A Look Back - March 2025
The month began as the calm before the storm. Before we get into all of the life changes that happened in March lets start at the Met Museum, our home away from home. After a great first visit in January, we went back on March 1st, a much prettier day outside. Elle continued to enjoy every second of our visit. We spent nearly two hours at the museum going through all of the exhibits we didn’t see the first time. We ended our time at the museum in their kids section where Elle had a blast climbing and playing different musical instruments.
I suppose now is as good a time as any to mention that March was a big month for the Szerlip clan. In late 2024, we gave considerable thought to moving back to California. Before Elle was born, it was something we thought about in passing, but now that she's here, it has made it even clearer that we want her to be around her family. I informed my work in late 2024 that I would be leaving and moving to California, and negotiated my last day with the firm to be in March or April. It was not an easy decision, nor one we took lightly; however, it was one that we thought about for the long term. Given that, much of March was spent surrounding our impending move. As I started to ramp down at work, I began taking a day off here and there. I went to the movies, and Jenn and I tried to have lunch together or walk in Central Park with Frasier during the week. One of my favorite memories was on Friday, March 7th. I went to see Mickey 17 in the morning at the AMC in Lincoln Center, and then Jenn and I went to Frenchette for lunch.
The next day, I left late in the evening after Elle went to sleep for my last European work trip. It was bittersweet. I love traveling to London and Paris and feel fortunate to have done it over 20 times since taking this role. I love exploring the cities, trying new restaurants, and being able to do this for work. It’s something I dreamed about doing but never thought I would. But now, as Elle gets older and Jenn travels as much as she does for work, these trips have become more and more difficult. It feels like each time I go, someone is sick, or something happens while I’m gone. So, as much as I will miss it, I know it’s the right time for them to come to a close. I arrived in London on Sunday morning (March 9th) after a long drive from Heathrow, where I arrived at the stunning Four Seasons Trinity Square. I got an upgraded room, dropped off my stuff, and went straight out. It was a gorgeous Sunday, a rarity in my time in London. I walked from my hotel, grabbed coffee at % Arabica, jumped into a few bookstores (got Elle some new books), and spent an hour talking to Jenn and Elle while I sat in St. James Park. From there, I had my first Sunday roast at Fallow, which was out of this world. I sat at the counter and enjoyed a cocktail, corn nibs, and a beautiful roast. I finished the meal with a slice of cake and a long walk back to my hotel.
I was back at work in the London office for the next few days. However, I did have an outstanding meal at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. When I booked it, I didn’t realize it was a two-Michelin-starred restaurant, but it ended up being a great surprise. After a long walk to the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, I had a martini and three exquisite dishes. My favorite was the first course called the “Meat Fruit.” It was by far the best chicken liver and grilled bread I’ve ever had, and the presentation was exquisite. For my main course, I had a beautiful glass of red wine and the duck and turnip. And for my dessert, I went with their famous “tipsy cake.” I am so glad I was able to experience this meal. On my final night in London, I ended up having drinks after work and had room service before heading off to Paris on Wednesday afternoon.
The Eurostar ride over to Paris was uneventful, and I arrived just in time for dinner. I went back to Maison Bes, where I know the owner, having visited there several times. We hit it off talking about our kids, and ever since, I’ve tried to go and visit each time I’m there. I had a fantastic meal, starting with my favorite dish from their menu, their eggs with mayonnaise. It doesn’t sound like much, but I think it's divine. I then had a steak and a chocolate lava cake to round out the meal, accompanied by two exquisite glasses of Bordeaux.
The next day was my last work day of the trip and my last day in the Paris office. I’m incredibly grateful that, for three years, I was able to come here every five to six weeks. A dream of mine is to live in Paris, and the fact that I've been able to visit and work here so often has been a dream come true. After an uneventful last day in the office, I capped it off with a tremendous dinner at Auberge Nicolas Flamel. It's no surprise that French cuisine is by far my favorite, and each of my trips to Paris has been an excellent opportunity to try new restaurants. After struggling to find the entrance, I sat down for a beautiful meal in the oldest Townhouse in Paris, originally built in the 1400s. The entire meal was a dream from the beautiful champagne and starters to the langoustines, veal, and stunning desserts. It was a great meal.
The next day was my last of the trip, and I had a free day in Paris. Initially, I had planned to take the train to Geneva, but it was forecast to rain all day, so I decided to stay in Paris and explore the city on foot. I started my morning with coffee at Noir and then took a walk to the Eiffel Tower, followed by a visit to Notre Dame. By the time I returned to my hotel (Hyatt Paris Madeline), the clouds had returned, and a random storm overtook me. I was able to grab a quick lunch at a cafe before heading back to the hotel. Once the rain subsided, I was back out walking to Montmartre and made my way to the cathedral before heading back to my hotel for dinner. My last dinner was at the one-Michelin-starred restaurant Pantagruel. They were incredibly accommodating, even accommodating a table for one, and placed me near the kitchen so I could watch the team's action the entire time. It was a beautifully run kitchen and a meal that I haven’t stopped thinking about since. Each dish was unbelievable, from the preparation to the taste, everything was perfect. It was the perfect meal to end my trip to Paris.
