No Need to Be Lonely

The idea of celebrating the holidays when it's convenient and without stress remains terrific. However, there is one problem. Everyone you know is celebrating and gone and you have to struggle to find something to do. Well, not exactly struggle – because you are unstressed and able to watch everyone else rushing around trying to have fun, if they didn't go somewhere else. This is such a circuitous predicament, but Jordan and I solved it by finding a way to have an enjoyable day – without cooking and visiting with family and friends – who may very well be somewhere else. (Here we go again).

Moving on... We were sitting around the apartment—David on his way to China – and we thought we would look in the Zagats guide for a place to have lunch. Unless they were Asian, most were closed. Finally, we found a wonderful place that was open. The York Grill, where I had been before but to which Jordan was a stranger, was open and happy to have us. But not at a table. They were totally booked but said we would be able to sit at the bar. The food was the same and there was no discount on the price, but it was pretty empty and they were happy to accommodate at whatever time we appeared.

About 1:00 we rolled out of bed and headed uptown. The weather was great and the walk from Lex to York was really pleasant. For many people sitting at a bar for a meal is not what they would choose. That is not the case with me. I love to sit at the bar anywhere that isn’t a dive. For example, one of my favorite things to do is go alone to the Reservoir Tavern, in Boonton, New Jersey. When you sit at the bar for dinner, you are never alone for long. People make conversation about many different things and if you can’t find commonality in topic, there’s usually a game on TV—does it matter what kind. I don’t think so.

The difference between most of my bar dinners and yesterday’s lunch, was that Jordan was with me. I am happy to report that she loved it as well. Just FYI, Jordan is a certified bartender and mixologist. Additionally, she is no stranger to the joys of making friends. In fact, from the time she was a little girl she thought it was her job to make friends with everyone we encountered anywhere. Yesterday was no exception. The bartender, Gerry, was delighted to share his holiday with us. He made the most glorious martini and was happy that we appreciated his talents. Charlie, the owner tried to find us a table, was impressed that we didn’t care, and kept coming back throughout the meal, just to chat.

The menu was prixe fix -- $44 without booze – not bad for appetizer, entree and dessert. We enjoyed our stay so much that in addition to the tip we bought him a drink – for later, which he thought was a fabulous gesture.

When we left, after three hours of gorging, we considered going to a show or a movie but decided we were too tipsy to sit through any venue where there was actual entertainment. We walked for a while and then caught a dreaded 2nd Avenue bus to 54th Street. We were a bit giddy with holiday cheer and made it up the three flights and directly into bed. I think we awoke a few times to watch a free movie, but we actually didn’t get out of bed until this morning when we joined friends for a lovely brunch.

All in all, our Thanksgiving continues to be memorable and without incident. And now we have to figure out what to do about moving Christmas Eve. We’re just sayin...