This past weekend was a whirlwind of travel and excitement, as I flew out on a red-eye flight on Friday night from LAX to Newark. Why? Because Larry’s mom, Fran, was getting married to Joel! Couldn’t miss that, now could I? It proved to be exhausting as well, as red-eye flights mixed with time-zone changes and a bit of too much drinking don’t add up to too much sleep. Totally worth it though as not only did I get to see this wedding, I got to see Larry again. He won’t be back in LA till the end of the month and while I might be able to get back there again this month, it’s not a definite thing.
On Saturday, after getting picked up at Newark by Joel and Larry, it was still too early to go the W Hoboken where we were all staying, so went back to Fran and Joel’s place where I ended up napping a bit. We headed to Hoboken in the early afternoon and checked in, working with the hotel clerk to not only ensure the rooms were ready but finagling some improved lodging. Even Larry & I got a bit of an upgrade with a sweet 9th floor view of lower Manhattan. Anyway, grabbed a few drinks at the bar with Fran and then went for a walk in Hoboken. It was hot there. Very muggy and made me miss Santa Monica’s wonderful climate, although the heat definitely followed me back. That night we had a group dinner as well with those who came in that night (almost a rehearsal dinner, but this was not a formal affair by any means), followed by a nice walk back to the hotel in a much nicer temperature. Here are the pics from that first day:
Saturday, August 4, 2012
The wedding itself was actually on Sunday and was being held in a fancy public room at the Maxwell Place condos which is where Jon and Alyssa live. Fran & Joel had toyed with other venues but when they saw the view that this room had, it was a no-brainer to have the wedding there. You can see for yourself in the pics below. It was a great ceremony with the children (Larry, Alyssa, Heather & Jackie) holding up the huppah and a wonderful cantor who spoke beautifully and sang very powerfully. After the ceremony, the kids each spoke to the newly married couple, and then there was a great photo slideshow of the memories made thus far. It was a very nice way to have a wedding, to be honest. Not overly formal but also still very memorable. After the ceremony, we all went to the fabulous restaurant that is a favorite of the group called Anthony David’s. It’s a favorite for a reason as the food is spectacular. It was also very plentiful as it was literally a surprise to me (probably because I was very very buzzed from all the wine we were drinking, on top of the champagne from the wedding – I know, I know, mixing is bad, mmmkay) when a third course of food came out. Totally forgot I ordered that! It was a blast though as I got a chance to talk and catch up with Larry’s cousins, including Brad & Tina (and their great kids Jake and Zach) and Jamie (who lives the amazingly unreal NY lifestyle. Hate him. ;-p). There’s a certain point that night though where I entered DrunkTown, and some of the pics I truly don’t remember taking. Oh well. Yay for parties! Jon and Alyssa did a fantastic job with planning this whole thing out and big props to them. Also, the Greenberg ice cream cake was unreal. Some things are just better in NY. What do you do when you’ve been eating and drinking all day and night? Drink some more! So we had a drink or two back at the W Hoboken bar, encountering some interesting locals in the process. Good times!!!!
Sunday, August 5, 2012 (Wedding Day!)
The Wedding:
Afterwards & the Reception:
That final day I was there, Monday, was basically a psuedo-recovery day, although I wouldn’t really say I recovered much. Like I mentioned, drinking a lot and jet lag do not add up to rest. That final day everyone basically left and went home, so Larry & I got a chance to hang out just the two of us. I was flying out that evening and heading into NYC wasn’t really a feasible thing so we ended up going to the movies (Total Recall), eating a late lunch/early dinner at Baumgarts (a Chinese food restaurant), and finally heading to Newark with Larry driving us on the perilous NJ highway system to drop me off. It was sad to go but it had been a really great visit. Ridiculously brief, but very eventful and memorable. Hope to head back soon! Here are some random pics from that last day.
Monday, August 6, 2012
