Day 327: Thanksgiving
It’s weird to have no Thanksgiving day plan. I’ve lived abroad for many a Thanksgiving — and even done several vacations away during the holiday — so it’s not the being away that’s weird — it’s the having no plan that’s weird.
In my past experience, there was always a big, elaborate cozy turkey feast. But this year we woke up to a regular Thursday in Wellington, NZ. No friends around (not even friend blind dates or randos we’ve befriended!) and no plans.
Originally, I’d thought I’d cook a small Thanksgiving. Our hotel room has a kitchenette, so I thought I’d try it. That was before we arrived here and realized what a glum little room this is. Plan B.
Our travel agent in New Zealand, when asked for “cozy” restaurant recommendations, gave us four choices. Cozy’s tough here in springtime, when everyone’s about the outdoor patio and fresh air. But we decided to try out a place called Boulcott Street Bistro.
Here are the kids ready to head out in their “nicest” clothes. Willa’s still got her dress from Hoi An and that’s James’s new long-underwear shirt we got him in Auckland.
After workouts and school, we walked about 20 minutes to the restaurant for our 1:30 pm reservation.
There wasn’t turkey on the menu at Boulcott Bistro and there was only one other table of business lunchers inside, but that didn’t stop us from having a really fun, memorable “Thanksgiving.”
Teddy and I had a prosecco to start, just as we would at the Sulgrave Club (our usual DC Thanksgiving destination).
The kids got Shirley Temples! Very exciting.
They were chatty and cheery and well-mannered. It was a great lunch. Here are some kid shots, with James doing his moody/Blue Steel thing:
One conversation highlight. James shared that he’d learned the difference between “fact” and “opinion” at school with Teddy.
Willa chimed in that she knew the difference too. She offered up an example: ”Opinion: Hamburgers are delicious. Fact: Hamburgers are made of meat.”
Correct!
Then James blurts out, not trying to be funny: “Fact: Daddy’s ears are big!”
Ha!
We got dessert (profiteroles and hazelnut tart), the check, and headed out the door.
Next stop (via Uber): The Penthouse Cinemas + Cafe in Wellington’s cool Brooklyn neighborhood. The theater was an iconic local spot, dating back to about 80 years ago.
We went to see our first movie theater movie of the year: Frozen 2! It came out last week in the US, but today was opening day in NZ and Australia.
There were a bunch of other families there, and groups of 13-year-old girls. The seats were big and comfortable and came with blankets.
Verdict all around: It was entertaining. The lady next to me was verrrry invested in it. At some of the exciting parts and at least one plot twist, she was nervously muttering to herself: “What the FRICK! What the FRICK!” Hahahhaa.
As we walked out, Willa looked up at me slyly and goes, “Mom…there was rooomance in that movie.” (I think there was one marriage proposal and a G-rated Disney-style kiss).
Back at our hotel the kids amused themselves by recording “commercials” for objects around the room. They’ve only seen TV ads for the first time this week, and are so enthralled/confused by them. At first they thought the ads were programming and wondered why they were so short. Then they wondered why there were so many of them.
Then, I guess, they got inspired. Compilation video coming soon:
Eventually it was time for The Hobbit and bed. James pointed out to Teddy: “You’re getting better at reading out loud.” Thanks, bud.
Actually, it was my night to read and Bilbo lived to see another chapter.
MISC:
We liked this Thanksgiving! It was just another day here in Wellington, but it still felt special. And weird to be done with the holiday just as everyone else at home is about to wake up for it.
We capped the day by booking our spring break plans! Funny how this year has altered our perception of what’s possible/manageable travel-wise in a certain number of days. We’re going to three places! Fly to Orlando for a day to take Willa to Harry Potter World at Universal Studios, drive to Vero to stay with Lobsy/Beepaw and overlap with Voorhees clan for Easter, then….fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a few days to check it out and see Caton Burwell and fam. Excited to have some travel to look forward to in 2020 already.
