A room of my own

Last week, I had a dilemma. Wait for the snow that would cripple my NYC adventure (planned departure on Monday am) or skeeve off a day early? Dan’s been away all this month, and I’ll confess I was really looking forward to a day off of mom duties in the Big Apple, as well as some cool meetings and a concert with the amazing Diane Birch.

Luckily for me, my mom said, “Why don’t you bring the kids to get snowed in over here? Remembering the awesome sledding hill in my folk’s back yard, and the fact that my mom has missed them when she was sick, I said heck yeah. And a mere two hours later, I was hurtling towards the train station, making a reservation as I went.

If there’s one thing I miss in my life as a mom, it’s spontaneity. You know, the good “whisked away” kind, not the “vomit on my shoes” kind. So it felt both remarkably derelict and awesome to just. go.

As my cab transported me from Penn Station to the gorgeous East Houston hotel on the Lower East Side, big flakes began to fall. The storm had begun. I got settled in to my wonderful room, then wandered over to a gem of a bistro called Lucien for steak frittes. There were only about 7 tables, but the conversation washed over me like there were hundreds of people. Bob Marley was wafting through the air, and the French waitress greeted me with a wide eyed smile and a hand squeeze that made me feel I was returning after time away.

I returned to my peaceful room to watch the snow fall, read Harry Potter, and watch Big Love on HBO. Yeah, all at the same time. And NO ONE TALKED TO ME. I know you know the amazingness of that statement. Not a single request for water the whole evening.

The next morning, I woke up at 10 without an alarm. Had breakfast at Sugar, then finished off a few articles I’m working on. I was relieved to discover that the snow did hit home, so there was no school. I didn’t have a contingency plan involving lunches and backpacks.

Then I prepared for my afternoon meetings and the thing I’d been looking forward to- seeing Diane play live. She’s a young songwriter whose first record, Bible Belt, will be out in May. A Suzuki trained pianist, raised by missionaries, you could not find a more distinctive, unique, and talented voice. She has a retro- almost Carole King feel (which makes sense, since Steve Greenberg, who produced Joss Stone, produced this record).

Steve emailed me some of her songs after I met him at SocComm last month, and I fell in love with her range. And the amazing thing: she’s just as impressive, if not more so, live. Her band is tight, and she hops back and forth from her Wurlitzer to the piano, rocking them both. I’m really, really excited about her future. She plays 5 sets at SXSW next month, and then I suspect her trajectory will be onward and upward.

If you’re a blogger and will be in NYC anytime soon, call Tim, the wonderful East Houston manager. He’s giving the Roger Smith a run for their money with a $139 blogger rate for a Queen Room. It was awesome, especially the marble bathroom. Check it out.

My favorite part of the East Houston: The super cool lobby, just right for a chat. (I sat there for an hour with a friend like we owned the place.:) Remind me again: Why doesn’t my house look like this? Oh, right. I’ll blame the kids.