City of lists

Tuesday
Xanax flight
Smelling the Atlantic in the air on the cab ride
My ridiculous "hip" (?) hotel on E 41st

Leah, for the first time in a year

Sip Sak, Greek mezze
And a bottle of red
And one and a half cognacs

Talking another hour in the lobby, on the deck
I sleep drunkenly and well

Wednesday
Wake up mildly hungover
Walk a mile to the conference hotel near Times Square
Hudson Theatre, ornate and old

Liberal arts pre-conference session
I'm not bored yet
Lunch with Mindy from CIT at Bond 45
Burrata mozzarella made fresh daily
"I'm sure just a little dairy will be fine"
It's delicious
It's not fine but oh well
"We've never made a soy cappuccino before"
(Still think they gave me skim)
I get bored of the conference
Hustle the mile home to change
Vow to burn that skirt
Meet nevers but get lost in five circles first
Visit an OA body image meeting
Get caught in the rain on the way back
Super epic rain
Get looks from locals, feel Portlandia superiority
Blister
Granola for dinner

Thursday
A mile to conference
See Spiderman near 30 Rock somewhere

Pretend not to look for Tina Fey
Go in circles on the damn long avenues
Bandaids and an umbrella at Duane Reade
Borrow my boss's laptop and go work in Times Sq Starbucks
Swearing like a madwoman at the fucking budget
Get looks from tourists
(Feel superior)
Dump my tea without touching it
Half blind from budget insanity
Conference monotony
Leave early and fight crowds up to Central Park

People and horsie watching

Get a 90min massage from a nice LMT in trade for my unwanted ballet ticket
Mile home
Circling but I catch it after only one long block
Bad Thai for dinner
Bad tv (ballet reality dramz!)
Still can't sleep until near midnight

Friday
Mile
Blisters
Budget swearing
Drop off boss's laptop and gawk the view from his fancy room

Conference is over!
Marimekko store
Flatiron Building to meet mordicai!
He is so tall!
And funny and nice, just like on the internet

Lunch and chatting and then walking toward NYU

Through the farmers market
Washington Square fountain

Remember Jennie and Boomer here
And Shakespeare and wine with Morgan
The ferry with Jennie and Jordan
Back when you gave directions based on the twin towers
Fun things to do all around but footsore & battle weary
The E 8th Avenue local back to Lexington and 53rd
Find out the grant whose budget I cursed is not being submitted
Laugh
Introvert recovery time at hipster hotel
(Growing rather fond of the music piped in the bathrooms)
(And the ceiling-mounted rain showerhead)


Tonight: movie? Sushi?

Tommorw: Brooklyn brunch with Leah. Evening flight home. Tiredest Jesse ever.