Jennifer Lopez stepped out for lunch with her 18-year-old child Oskar in New York City on Tuesday after exercising at a gym in Santa Monica.
The 57-year-old pop superstar and actress met Oskar and friends at Dante, a restaurant in Manhattan's West Village neighborhood, shortly after appearing on the West Coast on Monday.
Lopez wore fall fashion for the West Village outing, layering a baby blue sweatshirt over a white collared shirt alongside wide-leg blue jeans and black peep-toe heels. She completed her ensemble with black sunglasses and a Bottega Veneta leather pouch clutch handbag retailing for over $4,000.
Oskar opted for a matching cream-colored sweater paired with classic blue jeans and olive sneakers.
On Monday, before seemingly flying across the country to New York, Lopez put her toned midriff on display during her workout routine in Santa Monica. She wore a low-cut burgundy sports bra with matching leggings, a plum-toned Yankees baseball hat, and chunky white sneakers, wearing her caramel-hued hair down in a sleek, straight style.
Outing comes ahead of college move
Santa Monica, a coastal city situated west of downtown Los Angeles, is known for its beachfront fitness culture and celebrity sightings. Dante, located in Greenwich Village in Lower Manhattan, is a historic New York dining establishment famous for its Italian cuisine and casual café atmosphere.
The Manhattan lunch comes as Oskar, who was born Emme, recently unveiled a new trans identity while preparing to head off to college in the fall. Oskar is believed to be attending Sarah Lawrence College, an elite liberal arts school located in Yonkers, New York, just north of Manhattan.
Established in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College is known for its individualized curriculum in the humanities and performing arts. Earlier this month, Lopez shared a sentimental Instagram post highlighting a summer road trip around Italy with Oskar and 18-year-old twin brother Max before the pair move out of home.
"Road tripping with my coconuts before they head off to college," Lopez wrote in her caption alongside a crying emoji. Her post featured selfies with both teenagers, whom she shares with her ex-husband, salsa singer Marc Anthony. Anthony did not appear to join the family on their European vacation.
Academic achievements and ADHD struggles
Speaking to Extra, the Bronx-born hitmaker revealed that both of her children achieved top academic results by gaining admission to every institution they targeted. "I am so proud that they set goals for themselves," Lopez said, noting that both twins got into all five colleges they applied to and earned a scholarship to each.
Lopez recounted watching her twins hustle for good grades from the time school became serious in fifth grade, noting that both teenagers manage attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). "They have ADHD, and so they need to learn differently, and there were struggles and times, and I'm just so proud of them because they did what they said they were going to do, and they're good people," she explained.
She added that her children are "loving, good-hearted people" who frequently quote her own parenting advice back to her. "I always say to them, 'What do I say?' And they say, 'Doesn't matter if we get good grades so long as we're good people.' And I was like, 'That's right.' And they still sometimes will quote that back to me. So I'm very proud of both of them," she said.
Busy schedule sparks burnout concerns
The family milestone arrives amid reports that friends fear Lopez is headed for "burnout" due to an intense work schedule. The singer has recently secured an eye-popping $20 million contract with Italian luxury fashion house Dolce & Gabbana while simultaneously planning a world tour, acting, and promoting her upcoming films.
Insiders told The Daily Mail that her heavy schedule has raised concerns among close friends, who fear a repeat of the nervous breakdown she suffered in 2002. "She is working her tail off because she wants to stay busy, though there is some concern she may burn out," an insider revealed.
Lopez's packed schedule follows her painful divorce last year from actor Ben Affleck, to whom she was previously engaged in 2002. As Max and Oskar prepare to begin their university studies away from home this fall, the star continues to juggle her entertainment projects and corporate commitments.
