Who: Nina and Gabe What: NYC Thanksgiving Where: NYC When: Thanksgiving week Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Complete
Nina was having a great time in New York so far, they had done the Statue of Liberty and been up into the crown which Nina had really loved and were all booked to go up the Empire State building too. But right now they were on their way to Central Park to have a walk around, Nina wanted to find the statues she’d heard about as she loved the Alice in Wonderland story when she had been a child.
They’d looked at the Macy’s window display and Nina had loved it so much, it certainly looked amazing and had been done really well. Even Harrod’s in the UK didn’t have such an impressive display. It helped of course that she had a soft spot for Snoopy anyway.
Gabe held Nina’s gloved hand in his as they walked, excited to share with her the park that had inspired his entire reason for becoming a botanist. Living in Cali had left him unprepared for the cold weather New York was having, so they’d gone to Uniqlo and gotten those super light puffy coats. At Macy's, which was just down the street, they’d checked out their world famous windows, which he had to say were really well done. After taking selfies and pictures in front of them and poking at the interactive keyboard on one of the windows, they’d gone inside to see the renovated store, and along the way bought gloves and earmuffs and Gabe of course got a Snoopy plush for Nina.
Now they were on the hunt for the Alice in Wonderland sculptures, though Gabe of course, knowing every inch of the park by heart, knew precisely where they were. He was content to wander a little though, so Nina could take in the beauty of the park.
“This is the one thing I love about Central Park; unlike the rest of the city, it never changes.” he smiled, watching his breath disappear into the crisp late afternoon air. He could hear in the background hustle and bustle sounds of the city the clip-clop of the carriage horses.
The cold was a shock, even for Nina who had grown up with the cold weather the UK suffered, she’d become too accustomed to the warmer California climate. But she had to admit she didn’t mind the chill, it was rather nice walking along in the crisp air with her hand wrapped in her boyfriends and with such beautiful scenery around them.
“It’s so peaceful, not at all what I expected” she admitted, “It’s so strange when you catch a glimpse of the skyscrapers, it’s easy to forget they’re there”
Gabe chuckled. “That’s true, and why I love this place. A little slice of paradise in the middle of a concrete jungle.” Out of all the touristy things they’d done so far, this was one he could still appreciate. They’d gone over a few of the famous bridges found throughout the park, seen the animals at the Central Park Zoo, lingered at the East Green, watched the Carousel (Nina had insisted on going on it but Gabe was too big and afraid of getting motion sickness so he chose to watch, wave and take video), meandering all the while on the paths, and now were making their way towards the Alice and Wonderland statue. He could just start to see the familiar bronze sculpture and could hear the squeals of a few children playing around it. He glanced over at his girlfriend to see her reaction upon spotting it.
It was a wonderful place and Nina could see why people who lived and worked there took their lunch or dinner there to just sit and enjoy it, like Gabe said it was a slice of paradise in a concrete jungle. Nina rather thought that was a perfect description.
She’d loved the zoo, penguins were a favourite of hers and there were a good sized group of them there. But right now the only thing in her head was the statue and her face lit up as it came into view, “Oh my, it looks amazing”
Gabe grinned as he watched her expression. Out of every touristy thing they’d done, this actually meant something to him. It was great watching Nina experience all Central Park had to offer for the first time.
“You gonna climb it?” he teased. It was famous for being so climbable for kids.
Nina grinned at him, “You think I won’t?” she asked before skipping closer to begin climbing onto the statue and joining the young children. They seemed delighted that a grown up was having fun too. “This is pretty awesome” she told Gabe with a smile.
Gabe laughed and pulled out his smartphone, taking video and pictures. This was crazy adorable. “Yeah? How’s the view? Hey, looks like you’re making friends.” There were a few kids giggling and climbing around her legs to get to other parts of the statue.
“Views pretty good, I think this would be a great place to come if you worked close enough to spend lunch here” she said making a couple of funny faces and poses for him before making her way back down, a sweet little ten year old offering his hand to her so she could jump the last bit.
Gabe chuckled. “I can’t tell you how many hours I spent in this place.” He gave her a quick kiss on the lips once reunited. He held the camera in front of them for a selfie, making sure the statue could be seen clearly in the background. He watched as the same ten year old mugged for the camera from atop the statue. Hitting the photo button and showing Nina he snickered. “Got photobombed.”
