Greetings From the Big Apple

This was our evening last night -- just wandering around the general neighborhood of our hotel and taking in the sights and sounds (and occasionally smells) of New York City.

We are esconced at the vintage Mayfair Hotel, in the theater district. I've been describing it as an urban version of Fawlty Towers -- charmingly eccentric, with a friendly staff that truly seems to like one another and to enjoy working here. The rooms are tiny, about the size of a dorm single for a double occupancy, but are clean and tidy, with cheery toile furnishings. It's not the sort of hotel for people looking for Holiday Inn conformity. It's quirky. Like us. We like it.

We are right across the street from St. Malachy's, the "Actors' Chapel" beloved of numerous celebrities over the years, and kitty-corner from The Food Emporium, a kind of mid-town Whole Foodsy place where we just had breakfast. We are about a block down the street from Ruby Foo's, a funky Asian restaurant where we had a meet-up with Son #2 and Semi-Daughter-in-Law last night. The food was outstanding, and not at all expensive. One of the things we're finding interesting is that, while transportation and lodging costs are certainly higher here, the price of a decent meal out really isn't, if you know where to go.

Today we are meeting up with Son #2 on this drizzly day for lunch and some museum hopping. The Kids are falling over one another trying to squire us around, even though we are fine just poking around ourselves, so we've pretty much let them develop our itinerary. ("I like to think it's a damned fine itinerary," notes Semi-Daughter-in-Law.)