I’m guessing that you’ve figured out the what and the where.  As for what constitutes as a BIG birthday, 65 is definitely one.  If you follow this blog, you know we went to Greece (click for previous posts) for the hubby’s recent milestone birthday.  As for mine, the destination was a no-brainer especially since I love cold weather, great restaurants and shopping, with some theater thrown in because it’s part of what one does in NYC.

We flew American to NY and were really impressed with their new 321T plane which is used for transcontinental routes.  Wow — great plane, modern features, tons of leg room in the exit row, outlets and individual screens at each seat.  We got upgraded for our return (15K miles and $70 each); it was fabulous!

It was a “no holds barred” kind of trip (within reason, of course) because a 65th birthday happens just once.  And when one is fortunate enough to have so much, it’s time to both partake and reflect.  The latter comes in a bit.

Loews Regency Hotel on Park and 61st got the where-to-stay nod after much debate (with myself and the internet).  To me this is a very central location for our plans; we had a terrific previous stay; and, the rate didn’t necessitate a second mortgage.  I chose three shows, all purchased in advance:  The Band’s Visit, My Fair Lady and Network (Bryan Cranston!).  Might I add that none of the NY tickets (all Orchestra seats) cost as much as what we paid for Dear Evan Hansen in Los Angeles.  Go figure that one out.

There’s a few places and restaurants where I’ve always wanted to go but never have on innumerable trips to NYC.  One is Peter Luger Steakhouse.  So many people have so many opinions about the “best steak” place to go, but one doesn’t stay in business for 130+ years with lousy food.  This was on my to-do list so that we high-tailed it to Brooklyn straight away after a fabulous performance of My Fair Lady.  Norbert Leo Butz as Alfred P. Doolittle is worth the price of admission, if only to see him perform “Get Me to the Church on Time.”

It’s also no surprise that where to dine for the actual birthday dinner was given a lot of thought.  Several months ago, I put a reminder in my calendar of the date when January reservations open up for Eleven Madison Park — notoriously difficult to book.  Three Michelin stars and consistently on the World’s Best list.  Parenthetically, if you click on that link, #15 is White Rabbit in Moscow.  Yikes.  We did not think it was so wonderful on our visit there in May.  So lists can certainly be in the eye of the beholder.

Nonetheless, EMP had availability for Jan 8 so with the hubby’s blessing, the booking was made (and pre-paid in full).  The experience was so extraordinary that I’m dedicating a separate post to it (to follow).  The night before was a return trip to Daniel — an absolute favorite and site of my perfect 60th.  The restaurant is consistently grand and Daniel Boulud was in the house.

Below is the custom menu delivered at the end of the night.  I’m always grateful for this so I don’t have to either take notes or try to remember what scrumptious dishes were served!  Inside the box is a small pastry to take with, just in case we needed another bite …

We got to visit with family as well for Sunday brunch at Les Leopard des Artistes, close to Lincoln Center.  And we had a late night drink with a dear Houston friend who happened to be in NY.  Remarkably this is the second birthday in a row we’ve seen him (see post)!

As for the reflection part,  I am indeed blessed.  A loving and devoted husband, adult children launched and flourishing in their respective careers, a successful business with loyal clients, seeing the world, two close sisters and great friends.  It’s a lot.  I am so grateful that I trusted my instincts to make the choices in life that resulted in all of this.  No doubt, some luck was involved as well.  But I wake up every day happy in wonderful surroundings.  So life at 65 is pretty, pretty good.

We did it!  We made it to the Russian capital after lots of changes and Visa stuff (see previous).  After leaving Vilnius, we had a stopover in Riga prior to the flight to Moscow.  Travelers leaving the EU for Russian Federation countries go through a completely different checkpoint, with a very careful examination of one’s Visa.  Ours were in place and off we went.  By pre-arrangement, a car and driver greeted us at the Arrivals Hall for the short drive to the hotel.  By the way, greeters now hold up electronic devices showing one’s name (none of those old-fashioned signs requiring writing).

We were situated in the central part of “downtown” Moscow, minutes from Red Square, elegant shops, the historic Bolshoi Theater and other fine hotels.  Moscow is an ideal city for walking, with very wide boulevards.   Most of the major arteries require one to cross the street via underground tunnels as opposed to surface crosswalks.  You’d have to put a gun to my head to drive in Moscow, because the routes are extremely convoluted and the streets signs make no sense.  Other than that, it’s great!

I had purchased tickets to the Boshoi Ballet from home as I did not want to miss this iconic and historic landmark — founded in 1776.  It is absolutely pristine.  I have no idea what we saw — did not recognize the music or the story — but that was hardly the point; it was all about the experience.   What an impressive and beautiful facility.

We had a tour guide for the first morning — walking in Red Square and pointing out the various buildings and landmarks.  That was extremely helpful to get our bearings.  The timing was fortuitous as this was just days from the inaguration so some buildings (the Kremlin, etc) soon closed for the duration of our stay.

Below is a great view (left) Cathedral of Christ, followed by Church of All Saints, then (far right) St. Basil’s Cathedral (Red Square) — all historic and all visible from far away.

Day 2, we got confirmation of what we had hoped not to hear:  Nothing could be done about the incorrect exit date on our Russian Visas issued at home.  A series of mis-communications with the passport/visa agency (highly recommended to us) resulted in our Visas expiring after 5 days instead of the original plan to provide for our time in St. Petersburg.  The hotel GM tried with both the US and Russian authorities but to no avail.  I’m not sure what exactly happens if one overstays one’s exit date, but I wasn’t going to be the one to find out.  Stern warnings were heeded.

The hubby and I evaluated the situation – split the allotted time between two cities (separated by a four-hour train ride) or ..?  We decided to stay in Moscow and really see the city, then return to StP on a future trip.  All of you who have been to St.P and raved about it lest not think we “suffered” — I rerouted the remaining days on our trip to Paris. That’s a winning solution for sure.   It was a lot of moving about, paperwork and the like, but in the end one cannot speculate about what didn’t happen.  It’s all good.  And we think the magnificent Ritz Carlton Moscow personally felt a bit responsible for all the travails as we received upgrades and were showered with amazing service.Our time was spent trying restaurants, museums, shopping and walking — pretty much what one does in any European capital.  Along the way, we made a new friend in Jenny (below) who politely asked if we needed help as we pondered our map en route to dinner.  She spoke beautiful English and walked us to our destination while we chatted all the way.  We exchanged contact info, and she provided great travel tips while we were still in the city.  All I can say is, come visit us in LA so we can return the favor!

Some of the trip highlights:

And how about the frame shown below, found in our room the night before our departure.  How’s that for attention to detail?? Bravo.  And now it is on to Paris …