Nina laughed as he showed her the photo and with a little wave at their photobomber they headed off along the path, “Thank you for being a tourist with me” she told him, leaning into him as they walked, her arm around his waist.
“It’s been tough, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.” he said with a tinge of faux drama. He then leaned in and said into her ear, “You’ll just owe me later tonight.” he said mischievously and gave her neck a playful nip.
As they walked he noticed the line of carriage horses standing around the edge of the park. Personally Gabe always liked them, but had a twinge of guilt about how well the horses were treated and their well being amongst the cars and trucks of the city traffic. It’d been a heated debate when he’d left New York, and couldn’t figure out for the life of him why they couldn’t just compromise to keep and have the horses travel throughout the interior of the park instead of outside. All the same, nostalgia was hitting him hard since they’d arrived, especially here in the park.
“Hey, you wanna take a carriage ride?” he pointed his chin in the direction of a fine looking chestnut colored horse with a red plume of feathers sticking out from the browband of the bridle.
Nina giggled, “You know I’ll pay up” she told him squeezing his waist, “Happily” she added.
Smiling she nodded, “I’d love to” she told him, she hadn’t been going to ask since she knew it was a very very touristy thing to do. She liked that they were all around the park, she wasn’t aware of the controversy surrounding them so didn’t have the conflict Gabe did. She was just very excited to be getting the chance to go and of course it was very romantic.
“All right, then let's do this.” They made their way over, Gabe forking over a disgusting amount of money for the ride to the top hat clad driver (the New Yorker in him couldn't help but inwardly wince). He then joined Nina in petting the horse.
“So, first time in New York?” the driver asked, and Gabe knew instantly this was going to be one of those that didn't shut up with factoids about the city.
“I'm a local,” Gabe said with enough accent and emphasis to let the guy know that yes he knew precisely how overpriced this was and yes he did NOT want the All Things New York audio tour.
Nina winced a little too, even she knew it was expensive but it was a treat for them both and something they’d remember for a long time.
She couldn’t help smiling as Gabe answered and she simply gave the driver a kind look and leaned into Gabe doing her own part to silently let the man know that a nice quiet romantic ride was what they were after.
Once they were seated she snuggled close to him and pressed a kiss to his lips, “I love you” she told him as the horse began to move them off.
“Ah, gotcha. Showing the beautiful lady here the sights.” the driver smiled and winked kindly at Nina before hopping into his seat. The horse took off at a slow steady “clop,clop” of a walk along the edge of the park before turning into Central Park along one of the paths.
Gabe returned the kiss and smiled down at his girlfriend. “Love you too.” And he kissed her nose. He relaxed into the cushions of the carriage, grateful suddenly for being able to sit after all the walking they’d done. Living in California had spoiled him, he didn’t walk everywhere like he used to when he’d been living here. The sound of the horses hooves was lulling, and he had to admit, it was pretty fun taking in the park via horse carriage.
“So…” Gabe started, cuddling Nina closer as a small breeze blew, making the crisp air a bit icy for a moment. “I was thinking after this, we could get some Wafels and Dinges and then head back to the hotel. Tomorrow’s gonna be a big day.” First they were going to do the Thanksgiving Day Parade, which required getting up early to get a good spot, then they had to make their way via public transportation to his grandmother’s apartment in the Bronx where they’d be bombarded by family, friends, and food.
It was actually far more comfortable than Nina had been expecting, and she snuggled close to Gabe to enjoy the experience. It was nice to just be together and resting, they really had done a lot of walking. Not that Nina would have it any other way, it was the best way to see the city and Gabe really was the most wonderful tour guide.
“Mmm” she hummed in agreement, a nutella and strawberry waffle would be really welcome in her opinion as well as lazing around in the hotel with her gorgeous boyfriend. “Perfect plan” she agreed, it would also help settle her nerves for tomorrow. She really wanted Gabe’s family to like her.
