On Memorial Day the plan was to head straight to Macy’s and each get a little shopping done and from there head over to Les Halles, a French restaurant on Park Avenue, to use a gift certificate. Macy’s turned out to be an ordeal. They not only had the added holiday business but it was also Fleet Week here and the store was as busy as Christmastime. We completed our purchases and headed east on 34th Street. It was a bit early for dinner and we were ready for a break so at 5th Avenue we decided to pop into a microbrewery, Heartland Brewery, for a little liquid refreshment. It turns out that this brew pub is in the base of the Empire State Building with the restaurant on the ground floor and the brewery in the basement. Who knew? I went through the lobby and got some nice photos of the Art Deco marble and brass halls. Refreshed we continued on to dinner.
The day earlier the plan was equally mundane. Our agenda was simply to go to Bed Bath and Beyond on the Upper West Side and pick out curtains and rods for the apartment. This was easily accomplished and we arranged for everything to be delivered in an hour and struck out back toward the apartment. The most direct route goes through Columbus Circle at the southwest corner of the Central Park. It was a beautiful day and we had time for a break on the way home so we went to one of the kiosks that operate at the edge of the park. We grabbed a juice and coffee and snagged a table in the shade. There is a certain magic that takes place when you step across the line into the park, passing through an invisible curtain. I get the same feelings I had as a kid at a picnic. I don’t know if it is the sounds, smells, or what, but I am transported to another place and time.
You see, the things I love the most about New York City are the unplanned things that seem to happen between the planned things.
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