The Day of Sunshine and Frank

Oh the joys of not laying prostrate on the bathroom floor begging the universe to let me go…

After suffering through most of Saturday – a special thanks to my nurse who lovingly supplied me with ginger ale and potato chips -- I woke up feeling hungry and ready to go. Frank seemed to have slept okay on the cement-like futon under the window, but still didn’t seem in the mood to take the hour train ride to Coney Island in celebration of my making it 12 hours without throwing up. As it was almost 11am, we only had a few hours until he had to catch the 4:11 train to Jersey, so we decided to get outside and enjoy the sunshine while we headed for brunch.

We found a great spot in the W. Village that I had read about in Time Out NY. We weren’t sure if we would be able to find it or afford it, but it turned out to be really good. Of course, I was just excited to be eating at all.

After a great meal, we headed out to wander the streets and stumbled upon a street market. Although the smell of meat cooking in the street was a bit of a daunting test for my stomach, we managed to shop for t-shirts, jewelry, and art undeterred. Although J wasn’t able to find yet another wedding band – despite Frank and my suggestions to go for one of the cool skull rings, we did find some cute shirts and these really cool Star Wars sculptures made out of recycled metal. I might go back to get one of those next weekend…

We continued to meander, enjoying Frank’s stories of growing up in Jersey and visiting the city – it was so nice to have company -- and headed for some cool architecture in SoHo that J had read about. As we wandered through the famous designer names, most of which were lost on the fellas (except the Sharper Image, which I’m not sure I count as a designer label), we decided to head out to see some water. The Hudson provided a nice breeze that was a relief from the heat (I can’t imagine being here any later in the summer) and we walked back home enjoying the openness of the river park. Side note: That’s definitely something I miss about home – being able to see further than a block or two.

On the way home, we decided to make a quick stop for some cupcakes from the Magnolia. J and I had talked up the cupcakes quite a bit, so we were nervous that they wouldn’t live up to the expectations we had set for Frank. Happily, he seemed to put them on the same pedestal we had built up, and we very much appreciated that he left two here for our happy consumption later in the evening!

The real excitement of the day came when we took Frank to Penn station to catch his train. It reminded us so much of the train stations in France – all the excitement and energy. We made it with just a few minutes to spare, said our quick goodbyes, and soon it was just J and I again. We both enjoyed having Frank here and hope to see him again before he heads back home – we still need so much training in the proper East Coast phraseology.

After a nap for me and some work for J, we decided to try something mellow for the night and took the harbor lights boat cruise around the south end of Manhattan. With Coors Lights and popcorn, we enjoyed every freezing minute of the Statue of Liberty and the NY and NJ skyline. It was a peaceful night and we got off the boat feeling relaxed and happy…until we reached Time Square.

I wonder if many people come to this city and only see the circus of Times Square. It is a fun place that is full of energy, but tonight, the pushing crowds and the obnoxious tourists put us both in a panic, and we didn’t say much on the subway ride home. J decided to take refuge in the apartment while I grabbed a few things at the store for dinner. After a quiet meal, I nodded off feeling so very lucky to get to enjoy this experience…and relieved that we didn’t pick a place an inch closer to Times Square.