The Big Apple

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I've been meaning to write about how much fun I had at the AWP conference last week. It was a mini Penn State reunion and everybody was just as funny as ever. I even got to have lunch with Joe when I first got in town. On the way to eat at this place called Ollie's Noodle Shop, we met a horse and two donkeys who had just finished performing in a play or an opera or something. The guy watching the animals let us pet them. Joe bought me lunch and we talked about work and how much more he likes his job now; how he's suddenly a rock star again.

I spent most of the afternoon after that walking around near 14th Street until Liz got off work and then we met up with Luke and went to dinner at a busy but low key Indian restaurant. Luke ordered best with a chicken dish. Next, went to the Hilton to meet people but the drinks there were crazy expensive so we persuaded people to leave and ended up in a much more casual bar and Dave and a bunch of other peeps showed up.


Friday, I stayed mostly in Brooklyn with Zach and we walked around Park Slope to Beacon's Closet where he bought a ragged jacket with a brown hood and I bought a pair of pink leg warmers (only $4.95!) and we had breakfast at this place that didn't seem to actually have any food---they were going to run out to buy bacon when we ordered it and they put our eggs (which they didn't ask us how we wanted prepared) sandwiched between cinnamon raisin bagels. I think it's possible that we accidentally just walked into someone's house and they gave us some food. Managed to get people together in Brooklyn at this little place with live music and Matt Perez told me he liked my snaggletooth. Adam was exactly the same as ever which was infinitely reassurring. Liz and Luke and I all laughed a lot, a lot, though I couldn't even tell you about what necessarily, just that they bring out the silly in me, which is, of course, always just below the surface and barely contained anyway.



So, I do love New York, but the thing that gets me about it is the sudden horribleness that happens every once in awhile. On the subway and at Port Authority waiting for the Greyhound back to Philadelphia, I saw two extremely messed up people. One kid actually fell down the stairs because he was so drunk or high or whatever. And it was only 4:30 p.m. I think I will stay in Philadelphia for the moment at least.

Comments

Anonymous said…
The ability to access public transportation while in a drug-addled stupor is actually a fringe benefit to living in the City. What you call "sudden horribleness" we call civil liberties.
1:16 PM
Aimee said…
I guess you're right..though the "sudden horribleness" I was referring to had nothing to do with public transportation, but more to the point that it sucked to see someone so young be that fucked up and without friends.
3:27 PM
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