The day after was a very slow start for me, but it turned out to be a great day. Mickey and Ashley decided to stay back to watch a World Cup soccer match; Anna Marie and I left a bit early to walk to our destination in SoHo to meet the Goyenetche Family for brunch at Boqueria, a tapas restaurant.
On the way we passed a wine store; I told Anna Marie I wanted to see what their pricing was like. While there I saw a wine called “Mare” which, of course, was fun for me. But when I turned the bottle to see the price, I almost fell over. $22. A bottle of “Mare” wine for $22! Anna Marie bought the bottle for me, but she insisted to the clerk we keep the price tag. He rolled his eyes, but we didn’t care. Sold.
*Side note: I have become a comparison shopper in NYC for alcohol. I have a wine shop very close to me that sells liquor in addition to wine. By the way, liquor isn’t just sold anywhere; it is not sold at grocery stores, for example. My neighborhood wine store has a really good selection of alcohol, but I almost fell over when I saw the prices. At home a bottle of Screwball is $28-$29; at this place I paid $45. Pierre has since advised me of a wine store on the Upper East Side. The store has a website and they make it rather easy to place orders. An order over $100 will not generate a delivery fee. Good to know. I discovered online that Screwball at this store was $29 and a bottle of my favorite red wine was $12 vs the $20 I paid. So guess who is shopping online for alcohol these days?!
After lunch at Boqueria we all did some “retail therapy” on a street I thought could compete with Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, never mind 5th Avenue in New York. I believe this was in SoHo.
Ultimately we all walked back to Battery Park so everyone else could see my new “home.” We stopped at the rooftop first and then went to the NYC branch of “GATE22” for very festive cosmos. It was a pleasure entertaining friends, especially my part-time neighbor in Chino, Gracie. I am very comfortable in this space and I believe they all realized just why. I have often mentioned that I feel safe here…not only in the area but in the hotel as well. It was fun having people over; it had been awhile.
Fraunce’s Tavern, a great restaurant / pub in my neighborhood, was our next stop for dinner and drinks.
*Side note: Upon entering Fraunce’s, we discovered that this day in history (November 25th) was called “Evacuation Day.” This is the day (1783) when the British Army departed from New York at the end of the Revolutionary War or as the English call it, “The War of Rebellion.” (Thanks, Grant!) And, of course, Fraunce’s is where George Washington said farewell to his officers. The more I go to this place, the more I love it.
We said goodbye to the Goyenetche’s of Bakersfield as they were to leave the following day, and it was back “home” for the rest of us. You would think this would have been odd for me, but it wasn’t. I have made what I consider a remarkable adjustment. I love my home in Chino, but I don’t miss it. I love getting together with my friends in Chino, but with the technology of Zoom, I don’t miss it. And, finally, I love my routine daily activities at home, but guess what?! I have routine daily activities here. Now, I am wondering how is it going to be for me when this adventure comes to an end? I am scheduled to go back home in March of 2023 but just how much am I going to miss this magical place? This remains to be seen.