New York City part three

Day two in New York City started off a bit shaky given the circumstances of the night before, but after a shower and some food, we ventured out to midtown.

Fifth Avenue is a dream. Tiffany's, Sak's, Takashimaya, H & M, Henri Bendel and a million boutique-like settings for your mall favourites. There is something for every budget and we were in serious consumer mode. Besides the best shopping on the planet, New York is all about people watching. If you stand for five minutes at the corner of 5th and 57th, you will get a crash course in fashion. The Waif (eat something, will ya), The Columbia Student (houndstooth and ivy), The Socialite (I am not a zombie. It's the Botox) and The Incognito Star (Don't look at me. This is NY, not LA) are the four basic pillars of non haute couture. They all have their own great style and within a block, you can duck into a million stores and blatantly copy it.

After Fifth Avenue, we took a cab to the financial district because it is hard to talk about New York without remembering how we all sat riveted to our televisions on September 11, 2001 watching the horror unfold. I had been down to the WTC site several times before but the emotional impact just never seems to let up. When I lay my eyes on that yawning space, the grief just washes over me and I am always surprised at how fresh it all seems. Cindi and Jennifer were quiet. They slowly walked the length of the chain link fence that surrounds the area, reading the timeline of events and finishing up with the list of those that died that day.

(One of the steel girders left from the clean up of the towers)

We then crossed the street and went into St. Peter's church, which is profoundly sad since many of the "missing" flyers that people posted in the weeks after the tragedy can still be found hanging inside it's walls. We're nearly six years out of this event and it is still raw.

Two or so blocks south on the corner of Cortlandt and Church, we did a bit of shopping at Century 21, which has a shoe department that I often dream about. If you are planning a trip and you want designer stuff at bargain prices, this is the place. The staff is rude, the change room is designed for cattle and the check out process is laborious but the deals make up for everything. Did I mention the shoe department? Pure rapture.

We left there and took the subway all the way back up to the hotel to shower and change for the evening. We were headed out with Sean, my crazy, straight-off-the-boat, red-headed Irish friend who has a weakness for expensive scotch. Sean knows New York City like the back of his hand. He is a former chef, who has never met a stranger and he has an eclectic group of friends. Sean is extremely well connected but he's quiet about it. He just disappears, places a few calls and presto, you've got a table at Nobu. And he is one of the few people on this earth that can make me cry with laughter.

We met him and one of his friends down in the village for a leisurely dinner at a great Indian restaurant where, in true Sean fashion, he picked up the tab. We tried to protest, especially since he was doing us the favour of showing us around but he would have none of it. He embraced my cousins like they were family.

After dinner, they took us to Cafe Wha? which is one of the best places in New York to see live, local music from a house band that does mini sessions of different genres of music. Reggae, rock, gospel, R&B, blues, funk..you name it. It was a.m.a.z.i.n.g. In the 60's the place boasted regular customers like Alan Ginsberg and Bob Dylan. Besides a house band, Cafe Wha hosted comedians like Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby on its stage. Springsteen and Hendrix began their careers here. It hasn't lost any of its charm. At the entrance before going down a set of stairs into the club, there is a three dimensional face that tells you to get moving. Once inside, you are led into a dingy, crowded pub where the music is fantastic and people are dancing in the aisles.

Besides the great music and ambiance, Jennifer and I followed Cindi around in the wake of her famousness. All night long, Cindi was channeling supermodel and the men in the place were staring, open-mouthed. She had on this casual skirt, mile high platforms and a chunk of gold that made a statement. Women were poking each other, pointing at Cindi and saying, "Isn't she famous?" or "Who IS she?" All of that was fine in and of itself but it was especially cool because by proxy, Jennifer and I were famous person's posse. Excellent!

Check out the clip below from You Tube.

It captures the essence.

Tomorrow: The final chapter including culture, Broadway and Spiderman in the flesh.