Hi Y’all,
How are you? Calm, cool and collected? Blessed?
Any surprise trips for you lately?
Before I knew it this summer, I was back in a hotel (Lotte Palace f/k/a The Helmsley Palace) that I haven’t stayed in for over 40 years (anyone remember Harry and Leona?). I once spent an entire month at Harry and Leona’s Helmsley Palace.
Who does that...in NYC??
I remember back in the early ‘80s when I last stayed at the Helmsley, Michael Jackson was staying there too. Once, outside the 50th Street exit, there was a swarm of young people waiting and waiting for him to exit. I love(d) Michael but steered clear of the fan-frenzy and exited through the court yard on Madison Avenue. Even though I didn't join the crowd on 50th Street, I thought it was pretty cool that MJ was there and wondered what floor he was on.
Fast forward to 2023.
The weather in NYC was amazing! Low 80s, never rained. Beautiful. And no celebrity madness was anywhere to be found.
Diana holed up with me at Lotte Palace. Here she is arriving at the hotel after work, when I first saw her.
My favorite part of the hotel was the spectacular view from our room on the 26th floor. We looked down on St. Phillips Cathedral and could see Radio City and the Hudson River. If you’re a visual person, views rev your engine like they do mine. You would have loved our spectacular view, especially at night!
Speaking of Diana getting off work. She successfully completed two summer associate possitions with Alston & Bird (ATL) and Knobbe Martens (NYC). The jury is out on what exactly she will do after clerking.
Diana, if you happen to peep this blog. Please come back to ATL. Eventually?
Like all New York trips, we walked, ate, saw a show (“Shucked”…meh), walked some more and ate some more too. A major highlight was visiting where Diana and her boyfriend, Elijah, live in Manhattan. I wanted to see their place because I hopelessly miss her and have trouble envisioning her NYC world. Diana and Elijah live in an impressive place for two upwardly-cruising, humble, mega-brained young people.
Another highlight was spending a few hours at Ila Spa located in the hotel. The massage and relaxation room were wonderful. Possibly the best massage I’ve ever had. But sometimes I think the best one is the last one so I’m not really sure about that. Other than having a man walk us into the women’s locker room (after giving a shout-out-heads-up through the door) it was top-notch.
Indeed, I thought I’d never deplane in NYC again. But if Diana relocates there… I’ll be seeing a lot more of New York.
Love makes us do crazy things! Like go to New York a lot.
…But, I also have an indescribable (no adjective can suffice, trust me, wait 'til you see Charlie!) baby grandson whom I also desperately love and want to spend as much time as possible with…
Life’s dilemmas are a joy?
I pray for courage and forgiveness to face life's joy, in Jesus’ holy, holy name.
Thank you for reading!
Love, Shelley
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” Ephesians 6:10