The next morning, I went for a very early run (5 AM) to the Eiffel Tower before getting in my car and heading back home. It was a bit surreal sitting in my seat heading back home, knowing that this was my last work trip. I took a lot of pride in the work and the amount of travel I was doing. I felt both a sense of peace and trepidation for what was to come next. That didn’t stop me from having a couple of glasses of wine and champagne on the way home before being greeted by the three best people in my life (Jenn, Elle, and Frasier) when I got home.
I arrived home on March 15th, and on the 18th, Jenn flew to San Francisco for her leadership team offsite for a few days before flying to Orange County for two days to start shaping our new life. Not only did she get keys to a beautiful new townhome we rented in Newport Coast (that I still haven’t seen) but she also purchased a 2025 Volvo XC40 and secured her new office for work. She did all of that within two days and I couldn’t be more grateful. These were the first building blocks for our new life but was also only the start.
Jenn had planned to fly home Saturday morning, but moved her flight to Friday evening to get home sooner. She arrived home at 5 AM on March 22nd, and that's when we started packing up our apartment. The difficulty level of packing an apartment with a 9-month-old baby far exceeded any of our previous dozen moves. Between naps, Jenn or I would play with Elle or take her and Frasier on a walk, and we slowly and methodically began packing up our New York life.
The last few weeks of our lives in New York City are a blur, and they just happened. We worked so hard to build a life in New York. It’s an incredibly tough place to live, but if you put in the effort, it rewards you in ways you didn’t realize were possible. We both felt extremely fortunate to have had the life we had, but by the end of the month, we both felt a sense of peace about our decision to move back to California.
We did everything we could to close out our time in the city on a strong note. We frequently visited Central Park and Riverside Park. We ate at some of our favorite takeout and restaurants, including one final meal at Le Coucou. But no matter how hard you try, the calendar continues to move forward, and by the end of the month, it was time for the big move.
Our last day in our apartment was on March 31st. That morning, I dropped Frasier off at Camp Canine to stay for the evening while the movers arrived a little after 9 AM. Jenn, being the incredible Mom she is, made sure Elle got her morning nap and held her tightly in our master bedroom closet while the movers worked around the apartment to pack up our stuff. Jenn and Elle had a car pick them up and take them to the TWA Hotel at JFK to stay for the night before their flight the next day to LAX. I finished the move with the movers at 4 PM, grabbed a burger and a beer, and took the subway to meet them at the hotel. Jenn and Elle had a great day at the hotel, and I met up with them just as they were finishing dinner. We closed out the night in our hotel room, with our boxes slowly making their way towards California and our next adventure right in front of us. Goodbye New York, we love you.
TV WE WATCHED
We continue to ebb and flow with our TV viewing. Given how much change and travel we had in March, a lot of the TV I watched was on my trip to Europe or when Jenn was in San Francisco. I finally finished the third (and final) season of Daredevil on Netflix, which led me to the first few episodes of the great new series on Disney+. I can’t wait to continue the series and am so glad they brought it back.
The majority of Jenn and my viewing was The White Lotus Season 3. We have a few episodes left, but we’ve continued to love the series even if this isn’t our favorite season. We finished the second season of Severance on Apple TV+, and although there were a few episodes that we found pointless, we enjoyed the second season quite a bit.
BOOKS I READ (OR LISTENED TO)
I read some of my favorite books in March. It started with A Ladder to the Sky, written by John Boyne, who wrote my favorite book of 2023. Although not as good, A Ladder to the Sky carried the same heart, beauty, and wonder as that book. I know it can feel self-indulgent, but it’s a story about authors/writers, the quest for immortality, and what some will do to get it. I loved every minute of it. The other top book of the month was Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. I started the book a few years ago when it first came out and didn’t get very far, but having recently seen Our Town on Broadway, the book clicked, and I couldn’t put it down. It didn’t hurt that Merryl Streep narrated the audiobook.
The other three books were all good, verging on excellent. I greatly enjoyed Violeta; it began with the Spanish Flu and ended with COVID-19, and the stories throughout are fascinating. I also finally read the short and wonderful book The Alchemist. It's a book that I think would be even more impactful for a second read. And finally, The Women of Chateau Lafayette was different than most books I read, but I really enjoyed it.
MOVIES WE WATCHED
As I ramped down at work, I could visit the movie theater twice to see Mickey 17 and Black Bag. Black Bag was far superior and a movie I loved. It was a terrific, sophisticated, no-nonsense spy thriller that ended with one of my favorite dinner scenes in a movie ever. Although Mickey 17 has much to say, it might have had too much to say. I enjoyed it; it was weird, it was fun, but it was a bit much.
On the flight back home from my work trip, I watched Heretic, a movie I’ve been wanting to watch for a while. Hugh Grant was fantastic, and the premise was fun. It ended up falling apart by the end but it was enjoyable.
GAMES I'VE BEEN PLAYING
Given everything this month, I had little time to play video games. The one I spent the most time with was PGA Tour 2K25, although I’ve been slightly let down by this year’s offering. I did purchase Assassin’s Creed: Shadows at the end of the month but haven’t been able to jump in yet.
2025 GOAL TRACKING
Goal #1: Read 35 Books: I read fifteen books and am on track to read 50 books this year.
Goal #2: 12 Monthly Recaps: 3 for 12!
