travelswithalice

Back at all-time favorite The Modern for lunch with Stuart. Followed by quick trip to nearby UNIQLO for loungey T-shirt maxi dresses, super cheap jeans, and pretty panties.

Drinks with Erle at Peacock Alley Bar at the Waldorf. On the house, to make up for previous night's mishandling of my late-arriving suitcase causing near-panic at about twenty minutes to curtain time at the Met.

Highpoint of the evening, maybe even the week, is Burlesque at R Bar on Bowery St. This is so not a strip club! This according to best buddy of the evening, Seth- my gorgeous guide into this newfound fascinating world of Burlesque.

Later, much much later, after about two hours of whoops, woot-woos, sequins, feather fans, and whirling nipple tassels...

At Beauty & Essex- the pawnshop-fronted bar and restaurant on Rivington Street, burly bouncers are busy turning away people crowding the entrance. Soon we are being waved in through the door. Now, how did Erle swing that?

Through the small pawnshop in front and into another world. The bar is lined wall-to-wall with a slow moving crowd in hyper party-mode presided over by an enormous chandelier hung atop a sweeping staircase. In back is a huge dining room aggressively décor-ed in Art Deco Bordello Revival. Above, a glass dome affords a leafy peek at the upstairs bar.



This is all gloriously exciting but there's no available table to be found (despite Erle's discreetly passed legal tender of unknown denomination.)

Late dinner at Salt Bar on Clinton Street. Friendly, trendy, woody, vintage rock & roll music, inventive menu. Give the Tempranillo a miss though.


Sunday breakfast by the clock- the Waldorf clock- with Stuart, Erle, and Bing.
After an indulgent champagne brunch, Bing and I talk a mean streak until closing time.




Meanwhile, Stuart packs for our move next door to the Intercon, generously leaving Bing & me to catchup on two years' worth of stories.




We cart our luggage across the street to our new company-approved lodgings for the official part of Stuart's NY trip.

Then Bing and I, dressed optimistically for a mild Spring day, walk the length of near-freezing wind-whipped Fifth Avenue to Bergdorf's where I splurge on a dreamy pair of evening slippers. They'd give Cleopatra's Met wardrobe serious competition!


Dinner at The Modern. Again. Stuart opts out but I join him later for drinks and a late supper at Organic Bar at the Intercon lobby.

At end of day, my Nike Fuel band is happy. Pretty lights announce the great job I did walking. Very impressive!