Charlene’s explorations of a big, beautiful world

sunny weekend

April 22nd, 2007

The first beautiful weekend since we’ve been back in the city! Eager New Yorkers happily donned sundresses and shorts over their pasty bodies, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Everyone except those who had to work, of course, and I am so grateful I am no longer one of the unfortunate ones.

Saturday found us running errands and walking miles around Lower Manhattan. I paired my darling new cherry earrings with a summery white blouse, the better to show off my still-bitchin’, bonafide not-from-a-lotion tan. It was the annual Taste of Chinatown, with local businesses offering sample dishes for $1 or $2, and the streets were swarming with tourists balancing their paper plates of noodles and dumplings. We ventured over to the Peking Duck House, to see if their duck was as tasty as the one we had in Beijing, but the line was too daunting.
I picked up a cold Ovaltine instead, and we checked out a flea market at St. James Church. Not much besides clothing, but I did score some photo albums, an old-fashioned wooden washboard (for display, not for actual use!), and a $1 pair of black suede wedges. A quick stop at my great aunt’s was followed by a visit to South Street Seaport, where we joined the crowds basking in the sunlight and admiring the view of the East River spanned by the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg bridges. For lunch, I polished off an enormous serving of Loco Moco from the nearby Hawaiian fast food joint: two hamburger patties and two fried eggs atop a mound of rice, all topped with gravy. I’m going to have to eat a lot of oatmeal to soak up all that cholesterol!

To walk off the calories, we continued south to Battery Park City and then up the west side, taking in the views of New Jersey across the Hudson, and napping on a wide expanse of grass, amongst the frisbee players, running children, and cuddling couples. I’ve never been a sun worshipper, and at times have even shunned its rays (that whole Goth phase), but I have to admit, there are few things as lovely as the warmth of sunlight on your face, after the interminable grey of winter days.
<new age moment>I’ve been listening to meditation podcasts on my iPod, including one that has you visualizing yourself rising above storm clouds, to where you can feel the sun on your face. It’s supposed to give you perspective, to see the storm clouds (they represent conflict and unhappiness, of course) as a passing phase and to know that the sun is always there, even if you can’t see it. As I stood this weekend with the sun’s rays and the promise of summer playing across my face, I felt so very peaceful and happy.</new age moment> (It also helps if you have a cute boy telling you that you’re beautiful every 15 minutes.)

At Christopher Street, we cross over to the West Village. In front of the Path Station, there’s a souped-up car with its windows rolled down, blasting music. That’s not so unusual, but what were the jams pouring forth from its sleek interior? “I Wanna Sex You Up” by Color Me Badd. Not some ironic remix, not some ungodly mash-up, but the straight up (tick tock, and you don’t stop), unadulterated version from the original old-looking, unfortunately coiffed, isn’t-there-even-one-cute-one crew of 1991. You can relive the video on mtv.com. There was the one who looked like Kenny G:

And the one who had the same haircut as my mom:

Ahh, good times, good times. But not hip times. So why that choice of song? Maybe it’s a new level of cool: You’re so badass that you can blast incredibly un-cool music, without a hint of irony, and still retain your coolness. Teflon cool. Case in point: The remake by R&B singers and rappers Lumidee and Tony Sunshine of “She’s Like the Wind.” You know, from the “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack. The one originally recorded by Patrick Swayze. That’s so not cool, it’s awesome.

What’s next? “The Sound of Music”? (Actually, strike that, Gwen Stefani already used “The Lonely Goatherd.”) The Barney theme song? I am so looking forward to a hip hop take on the New Kids on the Block discography. Oh oh oh oh oh …

Entry Filed under: New York