What a weekend. These past few days have left me in such a good mood, I might throw up. (Or it's the bug I caught earlier this week, but whatever). This is what I came to the city for. We're halfway through my stay for the summer, and I'm almost positive that
this is where I want to be post graduation.
To follow up on my facebook status (I love summer; I love this city; I'm loving my life), I'll recap my weekend as briefly as possible:
The short work week was a precedent of the greatness to come for Fourth of July weekend. We got off at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday and had Friday off. Oh, and I finished my summer course on the 2nd! You already know about my Friday fun in Chinatown, but I don't know why I didn't mention my
Thursday night. My good friend from SU and hometown,
Sheina Levine came to the city to celebrate her birthday and the Fourth. Thursday night we had dinner at
Butter in Noho – all you need to know is that they talk about it in
Gossip Girls (haha... but really). I had heard about it through work and friends, and was told by both that it was in Gossip Girls and therefore had to be really nice. I'm really excited that we got to go for Sheina's birthday, because I would have no other reason to spend that kind of money at an upscale restaurant. I got the chicken breast. I know – a little ordinary and safe, but it was really good chicken breast. It was glazed with a remesco sauce (some sort of dark, sweet, nutty sauce) and garnished with grilled scallions and dandelion greens. The wallet insisted on me not getting dessert
(I'm not big on sweets anyway), but we got some complimentary truffles for the birthday girl. So rich, so good. I believe I put it this way, "You could make 8+ hot chocolates with
one of these!" Not that I would...
Butter: Would I go again? Probably not. Good food for a lot of money isn't that hard to find. I'm more keen on finding good food for little money. But if you want to go for a classy date, or you're not a "poor college student" like me, then I say go for it.
For
Friday, see previous post. Dim sum deliciousness.
Saturday – Happy Fourth of July! Sheina, Melissa and Kim came over for some pre-fireworks celebration. We did our best to emulate the typical all-American barbecue, and even though we didn't have an actual barbecue, I think we pulled it off. Hot dogs and
veggie burgers ("grilled" via stove top), red cups, and pong balls. That's all you need, right? Around 3:00 p.m. we headed down to Battery Park for a free concert from
Jenny Lewis and
Conor Oberst. That was really great. Great performers, and really, how can you go wrong with a [free] concert in the park? A couple hours later we headed over to Coney Island. No, we didn't make it for the
Nathan's hot dog eating contest [read: disappointment], but we got some corn dogs and walked around before heading back to Manhattan for some
fireworks. Holy crowd. Herds of people. It was madness. But we snuck our way past the police barracades (told them we were going to some restaurant...) and saw a spectacular show off Chelsea piers. I love fireworks. I was not let down. I was pretty exhausted after such a
long day, but my tired and blistered feet still carried me to the
Halal cart at 6th and 53rd. When I want my chicken and rice, I want my chicken and rice. Pure deliciousness.
Sunday (today) I cleaned the apartment and enjoyed the left overs from last night before walking down to SoHo. I went to
Housing Works Cafe and Bookstore to donate one of the book's I had read for my summer course:
The End of Poverty by Jefferey Sachs. If you're in the area and have books to spare, you should do the same. "When you donate to Housing Works, shop at one of our stores, or give
online, you are giving a second chance to the more than 2,500 homeless
HIV-positive New Yorkers we serve each year. Your support helps our
clients access the medical services, housing, and employment that
allows them to get back on their feet and help others do the same." (Housing Works)
I planned on not spending any money today, but I was in the area... so I went to
Topman (the mens component of Topshop) and took advantage of the sales. To be honest, I didn't even know that Topshop had guys stuff, so a big thank you and shout out to my friend Melissa. I love this store. Much because they sell extra smalls (and xxs, if you're curious) to fit my scrawny frame.
Afterward, I grabbed some
falafel at
Mamoun's. This place is good AND cheap (my kind of place, remember?). The falafel was crispy and tasty, and only $2.50. A steal, a deal, call it what you will, but it was delicious. A little messy though. I think
Rainbow Falafel is still my favorite, however. Also stopped at
Buffalo Exchange on the way back up to my apartment. Eh, didn't find much there. And it's not any different from the Buffalo at home. I had hoped the East Village one would have more style than the Costa Mesa, Ca. one, but it was all the same. Perhaps next time. Or maybe they will buy some of my stuff. Let's hope.
Okay, time to go finish reading
The Plague (Albert Camus). I started this book during the school year, but had stopped halfway through because of the current workload. I hate doing that; time to make up for lost time. Oh, and in case this wasn't clear: I'm really loving it here. Everyday, I'm looking at "for rent" signs and thinking, "hm, can I live here?" Here as in the neighborhood. I've already made up my mind on the city.
