Taken on my way home after listening to Barack Obama speak and watching a spiritual healer in Washington Square Park, dinner and drinks at a Chinese restaurant in Soho, and hanging out at Gina's spot for about an hour.
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Showing posts sorted by relevance for query gina b.. Sort by date Show all posts
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Phone Photo Op - Gina's Front Stoop
My friend Gina B. walks out of her apartment building and sees this:
Taken on my way home after listening to Barack Obama speak and watching a spiritual healer in Washington Square Park, dinner and drinks at a Chinese restaurant in Soho, and hanging out at Gina's spot for about an hour.
Taken on my way home after listening to Barack Obama speak and watching a spiritual healer in Washington Square Park, dinner and drinks at a Chinese restaurant in Soho, and hanging out at Gina's spot for about an hour.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Saturday in the City
It took me an hour and a half to get home from West 23rd Street. Ninety minutes. But before I recount that part of my day, let me back up.
I met Eileen, Annisha and Gina B. for brunch in Soho at noon. We stayed there for four hours. I love how conversation at brunch has no rules. We talk about anything and everything. It's so refreshing, frequently hilarious and always a good time. The bartender, a friend of Annisha's and obviously entrigued by our incessant laughter, pulled up a chair for awhile. I learned that he lives just five blocks from me. The waitress brought out a pitcher of sangria on the house, and suddenly it was 4 p.m.
After brunch Annisha dropped Gina off on Houston and me at West 23rd, and then she and Eileen drove back over the river to Hoboken. I had my eyebrows threaded at Unique Threading Salon and then went to The Container Store on West 19th Street - my haven. I find a sense of meaning and purpose in there that I should find in a church. It's the immaculate organization.
I bought a 12-cube organizer for my closet, two air-tight Tupperware boxes and a sandwich-shaped container since I've started making sandwiches for lunch at work (trying to add whole grains to my diet).
On a crowded uptown 1 train from West 23rd Street, I was able to get a seat at 42nd Street. A man put his bag in the seat next to me instead of sitting down or offering the seat to another passenger. At 59th Street an older woman - but by no means elderly - got on the train. A few moments later she asked me if the bag was mine. The man turned to her and said curtly, "Ma'am, you look twice my age. Do you want to sit down?"
She smiled, trying to mask her shock and surprise, and said, "I am twice your age! Thank you!"
She sat down next to me and pulled out a Blackberry. When the man moved to the other side of the train, I said to her, "I don't know how old you are, but you don't look twice his age. You look fabulous."
And I meant it. In fact, as I said it, I wondered privately if she had had any work done. Her skin looked great. Her makeup was well-applied, and she had on a furry hat and an outfit that looked expensive.
She smiled back at me and said, "He was a might rude, wasn't he? But aren't you so cute. I'm glad I got to sit next to you."
She exited the train at 103rd Street and flashed me a fabulous smile.
At 125th Street, the train was delayed. After half a dozen announcements regarding a smoke situation at 145th Street and FDNY investigations, I lugged my stuff off the train and waddled with my bags to the bus stop. I waited through two buses since they were full of fellow subway rejects.
When I finally got on a bus, I rode it one stop before I became irritated by all of the pushing and shoving. I stepped off the bus and walked the rest of the way to my apartment. It was less than a dozen blocks that I normally wouldn't hesitate to walk. With my heavy load, it was a struggle; however, I paced the bus block for block all the way to my building because of the delays caused by the overcrowding.
Now I'm in my apartment and relieved that Eileen, Annisha and Gina had already decided to bail on a birthday party that we planned to attend in the Lower East Side. I had been trying to think of a decent excuse to back out, but the bitter cold made a good enough one for all four of us.
Instead I will spend my evening organizing my shoes and vegging on my couch. I hate to admit that nothing would give me more joy tonight. It's a Saturday night in New York City, but I get a weird adrenalin rush creating organization in my life.
I'll blame it on the weather so I don't feel as lame!
I met Eileen, Annisha and Gina B. for brunch in Soho at noon. We stayed there for four hours. I love how conversation at brunch has no rules. We talk about anything and everything. It's so refreshing, frequently hilarious and always a good time. The bartender, a friend of Annisha's and obviously entrigued by our incessant laughter, pulled up a chair for awhile. I learned that he lives just five blocks from me. The waitress brought out a pitcher of sangria on the house, and suddenly it was 4 p.m.
After brunch Annisha dropped Gina off on Houston and me at West 23rd, and then she and Eileen drove back over the river to Hoboken. I had my eyebrows threaded at Unique Threading Salon and then went to The Container Store on West 19th Street - my haven. I find a sense of meaning and purpose in there that I should find in a church. It's the immaculate organization.
I bought a 12-cube organizer for my closet, two air-tight Tupperware boxes and a sandwich-shaped container since I've started making sandwiches for lunch at work (trying to add whole grains to my diet).
On a crowded uptown 1 train from West 23rd Street, I was able to get a seat at 42nd Street. A man put his bag in the seat next to me instead of sitting down or offering the seat to another passenger. At 59th Street an older woman - but by no means elderly - got on the train. A few moments later she asked me if the bag was mine. The man turned to her and said curtly, "Ma'am, you look twice my age. Do you want to sit down?"
She smiled, trying to mask her shock and surprise, and said, "I am twice your age! Thank you!"
She sat down next to me and pulled out a Blackberry. When the man moved to the other side of the train, I said to her, "I don't know how old you are, but you don't look twice his age. You look fabulous."
And I meant it. In fact, as I said it, I wondered privately if she had had any work done. Her skin looked great. Her makeup was well-applied, and she had on a furry hat and an outfit that looked expensive.
