The Thompson/Cheslak Wedding Report

Friday, November 29, 2013 – The Thompson/Cheslak Wedding Report

Well, it’s finally time to write about the wedding.  I’ve procrastinated long enough.  While the wedding-related events were going on, I didn’t want to step out of the magical bubble to write about it.  I was living completely in the moment, and savoring every sensation.  Even after we returned home, it took several days before I started to descend from the clouds.  That very special time still dominates our thoughts and conversation.  Elisa and Christian had a clear vision of what they wanted for their ceremony and celebration and they planned every detail with great care and thoroughness.  We never felt any stress at all because they were so well-prepared.  The entire experience filled my heart with joy and I feel like I’ve been smiling continuously for the past week.  And what a week it has been!  We don't have the photographs from the wedding photographer yet, but here's one that Elisa's maid of honor Lauren took.  I think it captures the mood of the entire wedding experience.

No, it's not the Seine in Paris.  It's the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn.  (photo credit: Lauren Bacon)

Let’s start at the beginning, though.  With a brand new E-Z Pass transponder firmly attached to the windshield of the geezermobile, and a trunkful of formal clothes, we set out last week on Thursday morning.  The route was pretty straightforward, the traffic wasn’t bad, and I did most of the driving.  I am quite proud of the fact that I drove from the Jersey Turnpike into Staten Island, and over the Verrazano Bridge into Brooklyn, without getting us lost and without having a major meltdown.  After we checked into the Nu Hotel, a boutique property at Smith Street and Atlantic Avenue, we had a quiet dinner at an Italian restaurant in nearby Cobble Hill.  

Thursday night dinner in Brooklyn.  We're ready for this wedding! (photo credit: Marshall Thompson)

  Last Friday morning, I set out with my crew (Elliott, Matt, and Marshall) to deliver welcome bags for out-of-town guests.  Right after Friday breakfast, we had packed up three dozen bags with New York-themed wedding articles, including big apples, black and white cookies, Dr. Brown’s soda, a list of local sites and restaurants, and various snacks.  We also tucked in a 35-question multiple choice quiz, “How Well Do You Know Christian and Elisa?,” that I wrote with the help of Christian’s mother, Teri.  (Let me know if you want a copy.)  

Welcome bags are ready to deliver.

Since the guests were staying at four different hotels, we spent quite a bit of time trudging through the streets of Brooklyn on Friday.  By the time we finished our final delivery, it was after 2:00 p.m. and Elliott was ravenous.  Fortunately, we spotted one of those classic Greek diners that you find throughout the New York area.  Elliott wolfed down a huge order of pancakes and Marshall demolished an equally gargantuan portion of waffles.   I ate more moderately, as I was saving most of my calories for Friday night’s rehearsal dinner.  While Elliott rested up back at the hotel after our late lunch, Matt went off for a haircut and I went to a nail salon for my first ever manicure.  It will probably be my last ever manicure, too.  I liked the look, but I hated having to sit and wait without moving my hands for about 15 minutes while the polish dried.

The big event on Friday was the rehearsal dinner at Karloff’s, a short walk from the hotel.  (Elliott and I disagree about whether this was a long or short walk.  At my pace, it was a ten-minute walk, which I consider short.)  The weather was delightful and we enjoyed our stroll down Smith Street to the restaurant.  As soon as the guests started to arrive, the excitement of the wedding festivities became tangible.  It was an evening of greetings, hugs, introductions, toasts, marvelous food (Elisa and Christian are expert menu planners), laughter, photos, and building anticipation.  

Elisa and bridesmaids Alanna, Lauren and Caroline

Rehearsing with Joel

Christian and his family at Karloff's

With Elisa at Karloff's

Elisa and Matt at Karloff's

 

Right after breakfast on Saturday morning, I reported to Elisa’s suite at the hotel where she and her bridesmaids had spent the previous night.  The hair and make-up team arrived promptly at 8:30 a.m. to work their wizardry.  For the next five hours, the girls, Teri, and put ourselves into their experts hands.  It’s amazing what a good make-up artist can do.  For the first time in decades, I had eyelashes!   

Our makeup is done.  Now it's time to do the hair.

Then it was time to complete the look with my mother-of-the-bride dress.  I rushed back to my room and slipped into the midnight blue chiffon evening gown and the sky-high dressy shoes.  Elliott was already looking extremely handsome in his tuxedo and just needed a minor bowtie adjustment.  Then we were off to The Green Building for a pre-ceremony photo session. 

