My Pennsylvania born mother, told me a few years after I was born, in Pennsylvania, that she had spent much time visiting the city of New York, and that I had been named after the jewelery store “Tiffany’s”. It was not until I was in college that I watched that famous tale, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s“, and for a few hours after the movie had ended all I could do was sit and imagine life in the city. Audrey Hepburn became my hero, and “Moon River” became my theme song.
The walk from any luxury Manhattan hotel located on 5th Avenue makes me think of the opening scene of the movie, the streets are quiet and Holly Golightly is strolling home during the early morning hours in her cocktail gown, dripping with jewelry, wearing elbow length black, satin gloves, with a cup of coffee in one hand and a croissant in the other. She stops for a moment and looks in the window. It was at that moment, in the first few minutes of the movie, that I knew I must get to that city and stand in that same spot. I wanted to feel that feeling, the feeling that I imagined my mother must have felt, the feeling that Audrey Hepburn so wonderfully illustrated without speaking one word…it’s the feeling that in a place such as Tiffany’s, nothing bad ever happens.
I finally made it there to visit with my friend Robert during the Christmas season of 2002. It was a strange time to be in New York, it followed a year of tragedy and loss, but also one of getting through it all in true New York style and strength. We passed the armed men on the street, we passed the window displays of Macy’s, and we stood in front of the same window that Audrey Hepburn had stood more than forty years prior. We looked at each other with tears in our eyes and smiles on our faces. We knew that it had been an unbearable year in the city, but we knew that everything was going to be okay. We could dream after all, because nothing bad ever happens at a place like Tiffany’s.
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