Day 26: Great Ideya

On Day 3 of NYC, we had a double-date: drinks with some peeps, followed by dinner with other friends. Cause that’s how we roll.

Part One had us at Ideya, a Caribbeanish restaurant in SoHo with tropical drinks at the low low New York price of eleven dollars per cocktail. Can you imagine if there was a recession? Meeting us there were Ken and Natacha, two good friends of ours who live two blocks from Jaime in San Francisco. Naturally, we also ran into them on the streets of Manhattan. Jaime was in the middle of a crosswalk, furiously texting on her Blackberry (she would do this in the shower if she could get away with it), when Ken walked by and asked if she was texting him. Startled, she promptly invited them to drinks. They regaled us with tales of the rock opera wedding they had just attended over the weekend, a concept that makes our Wedding Road Trip pale in comparison.

The other guests were student colleagues of mine from grad school. Now living in NYC, Whitney, Ray, Jodie, and her boyfriend Rod came together so we could reminisce on the joys of not sleeping for two years and writing a thesis in 20,000 words or less. None of them had met Jaime, so rather than subject them to an interview about marriage, we got to know one another and caught up, though we’re pretty up to date due to my annual visits to New York (hint: come to SF for a change). Beyond being good friends, it’s also good to hear the state of the urban planning industry in other cities, and tell zoning jokes. (I’m kidding. I’m a nerd but not that bad).

Way too soon, 8 PM appeared and we hailed a taxi for Part Two….