Andwele and Maria Florencia

Go big or go home

There were lots of ways I could have asked María to marry me, I could have asked her over an intimate dinner at a fancy restaurant, I could have shown up at her job in a navy uniform, or I could have asked her to meet me at the top of the Empire State Building on New Year’s Eve. While all those are fun ideas none of them seemed to capture what life with me would be like, plus I’m pretty sure it’d be hard to get tickets to the Empire State Building on New Year’s Eve. What I wanted was something that was fun, that was unexpected, but most importantly something that showed how much I cared for Maria.

The Marvelous Quest

I wanted to give María a story. What I wanted was something geeky, something cheesy, something that would be fun to do, but even more fun to tell. I decided to send María on a scavenger hunt through the city. I knew María liked The Amazing Race, so I gave my little scavenger hunt the name The Marvelous Quest. The key to a good scavenger hunt is to give you something at each stop that makes you want to go on and see what comes next.

The Cohorts

In order to pull this off I knew I needed help. New York is a living breathing city and I couldn’t be sure that anything I left behind for María to find would stay put. I also needed to make sure she got to each location in a reasonable amount of time—patience in matters like these is at a premium. Lastly María doesn’t have a work schedule that works well with planned events so I needed her offices help. So I made the calls, to be honest they didn’t have a choice I was drafting them whether they wanted to help or not, but of course they all did. With the stage set and the actors in place we were ready to go.

The Unsuspecting Questor

I had no idea what was awaiting me that Monday.  In fact, I almost ruined it.  It was days before we were going on our first international vacation to Macchu Picchu and I was intent on fitting in as much work as possible before leaving.  I was so insistent that my office had to coordinate with a client to cancel on me at the last minute so that I would unexpectedly have the day off.  Then I got an email from Emman saying that she was totally fed up at work, had demanded Monday off as a mental health day, and desperately needed to meet up with me and Sameera for lunch.  Everything was lining up just right, as my client had just cancelled on me at the last minute.  So, a plan was hatched.  Lunch reservations at Otto at noon, and Sameera would drive us into Manhattan.

First Stop: Apple Bar

Emman said we were meeting someone for lunch who did not know where Otto's was, so we had to pick them up at Apple Bar.  Apple Bar is like Cheers to us, the bar where everyone knows us (because we've been drinking there since college) and we have our own discount.  We walked in, sat down and then an announcement was made.  We weren't meeting anyone there.  I was the guest of honor and I was presented with an envelope that read "The Marvelous Quest."  Upon opening it, I was asked to remove my sim card from my cell phone and put it into a new one.  Not exactly what I thought would happen, but I already knew this was all part of Andy's proposal.  The butterflies took over and I was completely nauseated from excitement.  The next card I opened had a clue, and two QR codes to scan at the bottom.  The first was a song that he wanted me to listen to as I traveled to my next destination.  The second was a map telling me where to go next in case I was too nervous or overwhelmed to figure out my clue.

Second Stop: Bleeker Bar

Second stop, Bleeker Bar.  This is like Cheers for Andy and his friends, and we have spent many many nights drunkenly shooting darts or playing pool there.  I wondered where the next clue would be.  At the bar?  Taped to a booth?  As I walked in I noticed that the guy sitting at the bar having a drink looked like Eric (Andy's best friend and a good friend of mine from high school).  It was him!  And he had my next clue.  Eric said my hands were shaking while I opened the card... he was probably right.  I was nervous, and finding another of our friends waiting for me was a big surprise.  I could barely open the card, let alone read it.  So, as I went to scan the QR code telling me my next stop without having even tried to decipher the clue, he stopped me and encouraged me to figure out where I was going next.  With his help I figured out that I was meant to go to the cube at Cooper Square, so off I went back to Sameera's car to head on over there.

Third Stop: The Cube

Third stop, the cube... or so I thought.  I circled that cube a dozen times.  My first thought was to look for a person I knew, as I figured someone else would be meeting me with another clue. No such luck.  So then I started scanning the cube, thinking maybe something was taped to it somewhere.  I searched every nook and crannie and came up empty handed   I looked up and saw Emman taking photos of me from across the street.  I asked her for help, but she said she didn't have any information to help me.  I finally gave her an ultimatum.  I would look for 5 more minutes, and if I still found nothing she would HAVE to help me.  OR ELSE.  I started dreading that maybe I needed to turn the cube, but there were people sitting there having lunch and I didn't want to bother anyone. Finally Emman gave me a clue, "if you are lost, maybe you should start back at the clue that brought you here." I checked it again, this time scanning the QR code giving me the location of this third pit stop, only to find that I was actually in the wrong place!  Eric had led me astray!  I was actually supposed to be 2 blocks away at Cooper Square.  

