Swinging Summer Schemes!

I was reviewing my calendar the other day and realized that the next opening in my social schedule is August 1st! I mean, no joke. Either I'm wildly popular, excessively ADD, ridiculously involved, or maybe just continuing to truly enjoy my NYC life. I'm fond of the latter explanation - regardless of whether it makes me feel like I'm burning the candle from both ends and will ultimately face a brick wall (the one I slam into from exhaustion....for those who know my incident with my bike and "the fence" from last week, you'll know I didn't win.) But the question is what am I up to that I'm SO busy? Well, let me give you a few recent highlights.

High is the key word for our escapade two weekends ago - high off the side of a platform harnessed in and suddenly swinging in the wind overlooking the Hudson while flipping my body around a slender metal rod. I'd been invited to do one of the things on my perpetual list of "Around Town To Do's" (see right sidebar): Trapeze Class! When the question was posed whether I'd consider such an adventure, the only acceptable response was a solid "Obviously!" My partner in crime cleverly omitted that he'd done this before so I was alone in my novice stature, slightly thrilled and somewhat horrified at the prospect of swinging through the air. We were instructed as to proper form and guided through the steps we would be asked to accomplish once atop the platform. Once our order was decided, we lined up and one by one ascended the very long step ladder to the top of the platform.

Despite having a harness seriously cinched around my waist, the maneuvering from the top of the step ladder to my ready position on the platform sent my heart rate soaring. I avoided looking down and instead concentrated on the commands from the instructors. Hold the platform bar with your left hand, extend your right hand and grab the trapeze bar, push your pelvis out while keeping your shoulders back, now grab the trapeze bar with your left hand, bend your knees, and GO! Flying through the air, I listened intently to the cues for moving to a knee hang to an extended body swing and ultimately a back somersault off the bar. Somewhere my body recalled many years of gymnastics and surprisingly made the whole experience a lot more graceful than I expected. The most amazing part of the whole experience besides who I shared it with were the two tiny little girls (ages 5 and 8) that were flipping around at a level way beyond the rest of us. Oh to be that little and that lithe!

The following weekend's festivities were not so dramatic - my mom came to visit! I showed her Eataly, we saw the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met, wandered down Madison (including a jaunt in the new Milly flagship store...i.e. preppy mecca), sauntered up the newly opened phase 2 of the High Line, saw a not so fabulous Broadway show ("The House of Blue Leaves" - despite a cast of Edie Falco, Ben Stiller and Jennifer Jason Leigh AND Harvey Keitel sitting next to us, we were beyond apathetic.)

My Broadway appetite was redeemed this week with Bobby Cannavale's phenomenal performance in "Mother F______ with The Hat" also staring Chris Rock. Brilliantly hilarious. And up in two weeks is the Tony winning "Normal Heart", which I have heard is a stunner. Can't wait! So many more fun activities await on the calendar....now if only I could get some overdue shut eye in between to ensure full enjoyment. Oh well, as someone very sage said today, "We can sleep when we're dead!" Touche my friend.