A New York City Experience

I was reading an article that commented on how singer and actress Selena Gomez has an ownership stake in the restaurant Serendipity3 and that triggered a travel memory. I think that can happen to all of us, but this was from a trip to New York that my family took when I was in my early teens, which was shall I just say a very long time ago. What struck me was how I remembered this now and not the many times I’ve been to New York City since that time. And why during my all my visits had I never gone back to this restaurant or brought my daughter there when she lived in NYC.

I think I had forgotten about the restaurant and then that day a couple weeks ago, the memory of the restaurant, and in particular the menus that my parents had framed and hung in our family room as art filled my mind. The menus, served not only as art, because the Serendipity3 menus are in and of themselves art, but it reminded us of our trip. For me souvenirs come in all shapes and sizes and often the ones you can frame, hang and gaze at once your trip is over, provide memories that inspire and keep those trips alive.

Serendipity3 is the home of delicious food and decadent desserts, such as the world-famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, which of course we ate all those years ago when we visited. My dad was a big fan of desserts and anything chocolate. The Serendipity3 restaurant has been captivating millions of patrons since its inception. It’s an enchanting place where artists and actors of both the past and the present come for inspiration. Andy Warhol, Marilyn Monroe and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy frequently patronized the restaurant.

Serendipity was named after the three legendary princes of the island once known as Serendip (now Sri Lanka), from which the 18th-century writer Sir Horace Walpole coined serendipity. Serendipity has been popular since the beginning. The famous Frrrozen Hot Chocolate recipe can be found in Sweet Serendipity, a book of recipes and history sold in the general store located inside the restaurant.

Today is Father’s Day and I post this story to remind all of us that travel touches our lives in profound ways. I was a kid from the Midwest, with parents who grew up in farming and working-class worlds. My dad loved travel and adventure; I think that is where much of my wanderlust comes from. I am so fortunate that my dad showed my sister and I how great and grand the world is and that it is there for us to explore. I have shared that zest for travel with my children and plan to keep that family tradition of travel alive by sharing new experiences with my granddaughter.

If my dad was still alive, I’d ask him whatever happened to those framed menus. I guess I just have to be happy with the memory!