My spouse and I are creatures of habit. We often visit the same neighborhoods, eat in the same restaurants, and are home by the same time most evenings. It’s wonderful being in our late-30s and being able to say, “Okay, that sounds amazing but my bed is calling me and it’s so much more amazing.” Still, every so often we get the urge to do something just a little different.

A few weeks ago, we decided that we’d go into Manhattan for a night out. We had dinner at this Italian-Asian fusion (like our neighborhood) Restaurant called Sesamo in Hell’s Kitchen. The food was pretty good, nothing breath-taking, but pretty good. To be honest, the best part of the experience was our server Melanie. We spent a good part of the dinner trying to figure out where she was from based upon her unique accent. After guessing among ourselves, I finally just asked (because I am shameless). It turned out that she’s Venezuelan but due to accent reduction ended up having a not very Venezuelan accent. She was also lovely and social and we had the most amazing conversation with her about living in New York City, work, and all that fun stuff. She even gave us a round of shots (much appreciated). To be honest, we probably would have just stayed in the restaurant all night drinking and chatting her up had we not purchased tickets to a show.

After paying our bill, we rushed over to the Theatre at St. Clement’s for an off-Broadway production of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Despite a solid cast, it is no easy feat producing a Tennessee Williams play in 2022, and sadly this production left something to be desired. The actors were quite good, but the direction was poor, the set was lousy, and the dialogue was occasionally inaudible. Still, it was night out. Something to do. Supporting the theater. And, most importantly, we were out and about in Manhattan. After the show, we briefly considered hitting up a bar, but, as usual, bed was calling.

Overall, it was a great night out and something different. So, take your cue from us. Explore this great city of ours: talk to your restaurant servers, see a not-too-expensive show, or just walk a new neighborhood and explore. Your home (and bed) will still be there after a few hours.

Your Friend,

John

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