“If I can make it there – I’ll make it anywhere.  It’s up to you New York – New York”

A big chunk was bitten out of the big apple this past weekend as Lisa and her friend from work, Vanessa, spent three days shopping in the city that doesn’t sleep.  I slept fine back in our little RV while I sent her off to enjoy the fruits of her labor the past three months.  She deserved to get away and when she first mentioned going to New York City – I was interested in going along – that is until she mentioned shopping.  Not my thing so I sent her with my blessings.

Lisa met Vanessa at the hospital where she works and learned that she spends a good deal of time in New York and so the trip had been planned around her schedule so that Lisa could have a guided tour to all the best places to shop.  When I say “shop” I’m not talking about Macy’s or other name brand places – Vanessa had the inside track on the “out of the way” places in “Chinatown” and “Little Italy” that made me think of smoke-filled back rooms in dark alleys.  That was not the case – but close.  There were some memorable locations that were a little sketchy.

I knew it was going to be serious shopping when Lisa took an empty suitcase and then called telling me she had to buy another one.  My main fear was that she would need me to meet her there with a U-Haul trailer to help bring home all of her “shi.. stuff” or come bail her out of jail – or both.  Fortunately neither was required of me.  So while I had a very quiet weekend in Gettysburg – Lisa was tearing it up in New York, New York.

One of the places they shopped required them to make known to a man standing on the sidewalk they were interested in purses.  He then followed them down the street without making eye contact and without drawing attention to himself told them he had what they needed.  Lisa said they then were directed to a brick wall that suddenly opened and revealed a set of stairs leading up to (God knows where) and they eventually were shown a variety of purses and given a price.  For me – I would have, at that point, agreed to whatever price they were asking just to get out of there with both thumbs.  Not Lisa.  She said in Kentucky she would never pay that price.  Did you get that?  She said “in Kentucky”.  I’m not sure if the man was shocked by the fact that she was comparing this place to Kentucky or that Lisa’s accent made him think of the hillbillies in “Deliverance”  – but he agreed to half the price and my little “super-shopper” was on her way.

At one point during another peculiar shopping location – they were scurried out of the building and as Lisa is pulling her suitcase across the street they notice police cars stopping where they had just been and, apparently, shutting down the business.  Geez!  But that didn’t stop my wife – you kidding?  She was in New York City and “by dang-it” (as she would put it) she was not going home empty-handed or, I should say, empty suitcased.  So onward they marched from one place to another and what a time they had!

Lisa described the restaurants as the best she had ever experienced.  Vanessa was friends with several owners and managers and they really went out of their way to make Lisa’s visit special.  Specialty cheeses, wines, Italian dishes including veal and then throw in some “hard liquor” that was unlike anything she had ever tasted (place called “La Pateau”) – and…, you get the idea.  To top it all off she was even “hit on” by a seventy year old Polish man.  (Now that’s something you don’t have happen to you everyday and I did not ask her this but – if that “hard liquor” was that good – who was really hitting on who? LOL)  By the time the dust had settled she had two suitcases full of jewelry, clothes, coats, scarves, and hand bags. Our Christmas shopping is done.

Lisa can now can mark New York City off her “to do” list for places she wanted to visit.  I have a feeling we will be making a return trip for a day before we get home.  That will be fine with me – just so we don’t buy any more suitcases and I can keep my thumbs.

Enjoy today!

Steve and Lisa