Fun Times in NYC

It doesn't get much better in New York than fall.  Especially the kick-off when the weather just has that hint of cool in the air.  When you haven't turned on your window unit in 3 days.  When the layers start re-appearing in your wardrobe.  When the sunset looks like this.

Technically this photo is from last week, but in recognition of his incredible achievement knocking out the great Roger Federer today, you should know I got to see my favorite tennis god live last week, thanks to my great friend Kevin and the threat of that silly non-hurricane.

And today I got to spend time in Madison Square Park in the late summer sun watching some of the best tennis ever with 2000 other New Yorkers.  Seriously, where else in the world can you do this?

And where else can you tramp around SoHo with your shmoomster bar-hopping from Aldo to Calvin Klein (complete with underwear models in their skivvies), boozing it up with the rest of the fashionistas, spotting celebrities, milling through the cobblestone crowds, and close-up window shopping for free?!  I mean, drinking in stores-cum-club/bars?!  Brilliance!  Brava, Bloomberg!

I'm not sure how there's no background people in this picture since everywhere we were that night was crowded, but go us!

We even had a "Who wore it better?" faceoff to complete the Fashion Week event!

I may be struggling to get a job, but with fall around the corner and the US Open winding down its short two weeks, I'm not struggling to have some fun in the city!

5771

I'm not Jewish, but if I was, this new year would not be off to a very good start...

Remember when I failed at Japan (the first time, anyway)?

Yup.  Failed at New York today.  Got on the train, and when I got off, my wallet was no longer on my person.

So instead of dancing with my roomie and friends in a great dance class, I spent the afternoon canceling cards and visiting the police station.  Hopefully Saint Anthony will pull through for me by having a nice Japanese person find and return my wallet...  but then again, it's a Jewish holiday today.  Hmmmm.

It just was one of those cruddy days that keeps getting crappier.  But I guess when hugs are around, it all gets better.  And, I'm not sure if this is possible, but is it almost worse to have to comfort someone and watch them grieve than to be the one grieving?  Because you know the kind of devasting pain she's in, and you just wish you could do something to help it go away?

I don't know, but if I could, I'd hug away the pain of a friend right now.  As hard as I possibly could.

Leave it to Blair, her amazing pumpkin cookies, and a Rosh Hashanah party to add a bright spot to my day.

I know I've been MIA for a while, and there's really no good reason for that.  Oh, there was a wedding in Colorado that was stunningly beautiful, and oh, there were some interesting auditions, and oh, I spent Labor Day in a hidden corner of Central Park, and oh, I'm basically just procrastinating big things like doing my taxes these days, but honestly, I'm just glad fall is around the corner.  It's like I've found me again.

The pumpkin spice latte is back (how long these two years have been since I've tasted you!), the air is finally cooling off every once in a while, and people are returning from summer stock gigs.  The freshmen from the Midwest have arrived at NYU looking green and young and fresh-faced and I don't wanna be the one to tell them all the journeys they'll soon be facing.  I'm so glad I'm not that age anymore.

I guess that's it, isn't it?  Fall is here, the season of change, the reminder that everything has its season, will wither and return like the green of the trees.  With each year we grow wiser and face new challenges and the old ones don't seem so bad in retrospect.  So when a day doesn't go your way, there's always the hope that tomorrow may dawn a little brighter.

A little more yellow.

Happy New Year, everyone.  Let's hope 5771 is a good one.  It can pretty much only go uphill from here, right?