My Favorite Grafitti of the Week

This cracks me up. It's too true...and even grammatically correct!

(If the writing is too small for you to read, the poster asks, "How will this affect my trip?" and someone has—correctly—written, "Badly.")

Goin' with the Flow

I had my second guest in my temporary home. My dear friend (and talented massage therapist) Laurie Trick came to visit for the weekend from Dayton. We had such fun making plans...and then changing them! That's the beauty of true friendship when you can just "be receptive" as she said. We talked into the wee hours, slept until the sound of the store fronts being rolled up woke us up, then ate brunch at Applewood (my second visit...every bit as delicious as the first. This time I had a shrimp, chive, and pickled mustard seed omelet). We walked around Prospect Park, shopped in Park Slope, then headed to the Brooklyn TKTS booth. Although both of our "wish list" choices appeared available, we both turned to each other and said in unison, "I'm just not feeling it." So, instead we got outrageously inexpensive pedicures* and ordered Indian food. Ahh... More talking into the wee hours... On Sunday, we had brunch at Miriam's (it's such fun taking friends to these places I love), then headed into Manhattan to go to MOMA. Well...no museums ended up figuring into our afternoon, unless shopping can be considered an art. Laurie and I are both missing the shopping gene. We just aren't shoppers. But when we emerged at Times Square, we got distracted and got more shopping done in an afternoon that I usually do in a year (I'm not joking). We had the best salesperson at Esprit. Watch out for that Ryan. He's good. He can talk you into buying anything! We both did quite well! We sat in the sun at Columbus Circle, hung out in Central Park (oh, how I miss horses!), then mosied down to Greenwich Village where we ate divine pizza at John's Pizza (when they set it before us, we both said, "We'll never finish this!" Ha. Who were we kidding?) then saw GARDEN OF EARTHLY DELIGHT at the Minetta Lane Theatre. This show closes soon—catch it while you can. It's difficult to describe but it's a startling, fascinating, riveting piece of dance, theatre, and acrobatics. Thanks for a great weekend, Laurie!

*We got fabulous spa pedicures for $15. Just walked right in. Some very nice women we talked with at the salon were SHOCKED when we told them we pay $60 for the same thing in Ohio. Literally shocked...even a little outraged. I think they felt really sorry for us. (One of the women was complaining about getting charged $25 somewhere). Sigh...sadly this is one of the few things actually cheaper in NY than back home.

Smitten with the Subway

Okay, I'll really sound like a hopeless tourist, but I adore the NYC transit system. I hope the people who live here truly appreciate what they have! Yes, it can be dirty. Yes, it can be crowded. Yes, there are times the announcements are completely garbled and I'm left four stops beyond where I wanted to be without knowing why. Yes, I sometimes see rats (but I kind of like that—it's like spotting wildlife). But—for $2 I can go anywhere in this glorious city. I can go from Park Slope to Lincoln Center in 20 minutes (well...not after midnight, mind you). During those 20 minutes, I don't have to navigate or look for parking or deal with traffic. I can READ. I have accomplished more reading during my stay here than I normally do at home, and it's due to the added bonus of subway reading time. There are entire novels that I've read solely on subway rides. I love it. It never gets old—the fact that millions of people are moved all over this city every single day. It is truly a beautiful, astonishing system when you think about it. Okay, I'll stop gushing. I know when I leave here, it is one of the things I'll miss the most (just like I miss the sound of Ohio's true quiet while I'm here).

And how often do you ever get an entire subway car to yourself? Hee hee. This phenomen happened one weekday afternoon on an A-train way up in "Upstate Manhattan" (as I heard someone call it).

Eating My Way Through Brooklyn III

I had the extreme pleasure of taking my wonderful, amazing, fabulous agent to brunch today. We met at Applewood in Park Slope. Oh. My. (Huge thanks to Tina Wexler for this recommendation!) This place is delicious! I think I would love to spend time with Lisa even if we met at a McDonald's for goodness sake, but since both of us love breakfast over all other meals, this was a real treat. We were the first to arrive on a warm morning right after Daylight Savings Time, so we got the best window seat in the small, sunny dining room.

The coffee was dark and rich. I had a blood orange mimosa. Lisa had a grapefruit margarita. Our drinks were as lovely to look at as they were to drink! We split an order of sour milk pancakes with honey maple syrup (and some divine baked apple slices on the side), then each had an omelet. My omelet was lobster and chive. Mmm. The menu changes daily, and I plan to return!

Of course we talked about my book and my writing, but we also covered men, online dating, contact with exes, book clubs, Amsterdam, Portugal, the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack, and my dream house. We even attended an open house in my own building. ($650, 000 for a loft apartment??? Um...) I adore this woman!

Have you noticed how many of my blogs deal with food? Hmm...

Happy 30th Anniversary Ted & Dave!

"The more I live, the more I think two people together is a miracle."
—Adrienne Rich

Well, my pals Ted & Dave keep me believing in miracles. Today is their 30th anniversary. Yep, 30 years together epitomizing the wedding vows they are not legally allowed to take. Hmm. Mull on that...

It was my honor and pleasure to share their anniversary with them. We celebrated with a dinner at the fabulous Angelo's on Mulberry Street in Little Italy. (Angelo's has been mentioned in many a blog of mine over the years). Mikey C joined us and we were utter gluttons, from the hot antipasta plate to the espresso with zambucco, the tiramissu, the good wine, and everything in between! The advantage (well one, of many) of going here with Mike is that we can order items not on the menu. I'm telling you, if you love Italian food, this is the place. If Italians (who are great cooks in their own right, mind you) like the food here, that tells you something.

Happy Anniversary my friends! May we celebrate 30 more!

"Mega Storm"

NY was hit with a big snow storm last night. The Weather Channel was calling it a "Mega Storm" and predicting up to 13 inches of snow. Well...that didn't happen, but it was lovely all the same. NYC Public Schools had their first snow day in five years!

Face Out at B & N

This afternoon, between The Guggenheim and The Museum of Natural History (the butterfly display is a joy), we ducked into a Barnes & Noble. Of course, whenever I am in a book store, I look for my own books. It’s sort of my duty as a writer! I have been tickled pink that all over NY, I’ve been able to find all three of my titles in nearly every store I visit. Yay! Dave insisted on commemorating this find with a photo...and then turned the books face out on the shelf. Hee hee. Good friends. I’ve trained them well...

My First Guests!

My wonderful friends Ted & Dave are here from Dayton. My first guests in my lovely loft. It is so good to see them. We hit the ground running bigtime. Mikey C texted me early in the morning, “You up?”

“Am now bastard.”

“Just checking.” So I called him. He was supposed to be booked all day, but his plans changed and he asked of Ted and Dave—who were going to be taking a cab to Brooklyn from the airport— “Wanna go get them?” Hee hee hee! Armed with Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, we picked them up at the airport and we took advantage of a fairly nice day (bad weather on the way) to eat at a yummy Carroll Gardens diner, walk around Brooklyn Heights, walk the Promenade, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, walk to Ground Zero, walk walk walk, laughing all the way. Later that night—after long naps for everyone—we ate my beloved Olive Vine (ohh...I dream about their babaganouj...), then went to the Village to the Zinc Bar for fantastic Brazilian music and people watching. Best mojitos. In. The. World. I swear! A fun day. As much as I’ve loved living here, I found I loved it on a new level when I got to show some of my favorite places to friends.