The day that would end up being the nicest as far as the weather went began in simple fashion: with a breakfast at a nearby diner. Sometimes it’s best to keep things casual and easy, and I’m someone who loves a good diner breakfast. Our server had some verve to her as well, which made for an entertaining way to wake up. All in the name of sustenance for a day of shopping that began with a subway ride to the World Trade Center stop.
Much has changed in that part of the subway system, as it has in that part of the city. The Westfield nexus of shopping, dining and subway stopping was pretty much complete – and what a change. Sweet perfume shops sent their olfactory soldiers into battle against a legion of subway exhaust fumes in a battle that declared no clear winner. We weren’t there for the new shops though, we had bargain hunting to accomplish, so we rode into the daylight and walked to Century 21, where the real work began. (As far as it is from where we usually stay, the downtown location of Century 21 is vastly superior to the Lincoln Center store.) We found some steals, filled some bags, and still had some energy to return to the hotel and head out for a bit more. By the time another early bell for dinner rang, we were ready to eat again.
Toloache provided some decent guacamole and way-better-than-decent margaritas for our dinner, and when we finished a little sooner than expected we crossed the street for a cocktail stop at the Palm. As we sat looking out at New York, a pair of goats hopped out of a van. All in a day, I suppose.
That evening’s show was ‘Once on This Island’ and it was as glorious as word-of-mouth had indicated. More-so, in fact, and I was completely enamored of the entire production, right down to the sand that front-row visitors found beneath our feet.
I’d neglected to inform my Mom about this immersive factor of the show, so she gamely trotted along the beach to her seat in fancy open-toed shoes, while I accepted cast compliments for my sneakers.
At last, as the show got underway, the goats we’d spied previously made sense; they were part of the cast. An enchanting theatrical experience, we left lifted-up, and ready for one more full day…