Third Stop: The Cube/Cooper Square

I walked over to find Chris waiting for me in a suit.  Chris is a good friend of both of ours that we have known since high school who went to Cooper Union.  His infamous college parties brought Andy and I together into the same room many times while in college, before we really connected years later.  Chris laughed, as he had been watching me circle the cube for some time, wondering if I'd figure out that he was not there.  He gave me my next clue, the only part of which I could figure out was a reference to Harry Potter.  This time, I didn't mess around, and went straight to my QR code telling me where to go next.  As I was leaving Chris he said, "the next part of this journey I cannot take with you. You'll have to go on your own."  I panicked.  My purse was in Sameera's car and I had no money or anything with me.  Chris offered me cash to take a cab to my next stop.  Just as I was starting to hyperventilate and mutter something about not having id... what if I was stopped by a cop? ... Emman walked over to me.  Chris hadn't realized that Emman and Sameera were completing the quest with me.  So, off we went....

Fourth Stop: Kips Bay Theater

Fourth stop, the Loews movie theater at Kips Bay.  This is my FAVORITE movie theater in NY, and where Andy and I always go to the movies.  And who was standing out front?  My little sister Ferni!  What a great surprise to know that my family was involved too.  She had left for work at regular time that morning so as to not raise any suspicion and had spent the morning at the museum killing time.  She gave me my next clue and right off the bat I knew where I was going.  

Fifth Stop: Madison Square Park

Fifth stop - the clue mentioned long lines in a park and I knew it was Madison Square Park, where the Shake Shack is, and where Andy and I went on our second first date.  When we got there we were in a sea of people.  Hundreds of people everywhere, both on line and in the park in general.   I knew I was looking for someone, but I scanned the crowd over and over again and didn't find anyone.   I tried to call Sameera for help but couldn't use my phone since it was new and none of my contacts were on it.  So I roamed the park and looked lost.  And suddenly, Emman found me and tried to steer me in the right direction.  Finally, after passing him multiple times, I found Clyde sitting on a bench in the park.  Clyde is a good friend of both of ours from high school, and quite possibly the tallest man I've ever met.  How did I miss him in the park among the hundreds of people?  He was SITTING at a bench.  Couldn't he have stood up to help me a bit?  So, Clyde invited me to sit next to him and play a game of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?"  Panic arose in me.  I'm not!!! I went to elementary school in Argentina, and we did not learn the same things.  But on we pressed.  My strategy was to pick questions from 5th grade, when I was already in the US, and it worked for the most part. There was even a question about degrees Celsius  like the game was actually trying to help me win.  With a bit of help from Clyde, I managed to pass and earn my next clue.

Sixth Stop: The Magnet Theater

Sixth and final stop, the Magnet Theater, where Andy has been doing improv for a few years now. When I saw I was going there I knew it was the last stop and that Andy would be there waiting for me.  The butterflies got really intense.  While driving over I listened to the next song on the clue (every clue had a new song to listen to on it).  My very own engagement playlist.  I walked in to the Magnet Theater and heard Weezer's "The Prettiest Girl in the Whole Wide World" playing over the loudspeaker.  I looked on stage and there was Andy, with the next card in his hand.  I opened it and it said "will you marry me?"  I nodded yes because my voice didn't work.  I hugged and kissed him.  And then he turned me around, and sitting in the audience were Chris and Eric from the first two stops, and my older sister Pauli.  She made it all the way from Philly!  What a great surprise!  And then  moments later Sameera, Emman, Ferni and Clyde walked through the door.  Andy popped the cork on some champagne and we all toasted, before finally heading off to get some lunch.  Every clue had a map drawn on it, with lines connecting all of the stops along the way.  At the end of the quest, all of the stops along the way made a heart on the map of Manhattan.  What a great proposal and a wonderful way to share it with the people we love!