I had received an email from Rosemary that she, John, and their friends Marc and Natalie would be in NYC and that they would be going to Ellis Island on Friday. In my mind, the perfect place to meet would be, of course, Fraunces. Their impetus for visiting NYC is to see Broadway shows; in four days, they saw three.
The food was delicious as always, but because the conversation flowed so easily, it was the perfect Friday afternoon. I told them the little bit of history I knew about Fraunces: George Washington and Samuel Fraunces became friends, and Fraunces helped in America’s fight for independence and freedom. I later learned that after the war, Fraunces was overextended, and he begged Washington for wartime compensation; his request was partially honored. The newly formed government agreed to lease the Tavern building for two years to use as office space for the Office of Foreign Affairs. Afterward, we visited the museum upstairs.
On our way out, we noticed the Whiskey Bar was open, a separate entity that sits within the Fraunces establishment; it isn’t always open. John asked if we would be interested in having a drink there. Even though they only serve whiskey drinks, it sounded good to me because I love the atmosphere. It’s a small space with a fireplace and what appears to be original woodwork and bar. It really is the perfect setting on a cold day.
During the holidays, I had occasion to meet one of the restaurant managers due to a lost gift card. In fact, when Louise and Annette were here at Christmas time, we went there for dinner, and the woman I dealt with remembered me and said, “Hello, Marianna!” as she walked by. It was really very nice to be known and certainly explainable since I had just been dealing with her. Several months later, we are sitting at the Whiskey Bar, and she walks by once again, saying, “Hello, Marianna!” Of course, because it’s three months later, I have no recollection of her name and didn’t even recognize her. As I tried to explain, I could see Rosemary and John’s thoughts play out on their faces. “Uh-huh! Sure!” And then the theme song from “Cheers” began playing in my head. It was a really good, long laugh!
