This Thanksgiving holiday, instead of doing the usual “to-somewhere-warm” trip, we picked a special destination: the place where Randall started, as a little person.

Among all those places he’d been to before we left New York, the Hippo Playground was the one he had visited most. Although he had almost no memory of what had happened then, he enjoyed playing at the parks, even more than he had before. Look how time has flown and how he has grown!

We walked down the streets we used to walk everyday, past our old apartment building, took subway at the 96th St station, and ate at our favorite neighborhood restaurants. We had the same Thanksgiving lunch at Boulud Sud as we had had three years before, although unfortunately we missed the parade this time.

Well, it’s not all about reminiscing. We did our first in-person Thanksgiving shopping at the Lego store at Rockefeller Center. And the very next day we headed to Rockefeller Center again for the Top of Rock observation deck. It was chilly but it was also clear and perfect for pictures.

The trip ended with a reunion with our old friends in New York, and a wonderful Peking duck dinner at Decoy. Randall’s favorite part? The New York subway, and “Stand clear of the closing doors!” Read more…