New York Minute (6.7.05)

I'm posting this so I won't forget and/or lose this email - it's a chronicle of mine and Lee's NYC trip back in January 2004.

This trip was almost the vacation that never was...Lee and I planned (and booked) it way back in October, and we were supposed to be spending a week in the city that never sleeps during the latter part of December. Unfortunately, because we are a work-driven, no-rest-for-the-weary society, our jobs got in the way a bit and we had to postpone. After a teency emotional and dramatic outburst on my part, Lee rescheduled for January. heh heh heh...

We arrived on Sunday, January 18th to a sludgy, snowy, freezing La Guardia. Spent six years at baggage claim and seventeen more waiting for a taxi, then we were on our way. Luckily Lee and I both have good (and generous) friends in Manhattan, so we were able to crash at their houses. First on the list - Lisa Lawrence. Lisa lives in Murray Hill (upper East Side) - precious place - doorman and everything. We had a few beers, invited Lee's friends, Seth & Jen, over...and proceeded to our first bar of the trip.

Cute little place - actually very casual and Athens-esque. The tables were barrels, they were playing excellent music...felt right at home. After a few drinks there, we went to Mexican Radio - great restaurant. Oh yeah...we saw an aging soap star macking on a 20-year-old...they were a table away. ha ha... Oh, and comic relief: I laughed at a girl that slipped on the ice outside of the restaurant and then fell myself. Have a hematoma. Nice, eh? That's karma for you.

The next morning, Lisa the Shopping Guru, took Lee and I down to Soho, Canal Street and the West Village. We shopped until we dropped (ie: until Lee started yawning), and then he went and met up with Seth at ESPN zone where they challenged little boys to basketball games and laughed evilly when they beat them. Lisa and I went over to Bloomingdale's (hell yes) and then went and had a manicure and mini-massage (very reasonable! less than three beers at a bar...). I then met up with Lee & Seth at an Irish bar where they had made friends with an eccentric and generous bartender who was carrying around a Nelson record. Only in NYC.

Tuesday morning, Lee and I set out to explore the touristy aspects of Manhattan. We dropped our million suitcases off at Seth's (five-story walk-up...I nearly died)...and then rode the train down to the Financial District. Right when we came up out of the subway (yes, I am a pro at the N, R and 1, 2, 3 trains...) we were at the site of the WTC. It was really an incredible sight - the "footprint" is huge...bigger than I would've thought. And it was just so mind-boggling to think that there were such awesome buildings there at one time...with so many people in them. Really takes your breath away.

It was such a clear, sunny day - but FREEZING cold. We ventured across the street to Century 21 - an extremely overwhelming department store. So overwhelming in fact, that I had a terrible nose-bleed in the shoe section. Actually I think that was due to the temperature change from outside to inside...but regardless, it was embarrassing and gross. So, we decided that store wasn't for us...

We then froze our asses off going to see the Statue of Liberty - worth the trip, but my God, was it ever freezing. I'm talking about painful wind and frozen noses... you can take the girl out of Georgia... Finally we headed back to the warmth of Seth and Jen's. Ahhh... long day but a really touching one. Tuesday night, the gracious couple took us to a bar near their house (Cleopatra's needle) and then to a family-style Italian restaurant called Carmine's. So much fun...good company and lots of meatballs.

Wednesday was Lee's birthday and our designated Museum Day. Again the weather was clear and deceptively sunny...with a high in the low 20's. Damn cold in other words. We took a cab across Central Park to Museum Mile...where we hailed the absolute worst cabdriver in the history of taxis. He didn't know where the Guggenheim was (which, as it turned out, was 8 blocks North of where we were standing...). Finally, we got him an address and we decided that to punish him, we would burp in tandem all the way to our destination. Lee and I were crying with laughter by the time we arrived, and then the cabby said, "Where is the museum?" Lee laughed and said, "Um, it's that HUGE white building to your left..." Hilarious. Anyway, as we were getting out, Robert Klein (comedian) comes to take over our cab. I impressed him with my eloquence by telling him that the cabdriver "sucked." Robert (first-name basis, you see)...said, "Hey...you got here alive!" Our only celebrity tete a tete.

The Guggenheim was fantastic - I loved it...could've stayed there all day. Then we went to the Museum of Natural History where we seemed to gravitate time and again to the monkeys. What is it about monkeys that is so funny?

After Lee declared himself "Museum'd Out" we went to the Oak Room at the Plaza for a birthday glass of champagne. What a great bar...expensive but great. Wednesday night, Seth and Jen took us to this tiny little Mexican restaurant called Tortilla Flats - they have hula hoop contests (no, we didn't participate...dammit) and all kinds of distractions. It was awesome. After dinner, we visited Hogs & Heifer's (appropriate after a Mexican meal)...the bartenders were terrible bitches with bullhorns, but after I danced on the bar, they shut their traps. heh heh heh...

Thursday was by far mine and Lee's favorite - we took a taxi down to Carnegie Deli and split the biggest sandwich I've ever seen... From there, we went down to Rosie O' Grady's and had a few drinks...then to Rockefeller Center. So very cool...especially the freaks on the ice that we laughed at until we almost wet ourselves. We took another taxi to Tavern on the Green...such a beautiful spot. The interior was about as gauche and gaudy as you can get, but it was still a great place to see. We had two glasses of wine much to the chagrin of the waitstaff (who were between lunch and dinner shifts)...and then took a really wonderful rickshaw through snowy Central Park. It was perfect, and our little "driver" Peter was phenomenal. He was the perfect tour guide.

Thursday night, Lee spent with Seth and Jen, and I had a "girls' night" with Lisa and her friend, Nancy. We went to Da Silvano's where we saw millions of beautiful people who I'm sure were famous in their own right, but we couldn't place them... ate a delicious meal and then went to Serendipity for the biggest sundaes in the history of all things sweet and yummy. Incredible.

Friday, after a slight mishap with my license (ended up finding it - not worth getting into)...Lee and I traveled down to Times Square. We had drinks atop the Marriott Marquis in their dining room/bar "The View" that rotates a full 360 degrees. It was sunset and sooo gorgeous - perfect last evening. We then had dinner at an Asian fusion restaurant called Ruby Foo's in Times Square...phenomenal food. Lee and I had to roll ourselves out of there.

So, there ends our trip - we left Saturday with empty pockets and huge, goofy smiles... it was the absolute best trip. Cold but so much fun, and we saw everything that we possibly could. If any of you made it to the end of this email...you are either very bored or you must really like me. heh heh...

Ahhhh... the end. Start spreading the news...