Tales from the Big Apple
It's been a while between blogs, I know - but it's been a pretty crazy couple of weeks.I got back to Israel on Monday morning, which was Erev Pesach (note to self: don't do that again).
I wanted to write regularly while I was in New York, but well, yeah, that kinda didn't happen. I also thought I would also keep a journal, so I could remember everything when I got back, but well, yeah, that kinda didn't happen either. So, looks like we are left with my memory, which at times leaves a lot to be desired.
This was my second trip to New York, so I at least had a vague idea of where I was going and what I wanted to do. I had a few days before my conference started, so I made the most of it by hitting the streets and shopping (I confess! I am a latent shopaholic, but my addiction only seems to rear its ugly head in NY. Thank God I don't live there!).
I also managed to see a couple of wonderful Broadway shows; Talk Radio starring the very scrummy yummy Liev Schrieber and Moon for the Misbegotten starring one of my all time favourite actors, Kevin Spacey. Moon was one of those rare theatrical moments, the joy of which will stay with you even when you are old and senile and can only remember the name of your third grade teacher and your first telephone number. I somehow managed to get a ticket in the third row - it was off to the side a little (ok, a lot), but much of the action was down my side of the stage and I was close enough to be able to see the tiny rivulets of sweat pouring down Mr Spacey's face. Ok, now I am sounding like a lunatic stalker.
I also had the opportunity while I was in New York to catch up with a few dear friends, including my friend Lisa who I went to primary school with in Hong Kong like a gazillion years ago. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, we have managed to stay in touch over the years, although it has been nine years since we last saw each other. Lisa was living in London and late last year, her company offered her a transfer to the United States. She is now living in Atlanta, Georgia and when I told her I was coming to NY, she booked a flight and a hotel for the weekend so we could catch up. It was wonderful to see her, and amazing how nearly a decade apart melted away and it seemed like it was only yesterday that we last saw each other.
In two days we managed to pack in some speed shopping, a lovely dinner and a trip to the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA).
Here's a pic of two old friends (we've known each other for about 25 years...eeeekk!!!)
I also managed to catch up with my friend Hallie Leighton who was a fellow Writer-in-Residence in Arad, Israel a few years ago. Hallie was living in Jerusalem until late last year and left just a few months before I finally moved in December. It was great to see her and we did a bunch of great things together including seeing the show Talk Radio, going to a preview screening of a new film called The Lookout and on my last night, Hallie hosted the most divine dinner party at her to-die-for apartment on the Upper West Side.
The dinner party consisted of one of the most eclectic bunch of people ever assembled at one table. Hallie (who is a marvellous character all by herself) invited her father Jan - who is a dead ringer for Kirk Douglas by the way, and three of her friends, Daniel, Michael and Jonathan (who actually lives in Jerusalem and was just in NY visiting his family over Pesach).
Hallie whipped up a delicious and hearty minestrone soup with loads of fresh crusty bread, salad, plenty of vino and to top it all off, homemade brownies (courtesy of a family friend).
People are not just being clichéd when they talk about New York as "the city that never sleeps". They're right, it never does. It's a city on speed 24/7/365. You can walk through Times Square at any hour of the day or night and it will be filled with people and the trademark neon lights and now state-of-the-art LED displays blaring down on you so intensely you can actually feel the heat coming off them. With all the light, and all the people, it's like Times Square has it's very own internal clock.
They also say "anything goes" in New York and this is also a statement I would wholeheartedly have to agree with. New York is full of crazy characters, sometimes so stereotyped, they have to be seen to be believed. Take for example the two Amazonian African-American transvestites in the vintage clothing store I stumbled across, or (and this is my favourite NY story) the two perky sales girls in Henri Bendel (one of NY's most exclusive and expensive department stores) who were promoting a new range of beauty products called "Sexy Beast". I was with my friend Lisa at the time, and we went over to have a look.
The way-too-perky, super-friendly sales girls squirted the fragrance onto a little piece of card and Lisa and I whiffed appreciatively. "Hmmm. Very nice" we said.
"Isn't it?" they replied. "It's a wonderful new range for dogs."
WHOA.
Back up girls.
"For dogs?" I repeated with more than a dose of incredulity in my tone.
"Yes. For dogs." "Forgive me, I really don't want to sound rude, but you DO realise that outside of America, there is not a place on earth that you could sell that stuff."
(Ok, on reflection, that DID come across as rather agressive).
The girls giggled nervously, trying very hard on the one hand to maintain their sales integrity and at the same time convince me that they were normal human beings in full knowledge that what they were selling was insane.
"Well, you are probably right. Apart from here and L.A. it would probably be hard to sell this range."
Yeah. No shit Sherlock!
Cheeky little me asked the girls if they minded if I took a photo of them and they kindly agreed. One of them looked a little worried and said to me, "you're not like a writer or anything are you?"
Who, moi?
Say cheers girls, or should that be WOOF?
Ten days in New York was actually probably enough for me. As much as I love the city and all the crazy people in it, it seemed stragely devoid of soul. Bursting at the seams with personality for sure, but not a whole lot of soul going on. I found myself really missing Israel, and Jerusalem in particular. I realised all of a sudden, that my flight back to Israel would be the first time I was actually flying "home" to Israel and that was a truly wonderful feeling.
I landed in Israel on the morning of Erev Pesach and first made a mad dash to pick up my cat Syd (who I had tried to convince was going to go to an exclusive Club Med for kitty cats in Beit HaKerem - ok, actually my friend Tal's apartment, but hey, they say a change is as good as a holiday right!?).
I dropped Syd off at home, filled up her food and water bowls, pulled some clean clothes out of my suitcase and stuffed them into a small backback before heading back to Tel Aviv to my friend Elisabeth's house. Elisabeth was going to join me and my relatives for the seder that night in Kiron, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
Somehow - surviving on approximately 4 hours sleep in 72 hours, I managed to stay conscious for the entire seder, although there were more than a few moments where my head dangled dangerously close to my matzah ball soup.
At last, I had made it. I was home, in Israel, for Pesach.
Chag Pesach sameach v'kosher everyone!