The first time I ever laid eyes on Tudor City, I was already heavily involved with another neighborhood and wasn’t even looking for a little action on the side, let alone to be entirely swept off my feet. I knew from the first encounter that the neighborhood, a relatively unknown section of Midtown East, wasn’t any good for a girl like me, but also that I wouldn’t be able to resist its charms. I was a farm-girl who grew up barefoot in the golden cornfields of Ohio, and Tudor City was home to the monolithic United Nations building with its glittering surface that reflected all of my insecurities.
It was a mere three avenue blocks from Grand Central Terminal, yet as my feelings for the nabe increased, I learned that most of my friends hadn’t even heard of it. Am I the only gal in town willing to climb the hill up 41st Street to ignite a passion for stunning views and calf muscles? Even taxi drivers had to ask directions when I trepidatiously asked to be taken to see it, my heart ready to burst open like the Hoover Dam. Yet it was the dreamboatiest of all the Manhattan neighborhoods I’d ever seen. Its landmarked apartment buildings evoked medieval castles inside and out, and I was a vulnerable courtier with a heaving breast in its flourishing gardens, although that may have had something to do with my seasonal allergies.
I couldn’t keep Tudor City to myself for long, though. It was too easily accessible by train and bus, too perfect a spot for viewing Manhattanhenge. Eventually the buildings began to fill with young couples and kids straight out of college lured in by the neighborhood’s affordable studios, and all I had were the memories of our time alone together. I’d stand on the bridge overlooking 42nd Street, the Chrysler Building on one side eagerly rising up to meet my lurid gaze, and the East River flowing between Brooklyn and Manhattan on the other side. The neon glow of Times Square reflected off office buildings abandoned for the night, while the gentle tinkle of tiny dogs peeing on tulips serenaded me into sweet submission and a single tear fell from my eye onto a passing cab below. I will miss our time together alone, Tudor City, but will forever have cherished memories.
Katie Ett is our hilarious guest blogger. She also blogs at unapologeticallymundane.com and donuts4dinner.com.
‘Neighborhood Erotica’ runs Fridays and is meant to reflect our passion for neighborhoods in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way. Have a unique idea for our blog? Contact us at tips@nabewise.com.
Katieett, you are a beautiful poet whose love for the landscape of our great city and personal connection to it does not get in the way of your love for people to give up your love and share it with so many others. A beautiful read!