the adventures of rose and thornbush in the big city

my young daughter hannah, (rose now, she has taken her middle name) lives in nyc. this is the story of what happened when i visited her last week and tagged along, hoping for a glimpse of her life. this would not be the trip where theatre and museums were involved, this was the trip where i could see how she lived.


fun began the moment i arrived, when the pilot announced it was snowing! i excitedly text rose this and she, less than enthusiastically responded she knew. she more than once smiled at my happyness seeing the snow. it's funny how quickly you get over that she told me. because by now she was. but she was glad it showed up for me.

the adventure begins where rose lives.

the adventure of stopping to look at and admire the snow. and touch it a lot .

the adventure where i (blissfully) choose new wool at purl soho and hannah rose takes liberties with my camera.

the delicious adventure of eating and shopping and sometimes doing both at once.

where rose goes to work at her bar tending job and i tag along adventure.

taking a taxicab home in the wee hours of the morning after a successful night of work.

the day in which hannah rose and i go to school except while she's in class i entertain myself, on campus, and off.

where we meet between classes for lunch and and an impromptu manicure and at the same time make new friends adventure.

the late date dress adventure.

hannah rose told me she had been invited to the ballet. tonight. but she didn't know if she should accept since i was in town. it only took one moment for me to insist she should go, after all, this was the new york city ballet, not an opportunity to be missed. but, she didn't have anything to wear. so when she headed back for her last class, i walked straight down lexington avenue to the shops.

acting as her personal assistant (hee hee) i took photos of potential dresses and sent them to her.

when she got out, at 5:30 pm we met and hurried back to the store. in the meantime she hadn't heard from her date and was beginning to feel concern. at 6 o'clock she got a message. she was to meet him at the lincoln center at 7 pm.

this was a big dilemma. first, she would not have time to return home to get dressed and second, i would have to find my own way to her apartment. alone. in the city. in the dark, and it is four trains away. and i don't know where it is. i'm petrified.

so, back to her. we narrowed down a dress, but now we had to find shoes and tights and maybe even accessories. we are each on different floors, searching, texting (where are you?), trying to stay calm. in a long queue to pay and then racing back to the dressing room to get ready.

stuffing old clothes in the new shopping bag. hair, makeup, check, check. how do i look mom?

we raced out to the street and hailed two cabs. she described in detail where my driver should take me (washington heights, a long way away) and she jumped in another going the opposite direction.

her roommate and i waited up. she arrived home with coronas and cheezits, and stories of her evening. the best part, she arrived five minutes before her date. and when it was over he asked her to la boheme next (and he told her she was gorgeous). this time she'll be ready.

the adventure of chelsea and how green sleeves had it's moment in nyc.

visiting the galleries in chelsea was greatly anticipated. so was highline park. what i didn't know was that there are very high end boutiques there too. they are unmarked and no photos are allowed (go here if you're interested). we went into comme des garcon and balenciaga, in between gallery searching.

if you've ever been in a couture boutique than you know how it feels. and especially if your in a wooly mammoth patagonia jacket and ugg boots. haha.

comme des garcon was as austere and stark and elegant as you could imagine. we recieved the look of disdain and i was asked to hand over my coffee cup (tea, i was cold). and then we looked around. 1000.00 for a slip of a teeshirt, yes please, i'll take two!

when it was time to leave, i went in search of my cup, more because it was wearing a green sleeve than for the tea. it was on a table all alone. in the center. picture ultra modern minimalism. then my little sweater wearing cup. all the sales people were looking at it. all five were interested. 'did you make this'? ' it is wonderful' ' you should sell them' . i felt like i had given birth to it. if i didn't care that they look down on me, why did it make me so happy that they complimented?

the train and the boy and the happy girl.

back to brooklyn.

rose is moving back to brooklyn this week. now when she says mama, i'm making tea. i'll know just where.

numerous adventures didn't make it into this extra long post. there were the friends i made, and how i got my name, thornbush, the tattoo night (not rose) and shopping at catbird. sleeping in a room the size of a short subway train, with four girls and a broken boiler. and the whiskey, oh the lovely whiskey.

thank you for everything my rose hannah daughter. your life is an adventure and i am proud, so proud of you. when i told you i was afraid and that you are much braver than me, you told me it was not true. you said i was brave and i had taught you how to be.

thank you for that.

thank you friends for coming along,
♥ lori + hannah rose