She smiled back at me and said, "He was a might rude, wasn't he? But aren't you so cute. I'm glad I got to sit next to you."
She exited the train at 103rd Street and flashed me a fabulous smile.
At 125th Street, the train was delayed. After half a dozen announcements regarding a smoke situation at 145th Street and FDNY investigations, I lugged my stuff off the train and waddled with my bags to the bus stop. I waited through two buses since they were full of fellow subway rejects.
When I finally got on a bus, I rode it one stop before I became irritated by all of the pushing and shoving. I stepped off the bus and walked the rest of the way to my apartment. It was less than a dozen blocks that I normally wouldn't hesitate to walk. With my heavy load, it was a struggle; however, I paced the bus block for block all the way to my building because of the delays caused by the overcrowding.
Now I'm in my apartment and relieved that Eileen, Annisha and Gina had already decided to bail on a birthday party that we planned to attend in the Lower East Side. I had been trying to think of a decent excuse to back out, but the bitter cold made a good enough one for all four of us.
Instead I will spend my evening organizing my shoes and vegging on my couch. I hate to admit that nothing would give me more joy tonight. It's a Saturday night in New York City, but I get a weird adrenalin rush creating organization in my life.
I'll blame it on the weather so I don't feel as lame!
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Brunching in the City
I met Eileen and Gina B. for brunch in Soho at Cafe Noir. Eileen is in fashion design and Gina is in fashion merchandising for the same company. Along with fashionable friends, brunch is something that is so New York. In the South, I'd argue that brunch is only something that one might do after a Sunday church service. But even then, it's not referred to as "brunch" in the same trendy way that it is referred to as "brunch" in New York City.
Brunch is the perfect way to start a Saturday. It gets you out of bed, but not too early. We met at 12:30 p.m. - but weekend brunches in New York can go as late as 4 p.m., or so I've been told. With the temptation to stay in bed all day, brunch is a fabulous reason to get out of your apartment and enjoy the city. And once you're out in Manhattan, it's easy to stay out.
We talked about work, men, clothes, bags and Super Bowl plans for tomorrow. After we had finished our cappuccinos, omelets, soups, salads and slices of bread that you could dip in olive oil, we continued to chat for another hour. The bartender sent out a pitcher of sangria on the house, and we sipped and laughed away the day.
I know it's a cliche Sex & the City moment, but days like today were exactly how I fantasized back in North Carolina that my life would one day be like in New York City. Brunch, sangria and a Saturday afternoon.
Brunch is the perfect way to start a Saturday. It gets you out of bed, but not too early. We met at 12:30 p.m. - but weekend brunches in New York can go as late as 4 p.m., or so I've been told. With the temptation to stay in bed all day, brunch is a fabulous reason to get out of your apartment and enjoy the city. And once you're out in Manhattan, it's easy to stay out.
We talked about work, men, clothes, bags and Super Bowl plans for tomorrow. After we had finished our cappuccinos, omelets, soups, salads and slices of bread that you could dip in olive oil, we continued to chat for another hour. The bartender sent out a pitcher of sangria on the house, and we sipped and laughed away the day.
I know it's a cliche Sex & the City moment, but days like today were exactly how I fantasized back in North Carolina that my life would one day be like in New York City. Brunch, sangria and a Saturday afternoon.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Restaurant Week Winter 2008 - Aspen
I met with Annisha, Gina B., Debasha and Tasha at Aspen last night to enjoy their $35 Prix Fixe Menu for NYC Restaurant Week Winter 2008. I chose the Warm Goat Cheese & Arugula Salad, Tasha and I shared the Pan Roasted Chicken and the Wild Salmon, and I ended up eating the remainder of everyone else's desserts ... so Snow Capped Cupcakes, Sorbet/Gelato and Pumpkin Flan. Add a few bottles of wine and lots of laughter. Equals another one of those New York nights that I always wanted.
At some point, as the last bottle of wine was drying up and some were on their third or fourth glasses of sangria, and I was picking the dessert crumbs off of everyone’s plates, I suddenly thought of Annalisa. I’m not sure why, but I remembered a promise I had made to her via a blog comment. I had promised that I would have a drink for her one night in New York City.
“So guys,” I said, as soon as there was a break in the laughter. “There is a woman in California, who reads my blog [this sounded super nerdy to say out loud, but none of my friends snickered or raised an eyebrow] and has always wanted to live in New York, but she began a life as a mother instead. I promised her awhile ago that I would have a drink for her in the city. So can we toast Crazy Mom of Three?”
"Sure!" everyone said. Odd requests are generally not questioned by my crew once the adult beverages begin to flow.
I raised my glass and my friends raised their glasses without hesitation.
“To who again?” Gina asked, her eyes glazed over by her sangria.
“To Crazy Mom of Three,” I replied, holding my glass aloft.
“To Crazy Mom of Three!” we all said in unison.
We live in a world where technology has the capability to connect across continents people who have never met. It’s kind of amazing. So are my friends.
At some point, as the last bottle of wine was drying up and some were on their third or fourth glasses of sangria, and I was picking the dessert crumbs off of everyone’s plates, I suddenly thought of Annalisa. I’m not sure why, but I remembered a promise I had made to her via a blog comment. I had promised that I would have a drink for her one night in New York City.
“So guys,” I said, as soon as there was a break in the laughter. “There is a woman in California, who reads my blog [this sounded super nerdy to say out loud, but none of my friends snickered or raised an eyebrow] and has always wanted to live in New York, but she began a life as a mother instead. I promised her awhile ago that I would have a drink for her in the city. So can we toast Crazy Mom of Three?”
