One Last Night in the Big Apple, and Home Again

On my last night of vacation in the Big Apple, Mark (you may remember him as Obama) took me to dinner at a Williamsburg restaurant called Marlow and Sons. The place looked a bit like a turn-of-the-century dry goods store from the front, but once you get to the back you see candlelight, trestle tables and benches, and bottles of wine and liquor lining the walls--cozy and atmospheric but not at all pretentious. The menu features an ever-rotating selection of delicatessen meats and cheeses, and the entrees and salads are all made from seasonal organic ingredients. Delicious.

This place, as well as the bars in Paris, made me wish that there were more grown-up lounges in Vancouver where you could order wine, bread, cheese, and meat, and just have an intimate get-together with friends. The only place in Vancity I can think of for this sort of thing is Salt Tasting Lounge in Gastown, and the one time I went there I wasn't all that impressed.

Afterward, Mark had some work stuff he had to take care of and I had to pack, so we went back to his place and did both while glued to the CNN news coverage of the election results. It was so inspiring and moving to see Democratic supporters celebrating Obama's victory in the streets. I was thoroughly affected by his speech and how he acknowledged his victory, yet also recognized that much work had to be done and the road wasn't going to be easy. I can't wait to see what's to come. Pierre Trudeau once characterized Canada's relationship with the United States as akin to that of someone next to a sleeping elephant; I hope that Obama's victory means that the movements of said sleeping elephant won't crush us.

My flight home was uneventful except for the fact that I was exceptionally sleepy and I had exceptionally painful stomach cramps--so painful, in fact, that my legs felt weak, I was writhing in my seat, and the flight attendants on duty offered to page a medical professional to advise me while we were in the air. Thankfully, the cramps went away, but the night before and the events of today have left me in bad shape for attending the opening gala of Vancouver Fashion Week tonight. I think my energy would be better spent recuperating and getting a full night's rest so that I can attend and cover tomorrow's shows for Stylefinds.