Goodbye, Old Friend.
Yesterday proved to be very sad when our beloved percolator unexpectedly died. A New York apartment-warming gift from our dear friend Tim (jucundushomo), she served us well these past 18 months and never failed to perk the most delicious coffee. That is, until yesterday, when she decided to perk no more. Below is an except from Tim's recounting of the day he tricked us into the greatest housewarming present of all time:
We rode the M5 bus down, arriving at 34th St. in the early afternoon. Aaron looked up at the skyscraper and gulped - he has a fear of heights - so we went to grab a piece of pizza. Later, while Aaron had his interview (at a sort of "bling bling rich and famous" magazine), Rachel and I went to one of the ubiquitous Starbucks in town to have a coffee. Aside: Due to heavy volume of business, I guess, on one intersection Starbucks appeared on three of four corners! We read the NYTimes together, laughing over the new Evil Dead musical and discussing stem cell research in the new Congress-to-be. Absentmindedly, I asked Rachel what kind of coffeemaker she and Aaron used.
I was surprised to find that they did not have one, especially so because Rachel is an inveterate coffee drinker. I asked her if we might see a New York department store, and so we headed on over to Macy's Herald Square. The workers were putting up the first of the Christmas decorations, and I attempted to discreetly ask for housewares. Just after that, Aaron arrived, and attempted to dissuade me from my course, but I was obstinate. We finally settled on a four-cup percolator, done up very nice in stainless steel. The Macy's man I bought it from looked positively elfin as he joked and bobbed around, looking for a bag; he wrote his name on the slip and encouraged us to call the customer helpline with tales of his "outstanding" service so that he could get Macy's gift certificates.
I am heartbroken, as this little stainless-steel pot had so much sentimental value to me. Beside the fact that she made the best coffee I have ever tasted, she was a present from a very old friend, one of my first great memories of living in the city, and an essential part of each of our NYC (and Pittsburgh) mornings. She has since been replaced (Can she ever really be "replaced," though?) by an $18 Black & Decker coffeepot from Walmart for which I have lukewarm feelings.
R.I.P.
Farberware 2-4 Cup Percolator
November 2, 2006-April 20, 2008
The Replacement
We rode the M5 bus down, arriving at 34th St. in the early afternoon. Aaron looked up at the skyscraper and gulped - he has a fear of heights - so we went to grab a piece of pizza. Later, while Aaron had his interview (at a sort of "bling bling rich and famous" magazine), Rachel and I went to one of the ubiquitous Starbucks in town to have a coffee. Aside: Due to heavy volume of business, I guess, on one intersection Starbucks appeared on three of four corners! We read the NYTimes together, laughing over the new Evil Dead musical and discussing stem cell research in the new Congress-to-be. Absentmindedly, I asked Rachel what kind of coffeemaker she and Aaron used.
I was surprised to find that they did not have one, especially so because Rachel is an inveterate coffee drinker. I asked her if we might see a New York department store, and so we headed on over to Macy's Herald Square. The workers were putting up the first of the Christmas decorations, and I attempted to discreetly ask for housewares. Just after that, Aaron arrived, and attempted to dissuade me from my course, but I was obstinate. We finally settled on a four-cup percolator, done up very nice in stainless steel. The Macy's man I bought it from looked positively elfin as he joked and bobbed around, looking for a bag; he wrote his name on the slip and encouraged us to call the customer helpline with tales of his "outstanding" service so that he could get Macy's gift certificates.
I am heartbroken, as this little stainless-steel pot had so much sentimental value to me. Beside the fact that she made the best coffee I have ever tasted, she was a present from a very old friend, one of my first great memories of living in the city, and an essential part of each of our NYC (and Pittsburgh) mornings. She has since been replaced (Can she ever really be "replaced," though?) by an $18 Black & Decker coffeepot from Walmart for which I have lukewarm feelings.
R.I.P.
Farberware 2-4 Cup Percolator
November 2, 2006-April 20, 2008
The Replacement