We
left months ago, when you think about it—not actually, physically departing on
a northbound jet, but the fascinating idea was conceived way back then. Then,
just a dreamy lovers’ dream, a pretty thought of a flower only half-likely to
blossom. Then, a newer then—two Sunday’s past—we were packing our things,
calling friends, checking flights, planning a spontaneous trip that all started
with my girlfriend’s question: “Do you want to go to New York today?”
The
pilot banks left, we gaze, left and down, down at the Downtown financial
district of Manhattan, pulling bad-memories close, banking left around banks of
rivers and banks left in the shadows of towering steel scrappers, banking on
being down there soon with little left in the bank.
Bussing
through Queens, we pass various scenes we feel we’ve seen before on movies and
sitcoms and talk show intros. Bus under the El Train tracks to the subway,
Express train to central Greenwich Village. Patronize a few pop-fame pubs;
local musicians strummin’, singin’, pluckin’, playin’, hummin’, beatin’, and
one dude blowin’ bass notes with an old whisky jug. Local ales and pale ales
and artichoke pizza that tastes like a warm east breeze, despite the fact it’s
two degrees (C), see. See, not a bad first day and night in New York City.
An
indeterminate amount of time’s worth of clothes are not-neatly packed into two
backpacks between the two of us; layers of the rest of our clothes covering us,
us snuggled close on a blow-up mattress on a friend’s kitchen/dining/living
room floor, snuggled close even though we have closed the window. It’s a small
blow-up, but pads are small in that part of the city. Snuggled close, cause how
else would you snuggle with someone with whom you’re close and it’s cold.
We
walk. We walk everywhere. First, we walk to a local joint for tea, en route to
the Downtown district we flew over fifteen hours ago. At the half point, we
have a ham-n-sausage-n-egg-on-everything-bagel breakfast made by a nice guy in
a street-side bagel stand, and before we know it we’re down there staring up at
behemoth buildings. We walk, we walk.
Our
feet aren’t yet sore as we frequent different streets and bars and bookstores,
just casually taking in the city. The city! “Babe, we’re in the city!”
And
the city’s different districts are distinctively cool—the micro districts, too,
good like the local micro brews, the ones we’re sipping now at an Irish pub in
China town. We’re seeking out a late lunch, or an early dinner, depending on how
big the portions are. “Holy shit, that’s a lot of chicken chow mein.” Loaded on
hot tea to keep us warm, we wander north through Little Italy before a long nap
before a late night out on the town.
Eugene,
(good friend, good director, good on him for making it (this far) in New York)
has dragged us out, not by any means kicking and screaming, to show us around.
Another good pub. Another good local beer, then a round on the house. “Aren’t
New Yorkers supposed to be rude?” The best falafel—for $2.50! Fat Cat for some
three-dollar jazz. “C’mon, guys, let’s go.” “A what?” A fairly cool Show Tunes
bar with fairies singing in damn good tune to show songs on song cards handed
out by some show-stoppin’ big momma behind a piano with a bigger voice and wit
no Brit could top. Sing-a-longs (I don’t sing along, cause I don’t know the
songs) and no one’s at the bar—they bar-lean on the piano and most everyone is
drunk and happy and gay (in both the new and the happy way), save for the burly
dude with a girly tone, meanly saying, “Can we please use our inside voices,”
just so everyone can hear his part of his and his partners’ duet. Lame-ass.
Strange looks. “Hailey, please hold my hand.”
It’s
4:00. More pizza. Yes, more food. What can I say? We’re here for the food.
Hailey
looks hot in her boots. By ‘hot’ I mean pretty, though it’s warm today, walking
around Uptown. A MOMA walk-through, then back-to-back plays. Musicals. On and
Off Broadway musicals; not that I’m complaining, but after this, I’m good with
show tunes for quite a bit. Time Square in the day, Time Square at night. The
people. The lights. Conan O’Brian’s big head on a big screen. Coke. Bud Light.
Wicked. Micky-D’s. Bank of America. Bank left. Subway. A subway south, back to
Euge’s flat. Tonight’s a brief night out. Falafel again; it’s a good thing, I’m
not complaining.
Thursday.
Another warm day. Walking. Walking North. A walk in the park. Central Park. The
whole park, almost. It’s a lovely park, for the most part. The Met, The
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Now our feet are hurting. The balls of Hailey’s
feet’s bottoms and the large arches on my feet’s peaks, and behind my left
knee. Time for a nice lunch and a beer or three (one was free; New Yorkers are
actually really nice, save for the old lady who made Hailey and me let go our
held hands so she could walk between us: “You have to let go sooner or later!”
“No we don’t!” Old hag. Should have Red-Rover blocked her. Bitch.).
Tonight
we’re too tired to go out. We’re beer-ed out. I didn’t think, or know, that was
possible. Too tired to do much more than check flights. Most flights are full;
we’re flying standby, by the way—both ways. Our only shot is tomorrow, Friday,
late morning.
“Good
night, babe.”
“Goodnight,
babe.”
Early
to bed, early to rise. Another tube-ride bagel-shop breakfast. Walking. Walking
west. Where the West Side Story was, but we’re here for a walk in the park.
High Line Park. A new park built on old El Train tracks, elevated, vegetated,
sun seats and rails and some seats move along the rails the landscape
architects left by design. It’s certainly a neat place. And what a way to end
the trip.
Subway
to the bus stop. Retracing our first few steps. Back through the only part of
Queens we got to see. We saw Manhattan inside and out, and now I’ll be more
attentive watching sitcoms and talk show intros. We sit on the left side of the
plane; the plane banks left. A departing view of the Big Apple. Hailey sleeps
and I read almost the whole way back to Florida. South. And jealous friends and
family ask: “What did you do? Did you elevate up the Empire State Building? Did
you go to Yankee Stadium? Did you ferry to Ellis Island and climb Lady Liberty?
Ice skate in Time Square? Stand outside the Today Show and scream?”
“No.”
I would like to extend a very special thanks to Eugene Ma, a friend I've known since boarding school days, who allowed Hailey and I to crash at his pad, who showed us around the city, and is greatly much responsible for making our amazing, maiden trip to New York possible. Euge, on behalf of Hailey and myself, thanks a million.