"Sure!" everyone said. Odd requests are generally not questioned by my crew once the adult beverages begin to flow.
I raised my glass and my friends raised their glasses without hesitation.
“To who again?” Gina asked, her eyes glazed over by her sangria.
“To Crazy Mom of Three,” I replied, holding my glass aloft.
“To Crazy Mom of Three!” we all said in unison.
We live in a world where technology has the capability to connect across continents people who have never met. It’s kind of amazing. So are my friends.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Nikki Baby's Birthday
Yesterday I went to the gym after work, took a kick-ass cardio boot camp class followed by a 30-min abdominal class, showered and got ready to go out for a night on the town. I didn't return uptown last night. I was staying at Nikki's apartment in midtown since we had late-night plans. She has an amazing panoramic view that includes the East River on one side and an unobstructed view of the Empire State Building on the other, and she lives in the same building as Vanessa Minnillo and even sees Nick Lachay around from time to time. I saw neither last night.
I joined Nikki, her boyfriend and several of their friends at her apartment for some pre-party shots, and then we went out to celebrate her night on the town. She wore a pretty dress and a tiara, which we made her boyfriend wear for a random photo in the bar later that night. I don't remember what time we got back to her place, but I do remember that me, Nikki and her boyfriend were huddled around ice cream birthday cake on her kitchen counter, wearing pajamas, cutting slices, and eating it with our hands.
It was a struggle walking to work this morning. First of all, it was overcast, pouring rain and our umbrellas flipped inside out at least half a dozen times in the gale forced winds. Yet I still wished that I was wearing dark black sunglasses. We went our opposite ways at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue. Nikki, Alexis and I all work within a 3-4 block radius of each other and have plans for some spring lunches in Bryant Park. I can't wait for my first spring in New York. But for now, it was winter rain and hangover in the city. Side note: Arriving at work hungover is barely frowned upon in New York. Although I would say that I was more sleep-deprived that physically ill.
Her birthday weekend continues through Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but I had to forgo what will be an amazing dinner tonight fully paid by a club for which she promotes (and the subsequent after-party) because I have to be in New Jersey at 9 a.m.
And why? I already had plans to meet Eileen, Annisha and Gina B. across the Hudson River for the Hoboken Saint Patrick's Day celebration. Depending on how the barhopping goes in the morning and the rest of the day, I might rejoin Nikki tomorrow night. She's going to have a hummer escort. I am overlooking that fact that I am very anti-hummer, anti-SUV and anti-any other gas-guzzling atrocities. But it's her birthday weekend. So we'll see.
I joined Nikki, her boyfriend and several of their friends at her apartment for some pre-party shots, and then we went out to celebrate her night on the town. She wore a pretty dress and a tiara, which we made her boyfriend wear for a random photo in the bar later that night. I don't remember what time we got back to her place, but I do remember that me, Nikki and her boyfriend were huddled around ice cream birthday cake on her kitchen counter, wearing pajamas, cutting slices, and eating it with our hands.
It was a struggle walking to work this morning. First of all, it was overcast, pouring rain and our umbrellas flipped inside out at least half a dozen times in the gale forced winds. Yet I still wished that I was wearing dark black sunglasses. We went our opposite ways at 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue. Nikki, Alexis and I all work within a 3-4 block radius of each other and have plans for some spring lunches in Bryant Park. I can't wait for my first spring in New York. But for now, it was winter rain and hangover in the city. Side note: Arriving at work hungover is barely frowned upon in New York. Although I would say that I was more sleep-deprived that physically ill.
Her birthday weekend continues through Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but I had to forgo what will be an amazing dinner tonight fully paid by a club for which she promotes (and the subsequent after-party) because I have to be in New Jersey at 9 a.m.
And why? I already had plans to meet Eileen, Annisha and Gina B. across the Hudson River for the Hoboken Saint Patrick's Day celebration. Depending on how the barhopping goes in the morning and the rest of the day, I might rejoin Nikki tomorrow night. She's going to have a hummer escort. I am overlooking that fact that I am very anti-hummer, anti-SUV and anti-any other gas-guzzling atrocities. But it's her birthday weekend. So we'll see.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Crush on Ellen and Need an Air Conditioner
I am weirdly attracted to Ellen DeGeneres. This isn't a new revelation. I was watching a rerun of her show on the Oxygen channel last night, and decided that I'm finally able to admit it in the blogosphere. I had a conversation with my friend Eileen, Annisha and Gina B. about my female crush after Ellen hosted this year's Academy Awards show.
"Female crushes are normal and do not mean that you are a lesbian," Eileen had said to me over brunch at Cafe Noir after I had said, "Ok, girls. I am weirdly attracted to Ellen DeGeneres. Does that mean I'm gay?"
"But it's not your normal female crush," I had replied, "Most heterosexual girls have hot-girl crushes, like on Jessica Alba, or say something trendy like, 'I'd make out with Angelina Jolie.'"
I know I am strictly interested in men - at least in terms of intimacy. In fact, my fantasies of Ellen simply involve frolicking hand-in-hand in a meadow and laughing at her jokes while we rest in the shadow of cherry trees.
Anyway, I really need an air conditioner. It was so hot today.
This photo sums up today's temperature:
"Female crushes are normal and do not mean that you are a lesbian," Eileen had said to me over brunch at Cafe Noir after I had said, "Ok, girls. I am weirdly attracted to Ellen DeGeneres. Does that mean I'm gay?"
"But it's not your normal female crush," I had replied, "Most heterosexual girls have hot-girl crushes, like on Jessica Alba, or say something trendy like, 'I'd make out with Angelina Jolie.'"
