The Road to Emerald City

The new Tiffany Reversible Tote, which will match my new office color. When your mood changes, switch to the silver leather side. Made in Italy, $395. Also comes in Espresso, Camel, Garnet and yellow. I love it! 

Today I drove to the famous Garden City Hotel on Long Island with Allison, a fellow writer. We've both been assigned to work on a new magazine and will be writing about the hotel, where the rich and famous have played and stayed--JFK and Jackie among them.

I can't lie. Driving to Long Island makes me nervous because I take so many unfamiliar roads to get there. Again, it's the St. Mark's Place Syndrome [which I wrote about Saturday night]. It only makes me nervous because it's new to me. Unmapped terrain for my brain.

I don't have GPS but I did have Allison, thankfully, to read me the directions. [What I like about New Jersey is that the Garden State Parkway slices right through the state from top to bottom, from North--exit 172, not far from Moey's home, in Montvale--to South, exit 0, Cape May. That's all she wrote.]

Today I took these roads and rises to reach Garden City*: Route 3 East, NJ Turnpike South, Goethals Bridge, 278 East, Verrazano Bridge, Belt Parkway, Southern State Parkway, Peninsula Boulevard, President Street/Cathedral Avenue, Seventh Street. All to get to one location! It took just over an hour to get there and over 1 1/2 hours to return. And, I paid a lot of tolls, most notably $11 to come back on the Verrazano. Eleven dollars!!

Postcard from the Edge
I loved a lot of what I zipped by, what I glimpsed through my smudged car windows. Allison could see the Parachute Jump at Coney Island as we drove along one parkway. That's so cool, but I didn't want to take my eyes off the road. I did remember my mother's story, the one she loved to tell me, about how she rode the rickety Cyclone roller coaster there 17 times in a row on her 17th birthday. How brave, and how thrilling. I do see her in my Figgy.

We passed signs for Rockaway, where I used to go with my family as a girl. Best of all, the road hugged a lovely promenade near the water, where the waves were choppy, the whitecaps high. The water looked as pretty as Maine's sea to me, but it was on the side of a busy highway. I loved seeing dads with kids, and couples, walking by the water on the drive back. Would love to live near water for daily walks. Nothing like waving, rolling, rollicking water to lift one's spirit and still one's soul.

I like to think of today's trip as the road to Emerald City, because it took me to beautiful new places I had not seen before.

Playground for the Rich
As part of our job [we each have a different dining/style angle to cover at the hotel], we felt obligated to sample some of the cuisine at Rein, the restaurant there. The things we tried were delicious but especially:

Lobster Salad Sandwich on Challah Bread 

with roasted tomato, avocado and sweet potato fries, $20

New York Cheesecake, $9 [I know my cheesecake, and have to say that while this wedge did not look remarkable, it really was--creamy, whipped to a rich, butter-soft texture, with excellent graham-cracker crust. Divine.]

Signature Petits Fours [served with coffee/tea]

The delicate little truffles on the tray were so good, can't put into words. One was salty caramel, the other orange Grand Marnier. Fine cappuccino, too. 

Next, a quick stop to size up the Americana Manhasset Mall [which I'll also be writing about], a collection of the finest stores, from Tiffany & Co. to Wolford and......behind the orange door, my Tory Burch! Did not buy anything but entered drawing for $1,000 shopping spree.  Luxury mall link: http://www.americanamanhasset.com/#/visit/stores/. [I want to live in that place, never mind the hotel.]

At Tiffany, we caught the launch of the new Leather Goods collection, and it was fabulous. Wow. Am I lusting after the Reversible Tote in Tiffany Blue suede and platinum leather, with detachable zippered pouch inside. I have some Tiffany gift cards that Sis and Dad gave me many Christmases in a row [they asked what I wanted, and that's what I said] and am torn between getting a gold envelope charm for my bracelet or the small Reversible Tote. It was a treat to meet the designers of the line, Richard Lambertson and John Truex. I saw another woman getting the Tiffany catalog autographed by them, so I followed suit. Must file with my bag that Tory signed. :)

Check the link: http://www.tiffany.com/Shopping/Category.aspx?cid=660754&mcat=148212. The collection also includes stunning, sumptuous, delicious-looking satin bracelet bags and clutches. So glamorous. Purse as jewelry, especially the bracelet bag.

Mother Nature Reaches Down

Ah, but no matter how we humans build pavement and wield metal to make roads and bridges that can carry us wherever we want to go, Mother Nature refuses to let us forget about her.

A tornado watch was in effect until 6 P.M., and Allison had taken the LIRR back. I left Garden City at 4, and at 5:05, on one of those roads back, the sky was of mixed minds: heavy, thick, thick gray clouds in one part, piercing sun in the other. Split personality. By 5:26, I saw just a big blanket of clouds with a hole of sun in the middle--the kind of sun that it hurts to stare at. So what were you thinking, Mama Nature--a blanket to keep us warm and secure or a burning, angry glare? Which side of motherhood were you on? God only knows I understand both.

Then it was back again to familiar ground, the tired old turnpike I rode to and from Rutgers in my college days. No whitecaps, no wishes.

Still miles to go. Good night.

*Per my beloved wikipedia wizard: Garden City is a village in the Town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, 18.5 miles (29.8 km) from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the Town of North Hempstead. Many families can trace their heritage to Italian and Irish immigrants who moved to Long Island from New York City.