Day two in NYC

Things I did today instead of doom scrolling:

1. Stopped at Tiffany jewelers, but did not have breakfast
   
2. Took photos of Art Deco decorations on NYC buildings
   
3. Hailed a cab successfully
   
4. Learned about and admired Roy Lichtenstein’s art
   
5. Blissed out on Whitney Art Museum’s 5th floor terrace, overlooking Highline park
6. Inspired to make notes of art projects to do
7. Deleted phone game I’d been playing obsessively and had started spending $$ on which I’d promised myself I wouldn’t
   
8. Walked through Greenwich Village
   
9. Said prayer for LGBTQ+ community at Stonewall
   
10. Ate a perfect grilled cheese sandwich
    
11. Bought more fancy chocolates
    
12. Researched cool buildings and cool street makes I saw   
    
13. Blissed out on a PERFECT autumn day in Washington Square Park with NYU students, a jazz trio, artists, freaks, Hare Krishnas and pigeon
14. Resisted telling college kids around me: ENJOY THIS. It will never get better than a perfect autumn day in a park laughing with your friends. It can be as good, but it’ll never be better. 

After taking this photo and starting to head out under the arch, I spoke with the artist at that table. And I bought a piece for Peter. 

Part 2:

Gratitude Oct 19

I am grateful for changing plans, the internet, cute welcoming restaurants, beef sandwiches and Beaujolais wine, and comedy legends.

SO! I made plans yesterday that today I’d go to a particular slightly expensive restaurant, Monkey Bar. I’d read reviews of their $40 prime rib French dip and figured I’d splurge. The glasses of wine start at $20. (Justified after “saving” $40,390 yesterday! 😜😃)

But then this afternoon I was just so relaxed at Washington Square and stayed longer than planned, and then rush hour taxi ride took longer too. So I scratched that idea and just went to my hotel. 

So I was chilling in my room, thinking about my plans to go to Carnegie Hall across the street at 7:30, but I thought I really *need* to eat something first. Looked at restaurants around hotel/Carnegie hall… found a cute little French place around the corner… which lo and behold… has a French dip (doesn’t mention if it’s prime rib…), and it’s $27 and the wine is $10. 

So this time, I saved $23… 😃 Which is good since I spent $111 to go to see John Oliver, Josh Johnson, mary beth barone, Roy Wood Jr and others at Comic Relief at Carnegie!

NEXT

On the elevator at Carnegie Hall, this tall black man behind me speaks. And I said, I could believe you were Roy Wood Jr if you told me you were. Sounded like him mostly. He laughed and said in fact he did a podcast with Roy for years. 

Huh!

So I looked him up. His name is Ralph Cooper III. And then I messaged him via Instagram which is cringe, but whatever. Also, after seeing Roy Wood Jr at the comedy gig… the two do NOT sound alike. What was I thinking. 

EDITED TO ADD: and he wrote me back and thanked me and now we follow each other.