Welcome (again) to New York

March 20, 2025April 22, 2025 | patmcg

Fresh off of Claire’s spring college break to Atlanta (TODO link), I had two days in Austin, and then it was off to NYC with Molly on her high school spring break.

We spent two full days camped in a tiny but pleasant hotel room SoHo, which we kept accidentally calling Austin’s own SoCo. The hotel had a rather large balcony, with a view of the World Trade enter Center, some lawn furniture, and an outdoor shower!

Day 1

On day 1, we walked nine miles of Manhattan. We got the world’s best bagels from Popup Bagels and enjoyed them in a brisk Washington Square Park. We checked out music spots Electric Lady Studios and 23 Cornelia Street, plus the nearby Friends apartment building. We trekked up to Little Island park, explored the High Line, and dining at Chelsea Market. The server was definitely an actor on the side. Also, finding the Apple Store for an  Pencil tip, thank you very much. We headed back towards our “home” in SoHo and skipped over to Chinatown to get a Bahn Mi, which somehow Molly had never had?!? Whose daughter is this? She loved it.

Finally, inspired by the Friends apartment building, we got last-minute tickets to an off-broadway Friends musical parody, Molly confessed that she loved musicals, which I did not know. We had been walking and taking the subway everywhere but settled for an Uber from Hell’s Kitchen back home to SoHo late that night.

Day 2

Day 2 got us another nine miles on foot, the time like Washington’s Army, crossing briefly into Brooklyn! We hit the Museum of Illusions (not the Museum of Allusions, which would have been really boring). Then our favorite sport just about anywhere, Central Park. We came across Strawberry Fields and someone singing Let It Be. Followed by ice cream on the Upper West Side, obviously. We were determined to walk the Brooklyn Bridge and see a Broadway show before we left, so we hurried back to SoHo, refreshed a bit, and headed out to Brooklyn on the subway, which took forever because basically all the trains were express and most distinctly not the other side of Brooklyn Bridge.

Somewhere along the line, I bought tickets to The Book of Mormon for that night.

We hurried back on foot and had a quick pizza at our favorite spot next door to the hotel, LTD Pizza. Exhausted, we changed clothes and headed uptown for our real freakin’ Broadway play, The Book of Mormon. I had bought on my phone somewhere along the line between Central Park and the Brooklyn Bridge.

The show was amazing; Molly really wants to see more musicals! The crowds in Times Square insane, so we walked to Hell’s Kitchen for a thinner (but still thick) crowd and an Uber back to SoHo.

We braved the hour-long subway ride to JFK airport the next morning and got home exhausted but happy.

San Antonio Drop-in

February 9, 2025February 27, 2025 | patmcg

Molly and I made a day trip to San Antonio to visit Claire at college. We picked up Claire and hit two classic San Antonio destinations: the San Antonio Zoo and Mi Tierra Cafe (y Panadaeria).

I personally felt like a kid again at the zoo as we admired at the giant hippos, zebras, and Komodo dragons. And we enjoyed a late, hearty lunch at Mi Tierra, where the food and the vibe were pure Tex Mex bliss.

It was a fun day and great to have both kids together for a while. 😊

Leading the Charge 📣

November 2, 2024November 11, 2024 | patmcg

Molly’s been cheering on the football team all fall. She even ended up in leading the charge in this picture from The Austin Chronicle. Check the right side. Way to go, Molly!👌

Please, Please, Please have a great Sabrina concert

October 28, 2024November 11, 2024 | patmcg

Molly and I got to enjoy the pretty wild, funny, and amazing Sabrina Carpenter Short n’ Sweet tour together. 🙌

Since Sabrina was playing the Moody Center, basically on the UT campus, Molly and I incorporated our favorite UT routine into the night. We parked in West Campus (I mean, who wants to park near the venue? So boring!), got some pizza at Roppolo’s, and walked across the campus to the concert. It was a beautiful night, and the walk was a great way to get warmed up for the concert.

The Sabrina concert was a “little” over the top, including a “SABRINA AFTER DARK” segment with the tongue-in-cheek warning “PARENTAL DISCRETION IS ADVISED”. Oh well, too late. 🤷🏻‍♂️And everything was behind translucent curtains, so we’re 👌.

