Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Amazing "Engagement" Race

This has been a tough week for us healthwise.  First B got sick and then passed it onto me.  I was running a high fever on Friday night and he was desperately trying to get me better and now I know why!

On Sunday morning he asked if I felt well enough to go get some pho in Chinatown.  I was on the mend and pho always cures what ails you, so of course I agreed.  I thought it was kind of curious that he wanted to bring his backpack with us but he said it was just in case we bought groceries which, in my sick state, seemed perfectly reasonable. 

It was rainy out so we took the subway to Nha Trang, one of our favorite pho places.  After we ordered he said he had a gift for me.  Hmmm, curious.  I have a couple of Momiji message dolls and he had gotten me a new one -- Silly Billy -- but told me there was a catch and I would have to play along.  He said it was like the Amazing Race and I would get $60 for this leg.  I had to give him a 10 minute head start and then I could read the message that was tucked inside the Momiji doll for my next clue.  FUN!  He made his way out and I settled the bill and opened my first clue: 


"You need to run, run and get to one of your favorite locations in HK.  I'll be waiting for you with chips made just right, so hurry, hurry!!"

I figured it could be one of two places in Hell's Kitchen:  Arriba Arriba or Empanada Mama.  Arriba makes my favorite nachos in NYC - simple, no frills, so I figured I would go there first.  I did a quick map on my phone and headed for the subway.  Excited that the Q train came so quickly I hopped on only to discover that I was going the wrong way!  Doh!!  Rookie mistake to get on the train headed for Brooklyn but at least I got to cross the Brooklyn bridge.  :)  It took me a while to figure out how to get back to Hell's Kitchen so I sent B a quick text that I was a little lost.  I finally got there and the food had just arrived with yet another Momiji doll and another clue.  This time Giggles had 2 clues:


A picture of a blue box
AND
"Jump on the train or catch a cab to one of our favorite weeknight locations for "big" tasty rolls.  I'll be waiting for you next to iron Godzilla with a "big" drink. 

This had to be Monster Sushi which is close to our place and they have a collection of godzilla figurines.  I gave him a 10 minute head start and made my way to the 1 train.  I timed it just right because I made it just as the train was approaching the platform.  Imagine my surprise when 2 stops later B gets in the same car.  Hmmm, I wasn't sure if this was part of the scavenger hunt or if he screwed up?  Hah!  He got on the wrong train and now I had caught up with him.  Oopsy.  At Monster we still sat by the iron godzilla and while I was in the restroom he got the next clue ready.  Coco's clue said:


A picture of an iron
AND
"The theme of the day is probably becoming quite clear, so a quick jaunt back north will complete this favorite fix: be it pepperoni, mushroom, or even a broccoli rabbe.  Can't beat the beat deal in NYC, at least for Brooklyn lager."

There's a really good pizza place a block away from our apartment that does $10 pitchers of Brooklyn lager - we always say it's the best deal in town.  So I walked up there and sure enough he was waiting and had put in a pizza order.  Holy cow, I was already so full -- pho, nachos, a sushi roll, and now pizza!  We each had a slice and then I ran the rest of the pizza up to the apartment before heading off to the next place.  This time Happy's clue said:


A picture of Zoe from Sesame Street the day we saw them in Madison Square Park
AND
"I would be remiss if we didn't stop by your home state staple.  Although the brisket may not compare to Snow's, it does have some pretty pictures to remind us what BBQ should be and does supply a decent slice of bread."

This was easy.  Hill Country BBQ right across the street from our place.  I dropped off the pizza and said hello to the kitties before I headed over.  B was waiting at the bar with some brisket and sausage from Kreuz's.  YUM.  I was full, but still managed to eat some of it.  Fun fun!!!  My next clue came from Soul:

A picture of an Antony Gormley statue - one of many that have started appearing all over Madison Square Park
AND
"Now that you have all the clues, come find me in a place which we love and used to sit and talk about our future in the big city.  Oh, you won't have to wait in line, I promise."

When we were apartment hunting, Madison Square Park was what sold me on our current apartment.  It's a cute community park and Shake Shack is right in the middle of it.  The line is always long, but it's worth the wait for the hamburgers, so I dropped off our BBQ leftovers at the apartment and headed over to the park.  I was pretty sure this was the last clue since the pictures were:  a square, a flatiron, Sesame Street, and the Gormley statue.  As I was walking toward Shake Shack I could see B waiting for me next to a fountain and he gave me a big hug and said he had a question to ask me. 

Teehee, that was it.  He got down on one knee in the rain and asked me to marry him.  I of course said yes!  What a fun day - the whole day it felt like we were the only two people in the city.  We picked up some champagne on the way home, called our families and enjoyed the little adventure we had.