In which Roz and Layla go to two lectures, have a Brooklyn almost-shopping-spree, Roz contemplates a change of career and both are ID'd at a bar

by Roz.

It was deeply pleasing to have a yoga studio so close to the flat, and even more so to find that yogic virtue meant that Layla blogged in my stead (she's a quicker writer than I am). On the way back to the flat, I picked up a coffee and an orange juice, only to overhear one of the customers complimenting the waitress for getting into shape. Oddly, instead of boxing him round the ears, she smiled sweetly and said that she'd got a show coming up soon, and had been doing a lot of dancing. Strange that such a comment is permissible - even welcome - here.

Back at the flat, I looked stern until Layla got out of bed and showered, and we were then up and ready for the day. Or at least for breakfast. We went back to S'Nice for some granola (for me) and a bagel (for Layla - she's a creature of habit) and had a quick look at the NY Times and planned our day. We then wandered down to Barnes and Noble in the Village where I looked hopefully for a copy of Amistead Maupin's new book - alas it turns out that it comes out in the US simultaneously with its publication in the UK. I did, however, pick up a copy of Edmund White's City Boy - not only has it been longlisted for the Green Carnation Prize but I keep seeing it listed as a classic NY book (which is not bad going, given its recent publication). Layla bought American Pastoral by Philip Roth, and I promised to carry the bag with them in for the rest of the day (a promise which, I'm not that ashamed to admit, I didn't keep).

From there we wandered through Washington Square, which was looking very pretty in the sunshine, and over to NYU, for Layla had a great enthusiasm to go to a lecture on the Theory of Mind, which we'd seen mentioned in a blog about free events. We entered the building and saw signs everywhere saying that we needed to show our student ID. We briefly conferred and then decided that probably nobody would ask for it (on this we were proved right). Then up to the 8th floor, with faltering resolution. We then gazed at the room. It was small. It has an oblong table in it. It had biscuits. It did not look like the venue for a public lecture. We ran away (briefly) and found someone vaguely official looking to enquire whether it was a public event. This was confirmed with much vigour. We returned to the room to find that the 2 seats nearest the door (which I'd hoped to occupy for a quick escape) had already been colonised. We therefore installed ourselves in the next closest seats. Sadly these were at one of the ends of the oblong table, which rather implied we were about to chair the discussion. But they were close to the biscuits (and, later, crisps) which I found a consolation throughout the next hour and a half. In fact, it turned out not too badly. No-one asked who we were or sought our views. It was a seminar by an associate professor, on sabbatical at NYU - Dr. William Fabricius. Since there was a great focus in the seminar on smarties, I managed to keep up ok. I did think that the subject matter under discussion was really a matter of semantics rather than something to devote 15 years of one's life to (as the speaker had). But I put this down to my ignorance. Particularly as around me others were gently nodding and muttering "cool, very cool" - kind of background noise - throughout. More surprising was that Layla was amongst the head nodders - though, being Scottish and decisive, her head nodding was vigorous and authoritative. After an hour or so, the seminar was going strong, but I'd eaten the majority of the crisps and it was definitely lunchtime, so Layla and I unsubtly left. On our exit, Layla then proceeded to explain with vigour why she had been unimpressed by the speaker - I never did manage to get to the bottom of the head nodding though - apparently this is what she always does at lectures...

From there we hopped on the subway and went to Park Slope - returning to Al Di La. We'd been last year and it had been one of our best meals and we just couldn't fit in a dinner there this time. We both had a delightful Farro Salad, with grains, and winter vegetables, and goat's cheese and walnuts and sherry. Layla then had a mushroom polenta (hoping to relive our wedding meal) and I had ricotta and lemon ravioli - both of which turned out to be a bit ambitious for a lunchtime. Feeling full, we rolled down Park Slope, looking in all the shops and contemplating pretty things. I was in two minds about whether to buy some shoes; made by Fly London it seemed ridiculous to buy them here. However a subsequently online search reveals that they are only available in the UK in bright patent red (the ones in Brooklyn were a sober unshiney blue). The jury is still out about whether I will return for them.

After we'd had our Brooklyn fill, we headed back to the flat for a rest prior to the evening's excitements. In fact, it was one of the things I was most looking forward to - SciCafe at the American Museum of Natural History, where the future of space travel was to be discussed. We got the subway uptown (in fact we went too far, which led to Layla periodically berating herself for the rest of the evening, even though I told her this was unnecessary). The museum was pretty deserted when we got there, and I started to wonder whether the event really was going to be as fab as I'd hoped. Having finally found an entrance to the museum, we walked through deserted corridors and then suddenly turned a corner to find ourselves in a huge room, with rocks and pretty pictures, and a glamorous collection of people all sipping drinks and looking excited. And rightly so: the speaker Mike Shara, was amazing. He talked - without notes - enthusiastically and imaginatively. And within five minutes, had made me want to be an astronomer with all my heart. Such interesting ideas and all explained so clearly and well. He predicted the Chinese would be the next on the moon, that our energy problems would be solved by mining H3 on the moon and returning it to Earth on an elevator, that they would build a giant telescope on the moon, there would be a permanent colony on the moon in 25 years, and in a couple of centuries we'd be colonising the whole solar system.

After this glorious event (which also had free hummous for grazing on), we for once didn't feel in need of dinner. Instead, we headed down to the Village, in the hopes of going to a cool sounding cocktail bar. Alas we were foiled from executing that plan for an unexpected reason: neither of us had any ID on us. It's been years since I've even contemplated such a thing being needed. I'd like to hope that it was because Layla and I look so youthful, but I can't really believe that can be true in my heart of hearts... So instead, we went to the lovely Cornelia Street Cafe, where we managed to find room for a couple of snacks and drank sparkling wine flights, and discussed the future of space travel. And the theory of mind. A very good day indeed.