It Takes the Village

We saw the 50th anniversary restored version of "That Man from Rio," with subtitles.

Even the matchbooks are beautiful. We got two at the bar before we left.

Punchy is visiting her paternal grandma all week, a lovely young & pretty woman [my age] who lives 2.5 hours away, in South Jersey. Figgy started school today in NYC. So H. cooked up a plan for tonight, which reminded me of our dating days. He found a 1964 movie called "That Man from Rio" playing at the Film Forum on Houston Street. We made it just in time for the previews, and loved the kooky caper filmed in Brazil. It was engaging; though at 117 minutes, perhaps a tad too long. [My knees got stiff.] Great period piece....funny and stylish.

I liked the Film Forum. It has pretty blue plush seats. I liked holding hands in the dark, even after all these years.

They serve popcorn, but no butter or fake butter--just sea salt to shake on. Rather than packaged Twizzlers and Raisinets, they sell from-scratch desserts and I wish I wrote down the baker's name, not one I recognized--I got the half-size brownie with walnuts for $2. Just enough for H. and I to have two bites each...because we didn't go to dinner until after 10, when the movie was over. [Also available: Slices of apple cake, chocolate orange Bundt cake, mango pound cake and more.]

We walked back to our car, parked on West Fourth Street, and looked at some cafes with sidewalk tables.....decided on Sant Ambroeus, which has NY locations there in the West Village, on Madison Avenue, in Soho, in the Regency Hotel--and in Southampton, which I had noticed wistfully on my July day trip there. I've often passed the bustling one on Madison, wishing I had someone to go in with....so glad we went tonight.

I had a flute of the Prosecco Sant Ambroeus and bowl [not crassly big] of spaghetti alla carbonara. H. had a veggie burger before leaving home, so he got a salad and an eggplant appetizer, plus a three-olive martini. We were ready to call it a night, but Enrique, our charming waiter, said She makes a wonderful cappuccino about the woman inside, so I got a decaf and H. an espresso and it really was a wonderful cappuccino, artful and beckoning and perfectly coffee-ice-cream colored in the pure white cup with scalloped edge. Not a bitter marriage of coffee with deflatable fluff on top. The waiter took it upon himself to bring a plate of little cookies, too, dainty, doll-sized and buttery....elegant and adult.

Lingering at that small sidewalk table, we felt we had traveled far from home--to Europe, even. We enjoyed people-watching, and dog walkers. Then we hopped in our car at 11:23 and were home by 12:05...would have been quicker, but traffic was rerouted due to nighttime construction.

I have to go to bed! Boot camp in the morning, and it's almost 1:30 a.m.

But I want to share something. One of the articles I wrote for the Autumn 2014 issue of Aspire is the cover story--about Frank & Eileen, a romantic shirt company--and cult favorite. The owner [who named the company after her Irish grandparents] posted the article on the company website. Here's the link: https://issuu.com/aspirenj/docs/aspire_fall_2014. And check FrankandEileen.com.

Sweet Irish dreams.

TCOY

1. H. and I biked to breakfast. I got something healthy.
2. Walked Sug, and walked in city.
3. Nap.
4. Productive stuff at home.
5. Private Benjamin.