I know I am strictly interested in men - at least in terms of intimacy. In fact, my fantasies of Ellen simply involve frolicking hand-in-hand in a meadow and laughing at her jokes while we rest in the shadow of cherry trees.
Anyway, I really need an air conditioner. It was so hot today.
This photo sums up today's temperature:
Monday, March 03, 2008
High Caloric Weekend
The increased calorie intake actually began on Wednesday with drinks and dinner at Divine Bar West with an old North Carolina college friend visiting from Chicago. As the Vodka Sodas (my signature drink) and Vodka Gimlets (his) flowed, we began to realize just how far from Cullowhee we really are. It's amazing, the clarity that comes with low-level intoxication.
"I never would have believed," I said, "Back when we would walk by each other and nod on campus - you in your over-sized hooded sweatshirts, and me in my velour sweatsuits - that we would one day be in a trendy Manhattan lounge miles and years away from North Carolina, sipping trendy drinks and eating gourmet chocolates given to me by a celebrity chef [I didn't add, 'You in smooth business casual and me in a black dress and 4" patton leather pumps']."
While we both agreed that we wouldn't change our pasts and that we appreciated all North Carolina had provided in our lives, there was nothing left back there for either of us. Then, we swapped our big city stories - both good and bad - but mostly good. And we toasted Chicago and New York.
*****
Thursday night was dinner at a friend's apartment in Harlem, where I inhaled two pieces of steak that he cooked on a grill - even though I don't typically eat beef - steamed broccoli and wine, followed by a popsicle, two packs of fruit snacks and a late-night trip to McDonalds for a hot fudge sundae and two cookies that we devoured in the McDonalds parking lot (there is actually a drive-thru on Broadway and 125th!).
*****
Friday night was dinner at Park Avenue Winter, a restaurant that changes its name, menu and decor with the seasons, and a going away party at Kush for Gina B., who is moving to Los Angeles. All weekend long, I was quoting Samantha from "Sex and the City," "I'm always surprised when anyone leaves New York. I mean, where do they go?"
Where do you go once you've lived here? As someone once said to me while we were dining in Morandi, "If you were in North Carolina right now, you'd be sitting around with your friends watching a Reese Witherspoon movie, talking about how much you love her."
While I know that's a comical exaggeration, I know that if I left New York for anywhere else right now, I'd ultimately wake up one morning and wonder what the hell I was doing there. Maybe I'll feel differently in a 5-10 years.
*****
In the meantime, I rounded out my weekend high above Columbus Circle at Asiate at the top of the Mandarin Oriental with a three-course brunch and mimosas. Then, the Sunday dinner crew (Iris, Keith, T and Olu) came to my apartment on Broadway Sunday night for a once-a-month ritual we started at Iris' apartment on Lenox in December, went to Olu and T's apartment in Jamaica Queens in January, and brought to my place for February (even though it was already the first weekend of March). Next is Keith's in Long Island, though I think we'll make him bring the menu to Harlem.
*****
It's five days and eight pounds later, and I just returned from an industry event at The Bowery Hotel, where a fellow executive assistant and I (attending on behalf of our bosses) downed complimentary champagne, mango martinis and tiny hor'dourves served on silver trays. We sat on the private terrace bundled in our jackets and scarves - just warm enough from the alcohol and the overhead space heaters - while she smoked cigarettes, laughing about how "Sex and the City" we were.
And I have more communal eating with friends this week. This is good news for neither the wallet nor the waistline.
"I never would have believed," I said, "Back when we would walk by each other and nod on campus - you in your over-sized hooded sweatshirts, and me in my velour sweatsuits - that we would one day be in a trendy Manhattan lounge miles and years away from North Carolina, sipping trendy drinks and eating gourmet chocolates given to me by a celebrity chef [I didn't add, 'You in smooth business casual and me in a black dress and 4" patton leather pumps']."
While we both agreed that we wouldn't change our pasts and that we appreciated all North Carolina had provided in our lives, there was nothing left back there for either of us. Then, we swapped our big city stories - both good and bad - but mostly good. And we toasted Chicago and New York.
*****
Thursday night was dinner at a friend's apartment in Harlem, where I inhaled two pieces of steak that he cooked on a grill - even though I don't typically eat beef - steamed broccoli and wine, followed by a popsicle, two packs of fruit snacks and a late-night trip to McDonalds for a hot fudge sundae and two cookies that we devoured in the McDonalds parking lot (there is actually a drive-thru on Broadway and 125th!).
*****
Friday night was dinner at Park Avenue Winter, a restaurant that changes its name, menu and decor with the seasons, and a going away party at Kush for Gina B., who is moving to Los Angeles. All weekend long, I was quoting Samantha from "Sex and the City," "I'm always surprised when anyone leaves New York. I mean, where do they go?"
Where do you go once you've lived here? As someone once said to me while we were dining in Morandi, "If you were in North Carolina right now, you'd be sitting around with your friends watching a Reese Witherspoon movie, talking about how much you love her."
While I know that's a comical exaggeration, I know that if I left New York for anywhere else right now, I'd ultimately wake up one morning and wonder what the hell I was doing there. Maybe I'll feel differently in a 5-10 years.
*****
In the meantime, I rounded out my weekend high above Columbus Circle at Asiate at the top of the Mandarin Oriental with a three-course brunch and mimosas. Then, the Sunday dinner crew (Iris, Keith, T and Olu) came to my apartment on Broadway Sunday night for a once-a-month ritual we started at Iris' apartment on Lenox in December, went to Olu and T's apartment in Jamaica Queens in January, and brought to my place for February (even though it was already the first weekend of March). Next is Keith's in Long Island, though I think we'll make him bring the menu to Harlem.
