Quintessential Summer Time

      "New York was no mere city.  It was instead an infinitely romantic notion."
                                                                                                                                 Joan Didion

Summer in the City.  So many dreams are made around those words.  For me, they are coming true.  If anything has strengthened, renewed, and simply fulfilled me, it’s that knowledge.  Dreams can, and do, come true.

From Standard's Roof in daytime

Black crowned night heron in Central Park

I continue to spend time with my new patient Boss in training for my new career.  And, God love him, he continues to give me laughter, and in that helps me re-learn to laugh at myself when necessary.  He also continues to take me to some of NYC’s coolest hotels and restaurants, clients, for classes!  I taught my first “Mommy & Me” class at a lovely couple’s home in Brooklyn, along with their Nanny and loved it.  (The Dad grew up in the Boston area.)  And, I have officially been accepted as a Greeter Guide the Central Park Conservancy.  Being committed to spend at least 3 hours a week in my new beloved “heaven on earth” will not be a hardship.  (Come to NYC, I’ll take you around.  I’m learning new secrets about the Park every time I spend time there!).

From Stoop to Nut's Blog

Also from Stoop to Nuts blog

The second Tuesday of the month brought me down to the Village again (I don’t think I will ever tire of saying things like that) to the Cornelia Street Café for another of Tommy Pryor’s Stoop to Nuts Storytelling nights.  I love these.  This particular night was also music- filled.  Harry Rolncik was absolutely delightful in regaling us with the story of the night he got to spend time with Audrey Hepburn.  I could have listened to him all night, and I don’t think I was alone.  I will read some of his books.  From Wikipedia! “Harry Rolnick is an American author, editor and music critic. His writing often examines Asian lifestyles and culinary traditions.”  The Duchess and the Fox (Joe McGinty, formerly of the Pyschedelic Furs, and Andrea Diaz), and Jennifer Barrett sang for us.  Nicole Ferraro rounded out the evening with her fun story of being obsessed with Mary Tyler Moore.  Tommy and others came up saying hello, as I am becoming a familiar face there, you KNOW I loved that!

From Standard's Rook at night 

On another great summer night evening (after the brutal winter, this summer has been awesome) a dear Sojourn Friend and I left the ‘hood and ventured over to the West Side.  We had a lovely meander along the High Line to the Standard West Hotel.  (The day before I had assisted in teaching a CPR class there, and after hearing my story of the amazing Rooftop Bar, she wanted to go.)  I thought it would be the type of place with “the beautiful people” that would totally intimidate me.  But, actually, it was quite enjoyable, with a view that’s out of this world and the drinks weren’t crazy expensive.  I would go back, but probably never on a weekend night.  From there we were decidedly famished, so we started meandering more around the Meatpacking district.  I was feeling like Samantha of Sex and the City.  We found ourselves in front of Fig and Olive and decided to stay, treating ourselves to the very grown-up tasting menu, acting like the Ladies we are.  (It was the next day that I found out it was a Todd English restaurant.  I’m not a fan, but “his” food is really consistently good.)

At Solar One

At Industry City

Rooftop Films continues to entertain and keep me busy, literally.  Recent weeks have found me back at one of my favs (even if it’s not on a roof) at Solar One and finally onto the roof of Industry City (rain had kept me from the roof until now).  Oh my, the views of Manhattan!  The People I meet and work with there have become true highlights of my NYC experiences.

Sunset at Central Park

Philharmonic on the Great Lawn

Clearly, I have become adjusted, and most times enjoy, doing things alone.  Being a very social creature, I of course, prefer to share experiences.  I do accept how busy everyone is, especially in NYC.  And Friends' desires and likes are not  necessarily the same .  So, now I simply stop asking after 3 “no’s.”  (I truly don’t take it personally but I still can only take so many no’s.).  It was for such a quintessential NYC summer treat that I headed over alone to my Central Park on a balmy Friday night for an annual concert of the Philharmonic on the Great Lawn.  Amazing and wonderful.  I had fireflies! and dragonflies! flying around me and fireworks were my icing on my cake for the evening!

