Anyone who has traveled with me knows that I can PLAN. I'm trusted to organize the few days of relaxation at the
Wallowa cabin with friends, always in charge of the dinners, organizing group cooking meals and finding the most
glorious hikes. I plan like a pro, perhaps it's all those years spent organizing 50 wedding invitation orders over 52 weeks,
stressing about building a business while trying to learn how to build a business, perhaps it is just because my mother
always seemed to know just how to entertain everyone all at once while making it seem effortless. If it's done right, I
feel like Jackie O.
Well, I assure you that Jackie O never had to load and unload a Subaru filled to the gills with corrugated walls, laminate
flooring, a particularly beautiful chandelier and tons of her own handmade cards. Not to mention, the Spock Coffin on
top stuffed with clothes for two weeks of Trying Not To Look Like a Tourist. The first foray into the city would prove
to be the first, and biggest, challenge of the National Stationery Show days.
Arriving into Manhattan, I already knew that I could unload the Show stuff at the Javits Center. I was a day earlier than
my scheduled unload day but the staff at the NSS thought I was crazy for driving, and they were happy I made it
unscathed, so they were generous in accommodating my need to get the car emptied and into a parking garage. The
hand truck helped immensely and now I'm thinking of keeping it. The six or seven trips to the booth space just
confirmed my organization and ability to plan a booth that could be easily worked with. And the smooth travel from the
NSS to the hotel proved my map-reading ability.
Am I bragging? No. Just try my accounting and banking skills and you'll find my Achilles Heel. That, and I still don't
know my left from my right and my sense of direction in NYC seems rather off. Too many bodies of water to keep
track of.
With the car completely empty and my cards secure at the Javits, sun dresses secure at the hotel, I showered and
changed and planned for a Lovely Afternoon in the Big Apple. For my first day, I wanted to sit at a café and sip a glass
of wine with a good Italian meal to accompany it. I slipped on my favorite and fabulous orange sun dress, the one with
the deep V neck and a skirt that blows in the breeze. My new espadrilles and some cool shades and I felt Sex and The
City enough to walk out the door.
But I think I was the only one dressed in anything bright and clearly I was the only one with a smile on my face. Perhaps
it was the midtown location, but everyone seemed covered in a layer of soot and still depressed from the winter. Still, I
enjoyed my time and the little gem of a place I had found just a few blocks into my walk.
I think I really needed a glass of wine.
After the late lunch, I continued on, wandering along 5th Avenue all the way to Washington Park where I discovered a
café for java and a little sweet to eat in the park. Sitting there and listening to the strange digital music guy blaring funky
tunes, I felt it was a quintessential New York day, as if I'd lived in the city forever. And I knew I was going to be alright
here. There is a quote that says, "If you can live in New York, you can live anywhere." My traveling companion said that
New York probably wasn't ready for me. From the reactions of people on the street, I think he may have been right.
The day ended as smoothly as it began, and I slept in preparation for the biggest three-and-a-half days of my life.
more and more, a New Yorker...t