*****
It's five days and eight pounds later, and I just returned from an industry event at The Bowery Hotel, where a fellow executive assistant and I (attending on behalf of our bosses) downed complimentary champagne, mango martinis and tiny hor'dourves served on silver trays. We sat on the private terrace bundled in our jackets and scarves - just warm enough from the alcohol and the overhead space heaters - while she smoked cigarettes, laughing about how "Sex and the City" we were.
And I have more communal eating with friends this week. This is good news for neither the wallet nor the waistline.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
My Best February Birthday Ever
My friends are so fabulous. Since I was in England during the week of my birthday, my friends planned a belated birthday celebration. Busy schedules pushed the date back over a month, but I was so touched by their persistence. Tasha and Gina B. sent out the following evite on January 28:
"Hey ladies..... So it's time to celebrate Katie's birthday! The day will start with brunch at the amazing Spring Natural. Following, we will work off our calories by heading to Bryant Park for ice skating!!! (Make sure you bring your insurance cards in case of emergency!) To warm up after the cold ice, we will head for hot chocolate in Rockefeller Center at La Maison du Chocolat. Please RSVP and let us know if you're "in" for this fabulous day!!!!!"
Since the ice skating rink in Bryant Park was replaced shortly thereafter with Fashion Week tents and coordinating the schedules of eight 20-something, fabulous women pushed back my celebration further still, we agreed on alternative arrangements: comp tickets on a Sex and the City Tour led by Natasha (her weekend gig) and dinner at a clique favorite, Wild Ginger. At a toast to me after the wine was poured, I said to them: "This is the best birthday in February I've ever had!"
But it may have been the best ever.
"Hey ladies..... So it's time to celebrate Katie's birthday! The day will start with brunch at the amazing Spring Natural. Following, we will work off our calories by heading to Bryant Park for ice skating!!! (Make sure you bring your insurance cards in case of emergency!) To warm up after the cold ice, we will head for hot chocolate in Rockefeller Center at La Maison du Chocolat. Please RSVP and let us know if you're "in" for this fabulous day!!!!!"
Since the ice skating rink in Bryant Park was replaced shortly thereafter with Fashion Week tents and coordinating the schedules of eight 20-something, fabulous women pushed back my celebration further still, we agreed on alternative arrangements: comp tickets on a Sex and the City Tour led by Natasha (her weekend gig) and dinner at a clique favorite, Wild Ginger. At a toast to me after the wine was poured, I said to them: "This is the best birthday in February I've ever had!"
But it may have been the best ever.
The Sex and the City tour covers over 40 hot spots of Carrie and crew, including:
· Carrie's apartment stoop
· The Pleasure Chest where Charlotte bought her 'Rabbit'
· Magnolia Bakery, where Miranda stuffed cupcakes into her mouth
· Steve and Aiden's bar
· The church where Samantha meets "The Friar"
· The gallery in SoHo where Charlotte worked
· The furniture store where Aidan designed his tables and chairs
If you ever take the tour on a Saturday or Sunday, request Tasha (Natasha) as your guide. Tell her Katie sent you!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Phone Photo Op - En Route To Time Out
So I made Friday and Saturday into one long day by pulling an all-nighter before flying to North Carolina for the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Tokii and I joined friends for an album-release party at a club in the Lower East Side before returning to my apartment at 4am so I could pack and catch a 8:50am flight out of La Guardia. Surprisingly I was not regretting the up-all-night extravaganza as much as I thought I would as I wheeled my suitcase out of my apartment and hailed a cab to the nearest M-60 bus stop.
Tokii has her own set of keys to my place so she saw me off before crashing on my side of the Hudson River rather than hauling it back to Jersey. We had to admit though that we were both a little shocked at how alert we were at 5:30am - especially as our bodies get farther and farther from those college days. In fact, it was probably easier to get rolling (literally) at that hour without napping.
I don't know what it is about leaving New York for me. Even when I know I'm coming right back. But as the M-60 bus crossed over the East River in the early dawn, I felt a slight twinge of sadness as my journey South began.
Gina B. and I met at the airport and chatted momentarily while waiting for our respective flights to Greensboro and Charlotte (where my parents would be meeting me to drive the final 2 1/2 hours of my journey to their mountain home). Cassie was also flying to North Carolina today, but on a later flight and was still en route via train from Connecticut. As we had all expected, the Thanksgiving travel was already crowding the airport.
I boarded my flight around a quarter to 9 o'clock, took a few photos with my digital camera (digital photos uploaded below) as we cruised over my neighborhood and banked south, then slept through beverage service and the subsequent landing in NC. As the plane taxied to our gate in Charlotte, I happened to notice that the stamp from the nightclub was still on my wrist - the last bit of evidence from my New York night out ... 12-hour-old make-up, sweat suit and frizzy hair notwithstanding ...
Tokii and I joined friends for an album-release party at a club in the Lower East Side before returning to my apartment at 4am so I could pack and catch a 8:50am flight out of La Guardia. Surprisingly I was not regretting the up-all-night extravaganza as much as I thought I would as I wheeled my suitcase out of my apartment and hailed a cab to the nearest M-60 bus stop.
Tokii has her own set of keys to my place so she saw me off before crashing on my side of the Hudson River rather than hauling it back to Jersey. We had to admit though that we were both a little shocked at how alert we were at 5:30am - especially as our bodies get farther and farther from those college days. In fact, it was probably easier to get rolling (literally) at that hour without napping.
I don't know what it is about leaving New York for me. Even when I know I'm coming right back. But as the M-60 bus crossed over the East River in the early dawn, I felt a slight twinge of sadness as my journey South began.
