As I sat at the bench facing the window of the Starbucks on 49th and 7th, all I could see in front of me were people on the sidewalk going through the motions of life. There were pairs of lovers walking in hand-in-hand, new moms pushing along their designer dressed babies, younger people talking about changing the world, older people talking about how the world had changed too much.
Despite all of these different groups of people, it seemed like they were all linked some how. They all had something in their step which drove them along. As I contemplated this, sipping at my skinny-frappacino-mocha-caramel-chai-latte and tapping aimlessly at the keyboard of my Mac notebook, watching the cursor blink at me on the plain white screen, I couldn't help but wonder... and then my cell phone rang.
It was him.
Big.
I’d accepted an invitation to stay with him at this apartment on 71st between Columbus and Central Park West, and he now said he wanted to show me around town. And that, I have to say, was the start of something wonderful. Something that will last a lifetime. I’d never felt like this before – in just a few short days, I fell in love.
Big met me and said he had to show me his New York.
It started innocently enough with a classic salmon and cream cheese bagel
and ended up in the most ridiculous-fabulous way I could have ever imagined. And so here’s everything else that happened in between:
Discovering big city life from the top of the Rockefeller Centre,
to seeing city night lights from the top of the Empire State Building.
After seeing a couple of Broadway shows, I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed each time I stepped out into Times Square, as bright and as busy as if it was the middle of the day:
In amongst the maddening crush of people, I found a small oasis in Bryant Park where you could pick up a read at lunch time in the Outdoor Reading Room, and by night it turned into an outdoor cinema.
I was shown where the world meets,
and I saw where the world sells.
No sales on Manolos here though unfortunately. None on Jimmy Choos either.
I passed a gorgeous afternoon in the sun, strolling the streets of the Village where I was shown where the best pizza, best Thai, best cookies, best gelato, best cheeses are all available… And there I hung out in the Cornelia Street Café which was the venue for the first ever reading of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monolgues and was also the café where that Matthew Broderick took out his now wife, you know, ahhhhhhh… what’s-her-name… on their very first date together.
I passed a gorgeous afternoon in the sun, strolling the streets of the Village where I was shown where the best pizza, best Thai, best cookies, best gelato, best cheeses are all available… And there I hung out in the Cornelia Street Café which was the venue for the first ever reading of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monolgues and was also the café where that Matthew Broderick took out his now wife, you know, ahhhhhhh… what’s-her-name… on their very first date together.
New York was an assault on my senses, even more so than my skinny-frappacino-mocha-caramel-chai-latte assaults my insides. It’s a completely overwhelming place that can intrigue, anger, inspire, throttle, enliven and amaze you – all simultaneously. It’s so overwhelming in fact that I saw it do strange things to people…
It can make you go rollerblading with water bottles balanced on your head!
It can make you think you’re incredibly hot hot hot!
It can make you jump for absolute joy, just like Mario Lopez of former Saved by the Bell fame!
It can make you go out in public wearing matching outfits!
It can certainly make you do insane things. And New York certainly had that effect on me.
What effect did New York have on me? As my time in New York came to a close, I thought the only suitable way to finish up would be to go out in style:
!!!
I couldn’t ask for more.
As my helicopter rose over the jagged skyline of Manhattan, I finally realised the answer to my Starbucks-skinny-frappacino-mocha-caramel-chai-latte question. I now knew what was affecting all of those people I saw in the street. It was New York herself. The ole dame gives off so much energy that you can’t help at all but be swept up in it all and be taken along for the wonderful ride that is life in the Big Apple. It really is everything at once, and this city can be a million different things to a million different people. To me, it felt like it should. It felt like the centre of the universe, where anything and everything goes.
My time in the city had come to an all-too-quick close. As I bid farewell to my generous host, Mr Big, I realised that I had fallen completely in love. In love with New York, and it’s just the start – the start of a beautiful love affair that’s gonna last forever.
NOW WHERE’S MY COSMO???
As my helicopter rose over the jagged skyline of Manhattan, I finally realised the answer to my Starbucks-skinny-frappacino-mocha-caramel-chai-latte question. I now knew what was affecting all of those people I saw in the street. It was New York herself. The ole dame gives off so much energy that you can’t help at all but be swept up in it all and be taken along for the wonderful ride that is life in the Big Apple. It really is everything at once, and this city can be a million different things to a million different people. To me, it felt like it should. It felt like the centre of the universe, where anything and everything goes.
My time in the city had come to an all-too-quick close. As I bid farewell to my generous host, Mr Big, I realised that I had fallen completely in love. In love with New York, and it’s just the start – the start of a beautiful love affair that’s gonna last forever.
NOW WHERE’S MY COSMO???
-Eurotrash
2 comments:
Far out!!
Ya forgot to fondle your mole quizzically Carrie!
Le Dingham
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