What I did on my summer Vacation – Part I ~ 2008-08-27

Went to NYC!

Remember way back when?  I promised a recap?

Here it is!

I took the train from the ROC to NYC.  I love the train and I am certainly glad that I took it for this trip.  It was a bit long (~7 hours), and longer than driving but what I needed more than anything was an opportunity to just be.  And this mode of transporation does it for me.  Not surprisingly today’s current air travel scenarios make me crazy – and I love to travel!  I can’t imagine what they do to the less inclined.

I knit the whole way down.  I arrived in Penn Station mid=afternoon where Marne met me.  We decided to walk down to her neighborhood (Chelsea).  The smell!  God, did I miss a city.  The traffic!  The noise!  You mean everyone in the world isn’t white or black…there are in betweens?  Wow.  Do I miss living in a major metro area.

After dropping my stuff off her place we headed straight for Pinkberry.  The best $8 ice cream I have ever had.  For reals.  From there we walked across the street to Better Burger for some Air Fries (a fancy NYC way of saying that they are baked, not fried).  You should take note here that there is an obvious theme to this weekend…

We walked down to Chelsea Market – I had never been.  So. Cool.  Yummy foods, wines, ingrediants that you could never fine in even a NICE local grocery.  The Food Network has a studio in this building.  I love being with Marne.  She has this incredible ability to talk up anyone and disarm them instantly.  I always have the coolest conversations with strangers when I am with her.  I tend to keep to myself in public.  Marne, she’s friends with waiter before we have a chance to sit down.

We head home via the Meat Packing district.  Walking past the fancy haute coutre stores on the way.  I like this part of NYC the streets (if you keep your eyes away from the store fronts) have a distinct early century feel – picture brick roads etc.

We have dinner in Marne’s neighborhood.  Indian Food.   I haven’t found good Indian Food up here yet.  Bombay Talkie.  I eat the absolute yummiest Naan evah.   Other favorite things about cities (especially NYC) – they never sleep.  We hop across the street to the bakery for yummy cupcakes after dinner.

Saturday morning, Marne is gone (training in Coney Island) and I met Jackie at Pastis.  Best Egg Florentine I have ever had.  For reals.  Fresh eggs, yum, yum, yum.  If you have not had the glory of a fresh egg in your lifetime you should actively seek them out.  Well worth the effort.  The cost of the Forentine was enough to send Sophia to college, something ridiculous like $18, but it was totally worth it. One of my least favorite things about cities (especially NYC) you cannot eat out (at a real restaurant, with drinks) for less than $20/person.  Try it, I dare you.

Jackie and I walk up town to the Name I Cannot Remember Farmers market (Jackie?).  The wonderful thing about being with people you love is that they know you and Jackie knew I would love the market – and I did!  I honestly think that it is easier to “eat local” in cities like NY than it is upstate where we’re surrounded by fields.  I think we both found our way to favorite sweets and moved on to – BOOKS.  In all of my NYC trips I hadn’t yet made it to The Strand.  We had a great time and I came home with a few lovelies.  Every pregnant girl needs to stop often and fill herself with snacks…we fed Jackie’s belly, she briefly met Marne and Jackie headed home for her late morning nap.

Marne quizzed me on what famous people we saw at Pastis…I hadn’t seen any, didn’t even look!  I have notoriously bad luck with this.  During my last trip to NYC Cara and Kay primed me with stories of famous people at this super secret coffee shop on the Upper East Side.  (I was sworn to secrecy- never allow to reveal its name for fear the rest of NYC would find out about it.  NYers are like this.  Stingy with their finds.)  So Cara takes me and all we see are people who are way more stylish than I and eight times richer (incredible coffee tho – outstanding).  Same thing in Athens, GA.  I lived there for two years before I ran into Michael Stipe – a regular part of the fabric of the community and a frequent visitor to the my favored establishments.  Small town.  Never. Saw. The. Man., until my last month in the city!

We walk and walk down to the Lower East Side.  We get tired and stop to have a pedicure.  We walk some more and get tired.  We stop in Economy Candy and stock up on all things sugar.  We sneak in a hotel across the street.  Good lord – the place was so chi-chi there weren’t even lights in the bathroom – swear.  It was hilarious peeing with this little light above the toilet.  (This is another great hint about cities…need to pee?  Find a hotel walk in like you own the place,  hit the elevator and find a bathroom…no one will question you and if they do, act outraged!)

We walk some more, get tired and stop and have pickles and wine.  A surprisingly great combination.  We walk some more get tired and hop in a cab to go home.  We order in watch stupid cute disney movies on pay-per-view and head to bed.

We had a VERY lazy morning Sunday.  We both sit around and knit.  I show Marne some cool patterns on line.  We finally head out to the Upper West Side (via subway) to go to a Yarn Store – I think it was Knitty City…but I really don’t remember.  Cute store.  We eat lunch..go to a few flea markets…window shop…and then head to Central Park to admire the more motivated than we and look at the cute Russian pedi-taxi guys.  We have a light early dinner at the Time Warner Center  it was a bakery – can’t remember the name and then head to the  theatre district for Spamalot.  Now, I have a love hate relationship with musicals.  One of my all time favorite movies (yes movie) is Fiddler on the Roof.  I could watch this over and over and never tire.  However, as a rule – musicals bore me.  So I was bit worried about going to see a show.  Shouldn’t have been.  This is a great show.  Great.  we had a wonderful time.  Walked the long walk home afterward.

I left the next day and I have to say that while I miss living in a city more than I’ll ever be able to justify and while I was very sad to leave…I was happy to leave the noise….  and happy to be back with my baby girl.  I was sad to leave the walking, the great food at all hours, the accessibility and the freedom of not having a toddler.  It was a great trip.

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Related posts:

1. What I did on my Fall Vacation
2. What I did on my summer vaction part II
3. Kansas