What kind of day was today? The kind of day where I don't eat dinner until 9:45PM, because I didn't leave the office until 9:00PM. And then I was at this restaurant in Little Italy, and kept getting "ciao Bella'd" by the male waitstaff. I can't tell if it was subtle quasi-pickup line, or if it is just an Italian thing.
Luckily, this weekend was not like today. First, I slept in really late. Like really late. But, considering I work long days (like today, although this was *way* longer than normal) perhaps it is just my body getting what it needs on the weekend. Stock up for the next week or whatever. But, since each day, between waking up late, and putzing around getting ready, I didn't really leave the apartment until 2:30PM each day. So I couldn't do anything epic or touristy that took several hours. Which, frankly, was fine. It's nice to have a relaxing day.
Saturday I walked around the West Village/Greenwich Village, because it was not a neighborhood I had yet been to. And, it was *Borat voice* very nice. Lots of boutiquey shops and little bars and cutesy restaurants, everything of course overpriced. I could definitely tell it is another place where the other half lives. And I really liked it. Because let's face it, I have stupid expensive tastes. I did manage to find some new brown (leather!) flats for not that much (sale!) at one of these boutiques. I had been looking for a pair because the brown flats I have now-- which are a very useful thing to have, btw-- are a couple years old and have seen better days. I also *might* have had a slice of cake as the first thing I ate in the day. I was walking down the street, and saw a line out the door at this one bakery. I figured if there was a line like that, it must be a thing, and I should try it. So I got in line, got my slice of lemon cake, and went and sat on a park bench. The bakery is Magnolia Bakery, and apparently, as I learned after, it is a thing. The case was super moist and crumbly, but I do think it could have been a bit more lemony in flavor. But all and all, a nice slice of cake. And it was very pleasant to sit on a bench in a little park in a neighborhood square, eating cake, relaxing and people-watching. I did a lot sitting and relaxing and people watching. At this square, at another park/square thing in the neighborhood, at a fountain along the water on the west side (very pretty seeing the sun set over the Hudson, looking on to New Jersey. That was my favorite part of the day, just sitting there and relaxing as day turned to dusk). This is pretty much what I did when I wasn't walking around, just seeing what was there.
I also managed to pick up another decor item for the apartment. I went to this store that was like furniture and household accessories, called MXYPLYZYK (seriously. And no, I don't know how to say that). It was definitely my style: more modern than not, but with a bit of quirk. Like higher quality and more legit versions of the type of style of things you might see in the household stuff section of Urban Outfitters. I ended up buying a small decorative vase that I think will go well with what little color scheme there is (all my furniture is dark brown or black), and help bring more color into the place. I felt awful though. I was looking at this set of three bowls (kind of Asiatic in style, like rice or sauce bowls). I was kind of drawn towards them because they had owls on them, and it's kind of a thing with my sorority. If you aren't in a sorority, you definitely won't understand, so just take my word for it. They were in these boxes, which had their fronts exposed, stacked one bowl on top of the other, with some cardboard between. Stupid me, I thought that the bowls would be somehow tied down or secured in their packaging (I guess from a lifetime of growing up in California, where everything is secured as much as possible because, earthquakes). Well, they weren't and I ended up dumping two of the ceramic bowls out. I managed to catch one, but the other smashed to the ground and shattered. So, I ended up with two owl bowls to boot. The guy discounted the price to reflect the lesser bowl, but I still felt terrible. I didn't mind picking up the extra bowls-- it was right, considering I had just smashed one and the set was now ruined in terms of selling to someone else, and they are relevant to my life-- but I just felt so stupid and embarrassed and sorry. But the owner and the associate were just really nice about it. Like really nice about it, and were reassuring me that it was fine, didn't even raise any voice or anything. So that was appreciated, because I am pretty sure that as I was signing the receipt, my hand was shaking a bit. So yeah, in conclusion: if you are in New York, you should totally check out MXYPLYZYK, not only because they have cool stuff, but because the owner and his staff are good people.
The other thing I learned about the West Village, is that it is basically New York's answer to the Castro in San Francisco, and Boystown in Chicago. Except-- to my surprise, given NYC's history-- not as extreme. So that was interesting. I think I may have found the original Stonewall bar. The Stonewall thing was New York, right? Not San Francisco? I should know this having grown up in the Bay Area, but I forget things like this easily. So, it was fun and quirky in that way, too.
To end the day I decided I wanted to see a fun movie. So I decided I wanted to see Rock of Ages. Unfortunately, it was only playing at a theatre in Times Square (seriously, why do I always inevitably wind up back in Times Square?). So I had to fight the touristas. But it was worth it: the movie was very entertaining, was surprisingly good (since I had not seen, but was nonetheless skeptical, of the musical) and had like a solidly legit cast (Seriously: Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin, Paul Giamatti, Russell Brand, and of course Tom Cruise). And was a genuinely "feel-good movie." After Tropic Thunder and now this, it is official: Tom Cruise is at his best when he is playing batshit, mildly self-parodying roles. Although, given what's gone down in Tom's life as of late, there was something unintentionally poignant about the role he played in the movie. You'd have to see it though to see what I mean.
Sunday was even less adventuresome. I headed up to the Upper East Side, got some lunch at a Thai place, and headed over to Barnes and Noble. I've decided that I need some reading material that isn't caselaw or stupid internet news articles. So I picked up like five, wildly different books: Ernest Hemingway on War, Seven Gothic Tales by Isak Dinesen, A Battle for the Soul of Islam, A Farewell to Arms, and The History of the World According to Facebook. Again, wildly different. Then, I took myself over to Central Park, found a bench (actually, a couple benches, since I was at this one, but the weird line dancing and music that was going on about 10 yards away finally drove me to find a quieter, more secluded place), and read. Read the Facebook book first, since it was humorous and a quick read. Then started in on A Farewell to Arms (also, definition of some kind of stereotype (dunno which one): reading Hemingway in Central Park. It's like what female protagonists in Edith Wharton novels do, except for the fact that they probably aren't reading Hemingway because it was either too early yet, or he was a contemporary of that time period). It was so nasty and muggy out on Sunday (to the point of, standing outside for five minutes made me sweat like I had just run five miles) that honestly, sitting and reading was about all one could do without feeling like death.
That was basically my day on Sunday. I was out on the Park for a couple hours, then walked around the Upper East Side for a little while. Note: I love the Upper East Side. Which is a problem, since I saw in a realty office window a listing ad for a 2-bedroom apartment in the neighborhood, renting for $18,000 per month. So... the French should be happy: I also ran into the French Embassy, which is at like 5th Ave and 77th-ish street, right across from Central Park. So pretty much the most expensive real estate in New York. And it isn't exactly small. Your French tax dollars at work!
Below are some pictures I took while at Central Park. Until next time. Actually, I should have lots of updates this week, because I have having kind of a busy week-- things almost every night after work. So thank god my emergency stay-late-at-the-office happened tonight, and not another day.
Also, I checked lilmonsters.org. Lexi still isn't listed as having been adopted. I don't know if it is because they just haven't updated the site, or because the guy decided not to adopt her. I hope it is the former. But if it is that latter, I so wish I could take her with me to Chicago. She deserves a good home. I am still so sad about the pet policy at my building. I kind of wish I had thought about looking around more for a place that allows doggies. But, it is pretty much exactly what we were looking for in every other way: was the right price, location, etc.
But I still want doggie. :(
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