Last weekend, my mom and her friends visited me on what they believe to be their 11th annual NYC girls’ trip (possibly 12th, it’s just so fun they haven’t kept track).
Those of you who know Debbie Stuart know she’s as close to a Real Housewife as it gets in Lincoln, Nebraska, so I had high expectations for this trip. And I was not disappointed.
They shop all day, then drink and eat at restaurants I’m not cool enough to go to alone. I’m so used to collapsing into bed right after work that this was, unfortunately, a huge challenge for me.
My roommate, Emily, joined us for dinner at La Esquina on night one. We ate really tiny tostadas, drank slightly too spicy micheladas and literally screamed at each other because it was too loud to hear anything in the restaurant. As it turns out, my distaste for dark, loud restaurants has proven I’m actually 80 years old. It’s fine.
Tori, one of my coworkers, came to Brandy Library and Beauty & Essex on night two, when we discussed all the reasons there should be a Real Housewives of Nebraska, starring my mother and her friends. As professionals who have spent a total of four months working in TV advertising (that’s what I do at work, btw), we think people would watch the show because they’d want to know what drama could possibly ensue in Nebraska, of all places. You’d be surprised.
I took the day off on Friday to shop with the girls, and that’s when I learned I really can’t hang. I didn’t even meet up with them until 11 a.m., but by the time we were done with lunch, I needed a nap. To be fair, lunch wasn’t until 3 and I hadn’t eaten breakfast, but it was still pretty pathetic. After the long trek up my stairs to give a four minute tour of my apartment, I stayed upstairs to sleep while the rest of them continued on with the shopping spree.
That night, Morgan (the third of my three friends) joined us to see the Rockettes and eat at Black Tail, which was so far downtown I almost fell asleep in my Uber home. Happens.
On Saturday morning, I met everyone at Drybar, where I got the best blowout of my life and my mom got the worst. Angry Yelp reviews were written over brunch at Sarabeth’s. Thankfully, a few mimosas put us all in a better mood to head out to Williamsburg for the day (because that’s, like, cool and trendy, right?). We shopped for a few hours — I got new glasses because being able to see is really important — then went back to Manhattan to, ya know, shop a little bit more. For the record, my mom got two pairs of glasses, bringing her grand total to six (mine is seven, cute glasses run in the family).
Dinner was at Buddakan, which was my favorite restaurant of the week. I’m pretty sure we ordered everything on the menu, and it was all amazing. Unrelated to the girls’ trip, but my Uber driver that night gave me the aux cord and complimented me on my music taste (it was Christmas music), then said “usually young people play music that gives me a headache.” Aww.
Going back to my normal, much-less-expensive life after this trip is going to be a challenge, but if I can’t stop myself from making rash purchases and going out to eat too much, my checking account balance will.
Apparently there’s a waiting list to be invited on this trip, so hopefully I make the cut next year. Stay tuned.