Another life

There was a woman on the bus last night with a calico Zabar’s shopping bag.

It brought back so many memories and I REALLY wanted to jump on a plane and get one for myself (probably to escape all the work I have to do in the real world).

Zabar’s is a legendary deli that I used to visit when I lived in New York.

Blimey it feels weird to write those words.

I lived in New York.

I had no idea that it would feel so surreal all these years later.

I didn’t live there for long. Just 10 months while my ex went to Columbia University. He had a scholarship to study business journalism and I was between Woman’s Day editing gigs so it seemed like the perfect time to get away.

As for Zabar’s itself, the human memory is a strange thing. I have retained glimpses of its heavily stocked, narrow aisles and a vague idea of its location on Broadway, but that’s about it.

Actually, most of my memories have receded to glimpses of another world and another lifetime.

There’s a photo album I compiled so the kids would have something to look back on, since they were only two and four at the time.

I wrote it like a fairytale and now it feels like one.

Though the reality was I was having major health issues at the time, the Australian dollar was at an all time low, my ex was having fun at university while I was looking after two small kids in a tiny apartment (in the same building as the one above).

Still, there were plenty of magic moments, as my photo album attests.

I was flicking through the album last night.

The words go like this …

Once upon a time two little kids went to live in a big city called New York.

They arrived in early autumn and splashed in the fountains in Morningside Park. They explored Central Park … and splashed in more fountains!

They became subway veterans. They embraced the grime. They met aliens [at a space-themed restaurant].

They lived on 119th Street, between Amsterdam Avenue and Morningside Drive.

They walked all the way across the Brooklyn Bridge one day.

They checked out a Jeff Koons exhibition on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

They went trick or treating at the Museum of Natural History and on the Upper West Side.

They caught the train all the way to a little town called Cold Spring and played in the autumn leaves.

Cousin James, Aunty Kathryn, Nonna and Pop came to visit. They went on a horse and carriage ride in Central Park together.

Then they flew all the way to Disneyworld for a holiday. It was one of their best family holidays ever.

The eldest celebrated their fifth birthday at Disneyworld by going on the Splash Mountain ride twice and begging for more.

Daddy went to a really cool school called Columbia University. He also went to the Fed (and a few bars).

Soon it got really cold, so we made snowballs and went ice skating in Central Park. It was fun playing in the snow, although not for too long!

But it was always toasty warm inside their apartment.

The Butterfly Exhibition at the museum was amazing … and really hot!

New York had fun museums. They went to the Museum of Natural History ever Monday to visit Gum Gum.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum had lots of cool stuff too.

Their white Christmas in New York was a blast. The youngest and Mummy were sick, but they put on brave faces.

Early in the new year they flew to Mexico for a holiday in the sun. The lazy river was awesome!

Pop and Lel flew in from Australia to join them. They loved a town called Merida. They explored ancient Mayan ruins called Uxmal and Chichen Itza (but they called it Chicken Itchy).

They saw amazing things – those Mayans were pretty clever.

Campeche had yummy seafood and amazing architecture.

They visited a town that was all yellow.

And they had a last few days at the beach before returning to snowbound New York. They travelled back from the airport to their apartment in style in a stretch limo. The snow fell all around as they drove through the night.

A trip to The Cloisters, filled with Medieval art, was a real adventure.

Pop and Lel loved New York. They had dinner at a French bistro called Pastis and a drink in the Meatpacking District.

One day the kids went to Baby Loves to Disco in Greenwich Village. Their friends Maya, Ian, Kristen and Graeme went with them too and they have heaps of fun dancing together.

The kids also loved the Hippo Park, but when it was too cold they’d stay home and do craft instead.

They went on holidays to Charleston, South Carolina, and got really, really sick on the first day and for the whole rest of the trip. We think it was swine flu.

Worst. Holiday. Ever.

The youngest turned two and celebrated with teppanyaki at Benihana Japanese Restaurant.

The kids went on an Easter Egg hunt in Central Park and couldn’t work out why the eggs were plastic with lollies inside them instead of being chocolate.

They went to a place called Dumbo in Brooklyn and had pizza and ice cream with friends.

They went to an amazing interactive art installation at a place called The Armoury.

All too soon it was time to go home again. There were leaving drinks on the roof of the Met and a lunch with Mummy’s work friend Lesley at Tavern on the Green in Central Park.

A farewell hug from Solome and it was time to go. Good-bye New York, we’ll miss you!

…And that’s the last photo in the book.

I do miss New York sometimes. Maybe I will get back there one day and show DD my old haunts.

Have a great weekend and I will catch you next week.

Song of the day: Stevie Wonder “Living for the city”