Friday in Manhattan was just as gorgeous, weather-wise, so we once again set off on foot, scoring a fantastic turkey sandwich from a deli on the way. We headed down towards the Flatiron district, through Bryant Park and sat outside a café by the Flatiron in the sun. We then carried on walking, all the way down to the lower east side, stopping to share fish and chips at a really nice place called Bar Fish.
Once we were near New York Adorned we nipped into a Cuban bar for a couple of fortifying vodka shots. I’m not used to being tattooed without heavy-duty painkillers but I didn’t have any – luckily the spot we’d chosen on the ankle turned out to not be painful at all.
We had chosen a classic TCB design, with the lightening bolt and a thick outline. Madge had taken it from a picture of a replica Elvis Presley pistol, cleaning it up a bit in Photoshop and removing the trademark! It was a simple stencil but really, really relied on the artist having a steady hand, as the lines are dead straight.
Madge went first, while I sat and watched. It took longer than I expected, but it was soon my turn to hop up on the bed. The tattoo didn’t hurt at all – a tiny pinch near the ankle but apart from that, plain sailing. It’s very, very different to everything else I have – which is why I really like it. It’s got hard edges and it’s very graphic, in a way it kind of jars – everything else is organic and natural and fading, so it stands out. I’m really pleased with it.
