Vignettes from Visits (Part Une): Breakfast at Tiffany's, Martinis Everywhere Else

I can't even begin to explain how long overdue this post is. Actually, that's a lie. I can. In this particular instance, it is approximately 2 months overdue. But in some ways, it's a lifetime.

See, I come from one of those families that might lovingly be called "charmingly eccentric." They might not-so-lovingly be called "batshit crazy." But I've got one cousin who never lets me down. She introduced me to Beverly Hills 90210 at the ripe old age of 9. She slipped me a few rum and cokes to keep me sane at family parties when I was 16. She has always wholeheartedly supported me in my quest to leave our one-horse hometown. I guess we could call her my fairy god-cousin, but she probably prefers if we just call her N.

So if we're ranking family members by coolness quotient, it goes N: 98341212457, Everyone Else: 0. You can imagine then, how excited I was to see her! She came to the city for work, but we got a few chances to hang out along the way. I love, love, love hanging out with her because she loves all the things I love, like martinis, sushi, and Fifth Avenue, but see, she can actually pull it off. I'm a poseur, a poor (semi)-recent college grad ekeing out a living in an outer borough. But when I have her by my side, I can walk confidently into the bar at the Ritz Carlton and drink the best martini ever, made for me by Norman, the head bartender. (Who, by the way, is absolutely adorable and so quintessentially Manhattan. He should be in a Woody Allen movie or something, except that Woody Allen really freaks me out.)

So N. came into the city on a Sunday morning, and the weather was picture perfect for early fall, which provided the perfect backdrop for a quick lunch in the Peninsula hotel and an afternoon of window shopping on Fifth. We have an inside joke regarding someone who doesn't know what Tiffany's is (seriously, who doesn't know what Tiffany's is? It's like an American institution!), so we took photos of ourselves outside Tiffany's looking quizzical and perplexed. Why yes, I do think we're hilarious. I never understand why people don't realize how funny we are... we certainly entertain me! Then, Nobu! Oh my gosh, it's sooooooo delicious! I mean, I know its place in the sun is fading and it's not the trendy it-spot anymore, but holy smokes is it good! We had martinis and they were amazing and then we ordered like 10 courses and I cannot believe how much I ate but it was fabulous!

The next night we had drinks and dinner at the Ritz Carlton and it was perfect. Like I said, Norman is amazing (and he used to live in Brooklyn, like me!) After the Ritz we went back to the Peninsula and had another martini on the rooftop. I absolutely adore rooftop bars. I love city views on a clear warm night, and there's nothing better than sipping a martini and looking over the railing to watch Manhattan swirl below you. It's one of those moments, like walking across the Brooklyn Bridge or an early morning on Central Park West that remind me why I moved here and what I love about it.


So with Thanksgiving quickly approaching, let me give thanks where thanks are due. I raise my martini glass (except that tonight it's just me and the meager contents of my fridge, so it's a decidedly NOT-classy glass of vodka and Cherry Coke Zero) to my cousin, for being just flat-out amazing and letting me tag along for the ride.