Elisa was already at the venue, looking calm and blissful and ethereal in her wedding gown.  I’ll never forget the feeling of seeing her and helping her fasten the buttons at the back of her gown.  My baby, my little girl, was now a bride.  Everything was happening so quickly.  Christian came in to get his first look.  The wedding party lined up for photos.  The families lined up.  In addition to the official photographer, all of us were snapping pictures with our cameras and smart phones.  The sun was low but the photographer ushered Elisa and Christian out a side door for more photos outdoors.  

 Before long, I could hear the music of the guitarist and the voices of guests arriving for the 4:00 ceremony.  We were ready for the processional.  

Elliott walking Elisa down the aisle (photo credit: Liz Chapin)

 I walked down the aisle with Matthew and took a seat in the front row.  Next came Christian’s family, then the bridesmaids in their long burgundy gowns, and finally, to the strains of Pachelbel’s Canon in D, Elliott and Elisa slowly made their way down the aisle.  The last rays of daylight were softly illuminating Christian and Elisa as they stood under the huppah.   Our long-time family friend, Joel Stratte-McClure, who has known Elisa since her first birthday, performed the ceremony.  Teri did a reading of the beautiful Irish blessing, and Matt and I read a modern interpretation of the traditional seven blessings that are part of the Jewish wedding ceremony.  Elisa and Christian spoke their vows, Christian broke a glass under his foot, and we all shouted, “Mazel Tov!”  

Under the huppah - photo by Liz Chapin

Mr. and Mrs. Cheslak (Elisa is changing her name) walked up the aisle arm in arm.  The light of day had disappeared, but the chandeliers and strings of tiny white lights turned the interior of The Green Building into a magic wonderland.  The reception began with live jazz during the cocktail hour, and more photos.  When the DJ took over, Elisa and Christian danced to “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.”  I recognized the romantic Elvis Presley song, but my friend Audrey, who is my former piano teacher, insisted that it was a French song.  It turns out she was right.  I did a little research and discovered that the modern song uses the melody of an 18^th century French love song.  So it was especially appropriate for a French-born bride.

Elliott amazed all of us with his energetic turn on the dance floor with Elisa.  They danced to Stevie Wonder’s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.”  We all did the traditional hora (a Jewish folk dance done in a circle) and everyone cheered as Elisa and Christian were lifted up in chairs during a lively Jewish folksong.  I have to admit I was a little nervous about that, but they were clearly enjoying the exuberant dance. 

It goes without saying that all the food was fabulous.  From the hors d’oeuvres (my favorite was the tuna tartare – or maybe the flatbread mushroom pizza) to the dinner buffet (several salads, vegetable lasagna, salmon, asparagus, halibut, and more) to the dessert buffet (mango mousse cake, red velvet cupcakes, mini crème brulées, apple tarts, French macarons), it couldn’t have been better.  

A small wedding cake, plus the dessert buffet.

One final touch was the arrival of a Belgian waffle truck (from Wafels and Dinges) around 9:00 p.m.  The wind had picked up and the temperature had plummeted during the hours following the wedding ceremony.  I bundled up in a fur jacket (my mother’s mink, in fact) before I went out onto the street to get my “black and tan” – a crispy waffle with spekuloos and chocolate.  After all the other food I’d eaten, I wasn’t at all hungry, but how could I resist?  

Waiting for my waffle (photo credit: Andrew Graff)

Around 10:00 p.m., a wave of exhaustion hit me.  Mainly, it was my feet telling me they’d had enough for one day.  Elliott had already gone back to the hotel.  As much as I hated for the evening to end, I bid farewell to friends and families, exchanged more hugs, and told Elisa and Christian that I’d see them the next day.  When I got to the hotel, Elliott was still awake, of course, and we immediately started talking about how wonderful the wedding had been, how Elisa and Christian had worked so well together to create the wedding of their dreams, and how proud we were of both of them.  

After more schmoozing with family and friends at the hotel on Sunday morning, we got on the road again.  Once again, I drove through Brooklyn without letting the honking horns bother me.  It has been a slow return to the more mundane activities of everyday living.  I did grocery shopping and laundry, went to class at GMU, paid bills, and even subbed at AHS one day.  We lit candles for Hanukkah on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.  For Thanksgiving, we went to Greenspring and shared a traditional holiday feast with my mother.  Although I didn’t prepare the Thanksgiving meal at home on Thursday, I’m planning to cook a turkey and all the trimmings on Saturday.  Today, the 29^th of November, is Elisa’s birthday.  E&C will celebrate her birthday with dinner out this evening when they return from a short trip to St. Lucia.  This past week has been such an incredible gift for all of us. 

