The Wonderous Big City

When I sat down the afternoon before Stephanie’s book event, I had a detailed plan on what to do at what time. The visions of last year’s escapades were delightfully haunting me and I wanted to repeat them. The Imagine Mosaic beckoned me to stand in its center in hand-knit socks. Times Square begged to be strolled around in its lights. The various LYS demanded me to fondle their wares. Over and over they teased and prodded me with their images. When I awoke on Wednesday morning, it was so late that the plans went out the window. I then began my drive to New York City in a rushed stated of panic. Will I make it by 4PM to meet Druanna and the other knitters? Will traffic be crowded on Interstate Highway 95? Will I get there on time if I drove at 90 MPH instead of 65 MPH?

The trip down on highway 95 ended up being uneventful. Traffic was crowded but was also moving at a steady pace. I drove on the Tappan Zee Bridge for the first time. Granted there was more concrete around me, but the roads were smooth sailing. Upon entering The City, I drew a deep breath and felt a sense of comfort. It was as if I were coming home to family. Quickly I found a garage close by, and after I came up from the darkness, I thought an odd idea. “What if I end up going out to dinner and cannot find my way back to the car?” Normally I jot down where I am on the parking ticket stub, but a bulb in my head lit up.

Yes, I will finally confess — I am a goober that loves using techie tools for the most mundane tasks. I would have taken a photo of the street corner, but I felt self-conscious enough as it was. Because I was only a block or so away from the Time Warner Building, I immediately went inside and more memories swept up happy feelings. I spotted the 2 large interesting statues that a few bloggers wrote about, so no need for me to add to the opinionated mixture. After all, I am writing about Stephanie in NYC, correct?

When I walked in around 4:30 PM, I spotted Druanna waiting for me along with a few other folks. She let me drop off a couple of things with her so I could go freshen up. During that time, a few rows of chairs began to arrive, and the knitters who were already there even helped the Borders folks in setting up. Knitters and crocheters are definitely an eager-to-help bunch!

Since we were all sitting and waiting for Stephanie to arrive, I figured I should at least photograph the 2 items I brought with me. One is a skein of laceweight for Stephanie and the other is the pattern I was test knitting.

The more the time crept to 7 o’clock, the more crowded we became. While chatting with Chris and Jessica in a few rows over, we discussed how “the knitters” were freaking out the Borders staff who were assigned to our area. Since Druanna worked in the same building, she had spoken to the event manager Bob, who said that only 50 or so chairs were to be set up at 6 PM. She quickly told him about Stephanie’s 700 or so folks that arrived at 4 PM and almost filled FIT’s Auditorium. Bob immediately went about to find more chairs. Later we were told that every possible chair in the whole bookstore was used for the event. Silly bookstore muggles — will they ever learn??

A hush soon fell about the room with Stephanie’s arrival. I shot the above photo of her while Bob was offering his introduction about her. The other was after she photographed us with The Traveling Sock. I will state one bit of advice on seeing Stephanie speak — sometimes sitting in front of her podium is not always the best seat in the house. 😉

After Stephanie’s wonderful speech and book signing, I went out to dinner with Druanna and Marnie at a fabulous Italian restaurant (whose name escapes me at the moment). We were seated at the window — where I decided to place the front of my Ravelry bag for display. Our conversation was quite animated and lively — peppered with lots of giggling. The Ravelry “advertising” worked because sure enough, a knitter knocked on the window, waved, and shouted “Ravelry ROCKS!” (or something like that…). We ate some appetizers, a giant salad, and dessert — all topped with a bottle of red wine. Dessert consisted of a heavily handed dish of chocolate gelato. Of course I could not resist taking a photo of the gelato. Feel free to click the dish on the left for a close up. Does that not scream, “Take ME — NOW!” or what?

Like all good things, the scrumptious meal and the night in the Wonderous Big City ended on a high note. I was able to steal a snapshot of Druanna and Marnie, and in turn I attempted to Kinnear the three of us together. As I drove back to little Rhode Island, the three hours drive seemed like nothing. I hope to come visit NYC again this summer, and this time I will definitely have a longer stay! =:8