Today was a toss-my-shoes-off-as-soon-as-I-enter-the-door kind of day. I spent most of the day celebrating the holiday. My friend Case and I attended the St. Patrick’s Day Parade as it rolled down 5th Avenue. Later on in the night we went to La Caverna in the LES. I ended the night with my other friend, Syton, sipping cocktails on the rooftop of a hotel.
Case and I agreed to meet around 10 AM in front of the Union Square Barnes and Noble. They sent a message the night prior, reminding me to wear green or I would be subjected to being pinched. I put on my green long-sleeve shirt from Miu Miu and shuffled over to Union before meeting Case and hopping on the subway. We got off at Grand Central, and I immediately said out loud, “What is that smell?”
I looked around to investigate and initially thought that the smell of sulfur was coming from the barrels of the guns that the ceremonial guard was holding. I didn’t think about it much until we walked outside. Suddenly, we saw a large group of people gathered around a parade of firetrucks. We looked up and saw that the generator atop one of the high-rises in Midtown had caught on fire. I believe the fire was put out quickly, but the entire area was a mess.
Madison Avenue was filled with people trying to enter 5th Avenue and join the parade. Certain parts of the 40s were blocked off, restricting entry to watch the parade. Droves of police officers in the prison buses lined up, blaring their horns to get by. Case and I spent an hour watching the parade before calling it a day.
I was serving as a New York State government textbook for Case to review. I pointed out several important figures in New York politics, such as Zohran Mamdani, Jennifer Tisch, Letitia James, and Kathy Hochul. I was excited to see Letitia the most. She is someone I have watched closely since the pandemic. Case asked why Hochul was widely unpopular with Democrats right now, so I began my response by explaining the pipeline issue to them.
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Following a brief subway journey home and a restorative nap, we proceeded to dine together. Case picked out the restaurant, and I think it was a solid pick. La Caverna has been dubbed ‘the adult Rainforest Case,’ and tonight I learned why. You first enter the restaurant through a dark hallway only lit by a moon-shaped light above. You descend to the basement and are teleported to a lounge by day and a club by night. The food is good, but not excellent. The drinks are affordable and should be the main focus. We talked, laughed, and shared our plans for the summer. I told Case that I was meeting Syton at 7:45 so we hugged goodbye and left.
Syton was full of good news tonight. The first thing he told me after meeting up was about the business dealings he made. He told me he talked to the founder of a company that he respected. I forgot the name, but it sounded promising. Syton and I shared a drink while he talked to me about hosting an event at the same rooftop bar we were drinking at. I told him I would be in attendance.
TJL