I Love NY

On this particularly cold day in January, I've decided I need a pick me up. The roommates and I continually process this Love / Hate relationship we share with the city. Today, I will remember why I Love it. 

I love hearty conversations spoken through bites of Magnolia's Banana Pudding.

I love phone calls with college friends in the middle of Times Square.

I love red nail polish and red lipstick. 

I love a church packed to the max.

I love straight hair on a frigid day.

I love Christmas Tree "lots" on the sidewalk. (We are post-holidays, I realize, but I wanted to vocalize my love for these make-shift tree stands!)

I love Williams Sonoma. I especially love picking what color Kitchen Aide mixer I want on a given day. 

I love knowing my neighbors. 

I love walking the 40 blocks from work to home.

I think I might just love this city. 

I'm an Indian Outlaw

December 29th my family loaded up and drove to the WinStar Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Being occasional road trippers to our northern neighbor, my dad and sister were eagerly sharing all they knew of the WinStar. Brother played it cool, of course. Mom surprised me, though. Having been raised by a social drinking, cigar smoking, card playing dad, this was nothing new for her. Leave it to me, to be the clueless intimidated one. 

Wide eyed and dressed down, we made it into the huge huge huge tent off the side of the highway, that is the WinStar Casino. The smokey flavored freezing air immediately hit once the sliding doors closed. There was a Christmas tree stationed by the front desk. How comforting. 

PARIS, BEIJING AND ROME NOW OPEN OVER 2000 NEW MACHINES!

I've never been to a Casino before. There were thousands of electronic slot machines. Multiple areas of Blackjack, Texas Hold Em' and 5 Card Poker. Construction workers, couples, dads and sons, questionable women and fanny packs poured through the place. A constant single keyboard note, perhaps a C Sharp, rang through the intercom of the tent. Oh the humanity. 

After milling around for a while (There is no concept of time at the Casino, so there's no telling how long we actually waited) brother and sister got seats at a blackjack table.  I anxiously watched and tried to learn. Polly was our overly helpful blackjack dealer. Polly was a big girl. 4'11. 200 pounds maybe. Bless her heart. She carried a box to stand on when she moved table to table. 

Sister played with just $20 the whole night. Never losing. Never winning. Brother accumulated a nice stack of chips. I quickly lost almost $60. And the parents supervised.

The craziest part of the night had nothing to do with money. It was a dream of a lifetime. I met ZZ TOP. Ok. So maybe not the dream of MY lifetime, but I'm sure it's someone else's dream. 

We noticed the band sitting at the $200 minimum bet Blackjack table. Big Spenda's. 

They blended quite well with all of the other old truck driver looking men playing cards.  After much talk and google verification that they were in fact ZZ Top, I was "chosen" as the one to take it for the team and approach them. Sister has been violated one too many times at the Walmart to risk going over. So it was up to me. 

Dad was stationed at the Thai food restaurant, iPhone camera ready to go, just next to the mens restroom.  I was hovering around the restroom exit. Classy, I know. Dusty Hill, aided by his manager, stumbled out of the bathroom. Completely wasted. 

I freaked. This was not what I signed on for. I practically run back to Thai Food Base-camp. Dad can't believe I didn't get the autograph. I regroup. I can do this. I can do this.  He's only 5 feet tall. I can do this. 

Dusty is being led out a back door of the casino. I catch up with him and his manager just before he climbs onto the tour/old folks bus. "Hey there! Do y'all have time for one more autograph?" I ask in my most I grew up in Texas and went to school in Alabama, Southern voice.  Dusty, trying to light a cigarette, turns his head towards me and tries to light my non-existent cigarette. "Oh no thanks! But would you mind a quick autograph?" Not sure what he thought I said, but he shuffles towards me and hugs me. Long beard, leather jacket, lit cigarette and all. Hugging me.  I probably have cocaine sprinkled all over me now. Thankfully, his manager steps in to hold and move my piece of paper under Dusty's wrinkly pen holding little hand. 

I got the autograph. 

Well Dusty must have been good luck that night. I ended up winning my money back plus $15! Sister came out even. And brother lost most of winnings  in a gutsy and glamorous Going-All-In moment later in the night.   By 2:30 in the morning we were back in our driveway. Smoky, tired and exhilarated. Just another normal family outing. 

Thankfulness Part II

I came away from this past weekend overwhelmed. Overwhelmed in a good way. I was physically and conversationally drained. Full from tasty Manhattan treats and full from thankfulness. 

2 of my dear friends came to visit last weekend. There is much to tell. In hopes of not boring you to tears, I will give a run through, similar to my last Thankfulness post.

