as i mentioned, beloved and i had a great time. we were in Manhattan the whole time, but still in areas which, to me, seemed "out of the way." We stayed at the Gershwin hotel, and we spent most of our time in Chinatown, Little Italy, and Noho. We had dinner and a movie in Union Square on Saturday night.

Movie: Tristram Shandry was fun. I found it humorous, although definitely not "mainstream."

Dinner: we struggled with what was a good place to eat. we were dressed pretty casual (being New England folk, not New York folk), and felt a wee bit weird about a few of the .... more sophisticated? .... places. I loved the place we ended up. I had a salad and an appetizer (crab cake), and we had some VERY interesting characters seated next to us ... 2 brothers (with quaint british accents) who were clearly trying to 'make it' in the music world ... but one of them was too busy bitching out his girlfriend on the phone to really focus on the plans for world fame. he was also a bit drunk, i think, and almost got into an "altercation" with a large fellow at a neighboring table when he stumbled into his chair and knocked his jacket onto the floor. beloved's comment - think Drive Shaft -- and he was so on target with that.

On Sunday, we walked around in Greenwich Village, having coffee in a nice cafe which made us realize that our town, dominated by Starbucks (despite the lone Peets stronghold), is lacking such independent New York Times reading spot - kids and dogs welcome. We then walked on to the water, and sat for a bit. just as i commented on the fact that we'd by chance been in nothing but beautiful, safe, and thriving parts of the city, we walked along Canal Street and found some of the opposite.

We really had a great time. I was really sold on the city -- for the first time. We were at Union Square at approximately 11 p.m., and there were HUNDREDS of people around. I was actually shocked upon arrival in Boston at the amount of people out and about in the later hours of the evening, because in Berkeley/SF, things got pretty quiet as early as 8 or 9 p.m. it is understandable why those who live - even for a short time - in NYC have a hard time leaving.

We got back to my parents' house in CT around 4 p.m. or so, took a ride to see my brother's house which is still being built, and then had some dinner, and got on the road. we got home around 9 p.m., and quickly got the kids (and beloved and i) to bed.

as fun as a weekend away is, and as much as i wnat to go places and do things ... it makes me feel old when i get home, and wish i had a weekend in which to relax! beloved and i were up by 7 each day, and up and moving quickly thereafter. whether to catch a train, or to avoid wasting our day away in a hotel room.

now it's tuesday, and feels like thursday. except i have too much to finish in the next week for it to be that late in the week.

posted by Zuska @ 10:03 PM

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