Singapore/KL Bangkok Stuttgart Washington DC Toronto Colorado Springs San Francisco

I’ve been very fortunate when it comes to meeting my online friends, something that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s been following this journal recently. My recent Asia trip introduced me to some folks I’ve only known electronically, and out of that experience came not only a nice collection of folks to know but also a couple friends in particular who I think can grow into really close friends. Lightning struck again this weekend when I finally met Paul in New York after a year of e-mailing back and forth (I looked in my archives…he first wrote me on October 26th last year). After spending Saturday together, where we talked about everything under the sun from marketing strategies to relationship problems, we agreed to meet up again Sunday. I’m not sure at what point Saturday I realized I wanted to spend more than the planned afternoon together but I guess it was during lunch that I knew I wasn’t going to get to know him well enough in just 5 or 6 hours. Hanging out until after midnight was great, and he introduced me to new places, and then Sunday night I got to show him something new. He fell in love with Don’t Tell Mama, realizing it was the sort of place he’d like to hang out, and I hope he’ll visit there again soon. We stayed pretty much until closing, around 3:30…yeah, I didn’t get much sleep on this trip.

Monday I got to finally meet up with Faustus, a charming (and, according to his blog, sexually supercharged) writer whose online work I’ve been reading since living in Colorado. His blog maintains a thin veneer of anonymity (though by reading the details a stalker would have little trouble finding him) so I’ll try to avoid giving away too much here, such as his photo or phone number or where he’ll be at 6:20pm this Thursday. I will say that he is blond right now (on the outside, not the inside) and is as delightful a conversationalist as he is a writer. When I read his stuff I always feel like I’m having a conversation with him – or spying on one he’s having – and now that feeling will no doubt intensify. He suggested a very cool bakery/café on the East Side and we settled in there for an hour and a half, he taking time from running errands around town and me loving every minute of it. Paul came as well, as he wanted to see me off on the train so he accepted my invitation to lunch, and he said later that meeting new people is something he’s trying to do, so he had a great time (another goal of his is finding a place that makes great bread, and he accomplished that today, too – I took a photo of the bakery and will send it to him so he knows how to find it again). I’m bringing home some stuff from the bakery as it was just too yummy to leave it sitting in New York. Faustus is a charmer and I can see why his partner loves him (of course, his partner is also a psychiatrist, and may simply see him as a useful case study for continuing education – then again, why can’t it be both?).

This was a great weekend, friend-wise. Meeting Faustus and matching a grin and a hug with the words on the screen – not to mention enjoying his charming way of dispensing advice – will add immeasurably to the pleasure I get from his writing. Paul and I clicked right away, and found in each other someone with whom we can wander the city and wander through a bit of life. Of course, there was a third friend this weekend, and that was New York City himself. We needed to get reacquainted, the City and I. I’ve missed him, and I’d like to think he’s missed me a bit. We’ve certainly had some adventures over the years.

Naturally, another reason for going this weekend was to try to catch the filming of the Sex and the City movie, but I never saw them. So obviously another trip – and soon – is in order.

Labels: Friends, Travel