Last week, the gang and I took a five day trip to Puerto  Rico. We've never been south of Florida, so this was a great adventure. There were lots of first time experiences – a swim up pool bar, a drive through a rain forest, a sun burn in February.

At the same time, there was a lot of familiarity. I lived in Washington Heights for 12 years, so nearly everyone we talked to had been a neighbor at one time or another. You lived on 181st Street? No way! We lived on 187th! 

The kids enjoyed the beach and the pool. Ian ate tostones, and Jonah had empanadas. We explored San Juan.

Of course, adventures are limited with kids. They do like things safe and comfortable. It would be splendid to go back at some point without them and travel around in a jeep. The top down. Hair sunbleached and wild. Visiting remote sea villages and eating grilled fish that just flopped out of the ocean.