last day/first day

What better way to begin one's last day in Austin than with a basket of perfectly, freshly cooked french fries and great company at one's favorite watering hole? Shortly after midnight, this is exactly how my day began. Things got a little rougher after that, when I decided to take a nap in my car, woke from my nap and exited the car, and then discovered that I'd locked my keys in the car. Fortunately, the gods of Texas friendly smiled on me in the form of kindly bartenders, cabbies with slim jims, and conversational homeless men. My car was unlocked in no time, and I headed home on my last day in Austin. A short six hours of sleep followed by frantic packing led to lunch at the Al Pastor taco cart on East Riverside, one of my favorite carts in the city. The weather was perfectly spring-like, betraying the obscenely hot weather of late. No pigeons shat on me or my tacos, which is, actually, not the norm. Then, to cap it all off, the Amy's scooper at the airport sang Bright Eyes' "First Day of My Life" to me as he prepared my Sweet Cream with strawberries. It was a pretty perfect last day in Austin.

To bookend that day, my first day in New York began with far less drama, transfats, and alcohol. Perfect spring-like weather betrayed the recent chilly, rainy weather that the city has endured. Sunny, breezy, and cool -- could there be three better weather words to combine? After an appointment with HR that was kept mercifully brief, I strolled to Union Square, where the loveliest crocuses are blooming. I ate lunch on the lawn, despite the fact that it doesn't officially open for another 29 days. As far as I'm concerned, I believe that I was clearly within the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. A quick trip to Whole Foods to collect ingredients for dinner and I was back in Brooklyn napping with cats. I'm cooking pan-seared chicken paillards with a white wine-dill sauce, sautéed spinach, and creamed mushrooms -- a perfect cap to a pretty perfect first day in New York!