NYC Day One

So here I am in NYC. Nico went to Las Vegas with Alex and my mother-in-law which means that I have nine days to myself here in my favorite city in the world. Actually, the flight over was what I was looking forward to the most. Imagine- 8 hours on an airplane- ALL BY MYSELF! People who are used to flying on airplanes with their small children will identify with what I'm saying.

I'd forgotten how much reading one can get done on a flight when one isn't continually prying toys from between the seats, mopping up spilled juice and lurching around tiny airplane bathroom cubicles with a small child who is determined to rub his fingers over every germ ridden surface in the room. I managed to finish Middlemarch and read all of Sloane Crosley's hilarious book of essays I Was Told There Would Be Cake.

When I finally arrived at my mother-in-law's apartment on East 61st, my primary challenge was actually getting inside. My first task was to get the key to the mailbox which she had attached to the underside of the welcome mat. Under the several layers of duct-tape which I was forced to gnaw apart with my teeth, I found the key sealed in between two self-sticking sneaker in-soles. Then I had to go back downstairs and open the mailbox. Inside I found all three house keys which had also been duct-taped together and placed inside a paperback copy of Honor Thy Father (subliminal messaging?) which was hidden in a manila envelope which had also been subjected to an enthusiastic amount of taping.

Unfortunately she had neglected to consider that I would not be able to get the key to the mailbox which contained the key to the downstairs door, without first entering the downstairs door. Crafty as I am, I managed to insinuate my way into the building using only dexterous charm, the details of which I will not go into. Sufficed to say, not everyone in her building is as careful about letting in strangers as she is.

Every time we come to New York, something in my mother-in-law's apartment breaks down- usually an appliance. This time was no exception and soon after entering the apartment, I found out that both the Internet and the phone were not working. Before the night was over I had also managed to melt part of the bedside reading lamp. (I have no doubt that more will be revealed on the malfunctioning appliances front.)

For the next few hours, I just wandered about the city, trying to keep myself from falling asleep before 8pm and still in that hazy state where every time I heard someone speaking English, I wanted to run up to them and ask them if they happened to be American. It's only been three months since I was last in New York so for the most part, not much has changed. “The Girls Next Door” is still pretty much always on TV and the salon downstairs from my MIL's apartment is still probably operating as some sort of illegal botox bodega. I have never seen a customer stay longer than five minutes and today the place was empty except for the Asian male receptionist who was passed out on a satin upholstered love seat.

Since I couldn't access the Internet or contact anybody, I headed to Barnes and Noble, Blockbuster and the supermarket- the three places I always hit first when coming back to the States because they are the three places where I am sure to find something new. For a few hours I wandered around like a feral child or someone who'd just been released from a long prison sentence- marveling at the new books, movies and varieties of cereal. Later, sitting with my latte and stack of gossip magazines at the bookstore, I kept feeling like I should be getting back soon, that Nico would be waiting for me or that Alex would be wondering what was taking me so long. It was so strange to realize that for the first time in a long while, no one was waiting. It felt liberating but also a bit lonely. Should I really go wild and stay until closing time? I decided against it since I was so tired that I'd probably just zonk out amongst a stack of knitting books, In Touch magazines and empty latte cups. I wearily headed home with some rented movies, only to find out that the DVD player isn't working either. I started to read but after melting the lamp I decided it was time for bed.

Comments

[Leanna]

Well written article.

[Annejelynn]

hey there ~ I'm just re-entering my usual blog readings routine... is Alex is Vegas right now? We'd love to have them over for dinner if they had an open night or something. Is there any way I can contact him? Let me know ~ Love, Angie oxo