I was up in NY for the weekend. No traffic at all on the way up late Wednesday night made for a great start to the holiday. On Thursday we had dinner at a cousin's house, with more relatives arriving for dessert after they had dinner with in-laws. On Friday I went for a walk -- it was oddly warm and almost humid -- then took my parents out to dinner for my mother's birthday. There's an old restaurant (and I do mean old -- part of the building dates back to 1672) where we like to go during the Christmas season. They always decorate for the holiday and have carolers, and there's a "village" of small shops next door that is nice to visit. A few months ago a new owner took over and it looked like the whole thing would close down at the end of December, so we planned to go for our last dinner there on Friday. However on Friday morning the new owner announced that they and the old owner had worked together and arranged for a local catering company to take over management of the restaurant and the shops, so they will not be closing after all. We had a nice time at dinner, which I capped off with peppermint ice cream.

I drove back on Saturday night, stopping in New Jersey to visit with a friend and admire her new custom bicycle. Lots of traffic in Brooklyn and Queens (which was expected since I was on the highway that takes you to JFK airport) but after that it was smooth sailing.

I had hoped to go for a short bike ride on Sunday afternoon but we're stuck in a cold rainy pattern. Looks like it's time to get the indoor trainer out of storage...