I just spent the last two days in and out of Manhattan, lucky me! I'm staying at my aunt's in New Jersey, an hour train ride out of the city, and spending the evenings with my grandparents, having dinners taken out from local restaurants. As with my trip last year, New Jersey is very lush, there are leaves out on all the trees and most of of the lawns and gardens are opulant pinks, reds and purples, spilling out everywhere.
Yesterday I went into the city all by myself, with a few destinations in mind. I ended up at American Apparel, a great company with even greater clothes, and bought some nice things. (This skirt in electric blue, this tank top in eggplant, along with this jacket in green.) Not long after, I walked into the Aldo on Fifth Avenue (strolling along feeling very urban, pretending I had a lot of money) and walked out with these babies. I'm wearing them right now, because I can. (Yes, I get that way with shoes. No, it will never change. Yes, it actually does make me a more lovable person. No, we will not get along if that bothers you.)
So all in all, a good day. Other things I did: drank beet juice while walking through the East Village, smiling at random things like dogs, pigeons, and vacant lots. Sat in Union Square and watched a black-clad photographer with a very large zoom lens approach people, snap several shots of them, interview them briefly on a hand-held tape recorder, and give them his card. (I never did figure out what he was doing that for.) Bought a silver brooch of a peacock just because.
Today, cousin Paul came in to the city with me, and we met his brother Frank for lunch. After that we did a few errands, including getting Paul fitted for the tux he's going to wear to Frank's wedding in a few months. The woman fitting us was an angry woman named Mercury, who would pick up the phone, yell, "Men's Wearhouse, we like the way you look, Mercury speaking, how may I help you?? Hello? Hello? Hello?!?!" and hang up, several times, making us crack up. How would you ever get a word in edgewise, even if you wanted to? We surmised the caller was an earlier client who wanted to prank call her, and Paul said he'd do the same. Watch out, Mercury.
We also walked through Columbus Circle, where Trump Tower is (Eddie Izzard fans, start your music!), and also searched out a little store called The Ink Pad, a little hole in the wall located at 22 8th Avenue (22 is my lucky number, by the by) which was filled with awesome rubber stamps. I have been wanting a set of alphabet stamps for some time now, to use both for decorating things and to put my initials and other letter combinations into still-damp clay, in my summer incarnation as a potter. Now I can do cool things like make mugs that say "coffee" on them, et cetera.
All in all Manhattan was good to me. I snapped lots of pictures, both actual and mental. I shopped like a madwoman, and came out victorious. I laughed a lot with my cousin Paul. I even bought two glittery postcards to send to two fabulous ladeez (those would be Maggie and Laura, but shush, don't tell them!).
Tomorrow I fly home to the great land of maple syrup and lobsters and twonies. This trip has been really good for me, and I'm so glad I did it. I was getting into a little rut there in Fredericton, a deep one actually, and in order to jolt my wheels out of it I needed the bright lights of other cities, the rain on a trailer roof, and a bit of a dance. I've come away from this excursion with new resolutions: to learn to drive standard, to never become too comfortable, and consequently, to always keep creating. Oh yeah, and to do things that require the wearing of sexy shoes. Dinner, anyone?
|