SOOO . . . back to the goodbye modesty, bright lights Hello Miss Kitty, underwear on stage situation.
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With a little help from my friends: (a GREAT BIG TOAST to) Nature’s Secret, Self Diet Club, Social Media Slim Down, Skinny Girl Margaritas, and Fountain of Juice Diet Detox, I find that (on this particular Fat Tuesday) I have successfully misplaced ten whole pounds. Both of my costumes are brilliantly flattering. And I hope to see many of you at the Theatre over the next two weeks! Out of Order is adorable and hilarious and characters like Kimbrough Donner’s Pamela Willey are a theatrical treat!
With a little help from my friends: (a GREAT BIG TOAST to) Nature’s Secret, Self Diet Club, Social Media Slim Down, Skinny Girl Margaritas, and Fountain of Juice Diet Detox, I find that (on this particular Fat Tuesday) I have successfully misplaced ten whole pounds. Both of my costumes are brilliantly flattering. And I hope to see many of you at the Theatre over the next two weeks! Out of Order is adorable and hilarious and characters like Kimbrough Donner’s Pamela Willey are a theatrical treat!
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In other news . . . Toast of the Town turned two :-) I managed to successfully abstain from Valentine’s Day yet again. (Which – to be perfectly clear - doesn’t mean that I’ve called off auditions for “a thirty-something gentleman who has an appetite for unorthodox adventure and can spank me at trivial pursuit.” It just means that, when I do find him, I’ll love him every single day.) And, speaking of unorthodox adventure, Coco: Before Chanel was released on DVD today. So I’ve decided to share a piece that I wrote after my trip to the Movie’s premier. A TOAST to Gabrielle . . .
In other news . . . Toast of the Town turned two :-) I managed to successfully abstain from Valentine’s Day yet again. (Which – to be perfectly clear - doesn’t mean that I’ve called off auditions for “a thirty-something gentleman who has an appetite for unorthodox adventure and can spank me at trivial pursuit.” It just means that, when I do find him, I’ll love him every single day.) And, speaking of unorthodox adventure, Coco: Before Chanel was released on DVD today. So I’ve decided to share a piece that I wrote after my trip to the Movie’s premier. A TOAST to Gabrielle . . .
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“Coco: Before Chanel” & A Parisian Adventure in New York
“Coco: Before Chanel” & A Parisian Adventure in New York
If I were asked to put my daydreams of Paris "into a bottle,” as the saying goes, the elixir would greet you with the buttery undertones of a caramel Macaron and tickle your upturned nose with a hint of coarsely ground black pepper. Its mist would evoke the dramatic comedy of Voltaire while tenderly tempting the lonely heart of a broken courtesan. And this eclectic emulsion, delicately applied “anywhere one wants to be kissed” as Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel once advised, would conjure the memory of sweet raindrops on your face and the echoes of an accordion that sings of lost innocence. Yes! If I were to bottle all of this, you could find it . . . in the heart of New York City.
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Every little girl dreams of owning a strand of pearls like her Mother’s, wearing “rouge,” sipping champagne. And if dreams are wishes the heart makes then, on Saturday, my heart’s penny landed in the Pulitzer Fountain. For as long as I can remember, my wish has been to one day fly to New York City just for the day! A true “flight of fancy” that had become my exquisite reality.
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The premiere of “Coco: Before Chanel” was my muse. I made flight arrangements just before Midnight on Friday and by noon of the next day I was checking to make sure that both my tray table and seat back were in the upright and locked position. Flying to New York just for the day, to see a movie – the decadence had me spinning. And that’s when I decided that I would declare Saturday, September 26th, to be “Coco’s Day” and that I would celebrate all things French in New York City.
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La Maison du Macaron (23rd between 6th & 7th)
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The “Macaron Parisien” is an elegant French confection that is the epitome of diminutive luxury. Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette drew inspiration from them and Candace Bushnell’s Charlotte York once arranged them. Madeleine lines them up in brightly colored rows behind glass that’s just perfect for pressing your nose up against. The Caramel Fleur De Sel Macaron is worth its weight in canary diamonds and is, for less than three dollars, a deliciously thrifty alternative to jewels. A box of one dozen travels exceptionally well with the day traveler and puts an “I Heart New York t-shirt” to shame for those who might have been left behind.
