Wow... I've been hoping for years for an invitation from
Rudi... now I know I've made it!
Thank you. I hope to get to your part of the world sometime soon.
Cat food
I flipped on CNN but there was no news because all the reporters had the day off so I watched live coverage of the world championship hot-dog-eating contest at Coney Island, home of the Blue Fairy. I arranged to meet Catman for lunch so I walked across town to the West Bank Café and ordered an iced tea after verifying that refills were free. Catman recommended this place, a gleaming gold filling at the mouth of the Lincoln Tunnel. It was so relaxing, with great food and service, you’d never know it was so close to New Jersey. I tried a black-seared tuna sashimi appetizer while I waited for Catman and then took his recommendation and ordered Black Angus steak, although I took my own recommendation and ordered it rare. It was all yummy. We caught up on old times and then we both had to run so we gave each other passionate belly hugs goodbye and ran off after paying the bill and leaving a generous tip.
I wanted to catch one more show before I left town so I hustled over to The Dinner Party, a Neil Simon ensemble piece featuring John Lovitz. I got a single in the sixth row mezzanine, which the clerk assured me was a good seat since it was a small theater. I could see very well and thought the play was first rate, a thought-provoking drama wrapped in comedic foil. It lasted just under two hours with no intermission.
It was four o’clock so I walked back to the W and confronted the clerk about the mysterious charges on my bill, which she erased with no argument. I changed for dinner and had time for a Manhattan at the bar before walking down to Union Square for dinner with Michael and KMO.
Michael had selected Sushi Samba, a Brazilian Japanese restaurant with great music. He ordered splendidly for the three of us, I insisting only on a couple pieces of uni. The El Samba roll was best, a concoction of eel, avocado, and a few other fishes with yummy radish sprouts growing out of the end pieces, which I confiscated.
We walked over to the lobby bar at the new W Union Square after a brief visit to another place that wouldn’t give us a table just to have highly profitable drinks; they wanted us to order less-profitable food. We plopped down in comfy chairs at the W, this one similar to the well-loved Seattle one although we didn’t test it out by trying to order an Emerald Drop. Instead we had Sauza Tres Generaciones margaritas and talked about sports and cars until close to midnight. We got a taxi for KMO after trying quite a long time, then Michael and I walked home.
I set the alarm, a wake-up call, and Monkeyboy all to wake me up at 6:15 in preparation for my flight tomorrow morning.
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