Monday in New York

For a girl (there I go again) who doesn't get out much, I found myself at the Union Square Greenmarket again today.

I am truly blessed with good friends from (sadly) out-of-town, who seem to enjoy coming up to New York and taking their poor friend Tara out to fabulous lunches, and generally imbuing my existence with a little luxury (and more than a little wine).

We spent some time walking around before we settled in happily at Union Square Cafe. Madison Square Park had an installation of tree huts that you can see here, and read about here, and here.

I found my eye again and again drawn towards the Empire State Building. I grew up coming into the city way more often than I do now, yet I don't remember ever being in or up to the top of the Empire State. I don't know the reason, but we seemed to practically frequent the World Trade Center. Maybe it was the TKTS outpost that was there. Maybe it was a more modern landmark to show off to the stream of overseas visitors who were a constant in my parents' house. Maybe it was easier to park.

In any event, we've been watching a lot of Elf. Judge me if you want, but I still laugh in all sorts of places with this one. In the scene where Bob Newhart shows Buddy the snow globe of NYC, and points to where his "real" father works, Tim remarked that they must have had to go with the Empire State Building, because what else is left? Of course there is the Chrysler Building, we New Yorkers know that, but it has never become the household name that the Empire State is, or, the Twin Towers were.

When I left my dear friends at their hotel and was making my way uptown, I stopped to take one last picture of the building, to show Anna where Mommy had been all day. I anticipated all sorts of questions about whether Elf was there. I was looking forward to sprinkling a little fairy dust about how I went in to the city to give Santa her Christmas list.

What I didn't anticipate was the crowd I was among, arching backward, pointing cameras and phones and blackberrys at a skyscraper, looking to capture one of the great icons of New York, still standing.

More tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

tt