The following morning had seen them bundling up for the parade….only to head back into the hotel to strip off layers as the weather had turned much fairer overnight. They got a prime spot along the parade route near Central Park and gaped at the huge balloons and marching bands and all the fanfare that went with the famous parade. Gabe hadn't been back to the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade since he was a little kid so it was like experiencing it all over again.
Now they were just getting out of the subway - thank goodness the city had bumped up the amount of trains for the day- and emerging onto the streets of the Bronx. Being Thanksgiving Day it wasn't particularly crowded. Given he’d spent a year in Cali, Gabe was a bit struck at how crappy his neighborhood now looked in comparison. Some old graffiti gang tags were on walls of buildings, older cars sat parked along the street, trash littered random squares of sidewalk.
Gabe frowned. “Damn, I know it's been a while but didn't think it was this bad.”
The parade had been incredible, Nina had never seen anything quite like it and she’d pointed at things and essentially been as excitable as a child. It really was truly amazing.
She was fairly at ease on the subway, it was very similar to the London underground and easy to work out as long as you knew the direction you wanted. That part she was relaxed about, it was the part that came after, the meeting people, she was worried about.
“There are some areas of London which are far worse. Besides a neighbourhood is it’s people right?” Nina said with a squeeze of his hand.
“Yeah,” Gabe said a bit abstractly, old senses reviving as he kept an eye out for any trouble. His neighborhood wasn't the worst area in the Bronx, but it wasn't the best either. Hearing gunfire in the middle of the night became as normal an occurrence growing up as hearing a distance freight train passing by in the suburbs was for him now.
They made it to the building without incident, much to Gabe’s relief. He pushed the buzzer before the gated pathway that led to the sprawling apartment building. It wasn’t public housing per se, but it was affordable.
“Hola?” came his grandmother’s voice over the intercom. Gabe knew the security camera above the gate let her see him. He looked up and grinned, waving. “Gabe!” came her excited reply and they could hear briefly the noise of people in the background before it cut off and the buzzer rang out obnoxiously. He pushed the gate open and they headed into the building.
The interior was better than the initial impression of the neighborhood, with a newly renovated lobby done up in neutral color tile and paint. It had a five foot twinkling Christmas tree set in a corner (a bit early in Gabe’s mind).
“Looks like they’ve been doing some renovating,” Gabe mused aloud. The elevators looked new too. Stepping in he knew instantly they were. “Abuela’s building got a swanky upgrade.” He chuckled. They were whisked up to the eighth floor in smooth silence. Halfway down the hall they stopped in front of a door that had a festive wreath with “Feliz Navidad” in shiny letters. The sound of people and music could be heard muffled behind the door.
Gabe looked over to Nina and smiled reassuringly - that big, Groot grin of his. “Ready?”
Nina could feel how happy Gabe was getting as they entered the elevator, he was practically thrumming with it and she couldn’t help smiling. Nodding when he spoke to her she leaned up to kiss him, “Ready. Let’s go celebrate with your family” she said determined to make a good impression.
Gabe opened the door without knocking, and proffered a “Hola!” which was immediately greeted by cheers. Those closest to the door greeted them first, which were younger or the same age as Gabe. They greeted him bilingually, some in Spanish, some in English, all grabbing him in manly bear hugs and handshakes.
“This is Nina, my girlfriend.” he would introduce her to each, knowing that as soon as she spoke they would probably be a bit thrown off that she was British.
“Hey, Nina.” enthusiastically greeted one cousin, Enrique, shaking her hand before he pulled her into a hug. “Whatever stories he’s told you about me...they’re all true.” He laughed and winked. “Whatever stories this big guy’s told you about himself...all bullshit.”
“Hey!” Gabe swatted at his friend’s head. “Language!”
“What? She’s a grown woman!” he replied, then play punched Gabe in the arm. “Ow! Damn, ese, what’ve you been lifting? Tanker trucks?!”
“Yep. You just watch yourself,” Gabe teased, pointing, before he went to scoop up a little girl into his arms that came bounding out of the crowd. It was one of his nieces.
“I saw you in the parade!” she squealed. “I saw you on tv!” Gabe laughed. They had seen a cameraman sweep past the crowd but hadn’t expected it to make it to air.
