let's
assume you have a very important réndez-vous in
soho today. you wake up to find it
snowing outside but still decide to
wear your brand new, slightly overpriced,
shiny oxfords that go perfectly with your
task, and completely disregard the
blister threat.
after spending,
probably too much time fixing and adjusting your
untamable curls in a professional signon you realize how
fast you need to get dressed and end up finishing your
makeup in less
than 10 minutes again. at the door now, and
proud that you are in time even to catch up with that sudden errand your
brother left you in charge of. you lock and strut
proudly towards your way. just at the
corner you look at the time and
realize, through some inexplicable train of
thought, that you forgot the print outs.
now you rush
back, panic striken, to print and of course you have a
murphy law moment - the printer isn't responding. naturally,
you end up attempting to
photocopy the extras you had on the
shelf while
running in and out of your
apartment because you cannot find your
phone.
now, you are leaving, too
late to get the errand done and with the
disappointment of having lost a valuable
tool that above all contained pictures of some
very dear people you left behind an ocean and continent away.
plus, it is the only number you have given to the
100 job and school applications you
have filed.
on the train now,
covered in a layer of tiny specks of
snowflakes you take a breath and
decide no matter what life goes on and the
aformentioned réndez-vous must go well.
pull back your shoulders,
lift up your chin and walk out the subway to smile at how
amazingly and
unexpectedly beautiful the neigborhood is.
never having been on that side of the city
before, it is breathtaking.
luckily, you are about 20
minutes early and have located the place so your
need for a comforting cup of tea kicks in quite demandingly. walk into that vintage, old looking bar that says café on it and while you
plop yourself on the tall chair ask for some
earl grey with a puppy
dog glance even your neighboor's
terrier would envy.
the
oddball of a barman is in the mood for a
chit chat and before you know it you are
lost in a conversation and
can't believe how people are still so wonderfully
kind. partly because of the tea (it's magic i tell you) and partly
because of the chat, you have now calmed down and
even broken into laughter.
as
you walk into your appointment, looking
normal and perhaps even happy,
you go for it - give it all you got as they say. this of
course has you leaving the place with a
smile as you head back to your
mom's work to share your story and play with the
cutest baby girl in the world.
the walk is
great, the snow has stopped and manhattan has this greyish-
white hue that makes buildings and people contrast
magnificently against the dull sky.
new york is beautiful when it is cloudy.
notice the chic old lady with her dog that
look as though they popped out of a
film noir, and the handsome
salesman at the corner boutique smiling at you
regardless of that silly but
warm pom-pom hat that disshevels your
otherwise parfait ensemble. as
tiny snowflakes start to fall again you
pass mignon bistros that smell yummy enough to
remind you you're hungry and you turn to meet for
lunch.
by the time you
meet them, you realize you are as
calm as a feather and life is
balanced again, not to
mention your fever is even steady (oh yes, you have a
cold too). you spend the most entertaining hour
pretending to be a goldfish and sneeking cheddar
cheese bites to the pour soul that
doesn't want its beans and leave
again.
now let's just wait
and see what happened with the réndez-vous.
oh! and i found the phone!
phew!
xoxo
what i really love about them, apart from the fact that you shop fresh, local products, is that you can find all sorts of treasures while enjoying yourself. the apple vendor for example sold freshly made apple cider!
it was also really fun to go wine tasting till we found the best one from wine stand to wine stand.