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The Memorial (Vesey & Church)
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I rode the subway down Seventh, getting off at Franklin and walking leisurely down West Broadway. And when I neared the corner of Vesey and Church, I began to hear the music. Swinging my pink paper bag full of sweet treats, I realized that the melody was spilling out of an ice cream truck. But there was something hauntingly familiar about the tune and I was struck by its accordion-esque quality. For a moment, it felt as if I were walking through the middle of a stormy grey French film whose soundtrack told a story of lost innocence. For a heartbeat, maybe even two, a brief suspension of reality had me convinced that I was. I was well past Saint Paul’s Church and turning onto John Street before I shook that feeling. I suspect that a bit of it might have even tucked itself away somewhere.
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Les Halles (15 John Street: at Broadway)
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By now my tummy was growling like a grumpy chef and I was hoping that a gamble was about to pay off. I knew Pastis to be a safe bet but the adventuress in me was eager to try a brasserie I’d never been to before. As it turns out, French kissing cows were just the ticket. The Pommes Frites at Les Halles were magnifique! And while the waiter did throw his snobby little nose up just a teensy bit when he realized that they completed my order, he didn’t blink an eye when I asked for them Au Poivre and with Mayonnaise. So we were groovy. I washed the whole thing down with a lovely pint of Kronenbourg 1664 (whose tiny little bubbles were effervescently delightful), gave “Le Snob” a decent but modest tip, and made my way to the corner of Broadway and 12th.
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Strand Bookstore (Broadway & 12th)
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I whittled my stack down to three selections that were in keeping with the mood de jour: Camille, Candide, and Cezanne (Letters), recovered from my euphoric literary trance, and decided that I would like for my ashes to be scattered on the third floor. “I want to live here,” I whispered into the phone to a friend. “I think you would love living in New York” she replied. “No, I want to live here – in this store!” I countered, adding the sentiment to a list of fantasies that includes spending the night at The Met. It was, in all honesty, with a tear in my eye that I left. Spending time there was like meeting someone new whom you could just swear you must have known in a past life. I took my beautiful new books out to celebrate the present.
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Restaurant Daniel (65th & Park)
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Adding an art deco brooch to my ensemble and exchanging my flops for kitten heels en route, I arrived at Daniel and my enthusiasm for the movie began to build. Xavier (whose accent was even intoxicating) made me a Cosmo Blanc, and a Verbena infused Peach Martini, and (yet to make its debut on the menu) a New York Sling. And a little bird, a little bird named Sean, told me that there’s another addition to the cocktail menu in the works: Pear, Fall Spices & Maple syrup. The syrup is made on Sean’s family farm. He taught me all about Spherification as I watched him make strawberry pearls for a signature “Chanel Day” libation. Before I knew it, it was time to go and everyone at the bar was pleading with me to stay just a little bit longer. Were it not for the movie ticket burning a hole in my pocket, I would have never left all my adorable new friends behind.
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The Paris Theatre (58th Street just West of 5th Avenue), “Coco: Before Chanel”
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Tingling, I arrived at The Paris Theatre. Even standing in the rain and waiting to get inside, I couldn’t help but think . . . How Parisian! And when the lights went down, I was transported to Gabrielle’s early childhood. As her father drove away from the orphanage without so much as a backward glance, my lonely heart broke. In every scene, I caught glimpses of her design inspirations. I felt the music of the soundtrack in my soul. I felt the heat of the rain-soaked love scenes all the way down to my toes. And watching her cross the street like a pixie in her pajamas to kiss her lover goodbye, both the bitter and sweet were intuitively palpable. This movie captured the essence of one of the most beloved icons of all time. It was, in a word, perfect.
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PJ Clarkes (53rd & 3rd) and Bouley Bakery (Duane at Hudson)
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The place to light late-night is PJ Clarkes for a Burger Béarnaise, where one can enjoy the hospitality that is their trademark until the sun begins to peek over the horizon. And while Truman Capote’s musings have made it customary for a girl-about-town who stays out all night to have Breakfast at Tiffany’s, a pastry while window shopping at Chanel on Madison would seem more appropriate to this particular adventure. The Pain Coconut Banana at Bouley Bakery is divine and makes for a fitting farewell sugar rush. And the dashing young men behind the counter couldn’t be more eager to wait on you hand & foot.
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Bon Voyage, no matter how reluctantly it was uttered, has never tasted so sweet!
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