After nine and a half hours in holiday traffic, we’re finally home from a whirlwind Thanksgiving weekend in New York. We spent Thanksgiving Day with family on Long Island, joined another family meal on Friday in New Jersey, and then spent Saturday exploring the city we once called home.
Between us we lived in New York City for eight years, across ten different apartments and three boroughs, before relocating south to my home state of Virginia. The only place our addresses ever overlapped was Astoria, Queens—an amusing coincidence, since we lived there two years apart and didn’t meet while we were both nearby. Still, revisiting that neighborhood felt like walking through a shared chapter of our lives.
We took a short tour of Astoria to see our old buildings and remember what being broke college students looked like. Standing outside those apartments reminded us how low our standards had been back then. In particular, I was surprised by how shabby my former place looked; either it’s declined in the past three years, or my memory had softened the reality of living there.
Sherry Was Here John Was Here
After leaving Queens we treated ourselves to SoHo, another neighborhood tied to our past. A new CB2 store had opened about three weeks earlier—the first of its kind—and it was naturally bustling. Seeing the furniture and décor in person was a treat: the displays made it easier to imagine pieces in real rooms. We limited our purchases to a few disco-ball Christmas ornaments, partly because we didn’t want to lug purchases around the rest of the day.
While in SoHo we also visited a recently opened Z Gallerie store and a newly arrived Japanese lifestyle brand, Muji. Muji’s aesthetic felt like a mix of American Apparel minimalism and Ikea practicality—clean lines, functional pieces, and understated design. We continued our exploration with lunch at Kitchen Commune, a gourmet coffee and crepe spot where the décor caught our attention as much as the food. The goat cheese and turkey crepes were tasty, but the large kitchen-utensil chandelier was the real showpiece, a perfect example of how creative lighting can define a space.
After lunch we wandered through Chinatown, taking in the lively storefronts and sights, then hopped on the A train uptown to visit my sister and brother-in-law. They recently bought a lovely apartment near the northern tip of Manhattan, and it was a pleasure to relax in someone else’s newly arranged space for a change. My brother-in-law, Marty, enthusiastically showed off the chandelier he installed above their dining area—a project that helped frame the dining space and gave the room new character.
They chose the fixture at a home store after trying a few alternatives, including a shade from CB2 that didn’t quite work. The final result pleased everyone, and Marty looked genuinely relieved that the installation and decision-making were finished.
Our quick trip to New York was a smooth mix of nostalgia and new discoveries—revisiting neighborhoods, hunting for home décor inspiration in SoHo, and enjoying family time. It reminded us why we loved the city: the variety of neighborhoods, the energy of small stores and cafes, and the endless design ideas you can pick up by wandering aimlessly. We don’t know when we’ll return, but next time we’ll aim for warmer weather so we can enjoy strolls without the chill.