We awoke Saturday not quite as quickly as we had hoped, both tired from the night before and getting used to East Coast time, we took our time in getting up, and decided today was a good day to visit the Fashion district (Garment District), and take a look at all the clothing stores and retailers that still reside there. Today it’s not exactly the mecca it once was, and storefronts of well-known designers are few and far between, but there are still some shops like H&M and Macy’s that should be fun… so we got ready and headed out of the hotel for the day. We decided to walk down Fifth Avenue, we could find coffee this way (yep, coffee is always a theme on these blogs, along with armored bears from Svalbard), and we might even walk by the New York Public Library, another one of my favorites!
One of the two lions from the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue
As we headed down to the garment district, the Library was actually one of the first things we saw! We walked by the outside, and I took in the familiar view of the two lions, Patience and Fortitude, guarding the entrances. If I ever build a house, I want reproductions of these two on either side of the entryway! We decided we didn’t really have time to spend on the library this morning (We were already running late, and had another itinerary already with our friend’s wedding early that afternoon). If we went to the library, I said, I wanted to spend some time in Bryant Park (just behind the library) and talk about my previous treks into the park. Bryant Park is one of my favorite places to sit down for a cup of coffee and drink a Starbucks. In fact, this was me in 2008… drinking coffee and enjoying the park.
Brad in Bryant Park, in 2008
My trusty Starbucks, also in 2008
With coffee still on the brain, We ended up at “The Cibo“, a small breakfast place that served everything from sushi (that looked a little iffy, but was probably just me in the morning thinking sushi isn’t a breakfast food.), to poke bowls, to coffee and bagels. We both grabbed coffee (or iced coffee in my case, it’s way too warm here for hot coffee in the morning!), and woke up a bit before we continued on our way. After walking around the garment district for a while (Jen may have pictures to share here… looking back I didn’t capture much of the storefronts or walkways that we went through because it was mostly just “New York on 5th” to me, but we wandered around a LOT. I did end up seeing a sign for the “Main Noodle House”, and wanted to make a joke to the tune of “This is my other noodle house, but if you’re ever in New York I’ll take you to my main noodle house.” This is helped by the Stinky Cheese truck in front in the picture.
All of our walking eventually led us to Macy’s, and after walking some of the Women’s section (the Men’s and Women’s sections are separated physically, half the store on every floor to women and half to men) we proceeded through the watches and jewelry sections before settling on looking for some “Big and Tall” clothing for me.
I don’t typically buy clothes on vacation, but I was so overdressed for the occasions this week that I was dreading wearing my full jeans and heavy shirts for the rest of the week. Macy’s had little Big and Tall, but we did find a Starbucks Reserve store (my first ever!) that carries not only coffee but alcohol and wine also. I grabbed an iced coffee and Jen grabbed water, and after a brief discussion we decided to keep an eye out for the Empire State Building as it was next door on the map. I also noted there was a JCPenny nearby, and this was my normal place to shop for Big and Tall, so this seemed like a good double-goal! We headed outdoors, and almost immediately were greeted with the view of the Empire State building.
The view of the Empire State Building from just outside of Macy’s
Another view of the Empire State Building, this one from a bit further on in the day.
After a good hour in JCPenny picking out some cooler clothing (big thank you to Jen here, I’m glad she puts up with silly items like this, and even suggested some shirts I’m glad I ended up with!), shorts and shirts… we were off and headed back to the hotel to change for the wedding. I had to get out of these warm clothes I had brought with me! I quickly changed clothes, we confirmed shorts would be okay, and stepped out of the hotel and toward the wedding by Uber. The wedding was across the bridge in Brooklyn, and this would have been quite a walk and I didn’t want to show up all sweaty!
As we headed toward the wedding, I couldn’t help but think of all the time that had passed since I had last seen my friend Rachel. I’d spent the entire last month telling people the story of how I had moved in with a complete stranger, and she had turned into the best roommate I’ve ever had. Twice in my life, I’ve moved in with someone in the first ten minutes of knowing them. Both worked out, though I would not suggest this to everyone, but my friend Rachel will always have a special place in my heart and life for all of the wonderful times we spent together.
When I first met her, Rachel was the roommate of a fantastic friend (and coworker), we met for about five or ten minutes at the coworker’s going away party (she was moving with our company to a project in Australia), and I just happened to mention I was nearly out-of-lease and looking to move downtown. About a week later, I got a text from an unknown number, Rachel, with a simple message. “You want to live downtown, I need a roommate… want to move in?”. That’s not the exact wording, but that’s about all it took. I agreed immediately, and soon we were roommates and getting to know each other as friends and confidants. We both worked hard (Rachel had two jobs, and was finishing a degree at the time), we hardly saw each other really at the start. Luckily, we both went into roommate-ship with the understanding that whatever work needed done (dishes, vacuuming, etc.,) would just get done. We didn’t need a chore sheet or have any roommate nightmares, we just sort of… worked. It was an odd experience, and a wonderful one.
