A few days ago, I stepped into the next decade of my life. I had been dreading the idea of being 40, but there’s no stopping the clock. In the end, it turned out to be one of the best nights of my life. There was no better way to celebrate than with a little bit of fanfare, surrounded by my nearest and dearest in NYC, little treats from my CA friends, and a sweet message from Corin. Here’s a recap of my 40th birthday.

It started off with a special delivery to my office - a lovely bouquet of orchids from Alisha and Nick in Los Altos. What a nice way to start my day!

Nicki and Adam had organized a dinner party for my big night. Gradisca, a sweet little Italian restaurant, turned out to be the perfect venue for the party. The guests were friends from various parts of my life here in NYC: Bay, Michelle and Lisa from my restaurant club, which has been going strong for about 6 years now. Midori, who I’ve known since we were 14, and with whom I traveled to NYC for the very first time (for both of us) back in 1994, right after we graduated from college. Kate, a friend I worked with in SF around 2001, who has become my yoga buddy here. Heather, Nady, Nicole, Emily, Paige, Jessica, and Angela (who traveled from DC to be at my party!), my Camp Fern girls. Joe, who I worked with at DFCB last year (we bonded over a challenging account). Alan, a friend of Adam and Nicki’s, who I met that night, but wanted to join the party. And of course, Nicki and her husband Jeff, who celebrated his own birthday the day before. It was extra special to have all of these friends from different parts of my life together in one place, helping me celebrate a big milestone.

The servers started us off with glasses of champagne, and Adam announced that it was from Nikki Jong, who couldn’t be there, but really wanted to participate in the festivities from afar. Apparently she had called Adam and secretly coordinated that with him. What a fun, sweet surprise!

Dinner was a pre-set, 4-course menu, served family-style. Here’s what we had:

Antipasto:
Combination platter of piadina – romagna’s flatbread filled with arugula and soft cheese with fior di latte mozzarella, tomato, basil oil; seasonal salad, extra-virgin olive oil vinaigrette

Primi (Pasta):
Cavatelli con Pomodoro, Melanzane, Spolverata di Ricotta Salata – cavatelli pasta, tomato, eggplant, basil, grated ricotta salata

Trofiette al Pesto Genovese con Patate e Broccoli – trofie durum wheat pasta, basil pine nut pesto, potatoes and broccoli

Secondi (Meat/Fish):
Tagliata di Manzo all’Aceto Balsamico e Patate Arrosto – sliced grilled ribeye, modena balsamic reduction, roasted potatoes

Filetto di Branzino Spadellato e Caponatina di Verdure – pan-seared sea bass filet, greenmarket vegetable caponata

Dolci (Dessert):
tiramisu, tortino di cioccolato, panna cotta

All the food was great, and the restaurant did a fantastic job with service. My only regret is that we did take any photos to document this amazing party. Nicki did such a great job organizing and making all the arrangements, and between her and Adam, all the little details were perfect. It was such a great way to celebrate, surrounded by good friends and good food. And at the end of the evening, I got another great gift from Corin!

So now I’m 40, and life goes on…

Autumn is one of my favorite things about living on the East coast. The leaves turn gold, orange and red, and the air is crisp and fresh. What I do not love is that it means winter is coming. I do not like winter here. For now, I can appreciate the season for what it is: Mother Nature’s masterpiece.

Dale and Ken came to NYC to support some business associates as part of to the NY Marathon, and I had a great time showing them around. We spent a couple of days roaming around my favorite neighborhoods and visited some must-see sights - Washington Square Park, the new 9-11 tower, and the High Line. And of course, we had some pretty awesome meals together. I love playing host and tour guide to friends and family in this wonderful city. Who’s visiting next??

Piano man playing in Washington Square Park on a crisp fall day. Quintessential NYC.

Dale, me and Ken at Public

The new 9-11 tower, still a work in progress after 10 years.

Occupy Wall Street protesters camped out in Zuccotti Park

The Irish Hunger Memorial in Battery Park City

Roomies forever!

This year was a big one for natural disasters in the northeast. There was a tornado last September in Brooklyn, and let’s not forget the blizzard the day after Christmas, followed by record snowfalls throughout the winter. There was a rare east coast earthquake just a week ago, centered in VA but felt all the way up the coast, including in NYC. Fall is typically hurricane season for the Caribbean and southern states, but they usually fade to tropical storms for us. So there was a lot of panic and prep for Hurricane Irene, which seemed headed straight for NY and NJ the last week of August. In Manhattan, there were evacuations from low lying areas like Battery Park City and parts of Brooklyn, a massive rush on grocery stores for water, nonperishables, flashlights, and D batteries, and ultimately a shutdown of public transportation, including the subway and LIRR.

I was due to be at Camp Fern for the last week of the summer, so I decided to take the chance and head east. At least I would enjoy my vacation after the storm blew out, assuming it didn’t blow our house into the ocean. The storm was tracking to arrive late Saturday, so Angela and I had the day to prep. We had a full tank of gas in the truck, bottled water, food, a couple of flashlights, and a full propane tank on the grill. We spent the morning pulling all the deck furniture, potted plants and other loose items inside the house. We ran the dishwasher, showered, filled the bathtub with water, and made a lot of ice. We also located our closest evacuation center, just in case. Here are some pics of what things looked like on hurricane eve at our house, and around nearby East Hampton. If you want to know what Camp Fern normally looks like, here are pics from last summer.

All the patio furniture was moved inside.

Lounge chairs were moved to avoid possibly being blown into the pool.

Clean pool, for now

Potted herbs were brought indoors.

In East Hampton Village, shops and restaurants boarded their windows.

Others taped windows.

Shopping at the Shoe Inn sale was a good distraction.

Back home, we snacked on our traditional cheese plate.

Since Jess wasn’t around, I had to make the guac myself. It wasn’t bad, but definitely wasn’t hers!

Hurricane fish tacos for dinner.

Our friend Dave came over for dinner and a chick flick, and a little storm watch on TV. The latest forecasts predicted the storm would arrive in NJ and NY in the morning, so we called it a night, not knowing what we’d have to deal with the next day.

It’s been a few years since I last saw Dan and Mika. Mostly because they live on the island of Oahu, and I live on the island of Manhattan. They came to town this week for business meetings and brought along adorable 3-month-old Kai. We had dinner at Socarrat Nolita, a great Spanish restaurant that specializes in paella. Kai was quite a charmer, and I can’t wait to see him again. Yet another excuse to get myself to Hawaii!

Mika and I in orange dresses, with my new boyfriend, Kai.

Proud papa Dan with baby Kai, in a onesie with a tail!