My sister has become one of the most glamorous people I know. She has always been rather cutting edge in the hipness department, but since moving to New York City and landing an enviable position at the Estee Lauder Corporation on Fifth Avenue she has crossed over to the field of near-impossible-to-fathom cool; at least from the perspective of her 19-year-old little sister.
I discovered this in person a few weeks ago when my mother, grandmother and I packed up to finally go visit her and scope out the new life she had cut out for herself in America’s numero Uno city; it was intense!
My sister, Megan, met us at the Roosevelt Hotel where we were staying with a pre-planned itinerary and a huge grin. It had been months since we last saw her but she had barely changed at all; still very to the point and utterly prepared. She assured us that she had everything taken care of and proved it the next morning when she took us to a happy little breakfast at a darling Alice in Wonderland-inspired coffeehouse.
After munching on scones we strolled over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the latest exhibition, which featured superhero ensembles designed by the most intriguing couture houses. We also saw an enormous great white shark suspended in a tank of formaldehyde. We have somewhat varied interests.
The next few days we shared beautiful meals, went shopping (duh! We’re girls!), and strolled through the gorgeous, larger-than-you-would-ever-anticipate Central Park.
One of the highlights of the whole visit was our high tea at the newly renovated Plaza Hotel, where we ate crumpets and baby sandwiches and met up with my college friend Stephen who was wearing a blazer and cravat. These New Yorkers…
Sometime during all the fun, catching up and eating I discovered something about myself: I am in love with New York! How could you not be? Everything is catching taxis, walking around looking business-ey, having lunch with people in gorgeous restaurants and feeling so massively independent even when you’re the caboose in a parade of three generations of your family.
I didn’t ever have that cliché New York Sex and the City Carrie Bradshaw moment, but instead I did have a “this city is really beautiful and I want to be a part of it too!” epiphany.
Megan has made her niche there and has a mission to “bring color to a city of black and white” and so far has done an impressive job. At one point she even modeled for me some kind of strange Caribbean two-piece carnival outfit that she “just has” for some unknown reason. I love my sister. She is a character.
After four days it was time for my mother and me to head on to Cincinnati to visit my step-grandmother and eat excessive amounts of food, but it was harder than I expected to leave the city.
Between seeing “Legally Blonde on Broadway” (unadulterated kitsch) and hanging out on rooftop lounges (soooo many people!!!) my heart had gotten sort of lodged in Manhattan. Sure, I’m headed back to wacky L.A., one of my favorite cities, to hang with my other amazing sister and have fun and go to school, but something about New York grabbed me and won’t let go. I think it’s safe to say this isn’t the last I’ve seen of the Big Apple, and my Megan will not be the last Lau to make her way colorfully through the busy city streets.
