Taking off to a location thousands of miles away, in a different time zone, different season, traversing in a few modalities of vehicles and arriving after many hours, regardless of how it may present itself initially in your stress filled frontal lobe, is beyond exhilarating for me. Recently returned from a whirlwind trip to New York City. So fun. Pre senior girl friends gone wild. Becoming an annual tradition, the St. Patrick’s Day parade in the city is just dang fun. I have so many generous and amazing friends and Gigi is the NYC pusher girl while Sheila is the home base. Can I just say how incredible it is to actually have a home base in that city? Thank you Sheila!! We covered all the bases in a compressed period of time. Amazing jazz from David Hazeltine at Smoke jazz club, the Met, the all important and massively inebriated parade of St. Patrick, a great show, the miles of subway, great food and friends. I love that subway system. I love all the walking, miles of walking. There may be no better place on earth to watch people from every race and nation carrying on with everyday life. We were even in front of the Plaza Hotel with our friend Eloise. Eataly in Chelsea, a cooperative project between Mario Batali, Lidia Bastianich and many other amazing food players, is one of my favorite places to end my trip. Amazing rich Italian chocolate bunnies for my young man’s Easter basket, yes he still gets one, unbelievable cheeses, pasta, produce, oils, vinegars, the sweetest, freshest pesce, grossly accroutred butcher counter, coffee, vino, it just goes on and on. Three restaurants beckoned us and we chose the all fish one….scallops perfectly browned on top and bottom, an art to achieve, nestled on a mountain of mixed expertly sautéed wild and domestic mushrooms drizzled in a lemony sauce, divinely inspired, deceitfully filling every nook and cranny leaving me in a narcotic haze yet acutely present of my taste buds softly sighing with joy. Cocktails at Sirio’s on 5th avenue, watching the parade behind the incredibly luxurious glass of the Hotel Pierre, avoiding face freezing temperatures while ceremoniously sipping Jameson, again, and giggling waxing ecstatic with the pure pleasure of a brilliant vacation is really an inspired way to take a break from strolling the parade route even if just for an hour or two as that particular parade goes on forever and no matter how many breaks you take you can still pick up anywhere you choose to. Irish pubs are a must for this trip. For some reason, and trust me this rarely ever happens any other place or time, these pubs are full of handsome Irish men who totally appreciate the virtues of a California gal. So fun to flirt and kiss the Irish on their day. Again another fabulous trip to a far off land, leaving life at home, at a standstill and coming home to sun, a garden perched on the edge of breaking out in full glory of spring, squirrels racing in circles on the roof, jumping from tree to tree as two very happy cats, their rock has returned, salaciously gazing but rarely chasing as they lay in sun filled hiding places especially chosen for this purpose, Cheshire in their leisure comes to and end. Already looking forward to next year.