Hot Spot on a Cold Night

Friday, November 8, 2013 – Hot Spot on a Cold Night

A chilly fall night is the perfect time for a hot bowl of soup.  So I invited Elliott to join me for dinner at Hot Spot, a new-ish restaurant in Fairfax City that specializes in hot pots.  I enthusiastically told him that it would be an adventure in cooking and eating, sort of like a fondue party with an Asian accent.  You order a selection of items that you plunge into a steaming hot pot of broth at your table.  Then you mix up your own dipping sauce combinations for the cooked morsels.  I rattled off a list of possible ingredients, including squid, octopus, tofu and various exotic vegetables that sounded irresistible to me.  To be honest, I wasn’t surprised when Elliott declined my invitation.  So I set my back-up plan into motion and called my friend Cherie.  It didn’t take much effort to convince her that this was a culinary experience she shouldn’t miss.

As our server explained, Hot Spot has a very simple concept and procedure.  They only serve hot pots and it’s all-you-can-eat.  Each diner gets a paper ordering form and starts by choosing a type of broth from the five options (vegetarian, seafood, chicken, slightly spicy, and numbingly spicy).  Next, you check off any of the ingredients you want to cook in the broth.  There’s no limit to how much you can order, and if you want to order more, you just fill out another form.  We started with shrimp, scallops, flounder, fish cake, squid, sliced chicken and sliced sirloin (for Cherie), three kinds of mushrooms, Chinese broccoli, bok choy, spinach, rice noodles, bean sprouts, and tofu.  While we were waiting to our hot pots and ingredients to arrive, we went to the sauce bar, where we found an overwhelming variety of choices.  We decided to follow our server’s advice and stirred up a mixture of oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic, cilantro, green onions, sesame oil, vinegar, and sesame seeds.  

 

It didn’t take long before an array of plates piled high with meats, fish and veggies covered our table and the pot of hot broth was bubbling away on a burner built into the tabletop.  Clouds of steam enveloped us as we dropped bits of food from our chopsticks into the double (divided into 2 compartments) hot pot.  Fortunately, I’ve been adept at using chopsticks since a very early age (thanks to my father, who lived in China in the 1940s and brought home his love of all things Chinese).  It took only seconds for some of the vegetables to cook and perhaps a few minutes for the seafood and meats.  While the cooked items were still piping hot, we dipped them into the sauce, which added a whole new dimension of flavor.  The food was delicious, and we could barely finish the first round of ingredients we’d ordered.  However, we couldn’t resist asking for more tofu, enoki mushrooms, and spinach.  Of course, the meal wasn’t complete until we had ladled some of the broth into our bowls.  By this time, broth’s flavor had been enhanced by all the ingredients we’d cooked in it. 

Too bad there wasn’t a dessert menu.   A small serving of ice cream would have been much appreciated.  But a big gulp of fresh night air was almost as good. 

My New York Marathon

Monday, November 4, 2013 – My New York Marathon

It began early on Saturday morning with a hearty breakfast (hot oatmeal and cold pizza) before boarding a bus bound for New York City.  As soon as the bus pulled up on West 33^rd Street, I was off and running.  Actually, I hopped onto the subway to get to my first destination – the New York Historical Society on Central Park West.  Part of the reason I scheduled this trip was to see a special exhibit commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the Armory Show.  In case you haven’t brushed up on your art history lately, this 1913 art exhibit, held at the 69^th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue, marked the official introduction of modernism to the America public.  It was a show that featured well over a thousand American and European works of art, in many media, all displayed in the Street Armory.  There was amazing diversity in the work displayed, ranging from the traditional to the extremely avant-garde.  For many who visited the exhibition, this marked their first exposure to post-Impressionism, cubism, and fauvism.  Although these styles are accepted without question today, they were initially met with scathing criticism by many figures in the art world. 

In my art history class at George Mason University, we’ve been studying this time period and I was eager to learn more about the Armory Show and to see some of the works in person.  One of the works that drew a lot of negative attention in the 1913 show was Marcel Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase, and the Historical Society was able to obtain it on loan for the current exhibit.  For some reason I expected the painting to be much larger than it actually was.  I was thrilled to see paintings by American artists such as Joseph Stella, Robert Henri, Marsden Hartley, Charles Sheeler, Arthur Davies, and Maurice Prendergast.  A John Marin watercolor of the Woolworth Building, an early New York City skyscraper, was also included in the show.  European artists were well-represented, with works by Picasso, Cezanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, and Munch.  Matisse’s fauvist Blue Nude was nearly as disturbing to some viewers as Duchamp’s painting.  It surprised me to learn that the biggest seller in 1913 was Odilon Redon, who found a very receptive audience for his somewhat mystical paintings. 