Amidst the bombardment of greetings, one voice called out over the others, and suddenly the cousins and friends and friends that might as well have been family parted ways like the Red Sea as Abuela pushed her way through.
“Apartese del camino! Déjame ver a mi nieto y su novia ya!” she shouted at them, which meant “Get out of my way, let me see my grandson and his girlfriend already!” and all five feet two of her came up to Nina and Gabe and suddenly beamed up at them. “Ah, Gabe, hijo!” She extended her arms for a hug and Gabe immediately set down the little girl and stooped to hug the tiny old woman.
“Abuela, es tan bueno verte.” Gabe greeted in Spanish. He’d been teaching Nina some Spanish here and there, just for fun. He hoped she understood the greeting. Then switching to English he said, “Abuela, this is my girlfriend Nina. Nina, this is Abuela.” He looked proud as hell to be introducing them to one another.
Nina had to admit she was glad of Gabe’s warning beforehand, Nina was used to a loving family but hers had been smaller especially after she had been adopted, her parents had stopped fostering soon after so it had been just her for a long time. It was almost overwhelming as she was greeting and hugged and there was such a mixture of languages and voices all around them.
She had to smile when Gabe’s grandmother came through, quite possibly the smallest woman in the room barring the children yet she obviously commanded the most respect. It was pretty amazing to see.
Smiling Nina attempted something Gabe had taught her, “Gracias por invitarme , estoy encantado de conocerte” she really hoped she hadn’t mangled that too much. Languages had never been her strong point though she was enjoying learning from Gabe.
“Ohh!” his grandmother exclaimed, taking Nina’s hands in her tiny, wrinkled ones. “Very good! Encantado de conocerte, así,Nina. I see Gabe’s been teaching you.” Her eyes smiled, surrounded by the lines and crinkles of age that only made the expression more endearing. “That’s good.” She patted her hand, still holding them. “Your accent is different. Not American.” Gabe struggled to keep from rolling his eyes lest his grandmother procure a wooden spoon from somewhere to whack him upside the head with. Short as she was, he knew she’d manage it.
“Abuela, I told you, Nina’s from England.” he said with only a touch of exasperation, the rest was all respect. “Remember?”
“England!” cried out one of the cousins. “Yo, Dom! Gabe’s girl is from England!” He shouted it across the already noisy room, and there was a bilingual exchange between a few of the cousins and brothers - something along the lines of Nina being royalty. Gabe tried to correct them but it was useless. Between the football on tv in the other room, the sound of latin music from another, and the kids and conversation, there was no point.
“England,” Abuela said with a sense of awe, “That’s far away, across the ocean! Gabe has himself a fancy lady for a girlfriend. Probably royal.” She winked, and it was uncertain to Gabe if his grandmother was joking or literally had no idea that not everyone from England was royalty. He couldn’t expect much, his grandmother had come from a small town in the Dominican Republic and England was about as fantastical a place to her as if it were Africa or Antarctica.
“A little yes, but I’m afraid I am a slow learner” Nina admitted before the conversation turned to her accent and shouts came from all over the home when they heard she was from the UK. She hadn’t quite expected that reaction. It was pretty amusing.
“I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint you, I’m not very fancy or royal at all but I have seen Buckingham Palace on a school trip if that helps” she said with a grin for Gabe’s grandmother. She could see why Gabe held her in such high regard and how incredible it must have been to grow up with so many people. A very different experience from Nina’s own.
“Nonsense. You’re not disappointing anyone! You’re a beautiful woman, and you make Gabe happy. Come, you will tell me about Buckingham Palace while I finish cooking.” she said ‘Buckingham’ more like ‘Booking-am’ with her latin accent. Gabe chuckled and trailed them, giving Nina a kiss behind her ear and whispering. “Don’t worry. If she’s taking you into the kitchen it means she really likes you.” he then said at normal volume as they reached the door. “She won’t let any of us in, afraid we’ll eat everything before it’s ready.”
“That’s right! Stay out!” Abuela shouted over her shoulder playfully.
And with a reassuring smirk Gabe watched his grandmother steal his girlfriend away for some ‘women only’ time, grateful and reassured that his family was so readily accepting of Nina, who he knew was far from what they had been expecting him to bring home for the holidays.