NYC

Sex and the City redux

~ MaryG ~ 13 Comments

I rewatched the first three seasons of Sex and the City while on my treadmill this winter. (The conclusion of the reboot—And Just Like That—prompted me to go back and relive some of the original.)

Now that treadmill season is thankfully over (we can walk outside here now), here are my random observations on the old show:

The women never ever reference their mothers. It’s like they didn’t have mothers.

Donald Trump is mentioned in the very first episode (which originally aired in 1998) and I decided to carry on rewatching it anyways.

Carrie had a zen teacher. (I had a zen teacher.)

Carrie and Charlotte did partner yoga. (I tried partner yoga once in the 90s and hated it. It put me off all yoga for years.)

When the women go to Connecticut for a baby shower, suburbia is like an uncomfortable foreign land to them with baffling things like “Invisible Fence.” (That one made me laugh, because we got both a dog and an Invisible Fence when we left the city.)

There was reference to having baby names picked out before you were even married or pregnant and “reserving” them with your friends. This was funny because I specifically remember my friend Gail reserving “Justine” when we were teenagers. Also, my friend Susan and I were pregnant at the same time and had a negotiation over the name “Henry” which we both liked. I “gave” it to her because it was her deceased father’s name. (It was also my deceased maternal grandfather’s name, so my son got it for his middle name.) For some reason, it was very important for GenX friends to not give their babies the same names.

There were pre-plane crash references to JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette, which was interesting because I’m pretty sure Sarah Jessica Parker dated JFK Jr at one point, although I don’t think that was mentioned in Love Story.

That feeling of taking pregnancy tests when you didn’t want to be pregnant—remember that?

Palm Pilots – such a big deal at the time

Smoking cigarettes – aaah

And when the worst thing about Rudy Giuliani was that he cracked down on smoking in NYC…

The guest stars:

Bradley Cooper (played a single, straight smoker)

Will Arnette

Jon Bonjovi

Alanis Morrisette

Vince Vaughn (adorable)

Matthew McConaughy (still no)

Hugh Hefner (soooo creepy, but so mainstream and acceptable in the 90s)

Carrie Fisher (RIP Carrie. Loved her.)

There was definitely some dated and cringy stuff, especially around socio-economic class. But let’s face it, all of that inequality has just gotten worse.

Maybe I’ll go back and watch seasons 4-6 next winter. Or maybe not.

Thursday Doors—Manhattan apartment

~ MaryG ~ 14 Comments

Have you ever received a casual invitation that was likely not meant sincerely? You know, something like “you should come visit sometime”? Welp, I got one of those once and I decided to take the person up on it.

My husband’s cousin (an interior designer) and his husband (an investment firm VP) live in a very fancy Manhattan coop in Murray Hill. We saw them at a family gathering in Massachusetts in 2008 and they “encouraged” us to visit. Looking back now, I really don’t think they meant it. They were childless city folk and we had young kids.

Anyway, I reached out that summer because my friend and I wanted to go to NYC to see Legally Blonde on Broadway with our daughters and get this—they offered us their apartment for the weekend! They were going to be at their “country home” the weekend we were coming, but said we could stay in their city place by ourselves.

We couldn’t believe their place. First of all, it was HUGE. Second, it was decorated in the least kid-friendly way imaginable. There was glass everywhere, Nothing was left out on any surface, everything was completely smooth. There were sculptures (mostly of gorgeous male bodies) on pedestals that would have been deadly if knocked over.

It was actually comical. We were so afraid of breaking anything that we barely moved! At one point, I remember hunting for a coffee maker in their exquisite, smooth-surfaced kitchen (a note said it was in “the appliance garage”) but then just giving up and going out for coffee.

This interior hallway door gives you the vibe of the place—smooth, orderly and very adult.
The huge living room/dining room area
Sculptures on display
A bathroom
The girls sitting very carefully in the HUGE living room (remember this is in midtown Manhattan)
The smooth and baffling kitchen where I couldn’t figure out how to make coffee
Getting cast autographs after Legally Blonde
A fun weekend—and we left that apartment just as we found it. Nothing broken 😅

I realize I’m not using Dan’s Thursday’s Doors in the usual way. I search my photo file for “door” and some door pops up that prompts a memory.

Check out the other cool doors here or just search for posts tagged Thursday Doors.

Roma 🇮🇹

~ MaryG ~ 4 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Where would you go on a shopping spree?
View all responses

OK, so it’s fantasy Saturday?

I’d be miraculously transported to Rome, with no airports, passports or wait times involved. (Beam me up, Scotty)

I’d spend the morning shopping on the Via del Corso and then head over to Trastevere for the afternoon. I would replace the buttery-soft, knee-length black leather coat that I bought on my semester abroad (which was subsequently stolen in NYC) and also get some new black leather gloves and whatever the heck else I want (it’s a fantasy, right?)

I would have plenty of time to take breaks in outdoor cafés. The weather would be 70 degrees and sunny. My feet would not hurt. My husband would cheerily accompany into every single store and carry my purchases without complaint. The dollar/euro exchange rate would be in my favor.

My friend Andreada and me in NYC in 1988. This is the one and only picture of my Italian black leather coat. It was so soft. It got stolen that very night from my chair in a Manhattan bar.

Related posts:

Semester abroad

Europe calls me – still