Another Golden Nugget on the Trail

I had my first VICTORY yesterday. Not only did I venture out myself and found a Barnes and Noble, and then a Kinko's, I went on a LONG walk from Union Square to the West Village and found Edna St. Vincent Millay's house--all by myself! Knowledge is power! I feel so much more at ease today.

If anyone is travelling to any major city in the world, I highly recommend the City Secrets series for guide books. They are filled with personal recommendations for things to do by artists, writers, architects, city officials, actors, etc. For example, the actor Eric Stoltz recommended WNYC as a radio station. I have been craving a dose of NPR, and I was so happy to turn to his suggestion. I sat in the kitchen this morning, eating cereal and listening to an interesting debate about the Rev. Al Sharpton. (Thanks Eric! I loved you in Some Kind of Wonderful!)

At the suggestion of 3 writers, I made my way to Millay's house. Highlights of the walk included a great street musician duo in Washington Square Park, more languages being spoken than I can count, the famous music club The Bitter End, where Bob Dylan got his start (and future spot of shows by the likes of me--I vow this day...), lots of eateries, and bakeries. I was relieved to find that Bedford Street, where Millay's house is, was still a crooked, narrow lane, lined with old brick brownstones. It hasn't changed much since she lived there. Her address, 75 1/2 Bedford Street, is squeezed in between two buildings. It is so narrow that it houses one room on each of the 3 floors. I sat on a stoop of a closed dry cleaners and did a sketch of it. I saw people come and take their picture by the dark doorway and then leave. All the while, I sat and drew the brick facade, and enjoyed the moment immensely. It was very quiet and peaceful.

Afterwards, I decided to celebrate by walking to the Magnolia Bakery. I went there a couple of times at the suggestion of my friend Judy. I didn't know that it was a tourist spot until I read about it in the City Secrets guide that it was featured prominantly on Sex and the City. Oh well--I only saw a couple of those shows and besides, they have the BEST CUPCAKES on the PLANET! Personally, I think cupcakes are highly underrated. Not only are they asthetically attractive, but they are a great amount of dessert. The Magnolia Bakery does them right, piled high with buttercream frosting. When I got there I was deterred by the line around the corner. I opted for the biography bookshop across the way instead , enjoying the air conditioning and the first few pages of Lolita, which I've never read, but may have to now.

When I looked out the window and saw that the line for cupcakes hadn't decreased, I said screw it and opted to go home. I was walking down the street, in the direction I thought I remembered the subway being, and who should I almost bump into, but JIM JARMUSCH! I almost yelled at him: HEY! I just saw your movie 2 days ago! EXCELLENT WORK! But he was obviously in a hurry, talking anxiously with his lanky female companion. His film just opened 2 days ago, so maybe he had a lot on his mind. For me, it was another golden nugget on the trail. Then another great thing happened: I found the subway no problem, and it happened to be MY LINE!

I couldn't wait to get home and tell Graham. For the first time in a week, we had more than just chairs and air conditioners to talk about.