the last supper...or brunch rather

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 6:00 AM

We had everything planned out. Marybeth and I wanted to go out with a bang on our last day in New York City, so we did our research, marked down times, picked out places, and went to bed early so we'd be well-rested and rearing to go the next day. The plan was this: go to the Maroon 5 concert on the Today Show at 5:30 AM, grab coffee along the way, make an appearance on national television, stay till around 10:00, and then walk 3 blocks west to a brunch spot called Nook, where we would bittersweetly enjoy one final feast of quiche lorraine, apple cinnamon pancakes, or scrambled eggs with roasted red peppers and goat cheese, all served with rosemary hash-browns and fresh squeezed orange juice. Oh yeahhh.

We met at Rockefeller Plaza at 5:35 (okay, so we were 5 minutes late...but at that time of morning, with subways running much less frequently, and Thursday night's drinkers stumbling and mumbling home, who wouldn't be a little late?) and quickly found the line for the show. It was 2 and a half blocks long and wrapped around the plaza. Whoooa Nelly. Luckily, Marybeth and I were unaware of the extreme length of the line when we initially entered it, so we hopped in, craned our necks for a view of the end, and happily and excitedly chit-chatted for the next hour until we finally made our way to the concert: across the street, and behind the stage from the concert, actually. A+ spots. Really.

Our plans to get coffee while waiting in line fell through. We foolishly assumed that at least one Starbucks would pop up at some point during our wait (there does happen to be one on every single block in the city--especially in tourist-laden areas like Rockefeller Plaza) but we were wrong. So after standing across the street from the concert and actually behind the stage for 2 hours without any caffeine in our systems, and after listening to a group of middle school kids shout "hello!" or "good morning!" to every single business person rushing to work, and after topping it all off one girl's particularly screechy and out-of-tune rendition of "Misery" by Maroon 5, we were in misery. So we left our first class seats and sought out a Starbucks. Ahhhh... Coffee, comfy seats, and classic tunes from Mumford and Suns streaming in our ears was the perfect remedy for our weary bodies. We returned to the crowd with rejuvenated attitudes, waited another hour for Maroon to finally come on, listened to 2 songs and then gave up. We'd been up since 4:30 AM, so come 9:45 we were hungry, our feet were achy, and we were more than anxious to sink our teeth into something...anything.

When we arrived at Nook with huge smiles on our eager faces at 10:15, we were greeted by chairs turned upside down on the tables, a mop leaning against the bar, and a grouchy Australian man who condescendingly informed me that they would open at eleven--for lunch. But brunch? Brunch was only served on the weekends he scoffed and then waved us away. Stupid Americans. For the umpteenth time that morning, we were forced to alter our plans, so Marybeth and I sought out a diner to nourish our weary souls. Cosmic Diner was just a block away and boasted a slew of breakfast specials--omelets with toast and hash-browns, giant stacks of pancakes, and a variety of egg scrambles--and judging by the large crowd already inhabiting the inside, we figured it was a safe bet. We were right.

Diner Food...yummmmm

Marybeth and I both toasted to our summers in the city with a mimosa, then ordered omelet specials to fill us up until dinnertime. I obviously was drawn to the California omelet, with two of my absolute favorites, mushrooms and avocado, plus swiss cheese, while Marybeth got the Denver omelet, loaded with peppers, onions, and cheddar cheese. I was pleasantly surprised to see that my omelet was actually brimming with both mushrooms and avocado, as the latter ingredient tends to get skimped on frequently because of it's higher price tag, and Marybeth's omelet looked like the perfect ratio of veggies-to-eggs. Wy to go, Cosmic Diner--you know how we like it. Both came with a pile of hash-brown potatoes, mixed with green peppers and onions, and two pieces of wheat toast. We gobbled everything down, barely leaving a crumb on our plates, and barely any room left in our packed tummies. 

I was sad to say goodbye to both New York and Marybeth that morning, but I knew I would be seeing both again in the future--obviously Marybeth sooner than New York seeing as she is from Nashville and we're planning to cook a feast together soon. Luckily though, later that afternoon I was heading for the land of deep-dish pizza and hot dogs with all the fixins; I was Chicago-bound once more. And I was glad to be leaving one big city and heading to yet another.