Summer pt. 2
I gotta write these more regularly
I hadn’t been home in over a year. The longest I’ve been away at a stretch by a wide margin. Even when I lived in London for my master’s program, I came home during Christmas break.
So, needless to say, I was very excited to visit.
Cut to July 14th, it’s 2:50 am Berlin time. We have a flight to Munich at 6:20 am before our connecting flight to the US. The anticipation was palpable, and the travel fever had reached its pitch. Luckily, the flights themselves went without incident (aside from the man in the aisle seat who watched seven straight hours of “The Pit” and did not ONCE get up of his own volition to go to the bathroom). I continued the tradition of watching movies from takeoff until landing, until my eyeballs felt like they were going to fall out. I watched “Better Man,” “One of Them Days,” and “Blues Brothers,” and, while I should be economical with this post, I’ll take one moment to say: Blues Brothers absolutely rocks. The budget they had to do the zaniest shit (we’re talking building demolitions, police chases with dozens of cars) and the cameos (Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Cab Calloway). I can see why this is a classic1.
12:05, we land. We walk out into the muggy July heat, and I instantly regret wearing denim. My dad picks us up, and we ride the familiar path home. The whole family is there, and Mary Kate shares an amusing anecdote about trying out an energy healing session.
Ridgewood
We bopped in and out of Ridgewood, staying there for two days, going to the shore, returning to prepare for our trip into the city, returning for the triumphant Currey Crashout, and one last time before we left to return to Berlin.
Some highlights…
Familiar comforts:
Van Dyke’s ice cream: Ridgewood is a town that, due to exorbitant rents and greedy landlords, experiences a high rate of business turnover. Van Dyke’s is an exception. Perhaps because it sits outside of downtown proper, or possibly because its ice cream is just that damn good. What is certain is that it has remained a constant throughout my life, right down to the refrigerator that stands at the entrance with the same 1990s logo of assorted refreshments still emblazoned on it. I had my go-to, peanut butter vanilla, and Kathi had raspberry. Here, as in many other places, we encountered American portion sizes and, despite it being evident that a “small” does not require three hefty scoops, nor is it necessary to turn down the request of a “half scoop” when still paying full price, Kathi got what would likely be considered a large ice cream anywhere else in the world in a “small” cup.
Hot Bagels: I am sorry to say that, despite finding some worthy attempts, Berlin is not a bagel capital. When people ask me what I miss about home, I often say (aside from family and friends) that pizza and bagels are top of the list. Needless to say, I ate a bagel whenever I could. I loved and missed the routine of driving into town with my dad, grabbing coffee and a bagel, and returning home for breakfast.
Being with the family: I’ve already referenced “Wizard of Oz” in my last post, so let me double down and say “there’s no place like home.” Ordering delivery, eating dinner together, collapsing onto the couch with ice cream and picking a movie to watch, there’s a particular type of comfort you get being there that cannot be replicated.
The Currey Crashout:
Some have said it was the party of the century, and while it is only 2025, I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that it is obviously true. Friends came from all over, including two of our favorite people — Matt and Madeline — who drove in from DC with their beloved pup Korra. Party prep included scouring Bergen County for a slip 'n slide. Barb was cued, ice cream sundaes were had, and just four lads from New Jersey (okay, one grew up in Connecticut) changed the world when they put their bodies on the line — pushing past the slick, polyethylene to glory2. A major thank you to my parents, sister, Kat, and Jola for working tirelessly to make history.
Ocean City
Ocean City, NEW JERSEY. One of my favorite places growing up that Kat has also come to love. Aside from a number of Trump voters staying at our hotel (all the evil spilling over from Pennsylvania), we had a wonderful time. We both had a stressful year and, particularly for Kathi, a stressful time at work in the weeks leading up to our vacation, and both of us saw the beach as our ultimate goal, “just get to the beach,” felt like our mantra.
The beach was lovely, albeit at times too windy, rainy, or infested with horse flies. I actually managed to tan this time. We sunbathed, napped, swam, and read. I took " Empire of Pain" as a light beach read, about the Sackler family’s involvement in instigating the opioid crisis. We ran into my childhood friend and longtime neighbor Graham and his lovely wife Pam, who is expecting a child this fall (congratulations, you two!)
Highlights:
Saving the rainy day: We made the most of a rainy day by visiting a farmer’s market and a historic house that included a library. While we quickly lost interest in the farmer’s market (there was not too much there, aside from a goat that was ostensibly part of a petting zoo outfit but was running free among the tables laden with fresh fruit and vegetables), we found a treasure trove of books and DVDs for sale. We walked out with no less than two to three books each and several DVDs. Later, we had lunch at an Irish pub in Somers Point called Josie Kelly’s, and while eating, we caught part of “The Sandlot” on ESPN on mute.3 While there, we hatched a harebrained scheme to go see the latest incarnation of “The Smurfs,” and my god was it a trip.
