The Big Apple vs. The Big Tennis Ball
For the many years I worked in Manhattan, I can honestly say I was the late ’90’s version of Carrie Bradshaw and Co. (In a city the size of New York…)
Since I am a self-described chef/bar/restaurant groupie, I knew all the hot spots before they opened…I was an absolute ace at snaggiing a bar stool, no matter how packed the place was. I was familiar with most neighborhoods, and I knew the best places to hail a cab…I snickered at tourists who tried to get one in the pouring rain in front of Grand Central Terminal.
Work was great–New York was fabulous. I loved my city more than any city on earth. I’ve had several offices in gleaming towers, in some of the chicest neighborhoods in the city. And I had the wardrobe to go with it…especially the shoes!
But as the the previous millennium clicked into the 2000s, I began to realize that corporate America and my soul don’t mix together very well.
Thus, I began The Pet Set, and now work in my office in suburban NJ. As I write this post, I sit in my ’60’s inspired office (red paneling and all) my front window facing a blooming hydrangea plant, my dog is barking at the mail-man–all while wearing pj’s covered in illustrations of dogs.
Later this afternoon, I will have to take a pause in my work to play “toss the tennis ball with your nose” with my dog, feed him and walk him around the neighborhood. Looks like the guy on the corner hit the Lottery, he just put in a built-in pool. God, I wish my next door neighbors would paint their house, it looks decrepit.
I have re-accepted the role of house-person and have learned to cook everything from home-made pizza dough to Rachael Ray’s hot dog mac and cheese…oiy.
The memories of old NY and my old persona were tested recently, as visitors from Phili trusted me as their guide to find today’s chic bar. I was going to take them to one of the snazziest lounges in the city. These outta towners will be so impressed.
So I put on my brand new 4-inch silver strappy sandles and told them to meet me at “The Biltmore” in the Chelsea neighborhood of town. We get there, and you’ve never seen a sadder sight. The once gorgeous, over-the-top restaurant bar, promising the most glamourous cocktail scene…was shackled closed….for rennovations.
There we were, 2 rubes — or was it 3? — sitting on the stoop of the place, not knowing where to go next. Did you know that the famous Patsy’s only serves beer and wine? I had to fake it with a lame excuse…I’m sorry, I never spent much time in Chelsea.
Then the truth hit me, I wasn’t Carrie Bradshaw anymore, and strappy sandles hurt, and maybe I never was that person.
I am business owner, deliriously happy wife and dog mom and my jeans always have a tennis ball or doggie treats in the pockets.
Dinner out these days may be the local Sopranos-looking joint, but I can see the Chrysler building on a clear night… from my deck.
Photo: Flickr.com
Tags: Big-Apple, Manhattan, Rachael-Ray, sopranosRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Fabulous Coffee Break
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