One Last Day

Bloom
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Tuesday morning we woke up around noonish. We slugged around a bit before heading to Grand Central to catch a train to The Bronx to get to the botanical gardens. The day was cool and cloudy, and the gardens were pretty much empty. The flowers were nice and they had a green house filled with exotic plants, trees, flowers, and cacti. After much walking we were struck with hunger and asked a woman working at the gardens where to eat. She recommended an Italian deli just up the street in Little Italy. We started out passing the zoo and noticed how the people and shops were slowly becoming more Italian. We found the deli and chowed down. After that we walked around a bit up the street as it started to sprinkle. We hopped in a little cafe, drank some caps, and headed back to Manhattan.

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Later we met Darling and Jake at their apartment in Green Point Brooklyn. Scott brought them flowers. After chatting for a bit we drove to a Mediterranean/Turkish restaurant Darling and Jake had been checking out. The restaurant had dark red awnings covering benches in the front patio and a witch riding a handmade steel spaceship hanging from the fifteen foot ceiling in the center of the front room. It felt like a castle inside with dark decor and rusted chamber type things hanging on the walls. We sat underneath the ship and ordered. First came clams and a carafe of sangria, then seared tuna with veggies, ending with an amazing chocolate dessert and delicious Turkish coffee. We sat back, relaxed, and chatted about tons of things while it started to rain outside. We were cozy in the castle, sipping our coffee underneath the flying ship.

Like a dense jungle

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After leaving Brooklyn Scott and I walked through the Manhattan night one last time before heading back west the next day. Walking through Time Square, it started to pour down rain. All the lights blinking and shining were mirrored on the wet, long, busy streets. Getting drenched we joked around a bit, took lots of pictures, and talked about how the city is like a dense jungle, only being able to experience a small portion at a time. We walked back and went to bed.

Heading back to sleepy Portland felt good after such a busy week. Coming home always is a good feeling for me, being comfortable, safe. New York was just a glimpse of how crazy and exciting the rest of the world can be, waiting for two amigos to come and visit.