My New York Adventure

Okay…so here we are in New York and already it feels like something very strange is happening to the three of us. Seriously! It all began on the afternoon we got here. There we were wandering around Greenpoint (this cool neighbourhood full of hipsters, Polish ladies and intriguing warehouse spaces) when I noticed Andy looking in the window of a pet store. Before I could stop him he was in there enquiring about the price of a beautiful doggy raincoat. That’s right! A raincoat for a dog, complete with tiny rubber boots and a pooch umbrella. It was all me and Craig could do to stop him from buying the whole lot. He was waving his NatWest bank card about, insisting it was platinum. Later over a few dry martinis and a Pink Lady (Craig!) he said he didn’t know what had overcome him, but soon we realised we were all changing. 

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Andy blending in

The next clue came on our way to the first classroom showing of Kappa. We were all super psyched to be going out to a junior school in Harlem but no one could find Craig. Then, just in time he came staggering down the street wearing the most gorgeous pair of Manolos you ever saw. I mean these babies were incredible; a six inch razor heel with seal skin flap-backs. I could’ve died and I nearly did when Craig toppled over and pinned me against the hire car. The surprise classroom show was FABULOUS and we were all relieved that the kids seemed to understand Andy’s cute British accent and Rob’s incredible (some would say “dazzling” (New York Times)) turns of phrase. Also, Andy managed not to fall off any chairs or desks. In fact the only damage he did was to rip some of the class work off the wall in his attempts to find a doorway to a different universe. A small price to pay, I would say. The surprise element of the show has worked brilliantly, although it was interesting to hear the kids this morning in the Bronx say that they were all ready to attack Andy when he first came in. Afterwards the teaching assistants from the New Victory theatre told us that all the kids have lockdown drills in case a strange person comes into their classroom. I thought we were lucky not to have been “locked down” as there’s not much stranger than Andy Manley at 8 o’clock on a Tuesday morning.

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The view

But anyway, back to us! (and by us I mean ME!) You see it all came to a head last night. We’d been sipping Tasmanian fizz at the Australian Consul General’s residence, slowly slipping further and further into the comfy couch, when I happened to look out of the window and saw the whole of Manhattan stretched out in front of us; a beautiful sunset making the towers of this wonderful city glow red like giant Cherry Lush lipsticks. I thought back on all the wonderful times this city had already given us - the hipster party we gatecrashed, the woman who would only talk to us while playing her tibetan singing bowl, the giant Cookie Monster in Times Square who wouldn’t let Andy go until he’d given her a tip - and I realised we were just at the beginning of something big. And as I looked back at Craig and Andy I thought how lucky we all were to be young, carefree individuals with great hair and amazing lashes and how we mustn’t waste it. New York was ours for the taking and that no matter how comfy the couch might be there comes a time when you’ve got to get in that serviced elevator, go down to ground level and get on with finding the next adventure. 

And so that’s how it came to pass that we’re just three gorgeous girls, our lives and our shoes in our hands, skipping down 5th Avenue to the Lower East Side in search of who knows what. Sure, good things might come to those who wait, but until it does you might as well look great and order a cocktail. I recommend the Grace Kelly.

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