Veronica’s NYC Night Shots...

Veronica captured some very cool shots, including this reflection of the Empire State Building,...

...several shots of and from the Brooklyn Bridge...

...and, of course, Times Square.

Veronica & Jimmy at Night...

After a delicious Chinese dinner with Peter, Sophie and the boys, Veronica and Jimmy set off on a photo safari. Here they are on the Brooklyn Bridge.

And here is their selfie from Times Square.

Veronica also posed with Woody and a surprisingly short Buzz Lightyear in Times Square.

Ashlynn and I also made our way to Times Square that evening, but never ran into Veronica and Jimmy. We did a little shopping and were amazed that it was crowded enough at H&M at midnight that we actually had to stand in line for the dressing rooms.

Veronica Photographs Peter’s Family...

We really enjoyed meeting Sophie and the boys, which also includes 10-year-old Luca. It was so nice to see for ourselves that Peter is truly happy. I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive about taking the family out for dinner, but the boys were really well behaved and we all had a great time.

Hanging Out with Peter...

After our college visits, we met back up with Peter at Sophie’s apartment. Little 3-year-old Alessandro was adorable as he put on a fashion show for Ashlynn by modeling each of his dress-up outfits.

Peter and Sophie are starting a natural fruit juice business together. We drank some of their creations, but started the evening with a bottle of bubbly.

Eight-year-old Iain enjoyed climbing a tree in Washington Square Park with Veronica after she photographed his family to thank them for hosting us.

Visiting Colleges in New York City...

Veronica figured it didn’t make sense to visit just one women’s college, so she decided she wanted to see Barnard College in Manhattan as well. It was surprisingly compact covering just four acres. We weren’t impressed with the dorms, but the rest of campus was quite nice.

We first saw this innovative drinking fountain, which fills water bottles at quick speeds, at Barnard but later saw them at several airports.

While Veronica took a class, we walked over to Columbia University, which was across the street. Once Veronica rejoined up with us, we decided that we should tour Columbia as well since Barnard students can take classes on either campus. Not surprisingly, this Ivy League university was quite impressive. Veronica liked what she saw, but is unlikely to apply.

Hello, Manhattan!

No trip to the East Coast is complete without a stop in Manhattan, which we hadn’t visited since 2005. Jimmy dared to drive into the city. Luckily the rental car drop off was near the highway, so we didn’t have to negotiate too many one-way streets. We contacted a fellow Jimmy used to work with during his old prepaid phone card days for a suggestion on where to stay and he generously offered us his apartment on the Upper East Side with this amazing view.

I was expecting a one-bedroom bachelor pad, but Peter actually sublets from a woman with very nice taste. We felt very spoiled!

Turns out that Peter doesn’t actually stay in the apartment much because his fiancée owns an apartment nearby. We enjoyed a delicious sushi dinner and champagne on the killer rooftop terrace.

Veronica took the opportunity to take some night shots.

Cornell Vet School...

While Veronica and I were visiting a dorm, Jimmy took Ashlynn to the open house at the vet school.

Ashlynn has always had a special way with animals and I think she would make a great vet. Although she has no interest in being a vet, she enjoyed listening to this dog’s heart...

...and petting one of the world’s ugliest cats.

The highlight of the open house was the equine treadmill demonstration. Apparently, this treadmill can go up to 45 mph, the speed of a thoroughbred race horse.