New York Family Time

Mom, Dad, and my sister, Rachel, landed in New York City around 5pm. We had plans to meet up around 7 at their hotel so that we could all go to dinner together.

Established in 1981 by founder Moshe, who hails from Kibbutz Galuyot in Israel, Moshe's Falafel has been a staple in Manhattan's street food scene for over four decades. The brand initially gained popularity as a legendary food truck before opening a new brick-and-mortar location situated between Columbus and Amsterdam. The restaurant is vegan and certified kosher.

I ordered the falafel platter, which came with quinoa, pickles, Israeli salad, hummus, pita, and of course, Moshe's world-famous falafel. The whole thing was topped with a generous serving of tahini sauce.

We met up the next morning for breakfast and coffee. After our brunch, Rachel wanted to take a walk in Central Park, so we set out on foot. 

Much of the snow from the other day had melted, but the lake was still frozen.

I had been hoping (although didn't have too many high expectations due to the weather) to see new birds for my birding life list during my visit to NYC. Central Park is one of the country's most famous birdwatching sites.

I saw lots of birds, but unfortunately none were new. Most of the winter birds who stuck around for the cold weather were starlings, sparrows, and pigeons.

We spent most of the morning wandering through Central Park.

Of course, the entire reason that my family had flown into New York, and indeed reason that I had as well, was to attend my brother's wedding! The rest of the day was spent getting ready for the small family service. It was such a nice evening, and I'm so happy for Kyle!

It's really rare for all three of the siblings to be together, and we had such a great time catching up.

The next morning, Mom, Dad, Rachel, and I met for brunch at French Roast, a trendy Parisian restaurant in the Upper West Side.

Established in 1804, the New York Historical Society is the oldest museum in the city. Although it's not as well-known as the Museum of Natural History or the Met, the NYHS has some really fascinating exhibits.

Rachel chose to visit the museum because of a special visiting exhibit called "Pets in the City", which focused on the history of pets as well as some of the most famous pets and animals in New York.

We also visited a really amazing gallery of Tiffany lamps.

Tiffany lamps are decorative stained-glass lamps originally designed and produced by Louis Comfort Tiffany and his studio in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They are known for their intricate glasswork, vibrant colors, and Art Nouveau style.

The lamps typically featured nature motifs, such as dragonflies, flowers, bamboo, and other plants. They were known for being bright and colorful and very expensive.

We even got to design our own Tiffany lamp using an interactive display. Even though Rachel and I are both in our 30s, we are never too old to enjoy stuff like this!

Rachel and Dad only got to stay in New York for a few days, but Mom decided to stay a little bit longer with me before I headed back to Bangkok.