Yesterday was my birthday and even though the husband was under the weather my daughter and grandsons made it a special day.
When deciding how I could make my birthday special I decided I wanted to spend Friday with my sister. We’ve been apart way to long! Though we had dinner at their home a few weeks ago we haven’t had a chance to spend some private time together since November.
My sister and I have always had a complicated relationship. She is 6 years older than me and I was always the tag along. I’m sure you younger sisters out there can relate! We were of the kicking and hair pulling type of siblings. She hated me and I never knew until about 20 years ago why. I’ll spare you the gruesome details.
When I got married at the ripe old age of 19 (we were in love, not pregnant) she decided it was time to make friends. Well of course I didn’t trust this one bit! But, she persisted even though her life took a turn about that time and she joined the Marine Corp. Off to basic training and the letter writing began.
A stint at the Pentagon as a VIP tour guide brought her in contact with the love of her life and they married and moved from post to post including West Germany and finally settled in New Jersey.
Her defection from Omaha gave me the opportunity to travel to places I would never have experienced including Germany and a chance to get to know this person who was my sister.
We found that for the most part we travelled well together, in DC she introduced me to the Pentagon, the Octagon House, live musical theater at the Kennedy Center (we saw Shenandoah) and a bus ride took us to what turned out to be one of our favorite places in the world Williamsburg VA. There, we toured the lovely restored homes, ate in taverns and inns and when we were down to our last $10 I gave $1 to a Hari Krishna! I’m not even sure how to spell that but you get the idea. It was the 70’s.
I felt so grown up! I was 23 and had a 7 month old baby at home that I entrusted to my husband, but it was the first time I had traveled alone.
After that first trip I did travel to Germany and when she moved to New Jersey we had many day trips and a few overnighters to various locations on the east coast. She always shared her favorites with me. Winterthur, Deerfield MA, NYC of course, a rainy spring night at the City Tavern in Philadelphia that was magical and many subsequent trips down to Williamsburg.
We dined at some of the finest restaurants because you know we both love to eat! Over the years we developed a top 10 dining experiences. Either for the exquisite food and service or for something funny that happened. We’ve stayed at fine hotels and some of the worst headboard banging fleabag motels money could buy!
What we discovered was that we laughed at each others ridiculous jokes that only someone growing up in the same house can. We loved touring old homes and architecture, we liked to shop, antique, and of course we loved to eat. Very often staying at a fleabag so we could afford to eat at a great restaurant. We loved to discover the road less traveled.
In 2007 when we lost my dad my sister and her husband decided to retire in Omaha. New Jersey was getting too expensive and she wanted to help me with my mom. Thank God!!!
When we lost my mom in May of 2019 she was my partner in crime, helping me liquidate their estate which was a major undertaking. You can read about that here: Inherited Treasures Part 1 and Part 2. She stood by me, worked her tail off, and together we created a very special kind of an estate sale that I think my parents would have been proud of.
We closed on the house on March 6 just before Covid. So we both did what we were told to do and hunkered down in our own homes for the next several months. We also needed some space I think. After spending 7 months day in and day out together we were both ready for a break.
So in thinking about my birthday I decided I wanted to spend a day with her. I didn’t want to go someplace normal. I felt like we deserved a bit of nostalgia and a new experience. I suggested the old Blackstone Hotel for lunch. Now known as the Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel it has just undergone an extensive renovation and after years of being closed, then offices, and apartments it is now back to it’s grandeur with a modern twist you can read about that here Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel.
I was anxious to see the renovation because I have memories of having Easter Brunch their as a kid and the heavy velvet drapes, they were red! Go figure!!! I also remember one magical night when I was 13. I had gone to a school dance and it was arranged that my sister would pick me up at 11:00 and bring me home. Well, she never did what she was told in those days, so we went down to the Blackstone to meet a bunch of her friends in the Coffee Shop. We closed the place down and when we got home well after 1:00 AM my parents were furious. I on the other hand felt honored to be included into this exclusive club of the world of my older sister.
Unfortunately the Clubhouse Restaurant was closed for lunch which is where I wanted to eat, so we settled on the New Orleans Room and were there between brunch and lunch so the menu was quite limited. We were shown to our table and my sister sat at the restored old banquet and I had yet another moment. Sitting in Mackenzie Childs Tea Room in New York City. Her sitting in the banquet with the light coming in thru the window just like now. That was a top 10 day by the way. Anyway we ordered our food of course a Reuben for my sister (The Blackstone was the home of the Reuben) and a Ceasar Salad for me. It wasn’t a top 10 meal but good, however the experience of sitting in an old hotel restaurant in Omaha with the sun coming in thru the window, my sisters snow white hair with a few more wrinkles is something I don’t think I will forget for a long time.
We then went to explore a bit. Of course the Olympic Swim Trials were getting underway here in Omaha and the hotel lobby was busy with new check ins, but we did go up to the ball room where there was a meeting of attorney’s.
We couldn’t go in of course but we could see how lovely it was with all the old plaster work, we found the beautiful new pool and I was astounded that they were able to carve out such a lovely outdoor space in the middle of down town. Than we just hit some of the guest floors with their lovely stair wells, beautiful tile and carpeted floors,
and we found the Clubhouse Restaurant on the lower level where the infamous coffee shop used to be. Much nicer now!!
After that we did a bit of shopping and at the end of the day I think we both felt that our bond was as tight as ever and we are ready to move forward with this post covid faze of our lives. It was fun to revisit old memories and forge some new ones in the same old town where we grew up. All in all a great birthday.
Thanks for stopping. I appreciate you.
Shelley
