I believe that at some point I promised Chinatown, Soho, Greenwich Village, and Chelsea…
Just after the breakfast at Central Park, I got on a subway and crossed town to meet my friend, Charles. I knew him 20 years ago as Chuck, in high school, and hadn’t seen him since. Of course, I found him through Facebook – and for all the craziness Facebook has, that part of it that lets you find people you’ve lost track of completely is like a tiny little digital miracle – and was surprised to find him living in New York. An artist. He didn’t do art in high school, I thought, and then answered myself well you weren’t exactly the lead in your high school plays either, were you? So I guess there are surprises all around.
At some point on the whirlwind of getting out of town, I remembered that I had this long ago friend in New York. So I emailed and we set up lunch. I told him my plan was to spend the afternoon walking these neighborhoods that I missed the first time around. We agreed to meet in Chinatown.
Still though, on the subway burrowing across town, I had a moment of panic. It had been 20 years, after all. This meeting could go really well, or horribly, horribly wrong.
Fortunately, it was wonderful. We ate Vietnamese at a hole in the wall and he introduced me to bubble tea. We caught each other up on the last 20 years. We walked those streets all afternoon. It was a day filled with unbelievable grace.
We wandered in and out of art galleries, toy stores, tree lined streets, all under 70 degree clear blue skies. We talked about New York, and art, and our families. I was amazed at his story, amazed again at mine, after taking it out and looking at it again, holding it up for him to see.
He was glad that I had left Arkansas and chosen to come back (as opposed to being chained here by my ankles, a common misconception for those not from the Natural State). I was glad that he still misses the green.
Somehow, the willingness to risk an awful lunch cracked open a door in me, a place that too often slams shut on possibility. When the light came in I could see the whole city open up before me, throwing its treasures at my feet. Beauty in the oddest of places.
We walked until we’d walked ourselves out, all the way back up to Union Square. There I was able to get a hold of The Geek That I Love Best, who was done with Blogwell and headed to The Park, a restaurant and bar that wasn’t too far away. I met him there.
This is a New York that I didn’t see the first time around: quieter and calmer and with a bit more space. Needless to say, I have a bit of a crush. Can’t wait to see her again…