A Dinner Cruise Around Manhattan

Last night, Morty--one of my best friends—and I boarded World Yacht for a four-hour dinner cruise around Manhattan.

I booked us a window seat, the perfect spot for taking in the Big Apple’s beautiful skyline and bridges, along with Olafur Eliasson’s Waterfalls installation dotting various points along the Hudson River.

Our view aboard World Yacht's dinner cruise

With colorful cocktails in hand (Blue Martini for me, Expresso Martini for Morty), we made a toast to our friendship and settled in for some laughs and reflecting on sex, romance and following your bliss.

When we weren’t talking, we were savoring every bite of our three-course meal, which began with a brie cheese-filled pastry. Then, it was onto an appetizer of crabcake with aioli sauce, tasty entrees of veal ossobuco and fried eggplant with white bean ragu, and a chocolate ganache with vanilla ice cream. Morty opted for a fruit salad, and I tried not to hold his healthy dessert choice against him.

At one point, we got onto the subject of makeout songs from the 90’s. I mentioned some of my personal favorites for close encounters -- including Jade’s “I Wanna Love You Down” and Silk’s “Freak Me.”

Speaking of music, I was itching to cut a rug with Morty—the only man I’ve ever known who can keep up with me on the dance floor. The DJ informed us he wouldn’t start cranking it up until after a patriotic medley in honor of Lady Liberty. Morty and I headed upstairs to the top deck to take in a moonlit view of her.

As “God Bless the USA” played over the loudspeaker, I smiled, remembering how much my late, beloved mom loved this country, and feeling a surge of patriotic love myself.

Finally, it was time to get our groove on. The DJ made it easy with a string of past and present hits like “I Will Survive,” “Billie Jean” and Rihanna’s “Please Don’t Stop The Music.” I could feel all eyes on Morty and me while we shook our respective bootys.

After we disembarked, a fellow passenger stopped us to say how much she enjoyed our dancing, while a crew member observed how much fun we obviously had.

All smiles during our cruise: Morty and Me

It is impossible not to have fun with Morty. He is one of the most engaging, witty and all-around fabulous people on planet earth. Our cruise excursion made me thankful all over again that he’s a part of my life.

A Sweet Summer Afternoon

During the summer, New York becomes a veritable playground of outdoor fun. This season, my favorite warm weather diversions have included swanky rooftop bars, free movies at Pier 46 beside the Hudson River and, of course, Central Park.

Today, I took advantage of the 80-degree low-humidity weather and went for a leisurely stroll across the park. I passed about a dozen John Lennon devotees paying their respects with flowers and candles at Strawberry Fields before catching a glimpse of roller bladers strutting their stuff. I stopped to groove right along with them to Bobby Brown’s 80’s hit “Rock wit'cha.”

As I meandered over to the tree-lined mall, Bobby’s voice faded, replaced by the sounds of a solo sax player. Even though I’ve spent most of my life as a New York resident, I’m continually astounded by the caliber of musical talent here. It’s not uncommon in the Big Apple to enjoy a mariachi band or Motown-esque trio with your morning commute. Sign me for up Subway Idol whenever that makes it onto the crowded reality TV landscape.

Upon exiting the park, I decided to treat myself to Mister Softee ice cream. Thanks to the handy calorie chart pasted on the side of the truck, I was able to absolve myself of any guilt with the reassuring fact that, at 250 calories, a vanilla cone was the least decadent option available.

I was only a few blocks from home when I looked up and spotted Begonia, a fellow Mount Holyoke alum I hadn’t seen in years. She introduced me to her husband and adorable five-month old daughter, and we debriefed each other about our respective jobs and neighborhoods of residence.

After we parted, I couldn’t help thinking about the different trajectories our lives have taken. Though Begonia and I are the same age and graduated the same year, she’s a mother and wife while I’m still single. I found myself wondering, how did she find her happily ever after? Are there choices I might have made that would have led me to find my own domestic bliss by now?

And then, I took a deep breath and smiled, remembering the more important question--am I happy right now, right where I am at this moment?

The answer is a resounding yes.