The show as surprisingly entertaining, and I’m personally glad that Molly got me into Sabrina’s music. I’ve had Short n’ Sweet on pretty heavy rotation, with fav songs being Please Please Please, Coincidence, Lie to Girls, Don’t Smile, and of course Espresso. You’ve got to love her lyrics…

Too bad your ex don’t do it for ya
Walked in and dream-came-trued it for ya
Soft skin and I perfumed it for ya
I know I Mountain Dew it for ya

Off she goes 👍🥲

August 24, 2024August 26, 2024 | patmcg

We dropped Clairey off at college and left her in the best hands possible down in San Antonio.

I can’t say much because I’m still feeling pretty bitter-sweet about it.

I drove down with Claire in her car, then we all helped her move in, did some shopping, spent the night, did the various orientations, and had a “hello goodbye” picnic.

And then the administration insisted that we parents actually, you know, leave.

I was really happy we could all be there for Claire, even Molly, who missed an afternoon of high school to make the trip to SA.

I’m so proud of you Claire!

For the first time as a dad, I can really say that I wish you were five years old again. 🥲

But even though you’re officially “all grows up” now, we still have a lifetime ahead of us of goofing off and having deep talks about history and philosophy. Based on your new location, something tells me those talks are only going to get better. 👩‍🎓

The way the Olivia Rodrigo cookie Crumbl’s

August 21, 2024August 27, 2024 | patmcg

With Claire headed off to college in two days, we were looking for something fun to do. Molly suggested we go to Cumbl Cookies to get the official limited-edition Olivia Rodrigo GUTS cookie.

We had been deeply amused by one review of this cookie that went viral, describing it as “Olivia Rodriguez, that little Mexican girl that be crying… zero out of ten.”

“Hey Dad, the Olivia Rodrigo cookie is back!” Molly told me.

“We have to go try it,” I said.

And so on the last official night with me and Claire and Molly before Claire goes off and conquers the world (starting with college), we hit Crumble for the GUTS cookie. We gave it eight out of ten. Claire got a super good chocolate chip cookie. We also had Indian street food and a pretty animated discussion about music, dating, and feminism.

It was such a beautiful, perfect night and literally a bitter-sweet way to wrap up our nostalgic summer and send off our Clairey.

Down the Clown over the years 🤡

August 10, 2024August 10, 2024 | patmcg

As the summer winds down and Claire is almost off to college, we’re feeling a bit nostalgic.

So we went to the original Pinballz Arcade, an old favorite up in North Austin today.

Down the Clown is hands down (so to speak) our favorite game. It’s just so much fun to down those pesky clowns with a time-limited flow of rubber balls. Classic.

When we were playing, I asked the girls to pose for a picture.

“Why?”, Molly said.

“So I can put it on the kids blog along with the other times we’ve come here!” I replied.

So here they are. You’re welcome, kids.

Three generations and new friends in DC

July 23, 2024July 31, 2024 | patmcg

With my brother Tim going though some life changes lately – a new house, a new girlfriend, even a new kid and a dog in his life – we’ve aiming for a visit to Washington DC (technically, Northern Virginia) to see his new haunts.

So we finally got it together and actually planned a summer trip with the whole family to check out (or “Czech out”, as Tim would say) Tim’s new situation.

This audacious plan included getting myself and two other generations (Claire and Molly along with my Mom, aged 82) on an airplane to DC, during what turned out to be a worldwide computer outage affecting, largely, airlines. Our flight was delayed by a few hours, but luckily, we got to while that time away peacefully at home. 🙏

This was primarily a family trip, and we enjoyed exploring Tim’s neighborhood, getting pizza by the Potomac, swimming, playing board games, and getting attacked repeatedly with a rubber snake and a fart gun (thanks, Avett 😜).

Claire and I have also been on a Lincoln kick due to the incredible show Manhunt about the Lincoln assassination and the ensuing hunt for his elusive killer. So we did make a trip into downtown DC to see Ford’s Theater, the infamous site of Lincoln’s murder. Claire and I both got chills as we stood beside the very balcony where the great man was slain. 😢

We also checked out Lincoln’s summer cottage, the pastoral alternative to the White House, where Abe spent much of the Civil War.

Tim heroically drove us all there and avoided crossing some theoretical red dotted lines on a paper map (unmarked in the real world) that would mean his immediate arrest as a the federal offense. Federal law apparently does not take kindly to trespassing on the surrounding US Army retirement home. Good driving, Tim!

I’m so glad we got to visit Tim in his natural surroundings along with Claire 2, Avett the maniac, and Waffle the monster, while it’s still possible, before Claire goes off to college and starts getting busy with her own summers.