By Layla
Almost one of the first things Roz said when we moved to the U.S. Is how she'd like to run a New York half marathon but somehow it never came off... Until now. Things, however, conspired against us. First we had the wrong date in our calendar for when the Brooklyn Half-Marathon tickets went on sale - but I managed to swoop in and grab one of the last numbers. Then there was a train crash so our trains were cancelled. But we got two seats on the bus. Finally, with two days to go before the run, Roz put out her back.
Undeterred, we turned up in New York, dropped our bags at the rather lovely French Quarters, were talked into paying more for a room not directly above a raucous bar... And then it was off on the train to Brooklyn Heights. After a delicious lunch at Sociale, I left Roz getting a back massage while I walked down to Pier 2 to pick up her running number and other official stuff. It was so delightful that when Roz was done I persuaded her to come back with me. We walked along what felt like the seashore, the water lapping at the rocks, the sun shining, the Statue of Liberty in front and Brooklyn Bridge behind us - and marvelled about how we always forget just how brilliant New York is til we get there. We watched people roller skating, we licked ice creams, we played Brooklyn landmark-themed miniature golf. And then we lay in the sun feeling holiday-ish.
Eventually we stood up and walked over the Brooklyn Bridge which was lovely, then zoomed up with some haste to Ippudo, one of the latest hottest restaurants in town. We'd lounged so long that the wait for a table was over an hour, so we snacked on cool Japanese dumplings til we realized that if we were going to be at the theatre in time, we had 10 minutes to eat! The restaurant staff made it happen and it was cool and fab and delicious. And we skidded into the theatre in the nick of time. The play was the new musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel's Fun Home, a graphic biography we both loved. The show is drowning in Tony nominations and it was both fab and the first musical I've seen about being a lesbian. We skipped home feeling delighted with our first day in New York.
The next day started at a horribly early hour. Up we leapt and took the train to Brooklyn, Roz gasping with back pain and wailing 'wait, I can't walk that fast!' Which I must say did not auger well for her imminent half-marathon. However she was swept up in the crowds and when I cheered her at mile one and two, she was smiling. Alas on my walk down to cheer at mile six, in Prospect Park, torrential rain was introduced to the picture. Like a drenched rat without an umbrella, I cowered literally inside a bush til my app told me Roz was approaching and I leapt out to cheer again.
The race wasn't a circuit and it ended in Coney Island. When my train eventually got me there, I realized (1) there were ten zillion people there, (2) it's like Blackpool, and (3) my phone weirdly had no signal. After a frantic but fruitless hunt I ended up getting back on the train towards the hotel. A couple of train stops away and my phone signal magically resumed and Roz had messaged with "I did it!" With an incongruous mix of 'I'm a bad wife' for missing her, and 'I'm the BEST wife for spending the last six hours running around trying to see her at the crack of dawn in torrential rain, I met her at the hotel and we soon headed out for a large brunch at Riposo 46.
Next up was the theatre, and not just any theatre. A two-show Hilary Mantel Broadway marathon of Wolf Hall followed by Bring Up the Bodies. My failure to love these excellent shows called the appropriateness of our marriage into question... But I think I was forgiven. I mostly felt bad that Roz suggested a walk in Central Park to make it up to me - then when we got there she appeared to be in agony with her back. We creaked down to an Indian place for dinner and a cocktail bar til the second show kicked off. And I used the opportunity to require lots of chocolate. Despite its odd components, it was another great New York day.
But could we make it a hat trick? We had breakfast in the hotel, then headed up on a beautiful walk through Central Park and across an AIDS march and past a man walking two tortoises ok a leash to one of our favorites, the Museum of the City of New York. The exhibits weren't great this time but we saw a cool film about the evolution of New York, enjoyed some cool design work by Rand Paul, and ate lunch in their cool cafe. Afterwards Roz had the good idea to go visit the Whitney in its new Meatpacking District location. Sadly everyone else in the city had had the same idea and the line to get in was spectacular. Lacking hours to waste standing in line, we climbed up to the Highline Park. This was also disgustingly busy but as ever the views were fab. We bought ice creams and then perched with books at the top of stairs meant for sitting on. Roz decided to lie on her back with her feet up in the air against the wall. Amused, I went to take a photo before noticing someone else had seen her and been inspired. That person did it too. Then another and another til there were six. It was like a charmingly surreal flashmob. Very cheery. And Roz is now the star of a thousand tourists' Highline Park holiday snaps...
All good things must come to an end, but as we headed back to the hotel to pick up our bags, we realized that the Highline Park, instead of ending, had been extended quite far! With delight (and just a bit of anxious speed) we marched around the new extension, which incorporates a cool view of the trains coming and going from Penn Station (sadly stationary today) before walking back to the hotel, and from there to the bus stop. Goodbye New York: you've been delightful.
