Mei in New York

It had been in the agenda for months and yet, and yet, and yet I managed to turn it into a red-bordered, overheated stress situation. No, my passport was still perfectly valid as the American customs likes it. Moreover, I had even applied for a new one this summer so that I could adhere to the rule ‘the passport must still be valid for six months on the day of return’. And my ESTA (a form from the American customs that you have to apply for again every two years) was valid until 2018. Something with an air that has no blemish.

At check-in, the friendly stewardess asked where we were staying and if we had applied for our ESTA. Of course, ma'am, this is my eleventh time in New York, I know how it works by now. It must have sounded snooty. She ran my passport through the strip again. A shaking head. This was bad news. She really needed an ESTA, otherwise I couldn't go. It turns out that your ESTA is linked to your passport and I had a new passport. I hadn't thought of that with my snooty behavior.

Quickly dashed into the Privium Lounge. If you travel a lot, this is really the best tip. For 100 euros a year, you can always eat, drink, and use Wi-Fi for free in their lounge and you always wave cheerfully to all the people in the long line at customs while you go through the fast lane. Anyway. Laptop open, man next to me loudly reading my passport number. I can hear from his voice that he is also getting a bit warm under his feet. Fill in that stuff, pay fourteen dollars and off I go back to the stewardess. When she pulls my passport through the scanner and keeps looking at her screen, it feels like the longest second of the week. “It’s approved.”

By now we are quite late and the gate is far, so step on it and let's walk. Now the big enjoyment begins. Another travel tip; save Air Miles from Flying Blue. If you travel a lot, you earn points and you can use them for free tickets or upgrades. We have also linked our credit cards to it and if you have the shopping level (ahem) of the undersigned, that adds up nicely. So it happened that we sat at the front of the plane. And let me just say I absolutely love the front row. Glass of Chardonnay (praised by Thérèse Boer), some cheese cubes, and finally time to watch ‘Nocturnal Animals’ by Tom Ford.

In the taxi, we count how many times this is for us in New York. My beloved and I are here today exactly for the eleventh time. That’s a coincidence because we haven’t always been here together. The first-time sensation gives way to a very nice we-are-back feeling. Adeline has arranged a lovely room for us at The Chatwal hotel in the heart of the Theatre District through our friend Ellen Bruens from the Amsterdam W hotel. Walking between the shows with Glenn Close, Michael Moore, Bette Midler, and seeing the lines of the excited crowd that has been waiting for months to snag a seat in the Richard Rodgers Theatre to see the sensation ‘Hamilton’. We walk for so long that I almost get blisters. We still dive into GAP for a sports outfit for him and some winter dresses for the girls and can’t resist the call of the Disney store. Elsa doll, Rapunzel dress, and Vayana pajamas in the pocket. We don’t have to worry about that anymore.

Meanwhile, I follow the fashion news. Doutzen is also in New York and scores with a ridiculously sexy creation by Tom Ford. And at the Calvin Klein show, I see Jake Gyllenhaal. I’m never that good at spotting celebrities, but because of his role in ‘Nocturnal Animals’ and those eyebrows, of course, he’s hard to miss.

When it’s eleven o'clock in New York, we find ourselves heroes. In the Netherlands, the clock has already struck five in the morning. So we can go to bed. On to tomorrow, to another day in my favorite city.