I think this means something

A sign from a universe that I'm on the right track

The icon herself, Laurie Cooper. Photos: Screenshot.

Last week, I received a sign from the universe. I’m doing something right. I recently got a new job - I write features and pop culture essays for HELLO! Magazine. My first pieces were published a few weeks ago, highlighting celebrities and their every movements. I am really proud of myself - I’m a writer! A journalist! Last Wednesday, as I was getting ready to head into the office, my editor asked me if I could meet and interview a realtor who recently became an internet sensation. I of course said yes and started prepping.

I met Laurie Cooper at a Maman on 81st and 3rd. To get there, I felt like I was being transported back in time. I hopped on the 5 train at Grand Central and got off at 86th Street, the same route I used to take to get to my Upper East Side apartment. I climbed the many stairs of the 86 St station, walked past Shake Shack and Ulta, and headed down 3rd Ave. An angel was intervening. My very first interview as a paid journalist was taking place at a coffee shop across the street from my very first New York apartment?

I stared up at my old building above the 7-Eleven. It looked exactly the same, still dirty, too poorly managed to be scrubbed. The Irish bar beneath it, the one whose patrons used to keep me up at night, is still open. I crossed the street and headed into Maman where I met Laurie.

She was wearing a thick, white wool coat cinched with a brown belt with a gold fish buckle and wore a large straw hat. Her son, Michael, joined her. She drank a latte while I drank an americano. I was sent to interview her about New York real estate, her going viral, and get any dating advice from her. After an illustrious career, she is an up and coming dating influencer, telling women where to go in New York City to find men. (It’s Emmett’s on Grove ladies!)

We chatted about the New York real estate market, how uptown is making a comeback, and about her hottest tips for buyers. I dutifully took notes, even though I am no where near being able to buy an apartment. Her stories weaved, but her mind was sharp. Laurie is a New Yorker through and through. She was born in Fort Greene and moved to the Upper East Side where she had two kids. She started as a realtor over 35 years ago and calls herself the “queen of connections.”

My very first apartment building in NYC! Photo by me :)

On Instagram, she recommends bars and restaurants for single women to meet men, telling me she knows all the best spots because she’s out and about. She doesn’t sit at home, she lives to walk the streets. Laurie loves New York. While preaching to the choir (you all know how much I love NYC), she told me she loves the noise and the bustle and the energy and even the car horns.

“Florida is fine,” she said. “But you get bored in Florida.”

I laughed and nodded, telling her that was the best thing she said all day. We spoke for 30 minutes until she looked at her son and quietly said, “I have a headache.” It was loud and hot, so I was ready to leave as well. But before I got up, she gave me one last piece of advice.

“Just get out there,” she said. “Go to your local bar. Become a regular. And most importantly, be happy.”

I smiled and told her I couldn’t wait to take her advice. We stood up and posed for a photo that her son took. I don’t like it, so I won’t be showing it to you, but when she examined it, she zoomed in on her face and said, “I look great.” As I walked down the stairs of the coffee shop, she grabbed my hand and invited me to her next Martini Meetup.

I waved goodbye and headed outside to the blustery April afternoon. I walked past my old apartment one last time and thought of the girl who lived there. She was brand new to the city, a student, confident but unsure of what her future would look like. Almost seven years later, I’ve built a life I once dreamed of. I walked back to the train station, grateful for the city and all it’s given me, and as Laurie said, its noise, its buzz, its energy, and yes, even its car horns.

For those catching up….