Dinner in Asbury: Neither pouring rain nor a migraine stopped us from driving down to Asbury for dinner with Alex and Kaley. We ate at a trendy restaurant and caught up on things big and small, concluding the night with a dessert that the European mind cannot comprehend — customizable ice cream sandwiches. That meant you had about a dozen cookies to choose from, and as many ice cream and topping options to boot.
Manco & Manco pizza: This, to me, is the best pizza ever. Something about the way they layer the sauce on after the cheese, and the spices they use, makes it irresistible to me. It doesn’t hurt that I spent many childhood vacations indulging in the stuff, and this time was no different. While it was once known as Mack & Manco’s4 and has since changed its name, it remains the same great pizza.
New York
We had the excellent fortune of staying in the apartment of a family friend directly on Central Park South. Staring at the view from our 17th-floor balcony was breathtaking, and the vertiginous view of the street was dizzying. Simply put, we could not believe our luck — running from room to room to uncover still more pleasant surprises such as curtains that rolled down at the press of a button, a memory foam bed that gave us some of the best sleeps of our lives, and a sprawling sectional sofa in the living room complete with a large television that we watched several episodes of “And Just Like That,” on.
Oh, and the first time we stepped out of the building, we saw Max Greenfield, aka “Schmidt” from “New Girl”, walking down the street and somewhat embarrassingly but entirely thrillingly caught up with him. Kathi was brave enough to make first contact, saying, “Excuse me, are you Max Greenfield?” to which he graciously nodded. I then quickly followed up with, “We’re big fans,” to which he did an expert celebrity move, thanking us while not breaking stride and turning to continue his journey.5
We spent two different chunks of time in the city, so here are some highlights from part one:
Meeting the Mets: Just a turn of phrase (we did not personally meet any Mets), but we did go to a game at Citi Field with a big group of friends, and it was Kathi’s first baseball game! I am annoyed that I already used the word vertiginous because we were perched at the very top row of the 500 section, watching the airplanes take off from LaGuardia Airport and feeling the cool breeze blowing at our backs. Jaime and Claire braved an impossibly long line to procure hot dogs and beer (it was $5 beer and hot dog night) and Kathi got to see the Mets eke out a nailbiter 3-2 victory (of course, I was in the line for my own drinks for the most exicting moment of the game when Francisco Alvarez hit a two-run homer).6
Getting closer to Jane Austen: The Morgan Library had an exhibit in honor of Jane Austen’s upcoming 250th birthday. It was beautiful. It featured a number of her letters and detailed her close relationships with her family — her father, who, very much ahead of his time, supported her writing and even bought her her first book to write (which at the time was no easy financial feat); her sister Cassie with whom she shared the closest relationship and who took care of her legacy after her death; her nieces and nephews who she wrote affectionate letters to — including one she wrote backwards as a fun game for her niece the tenderness of which made me tear up. What I loved most was that Kathi and I took away different things from the visit, and had a great time discussing them afterwards at lunch.
Visiting beloved spots: We always make it a priority to visit Levain at least once, and this time was no exception. We usually pair that with a nice stroll through Central Park. While in the Upper West Side, we also visited Housing Works, a lovely thrift store where we almost always find something to take home. We went to the Strand Bookstore for “postcards,” and walked out with a handful of books we could not do without.7
But of course, the best part was seeing our friends — at the baseball game, out to dinner or drinks — and catching up on everything they’ve been up to.
We returned to Ridgewood for the above-mentioned “Crashout” and spent a tired day recovering after the debauchery that took place the previous night. We went into the city to visit my cousin Darby, her husband Brendan, and their adorable 15-month-old baby Mirabelle (baby Belle), who is also one of the most adorable children in the world.
Then, thanks to the graciousness of our friends Anthony and Cristina, we were able to return to the city and stay with them at their Brooklyn apartment. Not only did they host us for this part of our stay, but they also offered to host us from the very beginning. They were two absolute MVPs.
So, highlights from part two:
The Met: We visited the John Singer Sargent exhibit. The day was scorching, so it was a good choice to be inside, and we got to see the famous “Madame X” up close. The only downside was that the museum was packed, so there were a lot of hushed “excuse mes,” as people cut across your line of sight to snap a photo of a painting, or bumped into you as you tried to pass by. Afterwards, we had lunch at Serafina and debriefed about the visit.
Trivia: Returning to an old tradition, we attended trivia night at St. Dymphna’s in the East Village. We were a large group, so we split into three teams. Respectively, we came in 5th, 7th, and 10th8, but the best part was hanging out afterwards and catching up with everybody.
Game night with cuz: We picked up an upside-down Sicilian from Rosa’s, but not before being drenched by a torrential downpour that dogged us on our scamper back from Whole Foods, and headed to my cousin Sean’s apartment for an evening with him, his wonderful wife Mallory, and their sweet and shy doggo Moxie. We played Codenames, caught up, reminisced about old times, and took some Polaroid pictures — in the process capturing how Sean, Mallory, and I tower over Kathi.