Gina B. and I met at the airport and chatted momentarily while waiting for our respective flights to Greensboro and Charlotte (where my parents would be meeting me to drive the final 2 1/2 hours of my journey to their mountain home). Cassie was also flying to North Carolina today, but on a later flight and was still en route via train from Connecticut. As we had all expected, the Thanksgiving travel was already crowding the airport.
I boarded my flight around a quarter to 9 o'clock, took a few photos with my digital camera (digital photos uploaded below) as we cruised over my neighborhood and banked south, then slept through beverage service and the subsequent landing in NC. As the plane taxied to our gate in Charlotte, I happened to notice that the stamp from the nightclub was still on my wrist - the last bit of evidence from my New York night out ... 12-hour-old make-up, sweat suit and frizzy hair notwithstanding ...
Monday, February 05, 2007
Super Bowl XLI
Last night I met Eileen, Gina B., Annisha and two of their friends at Bounce, where we had six seats at the bar, a round of shots on the house and front row views of the flat screens. We rated the Super Bowl commercials, cheered on our teams, ate popcorn shrimp, quesadillas and chicken fingers and stopped drinking before we'd regret it in the morning.
At one point, I looked at our six reflections in the long mirror behind the bar. I know alcohol makes you feel more attractive than you really are, but we were some hot girls sitting at the bar. I turned to Eileen and relayed my observation. She nodded and replied, "That's how we roll! We're like the Pussycat Dolls; we've got one of each color."
"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed at the revelation. "How many Pussycat Dolls are there? Six?"
She looked puzzled, "Hmmm ... I don't know."
We both shrugged and turned back to the game.
Later after Prince's amazing halftime performance, I sent a text message to my closest friends: "I just watched the Super Bowl halftime show from a bar in Manhattan!"
What am I going to do next?
Remove: I'm going to Disney World!
Insert: Keep living in New York City!
At one point, I looked at our six reflections in the long mirror behind the bar. I know alcohol makes you feel more attractive than you really are, but we were some hot girls sitting at the bar. I turned to Eileen and relayed my observation. She nodded and replied, "That's how we roll! We're like the Pussycat Dolls; we've got one of each color."
"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed at the revelation. "How many Pussycat Dolls are there? Six?"
She looked puzzled, "Hmmm ... I don't know."
We both shrugged and turned back to the game.
Later after Prince's amazing halftime performance, I sent a text message to my closest friends: "I just watched the Super Bowl halftime show from a bar in Manhattan!"
What am I going to do next?
Remove: I'm going to Disney World!
Insert: Keep living in New York City!
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Sex & the City Girls
I know it's such a cliche title for a post about an evening spent in the East Village with three other women, but Sex & the City is exactly how I felt tonight. I didn't say that to Eileen, Annisha and Gina B. because I didn't want to sound like a cornball during Eileen's birthday dinner at Miracle Grill, and I feel a little like a dork typing about it now.
After dinner, we crossed the street to Magnolia Bakery for their signature cupcakes before strolling down Bleeker Street, stopping by a Marc Jacobs store, and then heading our separate ways. I caught the train at Christopher Street and carried the sacred cupcakes to the Bronx. When I arrived back at Tokii's apartment, I threw down my bags, took off my jacket and then held the cupcake box delicately in my palms elevated in front of me.
"Ahhhh ... Ahhhh ... Ahhh ... Ahh .... Ahhhhh ..." I sang, mimicking a monk carrying an offering in a sanctuary. I turned slowly and entered Tokii's room. She got a devilish look in her eye, "What ... is ... that?!?!?!" Brief pause and then: "You didn't go to Magnolia Bakery!"
The latter wasn't a question. She grabbed the box off my palms. We each devoured a cupcake. I know being a New Yorker isn't about Sex & the City nights, Magnolia cupcakes and Marc Jacobs, but there's something about good wine, great restaurants and fabulous women that make you feel like you're finally starting to fit in.
After dinner, we crossed the street to Magnolia Bakery for their signature cupcakes before strolling down Bleeker Street, stopping by a Marc Jacobs store, and then heading our separate ways. I caught the train at Christopher Street and carried the sacred cupcakes to the Bronx. When I arrived back at Tokii's apartment, I threw down my bags, took off my jacket and then held the cupcake box delicately in my palms elevated in front of me.
"Ahhhh ... Ahhhh ... Ahhh ... Ahh .... Ahhhhh ..." I sang, mimicking a monk carrying an offering in a sanctuary. I turned slowly and entered Tokii's room. She got a devilish look in her eye, "What ... is ... that?!?!?!" Brief pause and then: "You didn't go to Magnolia Bakery!"
The latter wasn't a question. She grabbed the box off my palms. We each devoured a cupcake. I know being a New Yorker isn't about Sex & the City nights, Magnolia cupcakes and Marc Jacobs, but there's something about good wine, great restaurants and fabulous women that make you feel like you're finally starting to fit in.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Girls' Night and the City
Since I am too lazy to transcribe last night's events in my own words, I am shamelessly pasting the following excerpt from Eileen's myspace blog. After all, she was there and she's already converted the memories into bloggeries. She came, she saw, she blogged:
Alright...another day in the crazy NY Single gal's life! Today we have two celeb sightings to discuss. I would say two B listers ...
