trying new things

Tonight, I discovered an adorable street in downtown Rochester, and I was so taken with it I still haven't stopped thinking about it. 

Adam stopped by his parents' house after work today to hang out with his brother. Knowing I was on my own for a few hours, I started scheming a plan to get take-out at my favorite restaurant in Rochester--Abyssinia. They have delicious Ethiopian food and I literally think about eating it every day. It takes quite a bit of willpower to wait at least a week before going there again. This evening was different, though, because I have never gotten it to go. 

My scheming made me a little nervous. I wasn't sure I had enough time to catch my bus home from downtown. That alone was almost reason enough for me to nix the plan, but as Adam wrote to me, and I thought to myself, you only live once.

So there I was, on a mid-week after work adventure, alone in my new heeled boots, feeling young, inspired and invigorated by doing something new. I got off at Main & Gibbs, a common stop for me, where I sometimes head south to Java's for a soy Kashmiri chai tea in the morning. This time, however, I had to go north, and I had never done that before! I've been to Abyssinia a dozen times, and I've been to Java's scores of times, but I had never once gone down the one block that separates the two. I was almost nervous, not sure if it might be one of those streets that suddenly turns shady and there's nothing to do but just keep going.

But oh my goodness, what a beautiful little street. Adorable, lovely, peaceful apartments, with brownstone facades, cheerful house numbers, plants in windows, and tenants passionately practicing the violin in dimly lit, second floor flats. It reminded me of an historic neighborhood in DC or a Chicago, with creaky doors, short street lamps and steep steps leading to grand public entrances to apartments. 

This evening, curiously, was almost balmy in an eerily un-December-like way. A passing rain storm left the sidewalks damp and shining, and the Christmas lights hung in trees lining the street sparkled in a cheerful, laughing way. 

My heels made a satisfying, deep thump as I made my way down this charming, almost nostalgic street. I immediately took to imagining a new life in one of the third floor flats, with the Eastman school graduate student working on her cello solo down the hall, the barista collecting her mail from the dimly lit entry way as we say good morning and I head down the street to Java's for a latte before catching my bus to work. Imagine, living a block from Abyssinia, ordering in once a week, before walking down to the symphony for a Tuesday night performance. It's even a block from the YMCA, where I could actually do some weight-lifting, swimming and running in the cold winter months. 

It's nights like these that remind me of who I am. Although it makes me painfully aware of the privilege I enjoy in my place in this world, I do truly enjoy the comfort of a coffee shop espresso, the glittering lights of the theater, the romance of a swanky downtown apartment, and the instant gratification of delicious take out. 

I stepped into an empty Abyssinia and waited a few moments for them to bring me my dinner, the lustful inspiration of this night's adventure. It was almost disappointing, only because I felt so satisfied by my discovery of this little gem called Gibbs street, I could have called it a night without the precious oil-and-spice soaked injera and lentils. 

I even had enough time to stop into Java's to buy a bag of their loose-leaf Kashmiri chai tea. I smiled at the bustle of art and music students, young talent bursting with creativity in a dark cafe, fashionable young professionals getting double espressos before the night's musical performance and moody baristas looking bored as they pull shots and artfully foam milk. "Sleigh Ride" spiritedly electrified the ambiance as we nudge closer to Christmas. And to think, I almost didn't stop for fear of missing a bus home. 

What other adventures are waiting for me to just catch the next one instead...?