I didn't quite realize how much I needed this weekend away from Staunton until I climbed into the rented car on Friday morning at 7:30-something AM and buckled my seatbelt. The ride there was fairly smooth, though, to be honest, Dr. Allen's driving terrifies me like nothing else. There were times, especially when we arrived in the city, that I was praying sincerely for our lives.
We arrived at the hotel on 94th and Broadway relatively unscathed, and once we had unpacked, Steph, Miranda, Katie and I spent the afternoon and evening amusing ourselves with what the City had to offer. Since Miranda and I had never been to Central Park, we took the subway there and walked a good bit of it, enjoying the incongruous mixture of beautiful trees and scenery - and Trump Tower looming over us. We were tempted by a carriage ride, but opted against it in favor of exploring on foot. Following our trek through Central Park, we decided to run out to SoHo to window-shop for a little while before heading over to Chinatown or Little Italy for supper.
While in SoHo, we spent most of our time browsing among the street vendors and searching in vain for a bathroom (We eventually went to Victoria's Secret out of desperation and were directed by a helpful sales lady to either Armani or Crate and Barrel - Crate and Barrel was the recommended choice.) Whilst in Crate and Barrel, we lounged on the furniture for a few minutes to consider our options - once the more pressing need had been fulfilled, we were all very hungry. We opted to walk a little further in favor of visiting Chinatown for supper, where we found a hole-in-the-wall Malaysian place. Unfortunately, none of us had the presence of mind to write down the street name.
The food there was amazing. Beyond amazing. Superb. Excellent. It was the strangest hodgepodge of Indian, Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese food; with a dash of Japanese added in for the hell of it. We started out with a shared spring roll as an appetizer; then Miranda had Thai, Katie had Chinese, and Steph and I each had a different kind of Indian curry beef that was beyond good. Having sated our need for sustenance, we moved on to Times Square, which I had never before seen at night.
While at Times Square, we met requests: Steph requested the Hershey store, Miranda requested the M&M's store (where we also bought Dr. A a tie, as a thank-you), Katie requested Virgin Records, and I requested coffee then the hotel - by this time, I was quite worn out with all the walking and in desperate need of a caffeinated substance. We did all this in turn - surprisingly, it was only about 10pm - because we had been awake so long, it felt much later. When we got back, Tracy Allen, Dr. A's wife, knocked on our door to introduce herself. She had flown in from D.C. to meet us there (to meet Dr. A, rather) and she's a lovely woman. We all adored her from the moment we met.
The next morning, we all woke up early to go eat breakfast in the Village, where we happened upon a street fair quite by accident. I bravely resisted buying anything - though there were some vintage clothes it nearly killed me to say no to - and merely absorbed the sights. After the Village, we crossed town via the subway and went to the World Trade Center, by Miranda's request, following which we visited SoHo once more. The day before, we had encountered Dean&Deluca in our search for a bathroom and wanted to go back to buy a snack before the opera. (I wasn't hungry, so bought only some fresh lemonade and a water. Katie got brioche, Miranda a danish, and Steph a very large foccacia.) At this point, it was nearly 5:15, so we headed back to the hotel to glamor-up for the opera.
At the opera, you go to see - and to be seen. Katie and I showered, and we all dressed and primped until seven. I was very proud of my ensemble and you'll excuse a description - it's a vintage dress, from the sixties, I think, and a London design. It's golden-yellow (not usually a good color for me), with a black lace overlay and thin strips. The decollatage is low and the skirt is short, with fringes along the hem. I wore this with a pair of black high-heels with an ankle strap and pearls - with my hair swept up in a style of my own invention. I had never before had the courage to don this particular dress, but my mom found it for me and bought it last Christmas because "it just seemed like you", and there was never an occasion for which it seemed appropriate. Dr. A told me I looked like a character in a Noel Coward play; and Mrs. Allen told Dr. A I looked as though I belonged in something like "Brideshead, Revisited".
The Metropolitan Opera House is breathtaking. The chandeliers were all designed by Swarovski, and the floors are covered in soft red carpets, and the people are glamorous and the balconies overlook the entire opera hall and - oh! It was just beyond any sort of description my poor little brain can summon. It was my birthday, so we had champagne to celebrate at intermission and I stood by the balcony over the stairs and just revelled. I will not even attempt to describe the opera except to note that even though Dr. A allowed us the use of the opera glasses during the first act, he didn't let us touch them during the second act (and the love scene!). The man who played Mercutio was amazing; as was the woman who played Romeo's page.
After the opera was over, we met with some friends of the Allens' and crossed the street to Fiorellos, where I ate veal marsala and got flirted with by the waiter, and drank wine, and generally felt quite grown-up. We were there past midnight, and so the girls and the Allens' made me a birthday toast before we left the restaurant. I got to ride in a taxi for the first time - three of us in each, and we raced - Katie, Dr. A, and I in our taxi won! Mrs. A complained loudly that their taxi driver was lazy. After we arrived back at our rooms, we presented Dr. A with his new M&M patterned tie and insisted that he wear it on Monday.
Sunday morning, we woke up later than we had intended to and went in search of a French patisserie that we'd spotted the night before on our breakneck taxi ride. We didn't find that particular one, but we found an even better one and spent a leisurely two hours having a birthday brunch in my honor. We drank the most amazing coffee in the world, and ate the best bread I have ever tasted - Katie, who has recently studied in Paris, informed us that this patisserie was the most like the places in Paris she had seen in the States. We ran up the street to a street-fair we'd passed on the way to food, and I treated myself to a new pair of reading glasses - I'm wearing them now and I must say, they're very striking.
On the way back to Staunton, we stopped at a Red Robin in Pennsylvania (Dr. A insisted on a sit-down meal), where Dr. A proceeded to inform the waitress (without my knowledge!) that it was my birthday. At the end of our meal, the wait-staff sang very loudly and gave me a balloon and a very large piece of ice-cream cake that the girls needed to help me eat - it was far too large for me to do justice on my own. Dr. A merely sat and beamed at me, practically bouncing out of his seat he was so pleased with himself and his plotting. I laughingly scolded him and we had a generally jolly rest of the meal.
The remainder of the trip was uneventful and now I'm going to spend the final four minutes of my birthday cuddling with my very, very upset cat - she's been so depressed that I've been gone that she actually cuddled with Les and Jen - a first, since she is a one-woman cat.
This birthday has quite possibly been my very best birthday. I am utterly satisfied.
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2 comments:
Sounds like a good birthday party; congratulations.
Thanks very much. It was a good birthday, all around.
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