1) Renee broke the case at Dos Caminos on Park Avenue last evening...she came back from the restroom and said "Charlotte's husband... what is his name... from Sex And The City... is sitting over there"... TREY MCDOUGAL!?!?!?!?!? ...BUNNY'S SON!?!?!? I was so there. Adrienne and I planned our nonchalant walk by after getting his coordinates from Nae... We did a casual walk over... I recognized his long gross hair immediately... the same "do"... or should I say "don't" that he was rocking on "Desperate Housewives"... anyway... there he was... VERY THIN which surprised me... but never the less... enjoying some chips and guac w/a friend and a younger girl... We had the plan of walking back to the bathroom... thinking we had gone the wrong way... and turning around to come back. Wingman Katie walked up and was like "Guys... I think the bathroom is back that way"... to get us turned around to rejoin our group after seeing him... but a server heard her and was like "Actually...you are going the right way... it's just back there"... so we had to walk back to the bathroom.
I told them when we camped at the bathroom for a moment "I don't see him as Trey McDougal right now... I see him as the dude that had the wild sex w/Eliz. Berkley in 'Showgirls'"... what a scene... what a bad movie...!!! Anyway... there is was.
And I'm also including the continuation of Eileen's post because it's "so new york" and it includes an additional recap of last night and a fun glimpse into her life as a designer in the fashion industry:
2) This AM on my way to Bonsenior (sp?) to get a coffee before going to work... I was j-walking (as I tend to do on small streets)... and this van was approaching... so I stopped to let him go... who was it in the van... Oliver Platt. I know, I know... I had to look him up on IMDB to get his name. When I saw him I was like "Oh... it's that guy'"... he was driving slowly... looked at me, smiled... did a little "thank you" wave for letting him go. Get this... he was in a soccer mom van!!!!!!! It was slightly surprising... you don't really see those up here... we are more of an SUV folk. This was like the Brown Plymoth that Gail used to take me to soccer and dance in! It was fabulous............. in 1990. Anyway... that was a cool way to start my day. Here he is ...in case you are still confused.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001624/bio
So, last night... was Iris's BIRTHDAY!!! I'm going to change my Top Eight to the Birthday Crew after blogging so all of the players are there :)! We started the evening at the rooftop bar on 26th and 5th... on the 21st floor... the most AMAZING view of Manhattan EVER!!! It isn't really my 'male' scene... as it is a lot of OOBER rich dudes... and the future trophy wives who are slobbering over them. It was Iris, Nae, Gi'v'a and myself initially. Gina looks at me and says "I see your future husband"... I thought she was joking at first... but I looked over and realized... she knows me so well. It was a business guy w/salt and pepper hair... prob. checking in at 45 years old. I have a strange attraction to older men... not sure why... never the less... He has the most blue eyes I have ever seen and a nice suit... GORG. I didn't talk to him... just admired from a far... he was in one of the roped off company areas anyway... NEXT.
Katie & Neesho joined us later and we made our way to Dos Caminos... to have a FILLING dinner and celebrate 24 years that Iris has graced our globe! Diva looked FIERCE w/her BCBG Max Azria "Trench" dress... it was a trench coat material w/a plunging neckline... Loved it!
Adrienne joined us there also... 10/22 mafia sticks together... later some other friends came out. We all drank way too much sangria and mojitos and filled up on Chips and Guac. I'm so glad I split my entree w/Ade and Nae... way too much food.
ONE MORE THING!!! ...and this is the most exciting... I saw my first pedestrian carrying a bag I designed yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Granted he was in our building... but he didn't work for our little corporation. I said "That looks great"... which was prob. weird to him... and Gina jumps in "She designed that"... LOL. He said "I love it... I carry it a lot... you should do more bags in this color"... It was bright orange! lol... hey, the guy likes orange... I ain't gonna fight him :)!!! Anyway, it looked great on him and I was SO excited to see something that took so much work... being carried and filled w/someone's STUFF and not stuffing paper :)!!!! It was a cool moment!
Alright...another day in the crazy NY Single gal's life! Today we have two celeb sightings to discuss. I would say two B listers ...
1) Renee broke the case at Dos Caminos on Park Avenue last evening...she came back from the restroom and said "Charlotte's husband... what is his name... from Sex And The City... is sitting over there"... TREY MCDOUGAL!?!?!?!?!? ...BUNNY'S SON!?!?!? I was so there. Adrienne and I planned our nonchalant walk by after getting his coordinates from Nae... We did a casual walk over... I recognized his long gross hair immediately... the same "do"... or should I say "don't" that he was rocking on "Desperate Housewives"... anyway... there he was... VERY THIN which surprised me... but never the less... enjoying some chips and guac w/a friend and a younger girl... We had the plan of walking back to the bathroom... thinking we had gone the wrong way... and turning around to come back. Wingman Katie walked up and was like "Guys... I think the bathroom is back that way"... to get us turned around to rejoin our group after seeing him... but a server heard her and was like "Actually...you are going the right way... it's just back there"... so we had to walk back to the bathroom.
I told them when we camped at the bathroom for a moment "I don't see him as Trey McDougal right now... I see him as the dude that had the wild sex w/Eliz. Berkley in 'Showgirls'"... what a scene... what a bad movie...!!! Anyway... there is was.
