It’s been a little over two years since my parents’ last visit to NYC, so I was excited to have them come back. In addition to my new Manhattan apartment, I had so much to show and tell. On their first night, we had tapas and paella at a wonderful little Spanish restaurant, Socorrat, right around the corner from me. This was one of many new cuisines they would experience this trip. On Thursday, they walked across Central Park, and after I left work we went to the new Museum of Chinese in America. Then we dined on Cantonese style seafood at Cantoon Garden in Chinatown, and later met up with my friends Gabi and Andy, visiting from London. Not only did I drag Mom and Dad to a bar, we stayed out until almost 1AM! On Friday, they wandered around the West Village, had sandwiches from Murray’s Cheese and checked out the High Line. We ate a quick dinner of Cambodian sandwiches from Num Pang (supplemented by brussel sprouts fresh from the farmers market), then headed up to Times Square to see “Finian’s Rainbow,” which just opened in previews. What’s a trip to NYC without a Broadway show! Afterwards, we shared a dessert sampler at Kyotofu, which specializes in tofu-based desserts.

The adventure continued on Saturday with a visit to the Union Square Greenmarket. Dad loved the many varieties of pumpkins, and I got them to try more new goodies - gerkins, Concord grapes, fresh arugula, new varietes of apples and more.

Pumpkin heaven!

Gnarly pumpkin

Dad just couldn’t get enough of the pumpkins!

Mom found a mutant potato.

And a ginormous heirloom tomato!

We didn’t have enough time to go apple picking, a popular autumn activity out here. So we settled for apple shopping.

Swan pumpkin

Brussel spouts!

Next stop: Shake Shack

The burger line was about 45 minutes long, which is not bad by Shake Shack standards, but we’d just had brunch at Green Table in Chelsea Market, so we opted to share a frozen custard. Today’s flavor was Pumpkin Spice.

Mom was only planning to have a small taste because she said ice cream would make her cold. Guess who finished the cup? She liked it so much, she offered a taste to one of the squirrels in the park.

We continued our stroll east to Grammercy Park, and down into the East Village, where I took them to Otafuku to try takoyaki. Then we walked home to rest our feet and our tummies.

Stay tuned for Mom and Dad’s first taste of Korean BBQ and banchan!

My parents really lucked out with the weather while they were here in NY. Most days were in the 60s, and maybe one day was in the upper 40s. Here’s what I dealt with today. It’s far too early to be this cold.

My parents came to NYC for a week-long visit with me, but let’s be honest, they were thrilled to see their grandson online for a few minutes. While they had a blast here with me, I could tell they couldn’t wait to get back to the little dude. Mom’s been learning to use her new digital camera, and she’s excited to practice on Corin, who’s a great subject. Here we all are, having a short conversation with him before he heads off for a bottle and a nap.

Stay tuned for pics from my week with mom and dad in NYC!

This morning Corin and I resumed our regular Sunday video chats. At 5 months old, he’s quite animated and chatty, making our conversations a lot more 2-way than they used to be. So much fun for Auntie Jen, and a great way to start my Sunday!

Here he’s telling me about shopping for food processors online with mommy and daddy.

Shortly after, he yawned and started sucking his thumb. Nap time!