In Support of Coffee
We were in New York again this past weekend, and packed it full of activities as usual.
Saturday we attended a Bar Mitzvah for a family friend of Matt's. It was interesting to attend temple and look at a service from a new perspective. I found overall that it really wasn't all that different from church services I've been to in the past. A little more difficult to follow along, since many parts weren't in English, but not really any more so than Catholic Mass.
In the evening, we were at the Weird Al concert at the Westbury Music Fair (which apparently goes by more different names now than I can keep track of). I really have no idea why it had never occurred to me to go to a Weird Al concert before, because really, it was even better than I had hoped. The music was great, Matt's mom got a chance to kiss Weird Al, he swooned in her lap, Al performed Albuquerque (much to everyone's surprise!), and a great time was had by all.
On Sunday we trekked into Brooklyn (Park Slope) to see Darnisa's brand new apartment, have brunch with friends, and generally take in the sites. We (and by "we", I mean "I") were impressed to find a 2-story Target with a special escalator built for carts (I swear, Matt's going to stop taking me out in public if I keep acting as if I've never been out of the countryside when we find things like that). Darnisa's apartment is really great for a first apartment...and I can't wait to see it with furniture.
We met for brunch at Beast in hopes of having a meal full of mythical creature, but found that the wait was over an hour. We decided to backtrack a bit and go to the place that had been advertising granola crusted french toast with nutella creme instead. Good choice. At Melt I had a pomegranate mimosa, the aforementioned french toast (that came with a huge fruit salad as well), and a side of home fries because, really, who can resist a good fried potato? All of the food was delicious, and we were astounded by the prices.
As we were finishing brunch, it became apparent that the restaurant was being cleared for a surprise party, so we enjoyed watching friends and family congregate and bustle around excitedly. We happened to be standing outside chatting when the guest of honor arrived, but I think his toddler son was more surprised than he was...as the child burst into tears and had to be consoled down the block before he would look at anyone in the party again.
After brunch, we strolled around Park Slope and visited some of the shops along the way. We stopped in at a ritzy pet shop and considered getting Tabi rhinestone leash harnesses, giant catnip mice, and gourmet fresh baked cat treats. We passed on all of these. We did not, however, pass on the human treats we found across the street at The Chocolate Room. We didn't get one of EVERY chocolate (quite), but we made a fair attempt. So far, my favorite has been the Hannah - Soft caramel in dark chocolate drizzled with milk chocolate & sea salt. Salt and caramel in chocolate is genius.
After that, we reasoned that Darnisa didn't actually have anything to sit on in her apartment, so we opted to stop and sip coffees at Gorilla Coffee for awhile rather than prop ourselves awkwardly around her apartment. I always feel pressured when I meet up with friends that I don't see frequently, to try to have MEANINGFUL conversation and make every second COUNT. Sitting in Gorilla Coffee, it occurred to me that the meaning isn't all that important. Sharing a cup of coffee, lingering over conversations about nothing, enjoying company...these are all important parts of friendship.
Those moments do count, for a lot. They don't have to be earth shattering, you don't have to solve world peace or even figure out once and for all what that guy is really thinking. It's enough to sit, and share, and be. And so we did. We talked, and laughed, and relaxed knowing that despite the distance, despite the time between visits, we were among friends...and as much as I miss my scattered friends, I know that we're all where we're supposed to be, doing what we're supposed to be doing, and we'll still support each other along the way through a phone call here, a quick cup of coffee there.
Saturday we attended a Bar Mitzvah for a family friend of Matt's. It was interesting to attend temple and look at a service from a new perspective. I found overall that it really wasn't all that different from church services I've been to in the past. A little more difficult to follow along, since many parts weren't in English, but not really any more so than Catholic Mass.
In the evening, we were at the Weird Al concert at the Westbury Music Fair (which apparently goes by more different names now than I can keep track of). I really have no idea why it had never occurred to me to go to a Weird Al concert before, because really, it was even better than I had hoped. The music was great, Matt's mom got a chance to kiss Weird Al, he swooned in her lap, Al performed Albuquerque (much to everyone's surprise!), and a great time was had by all.
On Sunday we trekked into Brooklyn (Park Slope) to see Darnisa's brand new apartment, have brunch with friends, and generally take in the sites. We (and by "we", I mean "I") were impressed to find a 2-story Target with a special escalator built for carts (I swear, Matt's going to stop taking me out in public if I keep acting as if I've never been out of the countryside when we find things like that). Darnisa's apartment is really great for a first apartment...and I can't wait to see it with furniture.
We met for brunch at Beast
As we were finishing brunch, it became apparent that the restaurant was being cleared for a surprise party, so we enjoyed watching friends and family congregate and bustle around excitedly. We happened to be standing outside chatting when the guest of honor arrived, but I think his toddler son was more surprised than he was...as the child burst into tears and had to be consoled down the block before he would look at anyone in the party again.
After brunch, we strolled around Park Slope and visited some of the shops along the way. We stopped in at a ritzy pet shop and considered getting Tabi rhinestone leash harnesses, giant catnip mice, and gourmet fresh baked cat treats. We passed on all of these. We did not, however, pass on the human treats we found across the street at The Chocolate Room
After that, we reasoned that Darnisa didn't actually have anything to sit on in her apartment, so we opted to stop and sip coffees at Gorilla Coffee
Those moments do count, for a lot. They don't have to be earth shattering, you don't have to solve world peace or even figure out once and for all what that guy is really thinking. It's enough to sit, and share, and be. And so we did. We talked, and laughed, and relaxed knowing that despite the distance, despite the time between visits, we were among friends...and as much as I miss my scattered friends, I know that we're all where we're supposed to be, doing what we're supposed to be doing, and we'll still support each other along the way through a phone call here, a quick cup of coffee there.
posted by Liz at 10:49 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home