NYC. What is it about you?

I’m sitting in the dark.  It’s a little before midnight and Justin leaves early tomorrow morning to go back to San Fran for one more week so I said he could turn the light off to get some sleep.  I’m going to tell you about Wednesday.

We left the apartment and headed west in search of breakfast.  We found some on the corner of 7^th and Waverly Place at a diner with no name.  No, really.  I looked everywhere and all I could find was a flashing neon sign that said “restaurant”.  Helpful.  Anyway, this “restaurant” had the most extensive breakfast menu I have ever seen.  I went with French toast and bacon.  And it was incredible.

After a brief stop at Urban Outfitters we continued down Waverly to find Washington Square Park.  It’s so pretty and full of equally pretty people, mostly student-types from NYU.  It was a particularly warm day, sunny, and with a really chilled holiday vibe.  New York, at least, this part of New York was smiling lazily.  We stopped to look at the fountain and take some pictures and while we sat and soaked up some sun I decided to put my feet in the cool water… Now, let’s get one thing straight.  People swim in fountains in New York and from what I’ve heard; this phenomenon is something you can view all over the USA.  They really do.  An interesting cultural difference.

 

Anyway, I was watching these kids play and thought, “Just for a second, to cool off a bit…” So I walked down the steps and took a step… So. Nice.  My body temperature may have lowered instantly.  “Just a little deeper, maybe.”  So I took another step…  Seconds later, I’m sitting fully clothed, legs akimbo, waist deep in water… Josh was laughing.  I was laughing.  It’s possible that other people were laughing.  This being a hot, sunny day and all, the place was packed.  I gathered myself up and got out of the fountain.

Hilarious.  Possibly the single funniest event in my personal travel history.  I removed my soaking leggings and sat in the sun to let my (thankfully, thin-but-not-see-through) dress dry.

Still snickering (and damp) we walked through NYU on our way to the New Museum where I perused a wall full of wishes printed on ribbons and selected on to keep.  The idea is to tie it around your wrist and when the ribbon wears out and falls off, the wish will come true.  Mine is lime green and says ‘I wish wishes came true’.  I figure this leaves it open for what I want to wish for when it eventually falls off.  Another favourite of mine was, ‘I wish to remain curious’ and also, ‘I wish I had a turtle and that there were no wars’.  You may notice that this is the second wish-related activity I’ve taken part in on my trip to NYC, (third if you count falling in the fountain, that’s got to be better than throwing in a penny). I guess everyone needs wishes. Can’t hurt, right?

Anyway, the design of New Museum building is so creative.  It’s supposed to have the aesthetic of a New York City trash can and it’s designed to have completely different looks dependant on whether the day is sunny or overcast.  Very cool.

And then we walked a lot.  Prince Street (cute boutiques), Bleeker Street (more cupcakes), the Meat Packing District (where we saw Diane von Furstenberg’s glass ceilinged bedroom… from the street), past the bar that inspired Coyote Ugly, and then the Chelsea Food Markets…

Chelsea Food Markets. Sigh.  So amazing.  Cheese, bread, chocolate, seafood, cakes, spices… Raw warehouse, original architecture with a little more… polish.  A well, you know the kind with water.  Artwork.  And books.  This place is amazing! Bliss.

We met up with Mikey before heading to Whole Foods in the East Village.  I could gush about Whole Foods for a good… oh, I don’t know, at least 20 minutes.  (Apparently I’ve become quite emotional about groceries).  We picked up some cheeses, baguettes, and (from Bowery and Wine) a bottle of Beaujolais.

Then it was on to Jake and James’s teeny apartment for cheese, bread, drinks, and of course clams.  James prepared them with ale, fresh mixed herbs and garlic and they were absolutely incredible.  Of course, the place being so small, pretty much all kitchen, and crammed with six fully-grown (some quite large) adults it was becoming quite warm.  And if you can’t stand the heat… Well, you know what to do.

So we went to a bar called Elsa where we drank some more wine, met some of James’s American friends, talked about life, dreamt about the future, and made some plans for artistic fulfilment.  And it was getting late…

James suggested the four of us (Josh, Justin, Mikey, and I) share a taxi back to Queens, as it would be safer and not too expensive.  So I did it.  I hailed my first New York City cab and asked him if he’d go to Queens.  He did.  So much power!  I don’t know that I’ve ever felt more powerful in all of my life!  And as we drove across the Queensboro Bridge looking out at the New York City lights, I couldn’t help but think that life was turning out to be a pretty awesome adventure.

(In case you’re wondering, the cab ride from the East Village to Woodside in Queens will set you back about $17).

One of my all-time favourite days.

Sending all of the love of a woman who falls into fountains hails cabs in New York City… Jules xx