Today we got up early, hit the road, and spent the whole day in the car. The birthday festivities officially began with 6:00 dinner reservations in Philly at her favorite restaurant, Iron Chef Jose Garces' Amada. We'd planned plenty of wiggle room, which was worked out perfectly, because after traffic, stopping for lunch, gas, and so forth, we actually made it just in time. We should have gotten there 45 minutes early, but thanks to heavy traffic getting into Philly, we lost the last bit of our padding. As usual, parking was a bear thanks to some kind of craft fair going on nearby, so we had to spring for valet parking.
The meal was awesome, as always. Our waiter knew right away it was Madison's favorite, since she was wearing her Amada shirt. He also realized that he didn't have to explain how the menu works. It's a Spanish tapas restaurant, so you order lots of small dishes. Marsha had her usual, the cheese plate and ham croquets, while Madison and I had garlic shrimp, grilled chorizo, braised shortrib flatbread, chicken with a sunny side quail egg, and more. We'd contemplated trying a new dish with lamb meatballs, but figured we'd already selected enough.
Marsha had let them know that it was Madison's birthday, so the Chef sent out the lamb meatballs anyway (perfect!). We considered another new dish (dulce de leche fllled donuts) for dessert, but were just too full. I think the Chef could read our minds, because she came out anyway with the donuts (complete with a birthday candle) and wished Mad a very happy birthday. Above and beyond as always, and one of the many reasons we love to go there.
Then it was back in the car for the final two-plus hours to NYC. Traffic was pretty good until we got into the city, of course. I'll never understand why the Lincoln Tunnel dumps you off into a T-intersection where you have to immediately turn left or right. Still, thanks to EZ-Pass, we again saved time on toll lines, so that certainly helped. After pushing our way through traffic and pedestrians, we finally made it to our hotel and got checked in.
To make Mad's birthday even more special, John flew in and arrived a little while after we got here, just in time to open presents. Now we've got two days to see the sights, eat some more awesome food, and catch a brand new Broadway show. I call that a pretty good birthday weekend.
As I recall, I was Madison's age when I took my very first trip to NYC, where my cousin Tony and I flew up and back in one day. Makes me proud that visiting the city is old hat for my children, and that the birthday girl already knows her way around here just as much as in her own neighborhood. Very proud indeed.
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