute play it had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The acting was brilliant as well, it was a perfect afternoon at the theater.

We also went to the opera in early April and saw Puccini’s La Rondine. It wasn’t our first choice for opera (we originally had tickets for La Bohème in December of 2023 but Jenn was still in the throws of her morning sickness so we moved it. Unfortunately, La Rondine wasn’t either of our favorites. We enjoyed it, it moved fast, but it had no lasting memory. Even the performances felt a bit muted.

GAMES I'VE BEEN PLAYING

After 15 years we finally have a new Top Spin game. It’s the game that Jake and I have played the most together and it feels so good to have it back. Although not a perfect game we’ve had several days/evenings where we hop on for a match and an hour goes by and we' wrap up an epic battle. The rest of the games this month have been when I have a free 15-minute or 30-minute stretch and I want to turn my brain off for a bit.

Can you believe there’s finally a new Top Spin!