To begin. Wednesday. On the phone with Ivy as shes in the elevator of my building. Shes here!! Tour. Hugs. Laughing. Updates. Sleep. Thursday. Good Morning Ivy! And shes off. My little Manhattan-ite. Lunch at Cosi. Remembering. Sweet time. Updates of the cupcakes that morning. Work. Errands. Gallery at work. Crazies at work. Raiiiiiiin. Cold. Wet Uggs. Thai food. Billy Elliot! Precious. Home. Warm. Sleep. Jamie's Bed! Thank you roommate! Sleep. Rise and Shine Friday. Work. Ugh. Ivy in the city. Work. Done. Dinner with Kymie and friends! Celeste. Theatrical Italian waiter and owner. Lots of laughing. This city. No dessert please! Yes Magnolia! Tidy interiors. White subway tile. Sweet Pickens. Banana Pudding. Crazy youth pastor and visitors. Cute youth boy. Laughing with and at these crazy visiting Christians. Walk and talk. Good night. Good morning Saturday! Penelopes. Coffee while we wait. Shop till you drop! Lots of bags. Walking. Good finds! Cold. Full. Happy. Shop shop shop. Drop our bags off. Night time. Late dinner. Pio Pio. Sangria. Mmm. Should have had more to eat today...... Woo woo. Walk it off. Dessert. Good Enough to Eat. Mmm. Laughing. Turner comes tomorrow! Sleep. Sunday! Brick Church.  Brunch at Island with roommate. 411. Shuffles! Adorable. Text messages. Turner is here!! Columbus Circle. Raring to go! Off we go. Brooklyn Bridge Bound. Walk walk walk. Skyline. Beauty. Ah. My Manhattan. Welcome to Brooklyn. Wait in line. Best Pizza Around. Grimaldis. Yum. Seriously... Yum. Ice Cream! Freezing! Sore feet. Subway it is. Back to Manhattan. Bed time. Lets pile in! 3 Deep. Worst nights sleep of my life. So hot. So crowded. Wake up. Crick. Ouch. Good morning Monday. Breakfast at Georgia's. Work.... Cancelled flight! Yes!! Turner and Ivy. Shop till they drop. Dinner at Shake Shack. Hysterically laughing. Mimicking Ivy. Purdy Girl. Rain. Byyye Ivy. Walk to Columbia. Just me and T-Dog. Hello Tuesday. Tired. Coffee at Starbucks. Turner's out and about. Meet for lunch. Grab some Magnolia and shes gone. Back to Atlanta she goes. Good bye friends. I do love you!

I take the subway to and from work every day, like most people in New York. I like this part of the day. It comes second nature now. It's in mundane times, when the subtle flavors of New York life stand out. I love these times. 

Like this morning. 

The subway platform was crowded with people. The tiled floor was muddy and wet (it was raining). 

The train finally comes and we all politely, but assertively take our position in the subway car. 

Its more packed then I thought. Some woman's messenger bag is shoved into my back, so much so that I'm arching my whole body. Anyways. 

This morning we have a very perky and instruction oriented subway driver. Is that the proper term? Conductor? I'll have to check later...

We make it one stop. Pack more people in. The doors close. Our driver/conductor/man comes on the PA:

"Ladies and Gentleman please do not lean against the doors."

15 seconds go by.

"Really. Please do not lean against the doors."

15 seconds go by. 

"Ladies and Gentleman. If you see someone by you leaning on the doors, politely ask them not to."

30 more seconds.

"I know some of you are still leaning on those doors. I'm trying to get us going, but please don't lean on the doors."

He isn't kidding with this door stuff.

We finally start to move. It is sooo uncomfortably crowded. 

There is a girl I have been standing next to this whole time. We have made friendly "oops, don't mean to keep looking at you, there is just no where else to look" eye contact a few times. She's pretty zoned out on her ipod. Next stop. More people cram in. Why isn't anyone getting off! 

She makes room so I can squeeze more in her direction. She accidentally bumps into me and does a total Hannah. Grabs my arm and says, "Oh I'm so sorry!". 

Next stop. She is getting off. She gives me her spot to stand in. So sweet!

Don't you love those times of unspoken bonding with someone you don't even know? 

I do.

I have got to get better about writing these things down. When I don't, I get overwhelmed at the amount of crazy New York things to remember. So, in an attempt to catch up, I have created a Top 10 List. I like lists. They aren't intimidating. They have a decisive start and finish, which as a reader, I appreciate. And I haven't written a list in a while. So here we go.

TOP 10 MANHATTAN MOMENTS

(As of lately. In no particular order. Locations may vary.)

1. Going to Potomac, Maryland with my roommates. The weekend was packed with 7 of the 8 members of the Odell Family plus one grandmother, a beautiful home, Chick-Fil-A, a Naval Academy football game, a disproportional amount of guys to girls (PTL!), car rides, California weather and one giant St. Bernard. 

2.  August: Osage County

3.  Playing the "Make It To The Next Subway Car" game. You know, when you are on the subway, but your exit is at the opposite end of the train. Each time the subway makes a stop, you jump out and see how far you can run down the platform before the doors shut on you. I think we made it 1 and a half cars in our longest sprint.

4.  Visiting Dallas to see the world of Ivy Hopkins. Imagine: 3 girls all under 5'3, one very patient "go-with-the-flow" boyfriend, one Carny infested State Fair and an absurd amount of friend food. Welcome to Texas.