Before I left the museum, I watched a 20-minute film on the history of New York City, and discovered that the Historical Society is the oldest museum in city of New York.  I also learned that the biggest battle in the American War for Independence was fought in New York.  It was known as the Battle of Long Island, and it took place in Brooklyn Heights in August of 1776.  Another tidbit I learned is that the construction of the Erie Canal in 1850 made New York City the busiest port in the country.  There’s always something new to learn!  In short, it was a very enjoyable and worthwhile couple of hours.  I should also mention that the museum has a great shop, with lots of New York themed items. 

The weather was remarkably warm on Saturday, considering that it was the 2^nd of November, so I wanted to spend more time outdoors while there was still daylight.  Since the Historical Society is located right across the street from Central Park, I decided to cut through the park on my way to the subway.  Stepping into the autumn glory of the park, I could easily forget that I was in the midst of a major metropolis.  Because of Sunday’s Marathon, there were barricades everywhere, scads of uniformed security personnel, and a sea of flags and banners.  I even crossed the finish line, which is probably the closest I’ll ever come to running a marathon.  

 

By 6:00 p.m., the sun was low in the sky, but my day was barely beginning.  I walked as far as Radio City Music Hall, then caught the subway down to Lower East Side.  Elisa and Christian had been busy doing wedding related activities all day and we were all ready for a little relaxation at their apartment before walking up to the East Village for dinner.  E&C are excellent restaurant researchers and I can always count on them to come up with exciting new places to try.  We had a 9:00 p.m. reservation at a popular Greek restaurant called Pylos (which is the name of a Greek city as well as the Greek word for “clay”, which explains the clay pots hanging from the ceiling).  For me, 9:00 is a very late hour for dinner, but that’s clearly not the case for a lot of mostly young New Yorkers.  We shared a wonderful meal – an artichoke heart moussaka with caramelized onions; grilled haloumi cheese with grappa and grapes; giant beans baked in a honey-scented tomato-dill sauce; two grilled fish dishes – all complemented by three different Greek wines.  Our dessert was a dish of thick Greek yogurt topped with walnuts and preserved sour cherries.  

 

Since it was Saturday night and I was in New York, I stayed up to watch Saturday Night Live.  Kerry Washington was amazing.  Fortunately, I had an extra hour to catch up on my sleep because of the change back to Standard Time.  Elisa and I had to get out early Sunday to make our way over to Brooklyn for a trial hair and makeup appointment.  Brooklyn is still somewhat foreign territory for both of us.  The salon was in the Greenpoint neighborhood where we’d never been before.  Getting there seemed fairly straightforward.  At least it looked that way on the subway map and on the internet.  Of course, the information wasn’t accurate.  We got thoroughly confused, and what should have been a 45 minute trip ended up taking us two hours.  I think I swiped my subway card through the turnstile at least five times as we went in and out of subway stations, trying to reach our destination.  Eventually, we got to the Greenpoint station, which was right on the marathon route.  We sprinted down a few blocks and tumbled into the salon where, over the course of two hours, a pair of hair and makeup specialists showed Elisa how they could enhance her natural beauty on her big day.  It’s always a little scary to put yourself at the mercy of an unknown stylist, but we were both pleased with the results and Elisa made arrangements to have them come and help us get ready on the day of the wedding.  

 

Then it was time to dash back down the street and cheer the marathon runners.  Since we were starving by then, we didn’t want to linger in Greenpoint.  Instead, we hopped on the subway and headed to a section of Brooklyn that’s filled with little restaurants and cafés.  Lunch, coffee, and a pair of delicious macarons (pistachio and cassis) revived us.  By then it was 3:00 p.m. and I had a 5:30 bus to catch.  I’d originally planned to visit the Cloisters on Sunday, but there clearly wasn’t time to get there on this trip.  We took the F train back into the city.  Elisa got off at Essex and Delancy and I stayed on until 34^th Street.  For my last hour or so in New York, I did a little retail therapy in Uniqlo, the Japanese clothing store that unfortunately has no outposts in the DC area.  It was a very productive session – 5 tops, 1 pair of leggings, and a jacket, for only $128!  Shopping bag in hand, I rushed off to find some portable dinner as darkness fell and the lights of the city began to twinkle.  It was a sleepy ride back after a marathon weekend.