A Look Back - February 2025
During one of Jake’s visits at the end of 2024, we decided he would join me on one of my Europe trips in early 2025. Our schedules aligned for my first trip overseas this year. I departed the evening of January 31st and met him first thing in the morning at Charles De Gaulle airport. He met me in customs and from there my driver for work dropped us off at the Hyatt Paris Madeleine. This would be our only full day in Paris together, so after dropping off our bags, we were out on a cold but beautiful Paris day. Our first stop was around the corner at Noir where we both got cappuccinos. From there we walked to the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. I warned Jake that I liked to walk Paris, but I don’t think he was fully prepared. From the Eiffel Tower we made a quick pitstop to grab Elle some outfits at Natalys before walking a few miles across Paris to Montmartre's treacherous hills and steps.
We stopped for lunch at La Vache et le Cuisinier where we had some exquisite but heavy French dishes before finishing the climb up to Montmartre and back down to our hotel. We were both drained that evening, Jake's knee was starting to bother him from all the walking, so after checking into the hotel, we took a nap and ordered in Jambon-beurre (my favorite). While Jake rested his knee, I went back out and took a nice long walk around the Louvre.
The next morning, we got a very early start, grabbing an Uber at 6 AM to get us to Gare du Nord to take a direct train to Reims. Jenn and I went here for my 30th birthday and loved it, so I thought it would be fun to go back. We arrived in Reims at 8:30 AM and spent 45 minutes at the small train station before getting an Uber to take us to our first of two wine tours, Ruinart.
Our Uber dropped us off in front of security, where a man who must have been close to seven feet tall directed us toward the meeting point for our tour. The reception area and the surrounding grounds were stunning. We met up with the rest of our tour group (a couple from Napa and a group of Italian guys who spoke almost no English) and, for the next hour, were whisked around their cellar and tried two beautiful glasses of champagne.
We had a tight gap between tours and walked from Ruinart to our second tour at Pommery down the street. After going through the massive gates and up the long driveway we were the last to join our tour. This tour only last 20 minutes and after going through their eccentic cellar we were given a table for two in their restaurant where we had a 3-course lunch paired with different champagnes. The food was good but the champagne left a lot to be desired. After the crisp and smooth aromas of Ruinart this felt like a step back. Fortunately the food helped a lot.
We left Pommery and walked around the city of Reims. It is such a charming and beautiful town that was nearly empty on this winter Sunday afternoon. We spent a lot of time at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Reims which is one of the most beautiful cathedrals I’ve ever seen. We finished our afternoon there stopping in at a McDonalds to grab a coffee before walking to the train station to take the direct train back to Paris.
Even with a bad knee, I made Jake walk from the train station to one of my favorite restaurants in Paris, Colvert. I’ve been here probably five or six times now, and it continues not to disappoint. They’ve added a tasting menu recently, and that’s what we went for. Along with a few glasses of wine each, we enjoyed everything Colvert had to offer. It was a great meal that lasted over two hours and had a great mix of vegetables, fish, and meat. What I love about this place is that it isn’t overly pretentious but the food is phenomenal. We closed out the night walking by the Notre Dame and grabbing an Uber back to the Hyatt.
On Monday, February 3rd, I was back at work, and Jake was off exploring Paris alone. That evening, we met up for dinner at La Bourse et La Vie (which translates to the stock exchange and life or your money or your life), which was phenomenal. We split a bottle of Bourdeaux and had their three-course menu, which came with a slew of appetizers, steak frites, and two phenomenal desserts.
We were up early the following day and grabbed the Eurostar to London. Having done this journey so many times alone it was nice to have Jake there. We took the car from St Pancras station to the Four Seasons Tower Bridge where I dropped off my bags to go to work while Jake had his first of two massages that week. For the next few days Jake would enjoy his time in and around London while I worked and we would meet up for dinner. We had a great time at Jamavar and Manteca, two of my favorites in London.
Unfortunately, during the week, Elle, Jenn, and Elle’s nanny, Tamar, all got sick. By Wednesday, Tamar had to call out of work and Jenn and Elle weren’t doing well. I made the tough decision to cut my trip with Jake early and miss our time in Copenhagen and instead flew home Thursday afternoon. I was bummed to miss the few days in the great city of Copenhagen, but I am glad to report that Jake did great on his own and loved it. So much so that he sent my favorite text, “I want to move here.” It's something Jenn and I have said about countless destinations, including Copenhagen.
