Psyche

Well it appeared that closing ceramonies were in action,...though like many shows,...there's an encore. So New York being New York,...and friends that I have here being...I suppose cool,...magically took over and made these last two days awesome. As I type it's now 1:31AM and I've finally finished packing and cleaning the apartment and driver picking me up at 630am,...time will fly and bags under eyes will show.

Anyhoo....So what's happened in the last couple days.

1). Mr. Watson,...Craig'r was in town for one day only,...then he's back next week for the full week. Way to carbon inprint big guy,...haha. Joke. Actually our first hour was spent in the apartment and it was totally 'Zen.' Craig was on his computer and fancy cell phone couch styles,....and I was laying on my bed,...laptop perched up,...on a conference call,...and we both just did our thing for 60 mins without really saying a word. Quite funny. Later that evening, Craig suggested a little tour through Soho and dinner at the Mercer street grill,...something of that nature. It was great,...and funny enough I remembered the place from a trip to New York about 10 years ago. So we had a great dinner, caught up on good times,...then went to a little cafe where we basically had an evening drink on the patio and blatantly perved really hard at anything walking down the street.

The final day (Sept 5, 2007)

2). Today began with meeting Mr. Mark Chan at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel,...at their casual restaurant called Oscar's. Simple enough place,...a menu,...food,...etc etc. The conversation as we both attested to then and there,...and again afterwards via text msg'ing, was totally worldclass. We caught up,...we discussed life, we discussed family, we discussed safety and terrorism, we talked about all the good moments that have taken place in NY in the last 5 months and so on. We hugged outside,...and Mark, clever as always, remembered something I said in conversation and then repeated it as we departed. He said,....Ryan, leave a little on the table,...and enjoy the trip home.

3). Straight from Oscar's and onto the #7 train to Flushing New York,...home of the 2007 U.S. Open Tennis Championships. Bout a 45min ride and one arrives to a massive arena. Met up with my buddy Roman there along with 4 of his other friends,...one being his cousis Vadim that I met (with Roman) on a Brazilian Island called Morro Sao Pollo. So this was a blast to catch up after about 2 years since S. America. So we entered,...got to our seats,...and then watched the end of a ladies match,...and then next up,...mens semi final match. These guys absolutely pound the ball and have serious skill. Was a pleasure to watch and take in the whole experience.

After this,...we decided to head into Brooklyn,...me, Roman, Vadim,...and Roman's really really best and long time friend "Misch" Russian guys.... we went to a place called "L & B" which is apparently the most well known, traditional Italian joint and the story goes etc etc. Did our dinner thing there,...and honestly it really dawned on me then that this whole day was a classic way to say adios to the big apple.

Almost done-ski. Roman had to work at his bar tonight so we drove in from Brooklyn,...saw the Manhattan city waterfront at night,...and then proceeded to get on the Manhattan Bridge which is apparently quite admired and enjoyed by locals. Parked by his bar,...and then basically summed up having a really great summer together,...couple handshakes, hugs, and I made my last walk back from the lower east side (of stanton and crystie area) back to my home. It all becomes nostalgic now i suppose.

So that's that,....been almost 5 months to a 'T' in New York,...an absolutely incredible experience and matter of personal growth in many ways. Oh,...and who could come to this city, go to cooking school without visiting the world famous Anthony Bourdains "Les Halles" restaurant. I chose the one in Wall Street simply because it would be less crowded at night,...and that Wall Street area at night particularly is mysterious as they get. Chicken pomme frites with reduction sauce,...then profiteroles. And,...perfect!

In summary, New York, as far as cities goes, truly is the best on our planet. It is terrifically rich in culture, sports, restaurants, the arts and so on. It many aspects it is an example to the world, in some regards, of how cities should be run. Though our world today, particularly America faces many new, and at times dires challenges. We shall see how the Apple progresses. In the meantime,...I am thankful for what was able to be achieved while living here.

Here's some pics to make up this final post.

Ciao,
Ryan