a solitary grace: cool times in NYC

So my recent visit to New York was full of fun, adventure and friends! It was really hot, over 80 degrees. I thought I would melt in the street. But I persisted and the social coolness kept me solid.

First, I had a Broadway show to see. Alvina and I decided that for our birthdays we would buy each other tickets to go see MARY POPPINS!

The Mary Poppins books were some of my favorite as a child, so much so that I even loved the Disney movie (though I was confused that they made her so nice). If you remember in Year of the Dog, Lissy reads Mary Poppins before we go to sleep on Chinese New Year's Eve, while I read B is for Betsy. Let's just say that Mary Poppins was quickly handed down!

So, I was thrilled to go to the show. This is Alvina and I trying to take our picture with the Mary Poppin's marquee:

We finally gave up and I just took a picture of the marquee without us in it. Obviously, I am still mastering the iphone camera--like my big thumb shadow?

The show was great and I got to blab all about it the next morning at breakfast at Pastis. Apparently, this place is featured in Sex and the City so this added to my very cool and cosmopolitan feeling.

Though, maybe it was because of the company I was with. My friend, illustrator Aaron Meshon joined me and his uber-success is really amazing.

This past winter, his art was all over Boston as part of an ad campaign for NYC. And I really mean it was everywhere--every bus stop, subway station--you looked and there was Aaron! I definitely didn't know if I was cool enough to hang out with him.

But then I had that talk at the Asian American Writer's Workshop to give, the whole reason why I made the trip to NYC. It was with amazing authors Janet Wong (not pictured), An Na and David Yoo (Alvina moderated) and I KNOW I am not cool enough to hang out with them. But it was kind of neat that I was at the same table though.