Summer Fridays 2009 - Part One

One of the best things about working at the Big J is that fact that we get about 10-12 Fridays off from June to August, in exchange for some of the Monday holidays throughout the year. This comes in very handy for vacations, explorations, etc. After working so hard for so many summers, sometimes I don't know what to do with myself with all this time off. In an effort not to sink into the horridly debilitating depression that clouded last summer, this year I made a list of places to go and things to try and do. Luckily the weather cooperated, for the most part, and I was often joined by friends, or persuaded by others to deviate from the list. Here's a partial sampling of some of the things that I did on my summer Fridays (besides going to the office and blogging about them!)

Lion Brand Studio

After reading about the studio for so long, I finally had a reason to be downtown. I planned my perambulations to include a walk over to the very lovely Lion Brand studios, where I spent some time ogling the wall of yarn, downloading patterns for projects, and ordering more materials. I tried not to be intimidated by the serious knitters and other crafters. I'm a rank amateur compared to those people.

Right next to the computers are some of the amigurumi animals that can be made by various knit/crochet patterns.

The front window display is changed up occasionally. When I visited, it was a knitted display of the New York City skyline and other notable landmarks/institutions.
There was even a knit replica of the Mayor knitting. Having just seen the mayor outside the office, this guy looks better and more approachable. During my walk-about downtown, I strolled by some very interesting window displays. Since I was on my way to the Lion Brand Studio, I was in a crafty state of mind.

These are a little creepy though.

I think I was so distracted by what I had seen in these windows, I almost completely missed the fact that I walked right by a very low key Spike Lee.

This trip also included an excursion to the famous Strand Bookstore. Now, I love books. I love the smell of old books. I enjoy reading. Unfortunately, I have a problem with narrow aisles and crowds. I like to browse without feeling squished and rushed. I also like my sci-fi sections not be regulated to the back tiny corner of bookstores. Sadly, I've also found that when you are looking for obscure sci-fi books you run into the dilemma that sci-fi geeks hang on to their materials, so the likelihood that you are going to find that rarity is pretty slim. While I did find a few things on my list, I have to spend more time looking on-line for my missing volumes. Maybe my real problem with the Strand that day was that it was a muggy Friday at lunchtime and everyone was hanging out in the a.c.?

Since I was starving and it was lunchtime, I headed uptown and dove into the Union Square Green Market. After the quick walk uptown, the inhaled dust in the Strand, the inferiority complex I had also picked up at the Lion Brand Studio, I was even more susceptible to the aromas emanating from all the food vendors hawking their wares. The breakfast radishes, cilantro, and lettuce that went in my bag were later joined by jalapeno cornbread, maple-flavored breakfast rolls, and chocolaty baked goods. If I had had a cooler with me, I would have picked up fresh cheese and homemade bacon. Somehow, after all the browsing and purchasing, I never did get an actual meal! Once back in Grand Central, I finally bought a Jamaican beef patty at Golden Krust. I've only been walking by it almost every day for three years. For under $5, a well-balanced meal of an ice-cold Diet Coke and very hot, fried dough and spicy meat is the best. thing. ever! On other rambles around the Upper West Side, I walked right by the former residence of famed composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff.

On another Friday, my good friend Jane (from Flax Hill Gardner) joined me in the City. We went back downtown, bought goodies at one of the MoMA design stores, had our nasal passages assaulted in a Lush store, were serenaded by mourning Michael Jackson fans, discovered art works in new places, and were reminded that a City of over 7 million people is just too darn small.

My list of places to visit this summer included the Pearl River Market downtown. This wasn't Jane nor my first visits to the store, but we couldn't resist going back. It's just a sensory delight. From the incense that wafts through the building, the rich brocades of the various shoes, jackets, and children's mandarin-style outfits, to the feel of the fine origami papers, and all the various blue porcelain-wares that I was lusting over, it was fun to explore the two levels of the emporium. It caters to tourists and locals alike. Not only did I buy the typical I heart New York stuff, but I finally got some spicy chili sauce to soup up the Chinese food that my local purveyor just won't make hot enough for me.

The true purpose for our trip this time to New York was to visit Peanut Butter & Co.

For YEARS I have been watching various Travel Channel Sandwich Paradise shows, not to mention Rick Sebak's documentary on PBS, and have seen this shop. It's ridiculous that I've been in New York this long and not gone. Now I can cross another thing off my list.

Luckily Jane I have different food tastes, so we were able to pick different things off the menu.

When at Peanut Butter & Co., you have to try the Elvis ("A grilled peanut Butter sandwich, stuffed with bananas and honey. Try it with bacon for that extra indulgence. Long live the King!") Jane had hers without the bacon.
I hate banana, but love bacon, so I had a specialty sandwich with their Mighty Maple peanut butter and bacon. Salty, sweet, drippy, goofy, and DELICIOUS. So good. (All of their sandwiches are served "homestyle with a side of Cape Cod potato chips and carrot sticks. Just like Mom used to make!") HA! My mother didn't put bacon on our sandwiches. Fried baloney maybe, but not bacon.Here Jane models the fab ring she bought at MoMA. We had a corner booth. Now when I see Sandwich Paradise again, I know exactly where we were sitting, and I can enjoy it even more.It was pretty busy when we were there. We weren't the only ones influenced by the Travel Channel as the clientele was pretty obviously all tourists. After a while Jane and I had more fun watching the construction workers from next door removing a door papered over with flyers. Of course, that may had more to do with the naked male dancer from Pilobolus on the posters than anything else.

After such a yummy lunch, you would have thought we were done with food for the day, but Jane indulged me in back-tracking to find the Baked by Melissa cupcake stall I had spotted on my previous trip downtown. The whole trip back to the cupcake stall was because I promised Casey that I would eat a chocolate cupcake for her, and I wanted to find a vanilla cupcake to eat in honor of Nie's birthday. These little tiny cupcakes are scarily addictive (and expensive too!). One bite and they are gone.

While I didn't quite fulfill my promise to either lady, in some respects the flavors at Baked by Melissa represent their lives a little bit more accurately. I bought a dozen or so with the intent of taking pictures of them in strange locales and for a photo essay for Casey. However, the subway ride and the heat and the humidity conspired to create what what can only be called a 'hot mess' in the box. Happily, after refrigeration, the gooey mess was still edible and was devoured in a New York minute.

Thanks to Jane for schlepping around with me to cross a few things off my Summer Friday list!

For more information about my summer Fridays, stay tuned or check out the Shushing Librarian's adventures.