The perfect day
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
We arrived at JFK at 6:03-an hour later than scheduled. I sat in the middle seat on the plane which meant that anytime I fell asleep, my head flopped over too far and woke me up. Or if I rested on my husband's shoulder, as soon as I'd fallen comfortably asleep, he shifted. Essentially, I was miserable. But no matter...we were home. We got in the car and I immediately dozed off. I'm sure it was no coincidence that I didn't open my eyes again until we were in the city. They cracked open long enough to let the high rises welcome me home. There's nothing that I love more than driving into the city at that time of day, before the hustle and bustle has completely taken over. The sun rising over the buildings is a reminder that it's a new day in this land of possibilty and anything can (and will) happen.
We arrived in the West Village at 6:36 and promptly crawled into bed. Is it completely deranged that the construction of the new apartment building across the street lulled me to sleep? I awoke 5 1/2 hours later to watch "Lost" and eat an egg and cheese sandwich generously picked up by my mother-in-law. There are no egg and cheese sandwiches like NYC egg and cheese sandwhiches. No one else knows how to make them the way New Yorkers do.
We got dressed and ventured out for my favorite kind of NYC afternoon...the kind where you just wander and let your feet lead you wherever it is that you're supposed to go. The air was brisk enough to feel refreshing but not cold. We ventured down Bleecker, stopping in my favorite stores and admiring new ones (thank you Tommy Hilfiger for my new 350 dollar boots on sale for 99.99. I love a good bargain.)
Every time I walk down the streets of Manhattan I feel high. It never goes away - I am invigorated, alive, and on top of the world. I find myself breathing more deeply, walking more quickly, wanting to go places even when I have no place that I have to go.
After a jaunt through the West Village and a stop at my favorite coffee shop, Panino Giusto, for a perfect latte, we headed home. I looked at about 20 stores I could have gone into but it was just day 1...there was no rush.
At 5:30, we went to a pre-theater dinner at old standby, Orso, with my in-laws and my sister. And then we were off to the theeee-ah-tah to see August Osage County.
A. Maz. Ing.
Honestly. You can not miss this work of art. Tony awards are going to abound but more than that, I was riveted from start to finish. A genius piece of theatre about relationships and families and the truth of it all. And if you think you're fucked up, you'll leave this feeling shaken up, but normal. The second act is the most riveting act of theater that I have EVER seen. Period. Beg, borrow and steal to see this one, baby. It's the best and most exciting play I've seen in a long time.
But also know that it will leave you fairly frazzled. After the show we wandered over to meet our friends at their new restaurant, Nizza. Along the way, we talked about the show in partial sentences, unable to fully express our thoughts. I didn't realize how my heart was racing and my mind was reeling until we sat down and I couldn't hold a proper conversation for at least five minutes. I was literally a babbling idiot. In order to calm my nerves, I decided to order my new cocktail of choice, the very appropriate Manhattan. I had my first Manhattan at Thanksgiving in 2007 and I've never looked back. It's fitting that my favorite drink and my favorite place are one in the same. Anyhow, we sat down at Nizza and once we both finally relaxed, had a fabulous evening of catching up with our friends, not to mention a delicious post-theater meal. I was starving - as far as I was concerned, "dinner" was lunch and this was dinner.
Nizza is a sexy atmosphere and a fabulous option whether or not you're seeing theater. The menu is conducive to sharing small plates which is my absolutely favorite way to eat. The socca - a crispy chickpea pancake, was a perfect combination of salty and sweet and the broccoli bruschetta was piled to the ceiling with the delicious topping. You can't go wrong with the talleggio panini with fig marmellata. Figs and tallegio? To die for. But my favorite, by far, was the focacette - fried ravioli filled with gooey cheese. Oh. My. God. I could eat these every day for the rest of my life and not get sick of them. My ass would get sick of them, but my taste buds would not. At this point, you could have rolled me out of the place, but I had to taste the pasta al pesto which used flat wide noodles with a perfectly savory pesto. And once I tasted, I couldn't stop. (There's no use for self control when you're visiting New York City.) I didn't even get a chance to taste the tomato soup with fresh ricotta or any of the mouth watering pizzas...which clearly means that I'll just have to go back on my next trip! And I highly recommend that you do too...
I love being with friends and having so much to say and to talk about and gush about and be thrilled about for each other that you practically choke on the air. And then what is it about New York that makes you feel like you can drink anyone under the table? Two manhattans and several fabulous stories later, we poured out of Nizza with satisfyingly full bellies.
Something happens to me when I'm in New York. I can stay up for HOURS. In LA, I fall asleep on my couch at 10. Despite the fact that I'd barely slept, my body clock was all sorts of fucked up, I'd just seen a 3 and a half hour marathon of an emotionally depleting show, and I'd had two extremely strong cocktails, I was still up for more. We hopped in a cab downtown and met Aisha at Employee's Only. But determined not to ruin the following day with a hangover the size of the entire island, I refrained from any more Manhattans and hydrated myself with water. At 2, I left my husband behind to play with one of his oldest friends while I journeyed home.
This is what I love about New York. At 2:15 on a Friday night, the city was a pulsating mecca of life. I barely noticed that my feet were hitting the pavement - it literally felt like I floated down the streets of the West Village, once again breathing in the crisp air, feeding off the energy of those around me and giving them mine right back. The street lights flickered and the cabs raced by and I played my New York game of seeing how many blocks I could walk without having to stop to wait for a light at a cross walk. The night was on my side and I made it home without having to stop once. It's a good thing too because my body was flying through the streets with such excitement and movement that it felt as though stopping was impossible.
I pranced home, downed a bottle of water, and let my head hit the pillow. I had to be up at 9 for tomorrow was a new day and I wasn't willing to waste much of it with sleep.
Panino Giusto, 551 Hudson between Perry and 11th
Nizza, 630 9th Avenue between 44th and 45th, 212-956-1800
Employees Only, 510 Hudson between Christopher and 10th, 212-242-3021
Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 5:45 PM
Labels: food and drink, NYC, travels
Yes! The streets of NYC high feeling. Totally with you there.
And Employee's Only! Yum... :)