A Look Back - September 2024
We began September in Quebec City at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. It was a beautiful way to start the month. The sun was shining after an overnight storm, and the three of us were out exploring the beautiful city. I’ve chronicled each day of the trip already, but the short recap is that we had a wonderful time. We had a great time, from touring art galleries to testing Elle’s patience at restaurants (which she did great at). We returned from Canada on September 4th after a 6-hour drive from the Four Seasons Montreal.
From Canada, we got into our new everyday routine. Jenn limited the days Kerry, our nanny, came so she could spend as much time with Elle and Frasier as possible. Most days started with me feeding Elle while Jenn took Frasier out, and then I’d get ready for work. During the day, Jenn reads to Elle, feeds her, practices her tummy time, and takes her and Frasier for walks. I usually get home by 5:30/6 PM and make dinner, and we go for a family walk in the evening before reading to Elle and bathing her some nights. That describes most of the first few weeks of September pretty well. Elle did have her 3-month check-up, which went great, and she got her second round of vaccines, which went far better than the first round.
We did get out for one date night this month, which ended up being a “date day.” On September 14th, Kerry came to watch Elle while we had breakfast at Friedman’s (right next to our apartment) and saw McNeal at Lincoln Center starring Robert Downey Jr. It was a beautiful day and a great play. It will probably end on the high end of my year-end list, if nothing else, from his captivating performance. I remember telling Jenn on the walk back how much energy just getting out for a few hours gives me. Having a few adult moments with Jenn was a great way to lead us to our 15th wedding anniversary.
I’m sure Joel of the future will be disappointed, but we didn’t do anything significant to celebrate 15 years. Our gift to each other was a trip to Paris and Stockholm in early October; we didn’t know then that we would cancel that trip. So, to celebrate on September 19th, we had Bengal Tiger Indian food at home and welcomed Jake for another visit late that evening.
Jake joined us late on Thursday, September 19th, from his work trip in New Orleans. This was his second visit to New York since Elle was born and his third visit of the year. I worked on Friday the 20th while Jake enjoyed his croffle from Common Address next door, and Jenn and Jake took care of Elle. When I got off work, my iPhone 16 Pro Max arrived so Elle helped me open it up and take it for a spin. That evening, Kerry came and watched Elle while the three of us went to dinner at Kono, a yakitori restaurant in Chinatown. It was a terrific dinner that gave us over a dozen courses, all specializing in different parts of the chicken. The restaurant is primarily a tasting counter, so we watched them prep every course. It was a delicious evening, who would have thought chicken could be this good.
The next day (Saturday), we took the entire family + plus Jake on our usual “long walk” down Riverside Park. I’m shocked in all the visits that Jake has made we never took him on this walk. It was a beautiful late summer / early fall day, and Jake handled Elle and the stroller for most of it. That evening, Kerry returned to watch Elle while the three of us went to Tribeca for dinner. After weeks of debate in our text chain, we decided to have dinner at Jungsik, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant. Jenn and I went to their restaurant in Seoul in 2023 and adored it, so we were excited to give it another go. We had reservations at 5 PM and started off with champagne for Jake and me and a non-alcoholic cider for Jenn. From there, we embarked on a 10-course extravaganza of flavor and technique. There wasn’t a bad course among them, but for me, the highlights were the Octopus and the Yellowtail Kimbap. Jake and I split a bottle of French Bordeaux while Jenn tried a non-alcoholic red wine. The hours flew by while they continued to wow us with each course. There’s something special about enjoying meals like this, where you know the skill and attention to detail are unmatched.
Sunday rolled around, and Jake and I woke up early to make our court time at the US Open. They re-opened their courts for reservations following the end of this year's US Open, and we could play on their courts for the first time for both of us. It took us a while to figure out how to enter the massive facilities, but eventually, we got our court (#8) and had an hour and a half of time to play. The courts were beautiful, the weather was perfect, and the experience of playing tennis while Arthur Ashe Stadium loomed behind us was quite the experience. Getting there was a bit of a hike, but it was worth it.
When we returned, Jenn went to lunch with a co-worker at Momofuku Noodle Bar while Jake and I did our best to watch Elle. That afternoon, we all got in the car and drove to the New York Botanical Garden. Jake saw our photos from last month's visit and said he’d like to go, so we made our way back. It's an excellent spot for a baby in a stroller. We walked around, took in the beautiful gardens, and enjoyed another leisurely afternoon. We returned later that evening and had Chinese food and a nice quiet night in. Jake stayed all day Monday, and he and Jenn took Elle to Central Park, had lunch at Bad Roman, and did some light shopping. We met at Pomodoro for dinner that night, which was a great way to close out his visit.
And that’s how we closed the month. Following Jake’s departure, I was back at work, and Jenn was home with Elle and Frasier. They continued to hone in on their daily routine. I was meant to leave for Europe for work on September 29th, but both Jenn and I were under the weather, so I canceled my work trip and our planned family trip to Paris and Stockholm. It was a tough decision, but given everything Jenn’s gone through over the last few months it felt like the right one.
TV WE WATCHED
We watched a little more TV in September. We’ve started putting Elle to sleep at around 7:30 PM each night, which gives us a “chance” to watch an episode or two before we go to sleep. The third season of Industry has been easily the best of the series so far; the addition of Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) was a good one.
We started two new shows in September, English Teacher and Bad Monkey. I’d say I’d give both a “B” grade. Both are very watchable and entertaining, but when we do our year-end lists in a few months, they will be somewhere in the middle.
BOOKS I READ (OR LISTENED TO)
I’ve picked back up my reading pace in September. I finished the sixth book in the Strike novels by J.K. Rowling, and I think I might be done. They aren’t bad, but they continue to get longer each time, and I don’t see it justifying it.
I was very excited about The Life Impossible and quickly disappointed by It. I loved The Midnight Library, but this was a poor follow-up. The best books of the month were easily Martyr! and James. Martyr! Conceptually, it is brilliant. It is about a young man struggling in his early 20s who decides he wants to write about a woman who is living her last days on Earth at an art museum. It has a lot of side stories that take away from a great concept.
But the best book of the month was James. It is a retelling of Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s point of view. I was captivated from the opening few words through the end. It is easily a 5* read.
MOVIES WE WATCHED
We only watched one movie this month, Wolfs, on Apple TV+. It would be hard to screw up a film with George Clooney and Brad Pitt, and they didn’t in this. Do I think it could have been better? Absolutely. But was it a great afternoon watch? Yes. Wildly entertaining it was the perfect movie for us to watch during Elle’s naps.
GAMES I'VE BEEN PLAYING
I barely got to play any games this month but when I did it was an equal distribution of Top Spin, Madden, and NBA. One day I’ll get back to playing video games that don’t revolve around sports.
2024 GOAL TRACKING
Goal #1: Read 35 Books: I read 32 books and am on pace to far exceed my year's goal of 35.
Goal #2: 12 Monthly Recaps: 9 for 12 and hopefully no end in sight!
