Janie is going strong. I recovered enough on New Years Eve to make it out to dinner. I fed our friendly feline before leaving for the evening. No, I didn't put champagne in her water dish. She was well taken care of before I left for the evening. To avoid the craziness of Times Square I thought it would be a good idea to get off at an earlier train stop and walk my way over to my date's apartment (literally crossing the island of Manhattan). I guess I should have known better because it was freezing out. By the time I made it to the building my sinuses must have been frozen because It seemed like they were thawing out in the elevator. For the evening we went to a dinner at the Paramount Hotel. Dinner was served around 8:30. I took it easy on the champagne, concerned of a reoccurring illness the following day. The dinner came with pretzel-like dinner rolls, arugula salad with candied bacon, a filet mignon with creamed spinach and roasted potatoes, and for dessert a delishous chocolate-ish moose cake. At dinner a performer sang light jazz. The group's name was Margi and the Dapper Dots. I knew or at least recognized most of the songs. I mouthed along to the classic, "Comes Love."
Following dinner we went to the basement to the Diamond Horseshoe where there were live performances by: Emily Braden, Theatrics by the cast of Queen of the Night, Interactive Diamond Art Installation by Darrell Thorne, and Performance by Nomi Ruiz (Hercules and Love Affair / Jessica Six). I stuck to ginger ale until midnight where I had one more glass of the champagne. The matradee was back and forth through the evening and ended up bumping my drink rather than saying or at least motioning to be excused as he plowed through the crowd. The first group that sang was a 5 piece band where the singer (Emily Braden) sang popular songs pop/rock songs like "Got to be Real". To describe the theatrical performance, just think lots and lots of glitter. All the performers seemed to be covered in it. The costumes were stunning. Many of the guest had worn masks for the evening. When it came time to leave I had lost my coat tag. We tried to get the coat ladies to look around for my jacket but they said I'd either need to come on a different day or to wait till the crowd decreased so they could look for the jacket. I went back to the basement and actually found it in an area where we were standing. How lucky is that?
The next morning I joked with my date asking which restaurant in Times Square did he make brunch reservations. We walked to the grocery store to get items to make cheesy potatoes, eggs, and a bagel. I later returned to feed kitty and continue to rest as the cold walk seemed to flair up what appears to be a sinus infection of sorts. Symptoms have been lessening and my overall health improving; just wishing I would have taken better care so I could have been in a more dancing mood New Years Eve. In spite of it all, it was a spectacular way to spend my first New Years Eve in the big apple. Today, kitty and I have been taking a second day on the easy track. Next I'll be doing some cooking for dinner with my date coming over. My sister is on the fence about visiting the city tomorrow with a a potential snow/sleet storm coming to the Poconos, but if she does I have had hopes of showing her some of the fabulous parts of the big apple, and possibly introducing her to kittin Cleopatra. I think they'd make good friends.
