nyc: day18.

hello again.  i can hardly believe eighteen days have passed since i began this adventure in the city of my dreams.  i have faithfully logged every day’s activities, painstakingly attempting to emit voice and personality to each entry – not so much for my readers, but for myself. 

(..although kim tells me i have accumulated quite a following.  thank you, everyone, for taking the time to follow my blog.  hopefully, i’ll go a lot farther than i am now.)

this day began with a group tour of a place called the fountain house.  the fountain house is an establishment that caters to individuals with mental and personality disabilities.  it runs entirely on volunteer employment and funding, making available opportunities including education, occupation, and recreation to its members.  it really is an incredible place.

following our tour, kim shared with us her favorite – and possibly the best – cuban restaurant in the city.  before today, i was a virgin to cubin cuisine; however, now, i am wholeheartedly hooked.  our food was absolutely fantastic and one hundred percent authentic.  mariah and i decided to split two dishes, which turned out to be a great idea.  we were served grilled corn on the cob as an appetizer, covered in parmesan cheese and sprinkled with chili powder.  it was a taste that was entirely new to me – one i loved very much.  i’m excited to attempt to replicate it back home.

yum.

our next two courses were a grilled lemon chicken quesadilla served with pico, rice, and beans and an assortment of corn and bean tortillas containing melted mozzarella and avocado.  we were absolutely delighted and, needless to say, ate every bite.

stuffed to the brim, our group parted ways after the meal – mariah, kim, and myself to another housing works in the neighborhood.  this one was fantastic as well, and i ended up having great luck.  i found at least ten amazing pieces i would have liked to walk away with – i could only afford two articles. 

and yet, these weren’t just any old clothes. 

one was a long sweater flecked with specks of color and fringy sleeves.  i had been looking for one for months, and this one fit me perfectly.  so sold.

the second piece though, was the real kicker – a diamond in the rough, you might say.  light olive green and just my size, this was the dress of a life time.  not only that, it was an original marc jacobs, initially priced at $430 – the housing works was selling it for $55. 

so. definitely. sold.

i mulled over the purchase for approximately three point seven minutes before naming the dress esther and promising her a lovely home.  i’m telling you, the housing works it the best thing since starbucks chai tea – not kidding.

walking next door, kim and i discovered that the housing works also has a location that sells books – it was like a used barnes and noble, complete with a coffee shop.

(seriously. since chai tea, right?..)

i could have spent all day there in the books, but unfortunately, we had to say goodbye eventually.  i loved the way the place smelled and the way i felt among all those words.  i can’t explain it.

while we’re on the subject, i feel i should just mention what a fascination i have with things that have been previously owned.  my favorites are books, and obviously, clothes.  i love the look of them – the feel of them – and the way they speak to me.  they seem to say, “hey..i’ve seen things.  i know, but i’m willing to learn.  pick me up and you’ll see – let’s go for a ride.”

i think about things like this, like where has this book been?  where has it traveled?  what does it know that i don’t, and what can i teach it?  and this dress…what kinds of adventures has it been on? – first dates, last dates, the interview of a lifetime – maybe someone’s best day ever..maybe their worst. 

and then i wonder, “where will the two of us go together?  what will we do and what will we see?  i want to give this book – or this dress – the best and worst days of my life, so that maybe someone, someday, will wonder about me the way i’m wondering about them.  i want this book or dress to know love and exploration – to know me.”

anyway.  welcome to the craziness that is my mind.  we can always continue this later, if you wish.

i headed back to the apartment then for a little nap and some supper.  i had another nycares assignment – this time playing bingo at the jewish nursing home – and i felt like i should be rested for the excitement that awaited me there. 

i have never won a game of bingo – ever – and that didn’t change tonight.  i came very close – and my partner and new friend, ramona, won a few times – but i guess bingo just isn’t my game. 

oh well. let’er buck, i say.

we made it back to the apartment and i fell right into bed.  tomorrow is going to be a busy thing, so i must sleep. 

sweet dreams, new York, or in the words of ramona, buenos noches, love.