Somehow I managed not to see this for a few days, even though he gave me a shout-out. True, I was recovering from Vegas, but still. For the record, the bartender is ancient history.
And yes, I know I need to spill the details, but Gothamist comes first these days when time is limited. . .
I’m off for the weekend (arrived here late last night actually) for a weekend with Sue &Nancy, my college roommates. Any and all food recommendations are welcome.
First off, this goes out to the Lovely Miss Katie, who complained that I haven’t been writing as much lately (sad, but true).
I had dinner with two friends Monday night. Both are women, but one difference between the two is that one is single and the other is engaged. The engaged friend was sharing with us some of the stress she’s finding herself facing — not with wedding plans, as one might imagine, but with the reality of the cost of having a family in Manhattan. She grew up here, and wants her (at this point still future) kids to have the same sort of lifestyle she had, but of course costs have skyrocketed since we grew up. She is slowly coming to the realization that raising a family in Manhattan,or even in the Westchester suburbs (where I spent my junior high and high school years) is a daunting if not impossible prospect if neither spouse is a doctor or laywer, or works at a hedge fund.
I worry about these things too, although it’s certainly not a pressing issue. I’m still more focused on dating someone who’s not a jackass, not becoming the kind of person who fades off into coupledom once they find the non-jackass, and dealing with the ever-increasing number of situations where I find that I am the only unmarried, childless person present.
We also had an interesting discussion about “chapters” in one’s life. Our engaged friend was describing how she was in the process of moving to a new chapter of her life, and how she has seen the warning signs for a while — she described how she dressed differently when she was single and stayed out until 2 am much more often than she does now. In some ways I hope that my chapters are not as clearly delineated. I always want to have a mix of people in my life; I don’t want to be the kind of person who, because I’m dating someone or someday married, ends up only doing stuff with couples, and I still want to stay out until dawn every now and again, whether with friends or with this hypothetical husband person.
I can think about this stuff forever, but given my current life situation, for me, it’s just a matter of keeping a balance that feels right for me now, and adjusting that balance as I move forward.
Made it back in one piece from Philly and proceeded directly to brunch with the lovely ladies from the beach house at AOC, then headed to the Duplex for some cocktails and celebrity-spotting (Sarah Jessica Parker and Philip Seymour Hoffman — must have been the day for three-name celebs). After that, the 7th annual East Village Idiot Dive Bar Crawl (didn’t take as many pictures as I did last year, unfortunately), and an appearance at the third annual Rob’s Friends Suck night.
This morning I had a farm-fresh brunch right from the comfort of New York City with Augie, Lauren, and their friend John — complete with bacon from Flying Pigs Farm. Afterwards, I thoroughly enjoyed the gorgeous weather by walking around Union Square (passed the line at Trader Joe’s, which I chose to skip), reading the paper in the park, and then finally joining Katie for a pedicure for Spring-ready feet. Tonight, I finished up my taxes, saving a wad of cash thanks to some handy tips from my mom (thanks, Mom!), and am getting geared up for yet another whirlwind week before my next trip — Vegas, baby.
ADDENDUM: I just realized that I would be remiss if I didn’t mention all the fine people who joined me in my food-based exploration of the Terminal Market and some of Philly’s food – the Pro Bono Net team at White Dog, Saralyn, who shared the DiNic’s sandwich, the soft pretzel, and Bassett’s ice cream, Doug, who joined me for breakfast (yes, I was alive and somewhat functional at 8 am thanks to a visit to the gym), and Alison, Saralyn (again), Marlene, and Tiela, who joined me on my cheesesteak pilgrimage. And a special shout-out to Jeff, who I didn’t even realize I was going to get to see!
but damn it was good. Roast pork with provolone and sauteed greens from DiNic’s in the Terminal Market. Never fear — I didn’t eat the whole thing myself — I saved room for the best soft pretzel I have ever had in my entire life!
This week’s destination is sunny Philadelphia, where I haven’t been in a few years. Although I’m going for the Equal Justice Conference, my mind’s really only on one thing. Take a wild guess.
Gotta love it when you smell a crawfish boil halfway down the block and stumble upon this in the doorway of Royal Grocery in the French Quarter. I didn’t eat any this time around because we had just come from lunch at Acme Oyster House (finally! oysters on the half shell + soft shell crab po’ boy = yumilicious!), but even though we spent less than 24 hours in New Orleans, we ate well. In addition to eating at Herbsaint, I also finally made it to Mother’s for breakfast — "debris" on a biscuit. I couldn’t resist. Debris, for those who don’t know (I didn’t until about two days ago), is the pieces of roast beef that fall off into the gravy while cooking. Breakfast of champions.
Ana’s wedding was lovely, although it made me realize how we don’t spend nearly enough time together back here in New York. We’re going to work on remedying that.
Getting ready for the next trip — Philly on Wednesday.
For the first of a series of trips over the coming month. This time, to a wedding in Gautier, MS with an overnight in New Orleans. Just doing my share to help boost the economy, not to mention celebrate along with my friend Ana, whose wedding was postponed due to Katrina.
It’s funny because it’s true.