From The Lotus Garden's website 

I do believe I have mentioned, many times, this gift of time that I have been most grateful for on my Sabbatical.  Time to meet new friends for tea or coffee, in the middle of the day! Recent days have had me having tea with a 4^th U VDay friend in her Lotus Garden on the Upper West Side.  An article was published recently about this little gem in The New York Times. Another day had me at Rockefeller Center being with another friend whom I met through my work with VDay.org.  She invited me to become involved in her fundraiser for her brain-child and love, a multi-media dance-theatre project.  More to come on that. 

                                             

Jeff Koon's Split-Rocker at Rockefeller Center

From the Zurker Gallery website

On another rainy summer evening, at the invitation of my Landlady’s Friend who is a jazz aficionado, I found myself in Nolita on Bleeker Street.  The Zurcher Gallery hosted a wonderful jazz concert by Winard Harper & Jeli Posse with Antoinette Montague.  Surrounded  by the lovely art of Regina Bogat, it was truly another wonderful quintessential NYC evening.

From Hi-Life's website

Philosophy.School is quiet for the summer, there are often singular events that take place.  Actually there was offered a series of three Monday nights of “Stories that Can Change Your Life.”  Myself and some class-mates took advantage and also met for dinner one of the evenings at another neighborhood delight, Hi-Life.  We feel so very blessed as our class has formed such a unique, special bond.

Bryant Park is yet another gem in this situated.  Situated behind the majestic New York Public Library, it has a plethora of events and happenings.  On a sticky summer afternoon I enjoyed a great hour at the Park’s Reading Room, listening to a discussion of Debut Novelists.  From the program: “Hosted by Julia Fierro, Founder of Sackett Street Writer’s Workshop and author of Cutting Teeth.  Featuring Mira Jacob, The Sleep-walker’s Guide to Dancing; Courtney Maum, I am Having So Much Fun Here Without You; Ted Thompson, The Land of Steady Habits; Tiphanie Yanique, Land of Loving and Drowning.”  Very enjoyable.

My dear Sojourn Friend had an offer to visit with friends out on the Hamptons.  I happily offered to sit with her Puppies.  It was a vacation in my city as her lovely one-bedroom apartment is sprawling compared to my Hx3!  I took full advantage of her awesome roof-deck for two great sunsets.  The Pups and I bonded, snuggled, and spent time together at Carl Schurz Park on the East River.  A perfect summer Sunday afternoon was spent on one of my new fav places in NYC, her roof-deck, with new friends whom I am so enjoying to getting to know better.  I am blessed and grateful.

My Dental Hygiene license actually was put to profitable use this past weekend.  I was one of those people (invisible to many) promoting an Oral B electric brush at a Costco north of the city.  It was an interesting couple of days, watching the shopping habits of America, of whom I was one for many years, at either Costco or B.J’s.  Like so much of my past, that is over now, I simply have no room, or need of, bulk buying.  I must say, the people I worked with at Costco couldn’t have been nicer (I was offered a job by the events manager to come and do other demos!  I gratefully declined as the commute for the pay simply wouldn’t be worth it.  And, I was just offered to the job to go to another Costco up in Yonkers this coming weekend!  I would have taken it, but I have plans, and my heart set on, a trip home to see Family and Friends for a week...And, truth be told, the opportunity to be a guest at a couple of beach homes is too great to pass up!)

"My" Sojourn

I would be nothing if, not like most, a creature of habit.  Definitely one of my habits of my new NYC life is the comfort on my NYC “Cheers”, Sojourn.  Many evenings begin, and/or end there.  And, many of my favorite meals are shared there.  (Although, I am trying to cut down on meals out   But, I am also learning, and accepting, it is simply not much fun to cook for one, especially in a tiny NYC studio apartment. I am still loving my Hx3.  It also recently dawned on me: this is the first time in my life I have lived alone.  Most days, I love it!