Almost one of the first things Roz said when we moved to the U.S. Is how she'd like to run a New York half marathon but somehow it never came off... Until now. Things, however, conspired against us. First we had the wrong date in our calendar for when the Brooklyn Half-Marathon tickets went on sale - but I managed to swoop in and grab one of the last numbers. Then there was a train crash so our trains were cancelled. But we got two seats on the bus. Finally, with two days to go before the run, Roz put out her back.
Undeterred, we turned up in New York, dropped our bags at the rather lovely French Quarters, were talked into paying more for a room not directly above a raucous bar... And then it was off on the train to Brooklyn Heights. After a delicious lunch at Sociale, I left Roz getting a back massage while I walked down to Pier 2 to pick up her running number and other official stuff. It was so delightful that when Roz was done I persuaded her to come back with me. We walked along what felt like the seashore, the water lapping at the rocks, the sun shining, the Statue of Liberty in front and Brooklyn Bridge behind us - and marvelled about how we always forget just how brilliant New York is til we get there. We watched people roller skating, we licked ice creams, we played Brooklyn landmark-themed miniature golf. And then we lay in the sun feeling holiday-ish.
Eventually we stood up and walked over the Brooklyn Bridge which was lovely, then zoomed up with some haste to Ippudo, one of the latest hottest restaurants in town. We'd lounged so long that the wait for a table was over an hour, so we snacked on cool Japanese dumplings til we realized that if we were going to be at the theatre in time, we had 10 minutes to eat! The restaurant staff made it happen and it was cool and fab and delicious. And we skidded into the theatre in the nick of time. The play was the new musical adaptation of Alison Bechdel's Fun Home, a graphic biography we both loved. The show is drowning in Tony nominations and it was both fab and the first musical I've seen about being a lesbian. We skipped home feeling delighted with our first day in New York.
The next day started at a horribly early hour. Up we leapt and took the train to Brooklyn, Roz gasping with back pain and wailing 'wait, I can't walk that fast!' Which I must say did not auger well for her imminent half-marathon. However she was swept up in the crowds and when I cheered her at mile one and two, she was smiling. Alas on my walk down to cheer at mile six, in Prospect Park, torrential rain was introduced to the picture. Like a drenched rat without an umbrella, I cowered literally inside a bush til my app told me Roz was approaching and I leapt out to cheer again.
The race wasn't a circuit and it ended in Coney Island. When my train eventually got me there, I realized (1) there were ten zillion people there, (2) it's like Blackpool, and (3) my phone weirdly had no signal. After a frantic but fruitless hunt I ended up getting back on the train towards the hotel. A couple of train stops away and my phone signal magically resumed and Roz had messaged with "I did it!" With an incongruous mix of 'I'm a bad wife' for missing her, and 'I'm the BEST wife for spending the last six hours running around trying to see her at the crack of dawn in torrential rain, I met her at the hotel and we soon headed out for a large brunch at Riposo 46.
Next up was the theatre, and not just any theatre. A two-show Hilary Mantel Broadway marathon of Wolf Hall followed by Bring Up the Bodies. My failure to love these excellent shows called the appropriateness of our marriage into question... But I think I was forgiven. I mostly felt bad that Roz suggested a walk in Central Park to make it up to me - then when we got there she appeared to be in agony with her back. We creaked down to an Indian place for dinner and a cocktail bar til the second show kicked off. And I used the opportunity to require lots of chocolate. Despite its odd components, it was another great New York day.
But could we make it a hat trick? We had breakfast in the hotel, then headed up on a beautiful walk through Central Park and across an AIDS march and past a man walking two tortoises ok a leash to one of our favorites, the Museum of the City of New York. The exhibits weren't great this time but we saw a cool film about the evolution of New York, enjoyed some cool design work by Rand Paul, and ate lunch in their cool cafe. Afterwards Roz had the good idea to go visit the Whitney in its new Meatpacking District location. Sadly everyone else in the city had had the same idea and the line to get in was spectacular. Lacking hours to waste standing in line, we climbed up to the Highline Park. This was also disgustingly busy but as ever the views were fab. We bought ice creams and then perched with books at the top of stairs meant for sitting on. Roz decided to lie on her back with her feet up in the air against the wall. Amused, I went to take a photo before noticing someone else had seen her and been inspired. That person did it too. Then another and another til there were six. It was like a charmingly surreal flashmob. Very cheery. And Roz is now the star of a thousand tourists' Highline Park holiday snaps...
All good things must come to an end, but as we headed back to the hotel to pick up our bags, we realized that the Highline Park, instead of ending, had been extended quite far! With delight (and just a bit of anxious speed) we marched around the new extension, which incorporates a cool view of the trains coming and going from Penn Station (sadly stationary today) before walking back to the hotel, and from there to the bus stop. Goodbye New York: you've been delightful.
