| Union Square Cafe |

Culture gap
March 2

So invigorating. My head is filled with thoughts of Bushido and the Samurai code, and Michio is telling me about how much he enjoys American Idol and "24". We're listening to a rock station that is broadcast half in Japanese, half in colloquial American. (A young Japanese female voice teaches listeners to say, "I'll catch up with you guys later!") So many thoughts and sensations swirling through my sleep-deprived brain as we approach the gorgeous skyline. I well-up with tears when it occurs to me that this is an opportunity to re-live the 1985 opening of Union Square Cafe, in which I did not participate, having first arrived in 1988. I am so close to that restaurant, it is such a part of my life, and yet I was not a part of its inception. I've been given another chance.