Amazing how after a very uneventful day of pretty much nothing one can find himself in a whirlwind of incredible spectacular and fantastic proportions. I took yesterday off from work did not really feel up to going in. After busting my ass in the morning to take care of all the necessary phone calls to all the necessary people business related mostly of course I decided to go out and enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful weather that had presented itself. I drove east. and kept driving until i reached the end. Montauk. What a beautiful little town. How amazing it is to stand on the rocks under the lighthouse watch the fishermen fish and the surfers do their thing. There was a bit of a swell and a few long boarders took in some waves. You are overcome with a peace about yourself a tranquility that is hard to put into words. You close your eyes you smell the fresh air, you hear the waves crash and the seagulls shriek...I never want to leave Montauk when i get here. But it's always fun to make a half day of it. Yeah..I know it sounds weird to make a half day of a trip that takes two hours one way and sometimes more. I have done it way too many times. I've even done half nights of it in the past. Drive out just to see the sun come up. A spectacle i recommend to witness at least once in your life. Do it for yourself.
I got home and got to relax. Read some emails, made some more calls, NY, CA, even Europe. As I prepared to head to the airport i noticed the sun had begun to set, I ventured to the south shore, sat on a snowy sand filled beach and watched the sun go down...the vivid pastel colors that illuminated the sky were breathtaking, the air was fresh, crisp and a little cool. I live for moments like this. As i was about to head west for the airport i was pleasantly surprised that as sundown was winding to a close and day turned into night the moon began to make its steady rise into the night sky. I couldn't help myself. I sat there and gazed at it in amazement. It was enormous, to the naked eye it looked like it may have been a full moon, but to someone who knows better and the fact that the full occurred one day earlier, you could see the faintest filing that was missing from making it complete. It rose with a faint orange-like glow to it like ruby red grapefruit...and as it ascended into the night sky it continued to shine eventually getting whiter and smaller. At this point I was running late. I scurried up the beach jumped in my car and booked it to the Airport. As luck would have it there was no traffic and I made incredible time.
Did I mention how much I hate LGA?? Yep..Not a fan. It seems like it much harder and more confusing to navigate than JFK. And it smells funny and is just down right dirty and scummy. People watching at the airport is always fun though, any airport will do. So I waited and upon retrieving my friend who i haven't seen in over 5 years we headed west to NYC. There was a lot of excitement in the air and a lot of incredibly positive and amazing energy. I knew it would be a great night.
We landed on the Upper West Side. That's where my friend will be staying for the next 5 days before heading back to California. I was already scheduled to meet up with some industry professionals at various wine bars, to hang out shoot the shit and discuss wine and other opportunities. But we decided to grab a beer and catch up. Sure we've been in touch over the years via face book and what not. Nothing more fun than an ice cold pint and a good conversation to catch up on all the on goings of our lives. My night was just beginning.
Jet lagged my friend decided to call it a night and crash out. I ventured onward. Shot way down town to a cool little spot called COUNTER.Organic Wine and Martini Bar.Vegetarian Bistro. It's on 1ST Ave between 6th and 7th street. It's chic elegant and modern and rather elegant. The wine list is dedicated to bio-dynamic, organic and sustainable wines. They make their own signature vodka infusions that produce some pretty wicked martinis. I met there with a few people of various positions from various restaurants. There was a sous chef, a few servers, hosts and two sommeliers. We sat around discussed wine and wine culture. Where it has been and where it is going on the domestic as well as international standpoint. Everyone put in their two cents. I reserved myself a bit not wanting to put too much of what i thought into the mix. Not because I feel like I know more, i simply felt like they had very opinionated views. Views that you can get just from reading a wine publication magazine. I simply played along. We finished off the night at Aroma Kitchen and Wine Bar. 4th St. between Lafayette and Bowery. Being that its a place established by a lovely couple who grew up in the Mediterranean and have brought their culinary passion and love of wine to NY. Upon entry, I knew immediately i came to a place i would like. This was well before i looked at their eclectic and fun wine list. The interior was rustic with urban accents, exposed brick, a gorgeous wood bar (later learned it was Sri Lanken wood) paired with mirrors framed with brushed steel. It was a small space but you felt unrepressed. It was amazing. We closed out the night there. More people met us and conversations ranged from music and movies to wine and food and sports. Some of these people i had met before, and they were acquaintances for sure, and some i had just met. But i felt as if i was home. In my scene, in my element. At one point someone mentioned my Intern label and i became the center of attention. I loved the spotlight, sharing my experiences with everyone. They all listened attentively and asked fun and challenging questions. I needed to end my night early since i had to drive back to the Island. Several of my new friends were kind enough to offer me a place to crash but i had appointments early in the AM at the shop. i had to go. Without traffic the drive was less than 50 minutes. i was in front of my house before 2AM. No complaints from this guy. This was an incredible evening that set me up for an incredible day. Cheers
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