New York: Meeting People - Part II

What's a holiday without meeting a few interesting people?

The Empire State Boys

The panoramic night views of Manhattan and beyond atop the Empire State Building can only be described as none other than…surreal. Awesome. Thrilling. Just when you think you couldn’t feel any smaller in the city that has 24-hr pharmacies the size of K-Marts in Melbourne, walk-in diners the size of a buffet halls and buildings that pierce through the clouds, you’re on top of New York City on this clear windy night, trying to comprehend how insignificant you truly are in the scale of things, and meanwhile overwhelmed by its presence.

Dragging our feet reluctantly back to Earth, WF and I went through our visitors’ guidebook on a bench just at the base of the ESB. At midnight, the night was young. What does New York have to offer? Who will answer our call?

“Do you girls need some help?”

We said we were looking for a place to go and they said they knew a cool place, an open rooftop bar nearby that overlooked the Empire State Building. They asked if we’d join them. We put the guidebook away and entrusted our night plans to three local New Yorkers who obviously had better local knowledge than we did.

Turned out they were three friends who’d recently reconnected after years of losing contact - Rob currently a Masters of Philosophy student, Jason a banker and Mick in Finance went to school together. It was an evening of culture exchange over cocktails and beers and getting a crash course on pure strangers and what led each of us to this very place tonight. Unfortunately the cocktail I had kicked in sooner than I would usually expect, and with a promise to meet up again, the boys hailed us a cab back to our hotel. The night ended there, and so does this story. By the way, that open rooftop bar – it was lovely. View of the ESB. Benches lined against the wall with cushions and pot plants. Candles, jazz and the open sky.

When Lindy met Charley O

Was in Times Square when out of nowhere a massive craving attack for Lindy’s famous NY-baked cheesecake hit me like a raging guided missile. I had to get some. But it was on 53rd St, and I was only at about 46th – oh gosh, I’m never gonna make it! Kill me now!

Then I remembered Charley O’s Times Square Grill served slices of Lindy’s cheesecakes and it was only on 49th St at the corner of Broadway. I can make it to that one! Yes - saved!

Ushered to my seat by the window, I scrolled right down the menu to desserts for cheesecake.

I’ll have the cheesecake, please.
Not having any dinner?
No, I’ll just have the cheesecake, thanks.
Any drinks? Our bartender makes amazing martinis here.
No, just the cheesecake. That’s all I want.
You really like cheesecakes, huh?
Yes I do.
Well, next time you come back, I’ll buy you cheesecake. My treat.

Only half listening by this time - fingers tapping away subconsciously, body fidgety from fighting this sudden drop in cheesecake levels.

It was consumed in a slow, satiating process. I stared blankly outside at the silent moving picture that is Times Square human traffic, and simply indulged myself on one of these last nights in New York.

As I was leaving, the usher stopped me and said again that he’d buy me cheesecake the next time I came back. I was about to laugh off his gesture when he suggested a time I should come back. How about Sunday? I could have, but I declined. Equally for the reason that I wasn’t sure what message I’d be sending out if I’d accepted his offer, as that I was fulfilled enough to leave my cheesecake rendezvous-ing days behind me.