New York City Just Before Christmas

I had dinner with some friends in New York City last night at Asia de Cuba. I loved the place from the second we entered. An orange glow from lights shining through muslin set the scene. The food was yummy. And the people watching was outstanding. There was a table near us that "featured" many of the truly beautiful people of New York City. One woman was wearing very little (because she could), and Miss LiquidTreats said, "Her skirt is a belt." Belt Lady was six feet tall, six inches wide, and was wearing six-inch heels. Va-voom!

Belt Lady gave quite a show to the people seated on the ground floor as she wiggled and wiggled and tickled inside her when she down near the glassed-in railing. The patrons below, seated at a long marble picnic table that holds 34 strangers packed together, cheered when Belt Lady sat down. So, she got up and gave them the hoochy-coochy again. More cheers and applause. Woo-hoo!

The food was delivered Stephen Starr style. It arrives when it's ready. Asia de Cuba is connected to Morgan's Hotel, and reflects that cool style. Here's how Morgan's describes it:

Under the direction of restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow, Asia de Cuba serves an innovative menu that blends the best of Asian and Latino cuisines in a soaring and beautifully theatrical Philippe Starck-designed space. Featuring a 30-foot long illuminated marble communal table that runs through the main dining area, a 15-foot tall photo lightbox featuring a "running waterfall," ultra-comfortable high-backed white banquettes, and cozy living room areas with fireplaces.

I'm going back again. The place melded impossibly beautiful people, groovy lighting, and enough drama to make it north of interesting. (The couple right next to us were alternately having a huge fuss and then sitting on each others' laps and making out like oversexed teenagers. I flashed my camera at them, sort of a proxy for throwing cold water, and that cooled them down). That was a wonderful way to spend an evening in NYC.



I love Miracle on 34th Street. It's one of those movies I watched a hundred times as a kid. I still want to believe in Kris Kringle.



The lights on the east side of Macy's are beautiful. I stood in Herald Square and took this picture at about 11 pm. There were hundreds of people looking at the Macy's windows. I spent a while looking at the Miracle on 34th Street windows, which are on the south side of the building on 34th Street. (Yeah, I guess that makes sense.)