Shoo Shoo
September & Shoo Shoo & Serge & something in the air.
This morning I woke up clutching a hardcover book as a teddy bear. How it got into my bed I’m not sure, as it’s not even one of the books I’m reading right now, but this was the happy result of “girls night” last night, which consisted of Anne and me splitting a bottle of white wine and 2 big bowls of AMC popcorn while watching When Harry Met Sally (which we paused several times so that we could gossip).
I immediately beamed once I remembered what today was: September 1. Fall has long been my favorite season—October my favorite month—but September is the preamble to all of it. I love back-to-school time. Although I’m twenty six, my mom still buys me “back-to-school shoes” every year, a cherished symbol of new beginnings and a heartwarming reminder of girlhood. September smells like Pennsylvania and looks like plaid and feels like wool and sounds like Radiohead. It’s a sacred month to me, and waking up this morning, I felt like a new version of myself (as silly as that sounds).
As per our standard programming, I had lots to do. When I had asked my aunt what I could bring to the beach house this weekend, she replied, “irreverent cocktail napkins,” so I had a very important task to fulfill before Saturday. I had the day off from work, so I decided to enjoy my morning by walking along the Hudson River before heading to the West Village to scout for locations that sell irreverent cocktail napkins. Since none of the stores were open at 10:30 AM, I decided to sit outside with my coffee at Hungry Ghost and observe the corner of Grove and Bleecker. While I was sitting there, a man wheeled a piano past me, and I decided this was a Perfect Morning. I stood up with my coffee and walked northeast up Grove Street, passing dogs and joyful people and a man sitting outside at Bar Pisellino reading the newspaper. All felt right in the world.
I didn’t have much more time to search for napkins before I had to go to my 12:30 workout class, but I did have time to sit in Washington Square Park and enjoy some live jazz. I texted one of my friends a video of this, along with, “i think i should skip my workout today. i think it might ruin my day.” It was the kind of New York day where I only wanted to be outside, but I decided there would be plenty of time for that today.
After my workout class (which I did make it to), I walked to meet my friend Serge for lunch at Shoo Shoo, a casual Mediterranean spot in Nolita on the corner of Mott and Broome—perfect for people-watching. My friend arrived fashionably late, which we’ll let him have since he’s a fashion designer. Serge is someone I met at the beginning of this year, and we became instant friends. He’s the kind of friend who feels like family, as I said in his birthday speech at our Cancers party at the Bridge in July. We always have something to say to each other, to the point that now we text each other the below meme before telling a story:
Serge was the one who requested this lunch, and I happily accepted. We all know I love lunch on Friday. As he was sitting down, I said, “Figure out what you want to eat because I’m starving and then I’ll spill my tea.” He ordered the Chicken Shawarma Pita, which is what I usually get, but today I was feeling the Greek Salad with Chicken. I began filling Serge in on everything new in my life since the last time I saw him, 8 days ago. Interestingly enough, a lot has changed since last Thursday. (September = new beginnings!) When I finished talking, Serge said “Damn, I thought you were gonna have bad news for me. This is so disappointing!” (We love drama.)
Our food arrived and we talked about everything that happened this week and everything that’s happening next week. We talked about our friends and how we miss them when we don’t see them for 5 days, and I think that’s something I love most about our home here. Even though we’re geographically so close to each other at all times, life feels empty without friends around. If I haven’t had anyone over to my apartment in a few days, everything feels off. Seeing Serge for a 1-hour lunch had made my already very sunny day significantly brighter. Friends who feel like family.
After lunch, Serge had to split to Retail Pharmacy and I was going to accompany him, but then I realized my phone was on 5% and I still hadn’t purchased any irreverent cocktail napkins. Saying our goodbyes and see-you-next-weeks, we headed in opposite directions, and I smiled as I walked away (without headphones since my phone was almost dead, mind you). Hearing the sounds of the city and stepping around tourists in front of Jack’s Wife Freda, I thought it might be a good idea for me to stop at home to charge my phone and change out of my denim maxi skirt that limits my mobility because of the way it was sewn on the bottom. I was on a mission.
I got back to my apartment, plugged my phone in, and changed into black baggy jeans. Once my phone reached a solid 22%, I was again headed for the West Village and cocktail napkins. Passing Village Revival Records on Bleecker Street, I noticed Jamal the owner standing outside and put my arms up to wave. “Hey!” he said, giving me a hug, “Where have you been?” Flipping through the records on the table in front of the store and catching up with Jamal, I realized how lucky I am to (A) live in the best neighborhood in the world and (B) have a mutual friend with Bella Hadid. I stepped into the record store, again deviating from my mission to buy cocktail napkins, and found a Beatles compilation which Jamal gave to me for a much lower price than the sticker. Neighbor things.
Once again headed for the West Village (omg), I noticed how much I was smiling today. My Perfect Morning had turned into a Perfect Day. I stopped into Boyard Gifts, also on Bleecker, and finally found cocktail napkins. They weren’t necessarily irreverent, but they were purple and mentioned disco and cost $12 and my phone was on low battery again. I purchased the napkins, walked home, put on the Beatles, and sat down to write.