A Friend-ful Day

Saturday was an adventure-ful day, and a friend-ful day.

JC and I went to a friend's non-wedding held beautiful mansion grounds in Washington Heights. Basically, it was a wedding without the religion, tradition or convention. Basically, it just a shared and intimate celebration of love.

A large white marquis had been set up on the lawn, with all the tables inside. A gentle, cooling breeze wafted through the grounds, and the quiet peace of the area was a soothing escape from the normal bustle of the city. The breeze gently ruffled the grass, carrying with it a pleasant scent of fresh grass and earth. The suburban peacefulness and fresh air filled me with a sense of contentment. There were victuals and conversation in plentiful, and before we knew it we had cracked through the white. And the red. And the Cava. By the time we left, the sunset was at the heights of its splendour, and had tinged everything with a warm pinky glow.

The evening was in sharp contrast to the quiet peacefulness of the day. JC and I were supposed to join a friend's party at a trendy rooftop bar called Bed New York. It was almost twelve by the time we reached there, only to find throngs of hopeful entrants crowding (not queueing) by the doors. The security guards had had to erect barricades to contain the crowds, and were shouting at people to stay off the roads. Our initial assessment of the scenario revealed that (a) we would have to wait at least 2 hrs to get to the door; and (b) that even if we made it to the door in all likelihood they would turn us away (yes they do that in NY!) because we weren't dressed up enough.

Most of the people entering looked like models, the girls were over six feet tall, extremely lanky and wearing handkerchief-style clothes. The hair, the makeup the clothes, the jewellry, the stillettos - it was like nothing I'd seen in other clubs before. JC and I were mesmerized by the catwalk of people parading in front of us (every few minutes I had to reach over and shut his dropped jaw for him).

Shortly afterwards Ilajna and Paul joined us, and we escaped gratefully to a small, cosy wine-and-beer bar in the Village. We ambled down the quiet streets with vine-fronted townhouses ("Can we live here one day?" I asked JC), together for the last time before JC's move to Europe.