Greetings from Melbourne! An emotional reunion with Muddy Karpitz at Tullamarine followed by a quick cab ride home yesterday and a great night's sleep, and I'm finally ready to post the last update on my NYC travels. The memories are a little hazy, but I'll do my best to capture the events, sights, sounds and smells of the last week. Here goes:
Tuesday 9 April - Wandered through the southern end of Central Park and the Childrens' Zoo to the strains of some amazing saxophone playing by a couple of awesome Be-bop buskers. Central Park is lovely, but it ain't no Botanical Gardens and the jogging tracks ain't no 'Tan. Sorry, folks. Strolled across to Columbus Circle and the Time Warner Centre, taking in the underdressed crowds on what was shaping up to be an exceptionally hot and steamy day during New York's otherwise cold Spring.
After lunch, Iona and I took the subway to DUMBO (Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass), a sweet pocket of gentrified Brooklyn, right on the edge of the river, ahead of an early dinner at the amazing Vinegar Hill House (I can still taste the slow-cooked lamb neck with fetta and white beans lovingly prepared in this gorgeous hipster restaurant) followed by a basketball game at Barclays Centre (Brooklyn Nets v Philadelphia 76ers). The game was great fun, less for the sport (and the perennial, annoying time-outs) and more for the carnival atmosphere.
The black-and-white clad cheerleaders dancing/gyrating with nunchucks at half-time was a cool touch.
Wednesday 10 April - Farewelled Iona Chef as she departed for Portland, Oregon. She was an excellent travelling companion and her knowledge of New York's punk scene was astonishing - I missed her instantly. Ran some errands, did some souvenir shopping, then got ready for cocktails and pre-dinner at the Lambs Club, a gorgeous Art Deco hotel bar in the Theatre District, with Red K and an ex-colleague of mine who is living and working in NYC - Violet Lounge. It was a lovely catchup with someone I hadn't seen for a long time and it turns out Violet and Red (who'd not met before) share some mutual acquaintances from their uni days. Nice to still be a 'people conduit' so far from home.
I then had the pleasure of seeing Alec Baldwin on stage in Orphans. He's still got it, and his younger, less-known co-stars were impressive, even if the play itself felt a little dated...
Thursday 11 April - Caught a New Jersey Transit train to Princeton University to see Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe, an eye-opening exibition of paintings, artefacts and sculptures which, when pieced together, told a mostly unknown story of the presence (and influence) of Africans (slaves, servants, traders, diplomats, tribal and religious leaders, both Muslim and Christian) in Europe from 1400-1600.
Mooched around campus, soaking up the cool, mildly superior Ivy-League charm of the place. The trip to Jersey and back was seamless and quick, leaving me time to have a nap before meeting Red at his work on Wall Street in the early evening. We went to dinner at Momofuku Noodle Bar (sublime pork buns, delicious beef carpaccio and excellent pork ramen washed down with a fruity locally brewed ale) and then Red took me to a nearby speakeasy for post-dinner cocktails. A cosy spot nestled above a Chinese restaurant - very New York, yet also very Melbourne too...
Friday 12 April - Did some grocery shopping at the Food Emporium on East 59th Street for a stay-in dinner as I'd promised Red a home-cooked meal as a thank-you for his hospitality, tour guide and chaperoning activities. Packed my suitcases, fired off a few last-minute emails and did my last laundry pickup before cooking up a batch of Moroccan meatballs for us to enjoy in front of the Yankees game. It was actually a relief to stay in and be a couch potato for the first time in two weeks.
Saturday 13 April - Departure day. Helped Red with some domestic errands/chores, imparted some decorating tips for his cool Upper East Side 'pad' and paid a final visit to his local Bed, Bath and Beyond, a homewares supply store that leaves our Bed Bath and Table, Minimax and House stores in the shade. The subway/AirTrain trip to JFK Airport was relatively smooth and painless. A breezy check-in, a farewell bear-hug from Red K and I was on my way home.
It was an amazing holiday and a truly extraordinary experience. Now that I've safely cleared US immigration/homeland, I promise to share a few more observations, some anthropological discoveries, and maybe even a spot of inappropriate people profiling over the coming days. Stay tuned...
Farewell New York City, you crazy, beautiful, noisy town. See you again with Muddy next year.
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