What other town?

One of my favorite things about living in New York is that there are millions of opportunities and activities always at your fingertips.  You can spend the morning in Central Park, the afternoon in Chinatown and the evening in the West Village and feel like you've been in three different cities - three different worlds even - all in a single day.

Such was the nature of last week.  As I briefly mentioned, I spent last Thursday evening at a Valentine's Day gala for the Bowery Mission.  Everything about the night from start to finish was as New York of an evening as it gets.  We arrived at the beautiful Rainbow Room early in the evening to set up.  It was still light outside, and the daytime view was gorgeous...to the north of Rockefeller Center, Central Park spanned across most of the island, while to the south, the Empire State Building stood tall.  As the evening progressed, the same view to the north turned into a sea of sparkling lights while the view to the south turned into a large red and white shrine to Valentine's Day.

The event was fantastic.  Even though I was there as a mere worker bee, the whole evening had a certain je ne sais quoi, that New York City magic that you just can't put into words.  There I was with my friends, all of us dressed up in formal dresses at the iconic Rainbow Room, checking in all the generous (and I mean, generous) donors who were there to celebrate for the night.  There were all sorts of people there, with the most exciting guest for the evening being Mayor Bloomberg, who came by for a little 66th birthday celebration.

After registering all the guests, we snuck around to peer into the main room at the Rainbow Room...and what a site to see!  It was breathtaking...the decorations, the lights, the view, the jazz band...even as an outsider looking in, it was quite something to take in.  Plus, we did get to enjoy the lamb and chocolate mousse at a sort of kiddie table right outside.  And take some gift bags (or as Rachel called them, 'gift sacks').

[the view from the Rainbow Room]

After having such a New York City Thursday (or, just another Valentine's Day), it was only fitting that my friends that I volunteered with and I do a complete 180 for the long weekend.  So, on Saturday morning, six friends and I packed up two rental cars and headed to the Poconos.  We really had a perfect mountain weekend...we stayed in a "quaint" :) cabin on Lake Naomi, where everything was covered in a white blanket of  snow.  Aside from our trips to a local day spa, Wal-Mart (we bought a whole weekend of groceries for 7 people for less than $25 a person!), and, of course, Target and the outlets, we lounged around and did nothing.  Although, I must say - the nothing was really something...delicious meals, seven, count 'em, seven movies, sleeping, reading, and, my favorite of all, great conversation.  Oh, and we ate at Chili's.  (It's really the simple things in life that you learn to appreciate living in New York.)

[the view from our cabin porch]

(Note:  Somewhere, someone has pictures from both of these events with people in them.  I should get those so you know I have friends.  Cute friends, too!)

And then, after a city mouse evening on Thursday and a country mouse weekend for the holiday, I was back in the middle...living my normal, lovely life in the middle of this grand city.  I did get a taste of a combination of the two worlds yesterday, though, when we had our biggest snow of the year.  It quickly turned slushy and gray, and it was icy and cold, but it's all just another side of the dice of life here in old New York.

 

[the view from my cubicle]

"What other town has the Empire State and a mayor five foot two

No other town in the whole forty-eight can half compare to you

NYC - you make 'em all postcards

You crowd, you cramp, you're still the champ

Amen for NYC!"

- Annie