Crossroads of the World

I had a craving for something different yesterday. My client luncheon at The Palm steak house  rescheduled so there was no salad eating at a table of rare, blood and butter dripping steaks...child's play for me now. So I went to a Mexican place across from The Palm for some guacamole, salsa, black beans, and chips. It satisfied my appetite and taste buds and I didn't feel too guilty about it. It was a gorgeous day and I decided to pick up a blueberry concoction smoothie at Jamba Juice for the walk back to the office --- a simple bag of frozen blueberries, and a banana in a blender is just so much better, and at least half the calories.

After work I went to the gym to work my still aching legs. It felt better riding the bike, walking on a steep incline and doing the elliptical. I also did some arm presses, but it was a truncated work-out today. However, I have never been to this gym after work. I always go at lunch, and when I go after work I hit the one near my apartment on the walk home. Working out at my "work" gym in the evening was different. The clientele were different. In fact, at least 20-30 of the women in there were absolutely gorgeous, young, and in amazing shape!  I'm in Times Square, so maybe they are actresses? Dancers? No, they looked too pert, and perfect and not exceptionally tall. It was quite a site, a jaw-dropping, gut-sucking-in site! And they seemed to all know each other. It was like another universe separate from the same gym patrons I typically see!

On the way out I asked the Assistant Manager, "OK, what's the deal? Where did all these beautiful women come from?" The Assistant Manger is not a guy who would particularly care for such a beautiful site, and sniffed, "Oh, they're the Jet's cheerleaders. They work-out here." "Wow!" Looks like I may have found a new favorite time to exercise!

I met up with the lady of London, before she heads back across the pond, for dinner. Wanting just a salad I took her to my favorite, Chop't, just south of 42nd and Broadway (my vegan wrap at the Union Square Coffee Shop would have to wait). Being a spectacular evening we ate out on the the tables that were once Broadway the road, and now a pedestrian walk way.

Currently, as an art project, there are pianos strewn across the city. Wed. night the Nurse and I tried our hand at Chopsticks on the piano at the entrance to the Astor Place subway station. I'm not good. This piano was right below 42nd and with the Crossroads of the world at our feet, and thousands of tourists milling about we ate and enjoyed the continuous stream of people -- all ages, races and creeds, hop on this piano to play their favorite tune. It was amazing. Just another reminder of how lucky I am to live in such a place! An old black man "ragged it up " on the keys like it was Scott Joplin ca. 1895, then a kid, about 12 with a Dallas Cowboys jersey banged out something familiar, then some Asian girl fiddled about with Mozart, then a tall Middle Aged man played some popular theme songs, then some child who looked 5 who played quite well, then a Middle-Aged mother, who looked like a piano teacher, played Chattanooga Choo Choo. Her daughter in her early 20's then accompanied her in song and sang Edelweiss, and then God Bless America. It really was the most beautiful sight in the world. All impromptu, all random people drawn to play and listen to music at the busiest intersection in the Galaxy.

My friend said I looked 10 pounds lighter than when she first saw me last week at The Lion. Clearly it was that alcohol puffiness that went away, and my renewed energy to eat and drink the way I need to. We had a terrific conversation and mentioned how she showed my blog to a guy she does business with who is 6'5" and 350 lbs. He was convinced that I had taken some sort of pills to lose that weight! I laughed as hard as I did when she told me her new French boyfriend could lose a few pounds. But, our talk was on a different plane now, and it was far cry from that night last year when she suggested that Heather was curious to know if I'd go vegan for 6 months and I spat my beer through my nose and bellowed, "Vegan? I don't need no stinking vegan!"

Times change.