New York New York ! It's a Wonderful Town !

Above: Elsie, Karen, Bill, Kevin. Who knew that summer of 1984 we'd see each other again, still be friends ?

I reached one of those milestone birthdays this fall - you know, the kind that end in "0", and I promised myself I'd do some special things in honor of it. At the exact moment of my birthday, I was too busy to mark the occasion - barely went out for dinner that night - but I promised myself that the year of living this birthday will be filled with special moments, experiences, adventures. Towards that end I took the first of what I hope are several trips this year : a little jaunt to NYC this winter, to see some old friends, take in a Broadway show.

Kevin and Karen at MOMA...the person who looks like Andy Warhol, behind us, is just serendipitous

I've been to NYC many times in my life - lived in the 'burbs even, for a brief period in the '90's - but this particular visit was made all the more special by the surprise visit of a dear friend whom I had not seen in over a decade. When he walked, unexpectedly, into the restaurant where we were eating, just as casually as if he lived around the corner (in fact, he lives quite far away), my jaw dropped to the floor with surprise and pleasure. That the rest of our merry band had secretly plotted this surprise was so touching, I became quite verklempt.

New York, New York --
A hell of a town,
The Bronx is up and the Battery's down.
The People ride in a hole in the ground.
New York, New York --
It's a hell of a town.

View from my hotel room

Start spreading the news, I’m leaving today
I want to be a part of it - New York, New York
These vagabond shoes are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it - New York,
New York

I wanna wake up in a city, that doesn’t sleep
And find I’m king of the hill - top of the heap

These little town blues, are melting away