And I'm also including the continuation of Eileen's post because it's "so new york" and it includes an additional recap of last night and a fun glimpse into her life as a designer in the fashion industry:
2) This AM on my way to Bonsenior (sp?) to get a coffee before going to work... I was j-walking (as I tend to do on small streets)... and this van was approaching... so I stopped to let him go... who was it in the van... Oliver Platt. I know, I know... I had to look him up on IMDB to get his name. When I saw him I was like "Oh... it's that guy'"... he was driving slowly... looked at me, smiled... did a little "thank you" wave for letting him go. Get this... he was in a soccer mom van!!!!!!! It was slightly surprising... you don't really see those up here... we are more of an SUV folk. This was like the Brown Plymoth that Gail used to take me to soccer and dance in! It was fabulous............. in 1990. Anyway... that was a cool way to start my day. Here he is ...in case you are still confused.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001624/bio
So, last night... was Iris's BIRTHDAY!!! I'm going to change my Top Eight to the Birthday Crew after blogging so all of the players are there :)! We started the evening at the rooftop bar on 26th and 5th... on the 21st floor... the most AMAZING view of Manhattan EVER!!! It isn't really my 'male' scene... as it is a lot of OOBER rich dudes... and the future trophy wives who are slobbering over them. It was Iris, Nae, Gi'v'a and myself initially. Gina looks at me and says "I see your future husband"... I thought she was joking at first... but I looked over and realized... she knows me so well. It was a business guy w/salt and pepper hair... prob. checking in at 45 years old. I have a strange attraction to older men... not sure why... never the less... He has the most blue eyes I have ever seen and a nice suit... GORG. I didn't talk to him... just admired from a far... he was in one of the roped off company areas anyway... NEXT.
Katie & Neesho joined us later and we made our way to Dos Caminos... to have a FILLING dinner and celebrate 24 years that Iris has graced our globe! Diva looked FIERCE w/her BCBG Max Azria "Trench" dress... it was a trench coat material w/a plunging neckline... Loved it!
Adrienne joined us there also... 10/22 mafia sticks together... later some other friends came out. We all drank way too much sangria and mojitos and filled up on Chips and Guac. I'm so glad I split my entree w/Ade and Nae... way too much food.
ONE MORE THING!!! ...and this is the most exciting... I saw my first pedestrian carrying a bag I designed yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Granted he was in our building... but he didn't work for our little corporation. I said "That looks great"... which was prob. weird to him... and Gina jumps in "She designed that"... LOL. He said "I love it... I carry it a lot... you should do more bags in this color"... It was bright orange! lol... hey, the guy likes orange... I ain't gonna fight him :)!!! Anyway, it looked great on him and I was SO excited to see something that took so much work... being carried and filled w/someone's STUFF and not stuffing paper :)!!!! It was a cool moment!
Sunday, April 01, 2007
City Walk #2 - Harlem: Take the A Train
Armed with Alegra (for my blooming allergies) and an umbrella, I met Gina C., who wanted to join me on today's city walk. It was overcast with occasional drizzles as we walked from the intersection of 125th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue, where I once witnessed a random act of kindness that has since been dubbed "so New York." We speculated from block to block on how we could snag our own Harlem brownstones and then settled for splitting a white chocolate, macadamia and cherry cookie from Make My Cake bakery on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard before going our separate ways.
Card No. 41 - photos
Like the song says, you really do take the A train to Harlem.
Begin at 125th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue
(A, B, C, or D train to 125th Street).
Like the rest of New York, Harlem is made of up distinct neighborhoods with long histories. Its principal streets are West 125th Street, running east to west, now called Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and Lenox Avenue, or Malcolm X Boulevard, which runs north and south. From St. Nicholas Avenue, walk east on West 125th Street to the neighborhood's best-known landmark, the Apollo Theater at #253, where generations of black entertainers, including Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington, headline, and where many others - including James Brown and Gladys Knight - got their start on amateur night. On the south side of West 125th, at #144, is the Studio Museum of Harlem, a showcase of African and African-American art. Turn right at Lenox, walk south to West 120th Street, and turn left into Mount Morris Historic District, whose handsome brownstones are enjoying a rivival. Turn left again at Marcus Garvey Memorial Park, and left on Weest 121st Street to return to Lenox. Turn right up Lenox to the twin blue awnings that mark the entrance of Sylvia's. Fill up on fried chicken, spareribs, and collard greens, then walk it off en route to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, on West 135th Street, and the Abyssinian Baptist Church (132 West 138th), Harlem's first African-American church (1808). From here it's a short walk west to West 138th and 139th Streets between Adam Clayton Powell and Frederick Douglass Boulevards. Known as "Strivers Row" since well-to-do blacks began moving here in the 1920s and 1930s, these are two of the most beautiful blocks in all New York.
From City Walks: New York: 50 Adventures on Foot by Martha Fay
Card No. 41 - photos
Like the song says, you really do take the A train to Harlem.
Begin at 125th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue
(A, B, C, or D train to 125th Street).
Like the rest of New York, Harlem is made of up distinct neighborhoods with long histories. Its principal streets are West 125th Street, running east to west, now called Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and Lenox Avenue, or Malcolm X Boulevard, which runs north and south. From St. Nicholas Avenue, walk east on West 125th Street to the neighborhood's best-known landmark, the Apollo Theater at #253, where generations of black entertainers, including Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington, headline, and where many others - including James Brown and Gladys Knight - got their start on amateur night. On the south side of West 125th, at #144, is the Studio Museum of Harlem, a showcase of African and African-American art. Turn right at Lenox, walk south to West 120th Street, and turn left into Mount Morris Historic District, whose handsome brownstones are enjoying a rivival. Turn left again at Marcus Garvey Memorial Park, and left on Weest 121st Street to return to Lenox. Turn right up Lenox to the twin blue awnings that mark the entrance of Sylvia's. Fill up on fried chicken, spareribs, and collard greens, then walk it off en route to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, on West 135th Street, and the Abyssinian Baptist Church (132 West 138th), Harlem's first African-American church (1808). From here it's a short walk west to West 138th and 139th Streets between Adam Clayton Powell and Frederick Douglass Boulevards. Known as "Strivers Row" since well-to-do blacks began moving here in the 1920s and 1930s, these are two of the most beautiful blocks in all New York.
From City Walks: New York: 50 Adventures on Foot by Martha Fay
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