5. Georgia's Bakery  before work. Cappuccio please!

6.  Buying 5 fake Coach bags from Chinatown for an assortment of aunts and friends of friends. I get a little fired up if I talk two much about these treks to Chinatown, but let me take a minute and talk about some misconceptions one might have. There are 2 big ones that come to mind. First, You don't just "drop" by Canal Street. You plan. You wear appropriate shoes. You avoid carrying a handbag that you purchased on Canal Street. It's like walking around with a sign that says "I WILL BUY YOUR KNOCK OFF. JUST HARASS ME A LITTLE MORE." And you can't forget to bring a massive tote bag so you don't have to carry a ratty black plastic trash bag filled with your scandalous purchases back to your apartment. Second,  you can't just swing through Chinatown and "grab a bag." Instead, there is walking, searching, scoping out. When you feel like the time is right, you unleash for magic words, "Have any Coach Bags?" Hopefully those four words are met with a little Asian woman flagging you to the back of her shoe-box of a store. She will then reach for a hidden button. A buzzing noise follows. Before you know it, you are ducking under the pegboard wall of purses into a small hallway, up a staircase and through a few more buzzer triggered doors. Jackpot.

7.  Grilled Cheese and La Madeline's Tomato Basil Soup. Lots of friends chatting away. Lots of Fellowship at Apartment 9A. 

8.  Seeing a man walk down Broadway with a cat balanced on his head. For the second time in two weeks.

9. Going to Princeton for the day with dear family friends. Our day was packed with the Princeton vs. Harvard football game, a tour of campus, a famous Princeton Hoagie for lunch and a lecture in the auditorium where Einstein proved his theory of Relativity. Just another day. 

10. Riding the subway with two roommates and a man with a baby stroller. But no baby. The stroller was packed with diaper bags and junk.  We were intrigued. Especially when he took the stairs and asked random people to help carry his baby-less stroller up the flight. Twice people stopped to help him.  Odd that he kept appearing next to us on the platform. Creeper. 

It's raining Cats and...Cats

What is with people and their cats?In the past 2 weeks I have things I have never seen before. That isn’t saying much when you live in New York City. But both of these things, well, involve cats.

I saw a woman walking her pet on the street the other day. That’s normal, right? Wrong. She was walking her cat. 

On a leash. On Broadway.

Today I saw a man strolling down Broadway. He seemed pretty normal. Tall. He was wearing a hat and sunglasses. As I sped up, I notice that he wasn't just tall. On top of his baseball hat, was his cat. Yes, his cat. Precariously balanced on his hat, was his full-grown black cat.

Seems like the natural place to put a cat.

Thankfulness.

A wedding. A feast.

15 friends. Atlanta, Birmingham, Dallas, Miami, New York City, Washington D.C.  Together. Car rides, plane trips and late nights. Finally. The Hyatt Place. Wake up! Good night. Together. Sleep. Manicures and Pedicures. Canon Camera. Sweet taste of good conversation and a Starbucks drink. Catch Up. Grace 17.20. One generous and hospitable bride.  Robes, picture books and William & Sonoma. Tasty food. Thoughtful words. Such grace. Wardobe change. Depart. One rehearsal. One video. How did we get here?. Boys. Girls. Bride Groom. Parents and families. Glamour. Jesus. Perspective. A meal. Everyone. Words of wisdom. Stories of laughter. Two moms.  Two people in love. One big God. On the road. Late night. Piled in. Why you have short nail? A show. Side splitting. Laughing. Exhausted. Sleep. Excitement! The Day. Hair and make up. Packed House. Ready. Marriage Licensee. Beauty of a bride. Pure. Joy. Surrounded by support. The aisle. Speed walk. Ceremony. Worship. In love. With their maker. With each other. Kiss the bride! A loud cheer. We have come so far. Party bus. Mr. and Mrs. Celebration! Together. Photo booth. Sushi. Cigars. Snap pictures. A Lot. A band. Fajitas. Texas friends. Sweet tea. College friends. A gathering. Dancing. Big Big smiles! Photo booth. Full stomachs. Hugs. Dancing. The Car Wash. Bouquet. Garter. Last dance. Pictures! Rose petals flying! Goodbyes. Hotel. Friends. Full, tired and satisfied. Night two of multiple personalities. Long nail Sex-ey. BANG BANG BANG People are trying to sleep in here! Uncontrollable. Laughing. Escape. Sleep. Deep. Rise and shine. Headaches. Packing. Check Out. Disperse. Starbucks. Behind the wheel. Back to our home. Bar-B-Q. Hospitality. Generous. Fantastic weather. Laid back. Decompress. Precious family. Roadie. Cherry Coke. Packed bags. Back on the road. One more home. Relax. Processing. One last meal. Flying Biscuit.  Off we go. Good bye friends. Hello Marta. Tick. Tock. Forever. Hartsfield Jackson. Uh Oh. Run. C1. C8. Chaos. Board. Hugs. Missed flights. Delayed flights. Lost phones. Home. Where ever that is. Love my friends. Until next time. Another wedding. Another feast.