La's Fabulous New York Adventure, Part Uno

I've arrived at this weird place in life where I've had a few precious mainstays in my life for 20 and 30 years—and then realize that that accounts for more than half my time on earth. Yikes. How the hell did we get so damn old?

Laura is one of those life-long friends whom I met soon after arriving in Washington post-college in the mid-1980s. We worked together for years at the Washington Business Journal and lived our 20s with the utmost moxie and exhilaration.

I've always said that one of the things I truly got right was that decade, with a wondrous, creative, open-minded and experimental core of friends who together, did all of those things one is supposed to in that vital era of life.

It had been a few years when I saw La last fall after I returned to D.C. for the first time in a half-decade and visited with her side of grown-up life. This time, she and hubby Jack came to NYC, where, for three glorious days, we wore out this town—with, I'm happy to say, as much gusto as we did way back then.
Our three days of New York fabulousness began Tuesday night at midtown's Cuban retreat Havana Central, with La's hubby Jack and Ayhan joining in the opening festivities. Wednesday a.m. opened with brunch at the Antique Cafe, with Leonard joining for the day's activities...Our walking tour then took us to the beloved Church of the Transfiguration, known as "The Little Church Around the Corner" on 29th between Fifth and Madison Avenues.La and I losing our religion outside the church...Onward! Madison Square Park...Flatiron Building and accompanying district...
A stop by the swanky, look-but-don't-touch Wolf Home NYC in the Flatiron District, where we fantasized about $240-a-yard fabrics and $8,000 sofas... Sigh... La & Leo look right at home.Let the evening festivities begin. This was a must-see for La's love of all things 1950s and kitsch: The Beauty Bar on 14th and Third Avenue, where a "martini and a manicure" is $10. Why, it looks as if these images came right from your mamer's college scrapbook.
Now for something a little more refined... The Ace Hotel's always packed lobby and work bar/lounge.
Jack joined us at Ace for a drink at the hotel's mobbed Breslin restaurant, before we headed to dinner at Union Square Italian eatery Piola for brick-oven pizza.And the day is sealed with a kiss...