The first thing I noticed when I woke up in New Jersey? Green and reds and orange and yellow. Living in California kind of starves you for color, my eyes and spirit were stimulated by the beautiful colors.
Day #1: Get thee to Princeton
The campus was looking gorgeous all cloaked in reds and oranges. The sun was shining and the air crisp but not cold. Perfect.
We went to the Princeton Museum and I was impressed by their collection. Here's a few favs:
Jasper Johns:
After the museum we walked by the water where the rowing team houses their boats. I love this picture of my Aunt Joann and Uncle Ross:
We met my cousin Michael at a yummy Japanese restaurant called Aja.
Then on our way home stopped at my cousin Anthony's house to say hello and meet the newest addition to the family (my second cousin) Gabriella:
Day #2:
Started the day by making a bakery run and buying out the place. I can't believe I didn't take a photo of the cannoli's. Damn, they were good and yummy.
Later in the day we met up at my cousin John's home where we had dinner at a delish Greek restaurant in Methuchen and then had a "cousins" party at his house afterwards. It was so good to see everyone! We celebrated Alexandra's 18th birthday! What????
I brought some Vinpix towels with me for gifts. I love the one John is holding up because it says "Johnny's Steak House." Perfect for my super-chef cousin.
Day #3 - Drove to Haddenfield to visit with my Aunt Debbie (who made a delicious squash soup for lunch) and my cousin Elisha at her new house. Gorgeous!
My aunts Joann, Jackie and Debbie:
And my cousin Elisha:
I loved spending time with them all:
We had lunch then took a walk around Haddenfield. What an adorable small town. Very Americana.
Elisha's boys - Lucas and Elliot:
We checked in, grabbed Rick, who was also in town for the party and made our way down the street to go see one of the most beautiful pieces of art I've ever seen.
...A Maxfield Parish glass wall made with Tiffany Glass. OMG! You can't even imagine how beautiful this was. (here's a link of more pro photos: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tiffany-glass-mural-the-dream-garden)
Walking around town:
Later that night we met friends for dinner at a place called, "Fork." Had a yum dinner then went back to the hotel and hung out in the lobby area. There was this sweet little room that was really cozy to hang out and chat:
Debbie and Rick - they hadn't seen each other in about 30 years. Wow! Time flies.
The next day I made it to the Philadelphia Art Museum and enjoyed the art big time. Here's the Rocky steps leading up to the museum. You can't help hearing the Rocky Theme Song as you walk up them:
If you ever want to see me geek out - take me to a good museum. I was so happy!
I remember that we had a copy of this Van Gogh painting in my house when I was growing up:
This was my favorite piece at the museum. It's Picasso's cubist period. I spent a lot of time just staring at this. It was so moving.
Between the modern art and the Impressionist art Donna was a happy girl:
I had lunch with Rick in the Frank Gehry designed dining room at the museum. Then it was time to get back to the hotel and get ready for the big disco birthday bash! We had such a blast. I danced all night and enjoyed the company of friends that I've know for many many years. A big thanks to Mark for being the ring leader and getting us all to Philly for his party. I kept teasing him that we should have had the party in Hawaii but Philadelphia was a blast and I loved every second.
The party was a co-birthday celebration with Mark's cousin Hope.
Billy lives in L.A. but is from Philadelphia.
Mark's hot date. Larry is from Toronto and had flown in for the party.
Disco Party! Check out this short film.
The next day we all met downstairs at the hotel restaurant for a brunch and then Rick, Mark and I packed our bags and made our way back to L.A.
A few days later it was Mark's "real" birthday so we had dinner at Kismet for one more celebration. At dinner we started talking about the next big party for Mark's 70th! Yes, we plan parties 10 years in advance :) Vince had to stay home and take care of our animals (really missed him) but he finally got to celebrate with Mark too.
1 comment:
Great pictures! Too short wish we had more time ! Thanx for asking me to Philly I had a great time! Love u ! ❤️
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