Sister vacations are the progeny of the first measures of freedom: a driver’s license and a paycheck. In 2016 I was alive with the liberation of new resources and dreaming of big adventures and new places. Bria, my three-year-younger little sister has been the long suffering keeper of my (often impractical) schemes and has patiently endured many days of playing along with my fantasies. If you know Bria, you know that she is infinitely good natured, endlessly patient, and deeply kind. If I am a tempest, Bria has always felt like my harbor.
And so, armed with a debit card and a dream, we planned our first sister vacation—a weekend in Pittsburgh, just the two of us. We booked a hotel and I brought a bottle of champagne which made me feel a little rebellious, and on one night we got dressed to the nines and ordered an Uber Black that took us to a high-end seafood restaurant overlooking the city. It all felt very grown up and independent. It felt like we could go anywhere and do anything, no longer limited by the confines of school schedules or parental preference. And best of all, I was with Bria, relishing our special bond as sisters.
In the following years the extravagance of our vacations waxed and waned with our resources and time. One year was a simple dinner and sleepover in Buffalo, while another took us into the boonies of middle New York where we saw Hunter Hayes play through a warm summer night. Once I came down to see Bria at school in Virginia and we made the drive to Richmond for manicures, shopping, and a night of eating chocolate cake in bed. Bria got some hard news that night and I held her while she cried.
And this year, we really did the thing right. High off of fresh promotions, we planned a trip to the Big Apple. We went in January, and between off season prices and the lingering influence of covid, got some spectacular pricing on accommodations and entertainment. In the months leading up, we had almost as much fun planning as we did taking the actual trip. I was especially delighted by a birthday surprise I had planned for Bria, which I managed to keep until the very night of its reveal.
On our arrival into Laguardia we hopped an Uber to the hotel, dropped our bags and changed into our big-city cocktail dresses for a night out, starting with an extravagant rooftop bar overlooking midtown and Brooklyn. After Ophelia, we decided on dinner at Capital Grille, where we were surprised to have the place almost entirely to ourselves and seating in a sweet little nook. There, just the two of us, I felt relaxed in the way you do when there’s no pretense and no performance, just the simple pleasure of being known and still loved.
The next day was a whirlwind—Chelsea Market, breakfast at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery, a tour of the Natural History Museum (we LOVE the Night at the Museum films so this was a highlight), both VR experiences at the Harry Potter store (OMG), and finally a birthday dinner at the exceptionally delightful Union Square Café, where Bria was surprised with a complimentary birthday sorbet. The following morning was hurriedly browsing 5th Avenue windows in a windchill of minus nineteen before taking refuge from the cold in the Lyric Theater where we saw our first Broadway show, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (there’s a theme here…). A forgotten wallet turned into a panicked backtrack and then a sprint through Times Square to our dinner reservation at Iron Chef Alex Guarneschelli’s famed restaurant Butter, where we feasted on fluffy beignets served with raspberry coulis and vanilla bean anglaise. Finally, after the last of the sugar had been dusted from our fingertips, I could begin the reveal of my master plan for our final night in Manhattan. We went back to our hotel where we picked up our luggage, met the car downstairs and got in for a ride north from Times Square, straight towards Central Park. We passed the gleaming windows of the city at night, past Bryant Park, Radio City, Rockefeller Center, and MoMA with Bria looking wide eyed and wondering out of the window. Finally, we turned right on 59th Street, and right again into the square around the Pulitzer Fountain, coming to a stop at the front doors of The Plaza Hotel.
When the bellhop clicked the door shut after hanging our coats in the closet and showing us around the room, we squealed and danced as only sisters do, absolutely delighted that two kids from a farm town in Pennsylvania should find themselves in the midst of such opulence. It felt like we had pulled one over on the natural order of things. It is one of the happiest memories I have, and the best part is knowing how many more of those nights and moments are to come.
Having a sister is a special thing, and I believe that among sisters, I have the best. Bria, I want to keep seeing the world with you, I want to keep sharing life with you, I want to keep hearing what you have on your mind and on your heart—here’s to the memories shared and the adventures to come!
Ansley Kelly (’16) makes her home in Rochester, NY, where she delights in short, sweet summers spent sailing and long winters spent skiing at her favorite mountain. Between outdoor adventures, you can find her buying books more quickly than she can read them and indulging in mid-morning naps. She works for Wegmans Food Markets where she finds purpose and joy in feeding her community and the wider world.
What a wonderful adventure for sisters.
How much fun!!! You sound like your cousins, my daughters, who are identical twins and enjoy a similar bond that goes beyond simply being siblings. Here is to many more to come!!
You two are such beautiful ladies just like your Mum. What a blessing that you have each other to share vacations with, thank your parents for the gift of a sister!