On Tuesday morning, Tyler and I embarked on our mini-vacation to New York City (and Long Island, NY), and it has been a blast thus far. Granted this is my second trip to Gotham City and Tyler's fourth or fifth trip; but we're seeing places we haven't previously seen & having an even better time than on prior trips.
So far we have:
- Successfully run our first "errand" as if we were native New Yorkers, in picking up a tux from Men's Wearhouse in Brooklyn. (Took a cab and all...)
- Mastered the subway system like natives, yet again - God bless a useful mass transit system. (I have an internal compass, methinks.)
- Found the most beautiful Hugo Boss suit for Tyler at a HELLUVA deal. (Thank you, Century 21!!)
- Saw Ground Zero & the ghostly DeutschBank building. (Got the shivers.)
- Got a suit tailored in less than 24 hours by the coolest Italian tailor EVER. Joseph the tailor has tailored suits for mayors Koch, Guiliani and Bloomberg. Add Tyler to his list. He loved us. (And it cost far less than it would in Atlanta, to boot!)
- Had a huge dinner for no more money than we would have spent in Atlanta. (Score!!! Chelsea Square Ristorante, BTW.)
-Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge TWICE. (Both ways.)
- Had the best brick oven pizza I've ever had in my life. (Served by a man speaking and singing in Italian. Grimaldi's on Old Fulton St. under the bridge.)
- Saw Walt Whitman's, Truman Capote's and Thomas Wolfe's residences in Brooklyn Heights. (And also realized that Brooklyn has far more beautiful streets than I ever imagined it would.)
- Got kissed on the cheek by aforementioned crazy Italian tailor for "making him so very happy!" by purchasing the color shirt and tie he recommended. (I got the love AND the soon-to-be hottie husband!!)
- Am currently staying in a truly beautiful place -- the Desmond Tutu Conference Center & Hotel -- housed on the campus of the General Theological (Episcopal) Seminary. Outstanding accomodations, super-nice staff, beautiful buildings and lovely location (in Chelsea among the beautiful brownstone-lined streets).
I hope to have a Flicker album with pictures up soon. I'll try and post a link if I remember.
It's off to Long Island tomorrow afternoon for our friends' wedding, but we hope to hit the Union Square Greenmarket, Chelsea Market and some of the West Village before heading out of the city.
God, I love this town.