I would come to learn that Rachel was a great cook, that she had a fantastic lay of the land around our house, and all of the hot spots for food and drinks. We would walk to bars together, grab local food and liquor on a Sunday and spend hours together (after church, of course, though not for me) drinking and watching “The X-Files” or a similar show. Rachel and I had conversations that were touching and insightful, where we could both key off of the other’s points and the best way I think I could explain them was that our conversations approached a perfection of eloquence. At the same time… that may have also been the booze talking, but Rachel is also a writer and we shared our love for text and storytelling as well, with word choice and prose bleeding into conversations, enriching us as we learned all about each other. We became season ticket holders together for the local baseball team (along with Jen, who also spent many a Sunday with us) where we could walk to the stadium. We hunted Christmas trees together, threw parties for friends for the Holidays, and shared our successes and our sorrows. We both became early investors in a hipster bar, buying into a scheme where we could have discounted beer for the life of the brewery… and grew together in schedule and comfort while over the next eighteen months our lives drastically changed around us. These were some of the best times of my life, and some of the most formative I’ve had.
These life changes would lead to a new job far from downtown for me, and a girlfriend for Rachel who lived far away. Eventually, Rachel left for New York chasing love and a bright future, and I moved away from downtown to be closer to my job. The end of our time together came quickly, with her leaving in the morning one day while I finished up final details and got my things moved out and the apartment cleaned up with the help of my parents. I promised to visit soon, wondering when I would be back in New York next (and assuming it would be… you know… mid-spring of 2013). To this day, there are things left unsaid and undone that I wish we had done together, but nothing I would change and for all the right reasons. Today in 2017, I’m finally here in New York, and Rachel is marrying Sara. They’ve been together since Rachel lived with me, and I couldn’t be happier for them. Having met Sara, Rachel has found someone as unique and special as she is, and it would definitely be a day to celebrate!
As the Uber pulled up to the drop off point, Jen and I were both keeping our eyes peeled. The wedding location was Rockaway Brewery. Leave it to Rachel and Sara to have a wedding in a brewery, it sounded like a great idea to me! At first, we didn’t know if we were in the right place… the brewery looked like a normal small brew house and we didn’t know any of the people there, but then… we saw the sign.
The only indication it wasn’t a normal day at Rockaway
The wedding was up the back stairs, in a kitchen area where food and party gifts were being put out when we arrived. Over the next few hours… we would meet some new people, meet up with old friends, and attend one of the best weddings I have ever experienced. Need a beer? Head downstairs and place your order… get in line for some food and just enjoy the neighborhood feeling of the bar and food… or just hang out at a table and make yourself comfortable. Fans were provided to deal with the heat (the handheld kind, it was pretty fun!), and an air conditioner kept it from getting completely out of hand. In the last few minutes, Rachel and Sara exchanged vows, shared a story with the crowd, and invited us out to the shore for pictures if we wanted to be commemorated, and of course we readily agreed!
A wedding like none other!
A Pier near Rockaway Brewery, where we went for pictures
In case you’re on the Manhattan side, wondering where we were standing…
We said goodbye to Sara and Rachel, still looking forward to more time with them and promising that Monday we would be getting together again for lunch. The time flew by, and we were already wishing for more time to catch up, but with a wedding full of friends we let them enjoy the moment and met up with Jen and I’s close friend (and the coworker I’d originally replaced as Rachel’s roommate), Eliza. Eliza also had a friend with her, and soon the four of us were off in search of the commuter ferry ride that we were promised would bring along with it pictures of the Statue of Liberty. This was the best trip to see it, we were told, without spending the entire day in line and not really getting to climb inside anymore (this has been closed for some time now). We set off down the river!
We’re on another boat, and we’re not heading to the bottom of the body of water! Take that canoes!
I apparently neglected pictures during this ride, Jen will have to catch us up with some of hers of the Statue of Liberty… I’m not sure what I was doing except enjoying the ride! The boat would empty and fill at every stop, so there was a great deal of people-watching to do. I think I got distracted by the crowds, and the diversity of the group of people that were heading into the city for a late-night Saturday evening. Eliza and her friend both wanted to see Charging Bull. Having been there the day before, we agreed to go again and see what we saw along the way as well. After the ferry, it didn’t take long for something to spark our interest.
When is the last time you ate in the street?
We all sat down for a drink and some quick bites (mozzarella sticks… you can never go wrong with mozzarella!), and caught up on recent events. Eliza lives in South Carolina now, and we always have great stories to tell. We also swapped stories about Rachel, and talked about how we had enjoyed the wedding. It was a great time to unwind from the day! I actually ended up with a hand-held fan in each pocket, and played with these throughout the afternoon! After a bit of rest and refreshment, we headed a few blocks over to Charging Bull… only stopping once to indulge my inner thirteen year old:
It’ll never stop being funny, I don’t care how old I am.
A few minutes after the giggles from this street name subsided, we spent a bit more time at Charging Bull and allowed Eliza and her friend to get some pictures before we debated going to the 9/11 Memorial again, but decided instead to slip into an underground bar and enjoy another beer or two. This wrapped up the night really, and we parted with promises to see each other soon, lamenting the fact that Eliza was leaving the next day and our time together would be limited.
Afterward, Jen and I walked for a period of time looking for some food (I don’t know why I was hungry again already!) and a few drinks, and ended up at a bar at the bottom of an apartment complex. The complex looked older, and the bar was very generic (I don’t even remember the name!), but the crowd seemed like a good group of locals. This was definitely a neighborhood bar, maybe even a building bar! Everyone knew everybody, and they all greeted each other as they walked in, joked about dinner and how they always got the same things., etc.. It was fun to experience! We shared life stories, and caught up on a few things we had yet to… engaged the bartender in a bit of conversation (he wasn’t feeling the “get to know the new people” vibe we were trying to put off), and headed back to the hotel. Tomorrow would be another big day!
