Adieu, New York

View from the Marriott Marquis, Feb 2009
Originally uploaded by suzipaw

I write this from my room on the 17th floor of the Marriott, almost ready for a last stroll around the city, visiting my friends at Martha Stewart and maybe a peek into the Public Library before heading out to JFK and the flight home. I'm ready to be home, but it's been a wonderful trip:

M and I arrived Thursday evening, getting to Kam's apartment about 8:00 p.m. Despite the hour and chill, Eliza was up for going down to the Village with us to have dinner. The cold made our wander around for a likely restaurant a bit uncomfortable, but it was good to be out and about. We slept late the next day, and then the three of us headed out into the teeth of the wind again to the South Street Seaport, along Wall Street to the Battery, then up through TriBeCa to Marie Belle chocolate shop to warm up with a cup of hot chocolate before heading back uptown to Sara and Chandran's, where Kam joined us for a lovely dinner.

Saturday we were back at S&C's for a pancake brunch with a passel of Chiara's friends, part of her birthday celebration. Then we split up, Sara taking the girls to a movie, the men heading out to the Natural History Museum, and Kam and I taking in the Met. We had hoped to see the exhibit celebrating Philippe de Montebello's retirement, but that had closed, and my traditional trek to the costume area was also thwarted. But there were plenty of other exhibits to see, and we had a great time.

We reunited at Kam's, then M and I checked into the Marriott in the afternoon. We had dinner in Hell's Kitchen (or Clinton Hill as a local corrected M as we wandered down the street back to the hotel) and made it an early night. Which helped our early morning sojourn down to the East Village and our old neighborhood. We breakfasted at Veselka, where I had banana buckwheat pancakes, one of the same meals I enjoyed when I first moved to NY lo these many years ago. M and I strolled uptown, stopping in Union Square, shopping at Fishs Eddy, and through Madison Square to Curry Hill (where I did not eat this trip to get my south Indian fix, sadly--next time…) We had lunch at Sara and Chandran's and said our goodbyes for this visit. M met up with an old friend, while I started work. It was a late night for me, but it was good to get the conference underway (it went very well, thank goodness).

M and I had one last dinner together Monday night. He left early Tuesday morning, and I was sad to see him go. It was nice to be on a trip for once and not miss him the whole time. And it was really wonderful being in New York together again. Tuesday was another long work day as was yesterday, but it ended well: I had a great extended dinner with my friend Cathleen, who had come to the conference too.

OK, time to hit the streets one last time…

*****

At JFK, waiting out a mechanical delay. I thought it was high winds, but no. Not sure which is worse. Hopefully we'll be only an hour later.

Some observations about New York this visit:

Subway fashions as always were very entertaining. It is winter, but boots were popular, mostly low heeled and slouchy.

I ate good restaurant food, but nothing spectacular this trip. Although the hot chocolate was pretty amazing. I stuck my head into Babbo when M, Eliza, and I were trekking around downtown, but it was packed, so I didn't even bother to ask. Cathleen and I resolved to try for Babbo again next time.

I forgot to mention that between the Battery and the hot chocolate, our path crossed the World Trade Center site. It was a little discouraging to see that it's still a huge hole in the ground. It was almost like the construction site has become the attraction and the memorial. We also went into Trinity church on that walk, which is lovely. And smelled good. We tried to peek into the Woolworth Building, but tourists are now prohibited there, such a shame.

Grand Central station is still beautiful. I wish all buildings could be crafted with such care and attention to detail.

I did not run into anyone I knew serendipitously, which is too bad. I always enjoy that.

I loved watching the working women in Midtown this morning, on their way to meetings in their fashionable clothing and high heels, beautifully wrought scarves bundled around their necks.

So many happenings in that town, it's amazing what it can accommodate. The Westminster dog show, Fashion Week, Chinese New Year, to name just a few. I saw the huge white tents squatting in Bryant Park for Fashion Week and watched the dog show on TV. M and I toyed with the idea of going, but petered out.