it was amazing, but it didn't look like a large round piece of orchard fruit

"the city of perpetual motion
the city that never sleeps
that's alright,
i wasn't tired anyways"
- shannon mcnally

it was lovely.
four days in NYC.
with my herb.

he loves maps
and noise
and staying out late
and public transportation

and we had them all.
in excess.

it was all equally matched
in its utter deliciousness
to the butternut squash risotto cake
that i indulged in our first evening.
every bite better than the next,
leaving a lingering sensation
of the warm gooey combination
of unsuspected flavors,
which together,
created a tiny island
of unsuspected perfection.

we had a bit of a dahrma & greg moment
on the second day
after schleping our baggage
across the city:

ME: "it's WONDERFUL, don't you think!!!"
HIM: "no, i hate it, but you are so happy
that i didn't want to say anything!"

you see, the bed & coffee that i desperately wanted to stay in
was only available for our
second and third evening in the city.
so i found another place for us to stay on evening one.
though it was equal to ripping
an unweaned puppy
away from its mother,
he was a very very good sport about
trading in our king size bed from the first night
for the double beds in our new room.
and sharing a bathroom with multiple 20-something europeans
(the european part was actually a bonus, not a problem).
and the two flights of stairs that gave off the vague impression
that it would be best if we ascended them one person at a time.
and the unending party outside of our window.
well, i suppose the party did end eventually.
right around the time that the delivery trucks
started making their rounds.

after we arrived on friday night,
i whisked herb away to see an unforgettable show!
it all felt so very new york.
we were two hours late getting in, so our long,
lingering journey to the theatre was not an option.
instead, we moved quickly to the subway station
and popped out on the other end,
finding ourselves hungry but without much time.
a corner pizza place (packed with people)
solved all of our problems and more
with a "chicken roll"
(think calazone but without the sauce . . .
and more of a roll than a pocket)
we spilt it and ate it on a little table right on the bustling sidewalk.
the perfect beginning to the weekend.
the show was spectacular
and you already know how i felt about
the risotto cake that i had later at this place
i was speechless as we wandered back to our hotel,
well after midnight,
only to find the city as alive as it was earlier in the evening.
in fact, at one point, we entered a cross walk
with at least 50 other people.
did i mention it was well after midnight?
seriously.
no wonder new yorkers have a reputation for being cranky:
THEY
NEVER
SLEEP.

saturday was filled with walking
and sunshine
and central park
and a few lovely museums.
we had another memorable dining experience
and another late night.
perfection.

sunday, we scurried to the upper west side to meet sally woodson.
sally and my mom met their freshman year of college
and remain good friends to this day.
she told us stories of long, painful evenings
worshiping the god's of porcelain & tile.
and how technically,
it is she who is responsible for introducing my parents.

sally has an incredible life story
so many pieces
some dark and some light
coming together to create
the beautiful mosaic of her present life.
she directs a large program that
provides music experiences to families.
a kansas girl who, despite many tear-filled
evenings on the floors of roach-infested apartments
in her early years,
has survived NYC for over 30 years
and followed her dreams,
even when things seemed bleak.
she is my new hero.

next, we rushed again,
this time to union square
to meet a group of ladies from this little community.
among my new friends are gigi and rebecca.

the highlight, of course,
was finally putting a real live person
to my long-time blog & email friend,
the lovely rhian caroline from wales, UK.
herb and i both immediatley fell deeply in love with her.
like, iced chai tea with a dab of whipped cream kind of in love.
like, long sunny days with nothing to do kind of in love.
like cottage cheese blueberry pancakes
eaten in your jammies
on a saturday morning
kind of in love.

she
is
lovely.

herb headed back to the MoMA
and left me to dine with my lovely ladies.
after a good meal,
some picture taking,
some anthropology drooling,
some banana republic buying
(can we say, the perfect teal dress for $35????
now, somebody invite me to something fancy!),
and starbucks sipping,
herb came back for me
and this time HE whisked ME away
for a wonderful evening watching RENT.
it was perfect.

monday gave us more time with rhi
and her friend sarah
(also quite lovely)
while i was trying to find the girls in union square,
herb stopped to watch the last few minutes of
the outdoor taping of the Today Show.
he didn't see much,
but as he was looking for me,
he nearly
literally
ran right into this household fave of ours.
now, i'm not out to embarrass anyone here
that's not my style
but there is someone i know quite well
who is still daydreaming
about the conversation he could have had
if she had not been on her cell phone.

after a chance to sit down
and talk with the girls over a quiet lunch
and more walking in central park
(which, to no surprise of those who know me, i LOVE),
herb and i headed off to stand in line.
for what?
well, you'll just have to go check out herb's blog to find out.

stay tuned for pictures . . . when my iphoto stops acting like a moron.