Hello Astoria

"You have nice teeth.  I want to kiss you."

My hot lawyer friend clarified, "Did you just say you want to kiss her?"

"Yep." 

I was the "her." My hot lawyer friend is Teresa, and we were innocently enjoying our shakes at Shake Shack Sunday evening when 3 slightly intoxicated "men" decided to pull up chairs and join us at our table.  It's not like we were out clubbing, or even at a bar.  Shake Shack is not your typical go to place for picking up girls.

Teresa and Katrina * out and about in NYC last spring

But this is New York.  And anything goes in this city.  There is the potential to meet ALL sorts of characters ANY where, which makes every day in NYC a grand adventure.

I'll admit though, I can be slow when it comes to guys.  For instance, Saturday afternoon friends from my church celebrated a birthday at the Brass Monkey in Chelsea.  Before joining everyone on the rooftop, I stopped by the bar to grab a drink.

I find an open space to stand to place my drink order and beside me is this guy who I notice has some sort of lighter beer.  I inquire with him about his beer, and he offers to let me try it - which I do.  I like it enough, so I order the same, and when I receive it we clink drinks and say cheers.

I then take off for the rooftop to join my friends and on the way, it hits me.  Waaaaiiiiiiiit a second.  That guy with the beer was good looking.  AND the door to continue conversation with him was wide open.   But instead of chatting, I disappeared.

I find my hot lawyer friend on the rooftop and lament, "Teresa, what is wrong with me?"  I explained what had happened, regretting that I was so focused in my mission to get my beer that I failed to even notice Mr. Good Looking standing right beside me. 

But then Teresa and I and this other chic start chatting about how maybe it's because subconsciously I'm already convinced this man is unlikely to share the same faith as me.  And that it is unlikely for anything to evolve with a random stranger that I meet a bar.

But then again, that's how I found my church in NYC.  Almost exactly 2 years ago, I met someone standing at the bar at a friend's birthday party.  And that guy offered to buy me a drink, and later on pulled me out on the dance floor.  A few weeks later we attended my now church together.  As I recently explained to someone else, it didn't work out between me and the guy, but it did with me and the church.  And for that, I'm grateful for that bar meeting in Brooklyn 2 years ago.

* For the time being I'm staying in Astoria, Queens.  Tonight I'm writing from Ditmar Station Pub & Restaurant.