And then, sooner than we liked or expected, it was time to head home to Ridgewood to prepare for the journey home to Berlin. We packed our clothes, books, and DVDs into one more bag than we arrived with, and took the journey back to the airport with the family.
Being at the airport, I was reminded of the fact that it is the site of some of the greatest joys and sadnesses of my life. Now, instead of greeting and goodbying Kathi every few months, it is my family.9
On the way back, I was disappointed by “Hoosiers,” and watched “Widows,” and “The Parenting”, a screwball comedy about the parents of a couple meeting in a house that is haunted10.
Back in Berlin, we unpacked and added our newfound books to our ever-growing — aww screw it, I’m using the word a third time — vertiginous stacks. We had the weekend to recover from jet lag and decompress, and just like that11…we were back into our Berlin routine.
Thus concludes the story of the summer. I promise to return to more regularly scheduled updates, so you won’t need to scale a mountain of text every quarter. I will also discuss my experiences of actually living in Berlin, so that I can live up to this blog’s name.
Until then, I need to think of a good recurring sign-off for my posts.
This film also reminded me of a phenomenon I recently coined, the “reverse reference,” on my Substack page (a post no one interacted with, but who am I kidding, I’m no Shea Serrano). It occurs when you finally discover the source material that was parodied in something else you’ve seen. For me, it was the scene of Jake and Elwood Blues tiptoeing into the music venue they’re supposed to play in that is thoroughly canvassed by cops who want them arrested. This was parodied in “Family Guy: Blue Harvest,” when the gang is trying to sneak past the Stormtroopers.
The boys who changed the world included Conor, Ollie (Connecticut), Will and me. Also, in hindsight, I should have just bought a long tarp and slicked it down with water, because the slip ‘n slide’s guidelines instructed it was for the use of kids ages 5-12 and a max weight of 110 pounds, but usually when history is made, you have to break a few rules. And those of us who partook in the glistening goodness were forever after able to refer to the fraidy cats who did not as “dry boys.”
Eagle Eye readers will recall that we watched this movie together not too long ago, and we both talked at length about how much we loved it, deciding that, more than most movies, you could enjoy it even on mute. The kids’ expressive faces, constant screaming, the epic chase scene between Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez and “The Beast” (aka Hercules), and the time jump when Benny steals home all make for a very visually compelling narrative.
The name change resulted from an undisclosed dispute between the original partners. I learned that Mack’s still exists in Wildwood, the pair having agreed to split their locations between there and Ocean City. What was truly impressive to me, however, was that Manco and Manco had somehow altered all of their old plaques and newspaper clippings hung on the wall that used to say things like “Best of the Shore 1997: Mack & Manco’s,” to the new name — quite a Photoshop feat. For anyone familiar with the Cellino and Barnes breakup and the play written about the drama, I think there is plenty of fodder here for a similar piece about a corporate breakup and the feuding families involved.
Other celebrities we spotted included David Harbour, aka “Hopper” from “Stranger Things,” who was doing a photoshoot right next to the bookstore we visited. He came over at one point and, in a staged gesture, leafed through the pages of a book from the outdoor stands while the photographer snapped pictures. I saw Gaten Matarazzo aka “Dustin” also of “Stranger Things,” walking down the street on the Upper West Side, and Michael Strahan in the same neighborhood.
As a running gag, Kathi refers to these as “touchdowns.”
As you may have noticed, we visited several bookstores and purchased a variety of books. Where we saw David Harbour was a used bookstore we absolutely loved, and we stumbled upon it while on our way to The Strand. Meaning, we went to The Strand with about five books already in our hands, and left with still more. I put “postcards” in scare quotes because that was our alibi for visiting, but we both knew the chances were far from zero that we would find more books to buy. Our haul became so great that we had to purchase an additional piece of luggage for the flight home.
Mary Kate also successfully won the in-between rounds question that usually involves the quizmaster asking everyone to write down an estimate of something no one has ever thought about (e.g. “how many lengths of the Rockefeller Plaza ice rink would equal the distance it takes to travel to the moon.”) This time, the question was “what is the exact midway point (the year) between the end of the Irish Civil War and the founding of the Fox News channel.” Mary Kate herself got a free drink with her correct guess. Anyone who comments with the correct answer will receive a prize (quiz participants excluded, as they already know the answer).
This gives me the opportunity to set the record straight on an error I made earlier this year: it was Kathi, not my mom, who said I was swapping one long-distance relationship for many others. While my mom did embrace that sentiment and repeat it to me, its provenance is Kathi’s.
A former coworker of mine, Sofia, passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. This was the last movie she rated on Letterboxd, and I wanted to watch it to honor her memory. She summed it up way better than I did when she said, “fundamentally stupid! nothing wrong with that! anyway brian cox thanks for saying yes to this.”
I will have MUCH more to say about the finale of that show in my next post.
Interesting read and I was amazed at how much you were able to schedule into a week! Thanks for sharing
I’m going to guess 1960