New York is such a fun place. People mention "New York Moments", and I certainly had one today. Rather, I had a whole "New York Experience".
Rags-A-Gogo is a vintage store owned by my best friend, Joshua Suzanne. It's sort of an odd pairing; she's 42 and I'm 28. She's a lesbian and, according to her, I'm merely a lesbian trapped in a man's body. But I love her . . she's taught me so much about people and life, really. I'd like to think of specifics but it's not individual lessons I've learned; we spend time together and I grow into a better person. Sometimes even when we hang out I can't wait to hang out again. I'm eager to experience the years ahead of us.
We met about a year ago . . . Tom and I walked into her store and she was in the middle of a conversation with a customer. She turned to include us; I'm sure she asked us something like, "What do you guys think?" I've never met anyone as gregarious as she. Within a few minutes I told her, "You're the best saleswoman I've ever met." She thanked me, but it didn't really matter to her. Conversation is just what she does.
We have similar taste in women and we ALWAYS talk about dating and flirting. I used to forget that she thinks like I do. One day a group of high schoolers walked in - they were both beautiful and underage. I almost said something to Joshua but stopped, worried that she might think I was a dirty old man. She turned around and whispered, "jailbait, huh?"
It can take years to find a personal hangout; some people never do. A bar or coffee shop where you feel at home is especially valuable in New York, since your apartment can be so cramped. I'm so lucky to have found Rags-A-Gogo; it's free and there's a regular stream of cute girls that circulate through. Joshua and I practice flirting with the clientele, and today I met a great girl.
She found a red coat that looked very cute on her. Along with her blue hoodie and red boots, she reminded me of Superwoman. I will refer to her as "Lois Lane". Another customer, Djassi, told her she had to buy it. This is the magic of the store: people from different parts of the world come together in conversation, spending a minute or an hour sharing their lives with strangers. Djassi grew up in NYC and wore a hoodie with stars on the front. I told her it was hard not to look at her chest. She said, "That's the point!"
Lois grew up in Chicago and now lives in Toronto. She's taking a train home at 7 am. The trip takes 12 hours.
 Lois Lane, Joshua Suzanne and Djassi
I saw a very attractive quality in Lois, similar to that of Drew Barrymore - her smile is beautiful and her energy is happy. I told her how I find something new to do each weekend (see New York Social Series), and said she should come along for my Sunday activity. She told me it was her last night in town . . . but she wanted to get something to eat. I said I'd come.
She's a vegetarian and so is my dear friend Madelin, to whom Joshua introduced me this summer. I called Madelin and she pointed me to her favorite restaurant, Pure Juice and Takeaway.
Lois and I walked through Union Square. I asked her what she did today, and she pulled an envelope from her bag. The face of an Ecuadorian girl showed through a crinkly plastic window. "Christian Children's Fund" was printed on the outside, and Lois admitted she was slightly embarrassed for agreeing to sponsor the girl . . but she could spare the cup of coffee each day.
I bought Madelin's favorite dessert - it's a sliver of chocolate cake, made from raw food. It cost $13 but it was excellent. Pure Juice and Takeaway didn't seem like a great dinner place, so Lois and I walked back to Union Square and a noodle restaurant there called Republic. The "i" in Republic has a red star above it, and I thought of Communism when I saw our table. We sat on benches at a square table - another couple was already eating there.
Meeting someone new, especially on a date, can be an anxious experience. But Lois was sweet and happy, and her smile was easy to conjure. We ordered, then Lois excused herself. When she returned, a new couple had replaced the old one - they were young and Lois made an interesting observation. Can you guess what it was?
 Double Date
By the way, that kid is a man after my own heart. I'm pretty sure his shirt says, "Ithaca is GANGSTA". And I love the chain.
We left the restaurant and walked towards Washington Square Park. She guessed that she saw it in a movie once, and that's why it's one of her favorite places. I told her how I used to take Holly there, and about the time Holly almost caught a pigeon. The pigeon swooped down and Holly raced away from me to catch up with it. She chomped on its tail and I was thankful to see it fly away. Then she turned around like Sylvester the Cat . . . with pigeon feathers sticking out from both sides of her mouth.
(Note: this is not a video of the pigeon incident. I wish I had one.)
Lois slowed down to let a group of people pass. She wanted to point out one of the women - she thought she was really pretty. The group walked by but I couldn't see the woman's face. Lois started to leave but I took her arm, brought her back to me and kissed her. I love those moments, when things change . . when it's out in the open that you like someone and they like you, too.
She asked, "Your name is Michael, right?" I told her it was. I liked not knowing her name, but said I'd ask for it before the night was over.
We sat in the park and talked. I asked if she was a good kisser. She said I lacked subtlety. I pledged to remove that question from my repertoire. We kissed anyway.
It got too cold to stay, and we walked again . . . back to Union Square. She wanted to put her hands on a warm cup of coffee. I suggested Cosi, but Lois doesn't support their business practices. We went to Whole Foods instead, and sat upstairs. It was packed at 9:45 pm - my Uncle Peter once told me how the city can have traffic jams at midnight.
I sat at a table while Lois went to the counter. Two men sat at a nearby table; they weren't together. Their conversation started like this:
"How's it going?"
"Ohh, don't ask."
"Oh yeah? Why's that?"
"I just don't understand the world anymore."
"What's not to understand?"
"There are too many conspiracies."
Then Lois returned with her coffee. She asked if I jog in the city. "What?!?" I asked. "You know, run . . . jog." "Definitely not," I answered. "Have you ever seen someone speedwalking? I think it's the goofiest physical movement one can make," I said. Then I said I was going to the bathroom, and speedwalked there.
Speedwalking in Hawaii after Parker's wedding
Whole Foods kicked us out at 10. Lois had to meet her friend at 12. I invited her to my place in the meantime. She hesitated and I told her it was shady, no question. She said she'd done dumber things in her life. I told her I wasn't surprised. She acted offended :)
We took the L train in the wrong direction. My apartment was only a few stops away, though, and when we got there she remarked about how the Bedford Avenue stop is much whiter than the Union Square stop. "Everyone looks so hip," she remarked. I explained that "hipster" is used to describe the people in my neighborhood, often in a derogatory way. I told her my hipster joke:
"How many hipsters does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"
"How many?"
[Look the person up and down, then act mildly disgusted] "You don't know?"
HA!!! I love that one. We stood on the corner and watched the hipsters mill about. I was glad Lois was not wandering alone . . it felt good to show her some things about New York she wouldn't have seen otherwise.
We walked to my apartment and kissed some more. She had her friend's keys and couldn't stay for long. I told her how cute she was. She told me she liked me, and I felt the same way.
When I saw her off, I pointed her back to the subway and asked, "So what's your name?"
"Teresa," she smiled.
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