04.23.10
New York, NY
Tonight, I did have a New York experience. I’m still smiling.It started with the plan of going shopping on 34th street on a Friday night. Got out of the subway on 34th @ Broadway (or Herald Sq), regretted instantly not having my camera gear: setting sun illuminating with the most beautiful light the Empire State Building which was right there in all its glory. Then to add to the majestic sight, the gibous moon, in between the ESB and some other building. What a wonderful sight!
Get to the store I was aiming to. That was disappointing. A store, in Manhattan, on 34th street, in the so-called Garment district, that has less to offer than the branch in the mall in Tucson, AZ. Anyway… I won’t even bother naming the store.
Back to the good stuff. Got some clothes (yes I did find something). Then decided to go for dinner right away (it was 8:30 after all). I headed for the French restaurant on Madison Ave, at 33th (still under the Empire State Building, sorry I’m fascinated by that building). The restaurant: “Serge”. The food: Soupe a l’onion gratinee, Moules et frites, Creme caramel. The drinks: Cote du Rhone (+ one glass of Pinot from the people sitting at the next table… Yes, they offered it to me when they couldn’t finish it.) All amazing, well maybe except for the Pinot, but I was drunk by then, so it was okay. Even more amazing was Serge, the owner of Restaurant Serge. What a character! If I were living in New York, I think I would be a regular at Serge’s restaurant. I had a great time. It was nice to speak French, it was nice to listen to good old French song I grew up with, it was nice to talk to the other customers, it was nice to talk to Serge.
After four generous glasses of wine (2 of them free, the free ones being even more generous), it was time for me to leave, and head back to the hotel. Of course I walked past the Empire State Building (it’s between the restaurant and the subway station!) which was then illuminated all white (the previous night it was all green). Trust me, after 4 glasses of wine, standing right next to the building, on 34th @ 5th, looking up, is pretty darn cool! After posting how cool it was on Facebook with my phone, I headed for the subway.
I thought that it was the end of my adventure. Not! I got into the subway station and the “Meetles” were there entertaining the commuters. “Hey Jude” was being sung by the odd group. Don’t get me wrong! Very talented people, just not your average rock star looks. Anyway, there was a crowd there, I joined, I sang, I clapped, and I did give some tip. The energy was amazing. All that in a NYC subway. That was such a nice way to end the evening.
That’s my memorable night in New York City. Won’t be forgotten anytime soon.