I returned home on Thursday afternoon and did my best to let Elle and Jenn rest and recover for the next few days. By the time Jenn was feeling better, she was off on her work trip to Northern California (Half Moon Bay), and I was at home with Elle and Frasier. It was a frigid and snowy week. I’ll never forget walking Frasier through Central Park a few times during that week and seeing the mounds of snow piling up everywhere. Jenn arrived home on Valentine’s Day. One of my favorite pictures of all time was Frasier and Elle excited to have their Mom home (and maybe slightly relieved).
One of the significant milestones we’ve been anticipating with Elle was her crawling, which officially started in February. It's hard to pinpoint an exact date because she did it in stages. She spent a week or two scooting (dragging her back legs) before transitioning to a complete crawl. As of this writing, she’s now fully mobile and prefers crawling around our apartment versus being held. She loves to chase Frasier around (even if he doesn’t), or if she sees Jenn or me on our phones, she will crawl as fast as she can toward us. Its so fun to watch her light up and see the possibilities of moving around the apartment.
On February 22nd, we celebrated Frasier’s 6th birthday. It's hard to imagine he’s been with us nearly that long, but we are so grateful for it. We spoiled him all day with tons of food, long walks, and game time. He has been a great guy throughout Jenn’s pregnancy and now with Elle. We are so lucky to have him; celebrating him was a lot of fun.
Jenn and I spent a lot (almost half) of the month traveling for work. We didn’t have much time for the two of us, but we grabbed it when we could. I’ll never forget going to Rezdora with her on a random snowy Thursday, snagging a last-minute reservation. It was such a lovely and refreshing evening, and we enjoyed the delicious pasta-tasting menu. However, if you ask Jenn about that evening, she will likely point to the fact that I made her walk in the snow to get to the subway on the way home with Uber’s surge pricing. We also randomly were craving steaks and, for the first time, went to the famous Keens Steakhouse. We don’t get to go on dates as much as we’d like, but we make the most of them when we do.
February ended with Jenn flying out to Nashville and Elle speedily crawling around our apartment at all hours of the day. It was a cold quick month but I’m happy to report we ended it healthier, warmer, and ready for what’s to come next (more on that in March).
TV WE WATCHED
We continued not to watch nearly as much TV as we did before Elle. The shows that Jenn and I watched this month included A.P. Bio, Severance, and The White Lotus. Of the three, The White Lotus (in its third season) is far and away our favorite of the bunch. Although not starting as strong as Season 1 or 2, the cast is starting to grow on us and we are excited to see where it goes.
I finished the second season of The Lincoln Lawyer. It is a show I know is not great, but it’s so easy to watch and always enjoyable. I also finished the second season of Squid Game after Jenn decided she didn’t want to watch it. It continues to be a very dark and fun show.
BOOKS I READ (OR LISTENED TO)
Five books in January and another five in February. I’ve started 2025 strong. I started the month by finishing the third book in the Empyrean series from Rebecca Yarros. I understand the appeal, but with each book I get less interested. They can be entertaining but there are far better fantasy books. I then switched gears and read the book that the NY Times considered the best of the 21st Century, My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. It was a good book, beautifully written, and unforgettable characters, but I found that it dragged. Sing, Unburied, Sing was very forgettable, so much so that I had to look up the premise again because I had already forgotten.
The two best books I read came at the end of February. The Sirens’ Call by Chris Hayes was a phenomenal analysis on social media and our need to be connected at all times. I found his historical analysis and solutions quite good as someone very guilty of looking at my phone too much. And finally the best book of the month (and maybe so far this year) was You Are Here by David Nicholls. A straightforward but profound story of two recently divorced/separated individuals who decide to go on a long walk in the UK. Its almost entirely conversations about life, loss, dreams, and everything in between. I could see this being translated into a brilliant stage play.
MOVIES WE WATCHED
I watched four of my six movies this month on my flight back from London. And sadly I started with the best of the 4, We Live in Time, and it went up and down from there. We Live In Time is very much a Joel movie. Expertly written, brilliantly acted, and well paced. I found their chemistry and dialogue to be quite good. Blink Twice on the other hand felt like a poor man’s Get Out. Similar in style and concept but without the wit. Sweethearts and The Boys in the Boat were pretty forgettable.
I did end up watching The Gorge on Apple TV+ in mid-February and wished I liked the movie as much as the first 30 minutes of it. And finally we watched Notting Hill towards the end of the month when we just wanted to turn off and enjoy one of the best rom-coms of all time.
GAMES I'VE BEEN PLAYING
I didn’t play a ton of video games in February. The only new one was PGA Tour 2K25, which I have enjoyed quite a bit, although I haven’t had the time to put as much time into it as I would like.
2025 GOAL TRACKING
Goal #1: Read 35 Books: I read ten books and am on track to read 50 books this year.
Goal #2: 12 Monthly Recaps: 2 for 12!
