new york v.2, week 3

Week three of this trip has been a lot about rain. In the last 21 days, we have had at least seven days of rain all day long – about the same amount of rain we will see in the Bay Area during October, November and December (or more on a dry year). But when you have a 100 pound dog in a 1,000 square foot apartment and a time limit on your fall adventure, you get yourself out in the rain with a water repellent jacket and solid umbrella. I’m keeping a positive attitude and reminding myself that I was hating the hot, humid weather but I am also struggling with rain-friendly footwear and frizzy hair. 

The first day I was caught in the rain without an umbrella was the same day I had my first hair color appointment on the upper east side. I made an appointment with Frank, my friend Adrienne’s long time hair stylist on the Upper East Side (UES). Frank is a classic New Yorker, proud Italian and an outspoken gay man who is not afraid to say things like, “Who do I have to blow to get a reservation at Don Angie?” He immediately questioned my friendship with Adrienne: “You know she is a total bitch, right? I mean, I love her, but I hope you are not as mean as she is!” Of course, I relayed this conversation back to Adrienne and she was not surprised or insulted.

Two hours later, I had completely refreshed hair color and a beautiful blowout but did not anticipate that it would be pouring outside. I had no umbrella or rain jacket and desperately wanted to retain my blowout. The salon offered me a shower cap and reassured me that I would blend in on the streets and no one would notice it. So, I wore it. I put on a shower cap and race walked back to the subway along 5th Avenue. I would like to think this makes me more of a New Yorker but really I would do this anywhere to keep my wig fresh. 

Besides managing the wet weather (both humidity and rain), we have had some really fun new adventures. We went to a show called “Speakeasy Magick” and the name is exactly what it was. You enter the show through a store front and then you see a magic show. Please know that I would never casually recommend a magic show to anyone. The last magic show I went to was in 1996 at the Magic Castle in LA when my friend Miles was taking a class there. I love Miles but that show was less than impressive and my husband has been doing an impression of one of the aspiring magicians ever since. “Speakeasy Magick,” however, is awesome. All eight people in our group (ages 23 to 63) loved it. 

On a sunny day this week, we took e-bikes (Citibikes rented on the Lyft app) from Chelsea to the Seaport. There is a bike path all the way up and down the west side and at least part of the east side (but the east side is not as picturesque because of the FDR). We didn’t start the ride on the bike path and once again found ourselves on busy streets trying to navigate cars, buses, other bikes, scooters and pedestrians. Once we finally got on the bike path, we rode past the Whitney, Little Island and the new Gansevoort Peninsula (which is not open yet  and will be a huge pull to living or staying in Meatpacking or the West Village), Tribeca, One World Trade, the 9/11 Memorial, Battery Park and the financial district. We had lunch overlooking the East River at Industry Kitchen with a long lost friend from high school (see “back in new york”, second to last paragraph) and it was a beautiful afternoon.

A few more highlights that I would like to mention:

• I was invited to play tennis at the court at Vanderbilt Tennis Club inside Grand Central Station. I was very excited to see this secret court and it turned out to be very dark and the ceiling heights vary in awkward ways. I checked the box on this to do item but I won’t be making it a priority to return.
• We enjoyed two outstanding dinners this week. The first one was at The Golden Swan in the West Village which was formerly The Spotted Pig (the rise of and fall of this restaurant is a pretty interesting story.) The food was excellent – including the chicken which is almost never something people rave about. Friends visiting from LA took us to Yakitori Torishin which focuses on authentic Japanese BBQ skewered chicken. Luckily, our friends were well versed in Japanese culture and took care of ordering our meal. The sake went down very smoothly and was nothing like the sake bombs we used to drink at Ten Masa on Sunset Blvd when I was drinking with a fake ID in high school.  
• My husband is now joining me for weekly $35/hour foot massages at Shun Fa 68 on 6th Ave. When you are walking an average of 15,000 steps a day, this is the ultimate treat.

The one bummer of our extended visit so far is that our dog peed in the lobby of our building. We are not in agreement about what caused this breach in behavior but I feel strongly that it was related to an earlier than usual bathroom visit the night before and she could not push it an extra hour. She is a big girl who is completely afraid of New York streets and most other dogs and now has a reputation for soiling the lobby. We are crossing our fingers she can keep it together for another 19 days.