September 02, 2006

Liberties

My Labor Day weekend thus far has been filled with absolutely so much laughter, love and extravagant entertainment that I hardly can do it justice. I shall try. Our dear friend Andrea, previously identified as AB, arrived in New York Wednesday night after she spent several days working in Boston. Since I met her just over a year ago, she has managed to not only remain one of the truest, sweetest friends I've ever had the good fortune of making, but she has also visited Craig and me both times that we've moved since we met her. Wednesday she managed to catch an earlier flight than scheduled out of Logan, and I hopped on the local 6, traveled to 51st Street, transferred to the E, and rode out to Forest Hills - 71st and Queens Boulevard. Craig busied himself with his fantasy football draft at home. Oddly and by miracle of human instinct, I emerged from the subway station at the exact intersection where I had instructed Andrea to be dropped by a cab from Kennedy airport. She was several dollars short for her cab ride and the agitated cab driver impatiently awaited completion of payment at the moment I discovered her standing there, and as luck would have it I had enough cash on me to finalize his business and send him on his snotty way. Cab drivers in New York are never hailed as good friends of locals, much less the tourists. And Andrea, poor thing, had already undergone public transportation frustration related to Boston's subway earlier that afternoon. In keeping the theme with public transportation frustration, as we stood on the platform awaiting the E to deliver us to Manhattan, my eyes were blurred by fatigue, and my heart was just filled with the excitement of seeing Andrea. And to defend myself, the letters "E" and "F" have several characteristics in common. That said, the F train rolled to a stop and I confidently told Andrea that that was our train. We got on, rode...rode...rode, and the stop at Roosevelt Island somewhat startled me - I hadn't stopped there en route to Forest Hills - but what did I know, maybe the route had shifted. Then I became increasingly concerned with the increasing street numbers of the stops. When we reached Rockefeller Center, I announced to Andrea, "I believe we've missed the right stop." We darted off the train, avec all the heaviest luggage of Andrea's world, and as the train shot through the tunnel in the direction of its next destination, I saw that the identity of the train read "F," not "E." Nevertheless, we rose from the underground of the City and Andrea's first actual sighting was of Radio City Music Hall. I think it worked out well, the way that went.*We ate dinner at Cilantro with Craig Wednesday night, stopped over at Biddy's for a few beers, and Craig turned in early - I stayed with AB. We wound up sitting on the stoop later in the night for hours, catching up on everything and staring, wide-eyed, at the rat infestation of the night, which is very real and very alarming - they come out after hours, shrieking and scaling the mounds of trash bags piled for the following morning's trash pick-up. They are all gray, and they are all menacing. But they steer clear of humans. It is trash that they seek.*Thursday Craig and I worked, and Andrea spent the day with an old friend of hers who lives in Jersey and came into the City for the occasion. Then Thursday night I made reservations at Dragonfly in SoHo for all of us: Andrea, Craig, Lauren, Jeff, myself and Amanda (Lauren and Jeff's roommate) and in the midst of the transfer from the 6 to the F (this time I believe we were in search of the F), while riding the escalator downwards, a voice began to fill my ear and I spun around to see Amanda, followed by Jeff and Lauren. How odd to live in a City filled with 11 million people and somehow you run into the people you know! So we all rode together to SoHo. Dragonfly was nice - we introduced Andrea to edamame, which she announced tasted like peas (I disagree-but I still adore you AB!) And then after dinner we wandered to a bar filled with red dim lights and Belgium beer. Jeff is a raging Belgium beer fan and he was taking us to a place he knew. After that, we tried another place. Too many intricate details to mention in between, but they were ever-present and we all enjoyed the presence of the intricate details.*Friday, Craig and I took vacation days and showed Andrea as much of New York as we could without overstimulating her or causing overexhaustion. Our bagel deli, Midtown, edges of Central Park, the Today Show, Columbus Circle, the sights, the sights. I wanted to take her on the Circle Line boat tour, the 2-hour ride, because it is my favorite way to unwind and see gorgeous Manhattan, and the lovely Lady Liberty at a decent distance. Other than the fact that the clouds were very gray and heavy from Ernesto (I don't heart hurricane season) our ride was splendid. We had a couple of beers and watched the enigma of Manhattan from the boat which moved at a fairly regular speed. After the boat tour, we took Andrea to Ground Zero, where there are now indescribably emotional photographs that have been blown up and hung side by side attached to the heavy steel fencing as steady amazing reminders of the 5-year anniversary of the tragedy as it approaches. I think I fought tears enough times, to resist a breakdown, that I could have filled the Hudson River with my own emotion. Or near enough. And Andrea was as pulled into the passionate unrest as anyone with a heart is. Seeing this site, standing beneath the heavy weight of brilliant New York sky where once stood two towers of unreal height and inconceivable presence, should be something that every visitor we invite or welcome, should request to see. For every bit of battered and bitter reminder it is worth.*We ate dinner at Cafe Fanelli, which is a place on Prince Street in SoHo that Craig and I just love. Then we took Andrea to Times Square (though she had gone with her friend the day before) so she could see the lights and immense wonder of the pleasure by night. Then we took a cab to 68th street, where we began our bar hopping experience in the Upper East Side. We saw a phenomenal number of establishments, the latter of which was Elaine's, which is evidently where Woody Allen has hung out in the past.*The entire Andrea-stay was relaxing, stimulating and brilliant. I think she had a very rewarding adventure here, for her first trip t0 New York, ever. We tried to display for/to her how it is to be here, to live here, to positively thrive here. I think she got the idea. And I hate to abruptly cut this short, but it's late, and my enthusiastic sports fanatic boyfriend has purchased tickets for us for tomorrow's display of tennis masterdom - the US Open in our very own Flushing, Queens. Because of rain delays, it sounds as though we will be seeing Agassi and two other significant tennis professionals - which delights Craig bey0nd human comprehension. I love to see him happy - that's what it is doing for me. Meanwhile, so nice to be off work for so many days. Must love an extended Holiday weekend. And love all over New York.

0 Comments:

<< Home