Catching Up

I apologize for the lack of any substantive posts for the past several days.  This is the first time in several weeks that I've been back in Rome for more than a couple of days, and I've had lots to do in terms of catching up with friends, planning some upcoming trips, and taking care of affairs in Rome.  I was also absorbed in the news from Boston.  

On the Roma housing front, I am switching apartments sometime in the next week.  I was supposed to have my Campo de' Fiori digs for three months (through the end of May).  But I was told that some glitch had come up, and my people now need to move me to a different apartment.  We had some back-and-forth for a while because the initial proposals would have had me living on the other side of the Tiber -- potentially quite far into the other side and out of the city center.  We have now fixed that.  I will be moving (for May and June) very close to Piazza del Popolo.  

On the one hand, I'll be sad to leave Campo.  I have made friends with several people that work in my favorite shops, and there is the daily produce market, the Sicilian pastry shop with which I am obsessed, and my other regular haunts.  At the same time, the Piazza del Popolo area is also fantastic.  It is very close to the Villa Borghese gardens (think Rome's Central Park), the awesome shopping on Via del Corso, and posh Prati. 


Even old Marc -- who was frequently called "Mr. Flexibility" back in his law firm days -- embraced unanticipated changes like these.  This MJP 2.0 reboot practically lives for these sorts of things.  They are merely sources of new adventures.  To that end, I strolled down my new block this evening just to see how it vibed on a Saturday night.  I popped into the luxury hotel that is 4 doors away from my new apartment (see http://www.thefirsthotel.com/eng/index_eng.html), and the bartender at the hotel's lounge bar told me that The First Luxury Art Hotel Roma takes enormous pride in its cocktails.  I told her that I'd be by a week from now to sample some!  (I also just checked.  Their only available rooms for the next few weeks go for $1600-$1700/night.  It looks like they take the word "luxury" in their name seriously.)       


I've also been having some more wonderful times with new friends in Roma.  The weather has been stellar, and I've been enjoying it to the fullest.  My language tutor and I have done our last couple of lessons outside in parks, and I had a long lunch today with a new friend literally right next to the Colosseum.  Other highlights have included lunch at a hip new winebar/restaurant in Prati, a fantastic dinner of Ethiopian food, and a return visit to my favorite bartenders at Barnum.  Federico and Patrick (see my post of March 20) remain on top of their game.  In other words, I have quickly overcome any sadness I experienced upon leaving Parigi.  And I'm still incredibly thankful for how gracious so many people in Rome have been to me.  I'm also still doing my best to get used to all the day-time vino!

In terms of travel, the next 6 weeks have lots in store.  I have quick trips to New York in early May and early June for family fun, a trip to Croatia in May, and a trip to Turkey in June.  An old law-firm friend swears that he will be meeting me in Istanbul.  He better come through!  I'm also excited about the three other law-firm friends that I will see in Rome over the next month.     

I promise to do better with pictures in the days to come.