This weekend I spent a wonderful two days in NYC to kick off my retirement from my full time corporate job. After 30 years, it was time to have some fun in my favorite city. The weather cooperated with two sunny days.
On Saturday I went to the American Society of Journalists and Authors Conference at the Roosevelt Hotel. I met some very talented writers and consider them to be my mentors. Many had written novels, non-fiction and memoirs. Several had written more than one book. It felt good to say that I am now a “writer” too…and maybe one day I will be an author as well.
On Saturday evening, my kids A and D took me out to celebrate my retirement. We went to Parm, a small, reasonably priced Italian restaurant on the edge of Little Italy (Parm is located at 248 Mulberry St. between Prince & Spring in NoLIta.) My son D is such a foodie and knows all the hot spots around town. We dined on some of the best meatball parm sandwiches, eggplant parm and ooh,ooh,ooh yummy garlic bread. The garlic bread was well-baked, very crispy and served with a rich ricotta cheese and smooth tomato sauce to top it off. To end the meal we had Parm’s ice cream cake which includes three layers of ice cream – pistachio, strawberry and chocolate – with crunchy chocolate bits in-between. Not a spoonful was left by the time we finished.
On Sunday, my daughter A and I headed out apartment shopping. It was a bright sunny day in NYC. I took along the sample of Dioptics Solar Shield® sunglasses that I had received from the Vibrant Nation’s Vibrant Influencer Network, to shade my eyes from the sun.
“What happened to your new Marc Jacobs purple sunglasses?” asked A. “Didn’t you bring your new prescription sunglasses?”
“I love my Marc Jacobs purple prescription sunglasses, however, the glass case is rather large,” I told A. “I enjoy wearing them when I am at the beach, but since we are going to be going in and out of many buildings today and I am going to have to take my glasses on and off, I thought it would be a better idea to try my Dioptics Solar Shield® sunglasses, which fit over my progressives.” I was so glad I had made that decision.
I loved the Dioptics brand. They easily fit over my Silhouette titanium prescription eyeglasses, which I also love because they are so light. I have Silhouette sunglass clip-ons, but the Dioptics brand was even more convenient. Solar Shield® sunglasses are made to fit over your prescription glasses or readers for convenient sun protection. They also have a lightweight nylon frame, polarized lenses to reduce glare, and the lenses block 100% UV rays. Plus the lenses are scratch resistant, which is really good. (Let’s see…we saw about 8 – 10 apartments and I must have taken my Solar Shield® sunglasses on and off about 20 to 30 times that day as we went from apartment to apartment. It was so easy.)
Do I look like my idol Audrey Hepburn in my Dioptic Solar Shield sunglasses?
Are they as fashionable as my Marc Jacobs sunglasses? Well, not really. But I chose the Fashion Collection and as you’ll see from my picture, I thought I looked pretty fashionable in my shades on Sunday. What do you think – do I look like my idol Audrey Hepburn? And for sure, they were really practical and easy to wear and to take on and off. I’m definitely going to pack them for my trip to France. Of course, my Marc Jacobs prescription sunglasses are coming to France too, I’ll wear them on the beach in Nice.
The Dioptics Solar Shield® sunglasses are really reasonably priced at around $25 a pair, so I may get another pair from the Designer Templates Collection just to keep in my car or to go with my black and coral clothing. Black frames are very trendy this year. (Note that on the Dioptics website it says that the sunglasses are 15% off right now.)
So, did A find a Manhattan studio she liked? Yes, yes, yes. There were so many she liked…and I liked too. I asked the agent if he would give us a special deal if we bought two apartments. “I like your thinking,” said the real estate agent K.
Wink, wink – I had my snazzy sunglasses on when I asked him this trick question, so he could not tell that I was really only joking. That’s not to say that when I become a rich and famous memoirist that I won’t be back to buy my own sunny studio on Sutton Place.
Judi
