New York - The Transient City

Friends come and go. Some drift apart for no fault of anyone in particular. Some were never meant to be. There are those that endure through the test of time and proximity. But I never fully appreciated the importance of having good, trusting, and long-term friendships until I came to New York. 

New York is a great place to meet new people from all walks of life. That's one of the things I love about the city. But the reality is that for many, New York is not the final destination but only a layover in their life's journey. Some come for further education, others come for work, to live the glamor of the city life for a brief moment in their lives, only to go back to their roots hopefully bigger, prouder and more experienced. Many more come for the pursuit of their dreams, and too many of them forgotten never realizing those dreams. 

During my years in New York, I've met many new friends. But I've said many good-byes as well.  I've come to grips with the fact that this is a fact of life in New York. Over the years, friends have come and gone. I don't dwell on it, but I am reminded of this fact periodically. In reflection, the friends I had 5 years ago are not the same as the friends I have now. Of course there are some friendships that have endured. These are friends in what I call the semi-permanent group; those of us that call New York our permanent home, or at least until we find a better city to live (and its not easy to out do New York). That's not to say or belittle the friendships I have formed and bonded over the years. But as they move on and go back to where ever they came from, only a handful have endured the test of time and distance. Perhaps with Facebook and other SNS, we have a better chance of keeping those friendships (but that's for another time). 

This past weekend, I was at a farewell party for a couple friend - whom we've met here in New York and gotten to be good friends. Again, a reminder that friends come and go. Although we had to say good-bye, we also met new friends. I never really liked farewell parties - why would you go to a party to say good-bye? Its usually an excuse to get together and have drinks. But perhaps there is a reason for such a party. Obviously to say good-bye; but it also serves a purpose of making new friendships - a partying gift by the person that's moving on to those that's left behind.

Establishing a livelihood in a new city where you have no friends or family is never easy. And in a transient city like New York, friends that you can trust is most critical to survival. 

When I Opened a Bottle of ...

When is the perfect time to open that special bottle of wine? That was a topic of conversation recently with friends as we dined and wined - one of our favorite past time. In fact, we were enjoying a special bottle - courtesy of the friends - as we talked about the very topic.

As wine enthusiasts, we all have few of these special bottles sleeping in our cellar. It might be a bottle of 1982 Château Mouton Rothschild, a 1971 birth year vintage red from California, a bottle of the wine served at your wedding, or a bottle of wine with special memory. Or it just might be bottles from your favorite winery that you are keeping for special occasions. We buy these bottles with excitement, anticipation and high expectation; yet we find reasons to force ourselves to defer the ultimate enjoyment of actually tasting the wine and let them sleep in our cellar until that perfect moment that we hope can live up to the high expectation. The truth is, the more we wait, the harder it becomes to open these bottles, because they become too special to be opened.  We allow the wine to play the leading role and find ourselves trying to create the perfect setting to match the wine.

As I look back, some of my most memorable special wine moments were memorable because of the people and the story that we shared while drinking the wine. Its not so much about the wine that I remembered, but the stories shared and friendships made because of the wine; and because of the stories and friends, I also remember the wine. The special wine became memorable because it stepped aside from its leading role and stepped back into a supporting role; but paradoxically it ended up being the shining star.

Just the other day, I opened and drank a bottle of 2000 Niebaum-Coppola Estate Cabernet Franc with friends. It was an ordinary weekend evening, nothing special about it, except that we were enjoying the evening shooting the breeze. We were very much delighted with the wine and will always remember that evening. I'll remember the wine not because it was a special wine; not because it was the right moment; but because we can now share stories about the evening with friends.

Few years ago, I was visiting Tokyo to see Wife M (before she became Wife M). We were dating long distance - Tokyo/NY - and it was my turn to travel. We had dinner at a French restaurant at the top floor of a skyscrapers near by Tokyo Station. Our table had a stunning view of the Imperial Palace. Obviously, it was a special evening and I remember it well, although the food was forgettable. I also remember the evening quite well because we opened and drank a bottle from my favorite winery that I had brought with me from NY - a bottle of 2005 White Rock Claret. We still talk about that evening, how we had the restaurant to ourselves at the end of the meal and how we had a pleasant conversation with the restaurant's sommelier about the wine - even past their closing time.

Its not about the right moment. With wine - whether special or not - it is always the right moment as long as you have someone to share it with. It could be on an ordinary weekend with friends or could be with someone special with an added bonus of a sommelier. Wine is meant to be drunk. So what's holding us from opening those special bottles? Nothing - go out and drink up.

Back to the wine at a family friend's home. It was a wonderful Napa Valley Cab. Full bodied but needed some time to breath. But after it had some time to inhale, it really opened up. Loved the wine. But I will always remember the moment, because of the stories and friendship that the wine brought; but would not have remembered if we were there because of the wine. Thank you A&H!!