A Rental Van, Raunchy Comedy And A Fourth Floor Walk-Up

I'm in Brooklyn. Sitting, in a not so comfortable way, on a recycled, leather couch that takes up a good portion of the wall of my son and daughter-in-law's new apartment in the Cobble Hill section of Brooklyn.  This is a nice neighborhood. Plus I got a parking spot when I arrived yesterday - no small feat considering I have this huge van as a rental car.

The rental car, in of itself, is an interesting story.  I rented from Alamo. They had this deal where you book your car and don't know what car you're booking till you get there but you get this really great price. Like one hundred dollars less than if you were picking a compact which is usually the cheapest type to rent. So I have this door-number-one-or-behind-the-curtain-that-Carol-Merrill-is-now-standing-at car and I land in Boston and make my way to the car rental place, all the time thinking that I could get a Mustang.  They specifically said that any car may be the car. Even a two person car. So I figure, why not a sports car. I'm excited about this. And then they give me a van.

Which is really ok. I love vans. I had a choice between it and an SUV, but knowing that I would be spending two days with my youngest daughter - who doesn't just love vans....she LOVES vans - I take the van and am on my way.

But how, you are probably asking (or not) do I get from Boston to Brooklyn and why, you may ask (or not) did I not just fly into NY?

I was in Massachusetts for a few days to look for an apartment for my youngest, van-loving, daughter. She is transferring colleges. And will be living off campus rather than in a dorm. And so I am in Massachusetts with her before making my way to Brooklyn. A pretty easy drive which I am glad about considering that I woke up to snow on the ground after spending two sixty-five degree days enjoying being back in New England. (And why I now live in California).

So now I am in Brooklyn and last night we took the subway (which I love) into the West Village (which I love) and had this great dinner at a small Italian restaurant that was all the way west until we could see the Hudson River. This is cool. And different from when I lived in New York a long, long time ago when, once it was dark, you did not walk west until you could see the River. But now you can. And the food was great. And cash only. 

Cash only!?!?!? Like seriously.....

And then after dinner we went to a comedy show that was really funny. In that dark and inappropriate way where the comedians talk about dog rescue and adoption in the same joke. And more. Where race and sex and a lot of mentions of penises are intertwined with just enough political humor to make it all worth it. And then we got to get on the awesome subway again and make our way back home and up the four flights of stairs to my son's new home. 

I pretended I was not out of breath.