Two weekends ago, I went on a vigorous whirlwind of an NYC visit. I got the idea to go to NY around Purim-time about a month ago, and it was what I like to call a Good Life Choice.
The weekend began with a tiny bit of stress -- there was a large snowstorm that dumped 17 inches on New York City (DC was spared, thank every available deity), and they cancelled all of the Bolt Buses after 6:30pm, so I was very worried about my 5:00pm bus. But there was no reason to be worried, and the roads were totally clear the whole way there.
I got into NYC around 9:15, and was both tired and hungry when I was done trekking to Schutz's apartment. Luckily, Mat was a genius and picked up Piopio for us to eat before I got there. It was my first Peruvian chicken experience, and it will definitely not be my last -- although Mat definitely went overboard with the ordering -- somehow he thought that the two of us could conquer a whole chicken, plantains, rice and beans, and french fries. Needless to say, we failed, but we failed while consuming an exorbitant amount of green sauce.
The next morning we gallumphed to a diner near Grand Central for a lovely brunch with Sarah K. and Jason F. (also visiting NY that weekend). Sarah and Matt S. and I had been there in December, and I got their delicious avocado-tomato-cheddar omelette and nicely crispy home fries again. We parted ways, and Mat and I adventured downtown to see if we could get tickets for Our Town at the Barrow Street Theater. When we got there, they were sold out, but told us that if we came back right before the show, we'd probably be able to get in.
Slightly discouraged, we tromped back to the street and walked around, spending the next hour doing two of my favorite things: buying books and being surrounded by cheese. The first was accomplished at a cute shop called Book Book, where we were in 7th heaven over the lovely and well-curated history section. Mat bought a book on the Romanovs and I got a new David McCullough book on the Panama Canal (plans have been made to switch when we've finished each of our purchases!). We then proceeded to Murrays' Cheese Shop, which may be the closest thing to heaven on earth outside of the Library of Congress. In fact, it was pretty much the only thing I took pictures of that weekend, so enjoy!
We ended up getting into Our Town, and I'm SO glad we did. Somehow I managed to get through 16 years of education and 13 years of theater without reading or seeing Our Town, so I came in with no expectations. According to the Times review, the set choices in the third act were particularly atypical, but I found that they really MADE the experience, and now I'm sure I'll have trouble if I see it done more traditionally. Then again, I almost always find that I like something the way I see it the first time -- it just sort of sticks in my brain, and makes it difficult for alternative interpretations to be quite as wonderful for me. Anyway, great life choice to go, and many thanks to Mat for being willing to see it twice for me.
Afterwards, we went over to Katherine C.'s, where we played with her and her roommate Scarlet (who I enjoy so much!), then went to an absolutely de-vine dinner at this Catalan restaurant that Scarlet recommended, Mercat. Best patatas bravas of my life, and the other small plates were lovely too, especially the duck and the tomatoes, oil, and garlic bread. YUM. We went back to Katherine's, played Wii (I am tragically, comically bad at Mario, and pretty good at Bowling).
After some self-motivating, we went back out to a bar even further downtown with Mat's new friend (and my old friend) Maxine S. Small world story: she and Mat are in the same section at law school, and she was in Fiddler on the Roof with me (the production I was in at Beth Or in1996). Turns out other BOFTY people were there too, which was funny and weird (I hadn't seen some of them since I was 15!).
Sunday had all the elements necessary for a perfect Sunday -- lox, bagels, and friends. Mat and I began the day at Barney Greengrass with Jonathan H. It was my first Barney Greengrass experience, and I chose the delicious bagel sandwich with the smoked salmon. It was SO difficult to choose, as I do dearly love both sable and whitefish, but lox won out in the end (as it is wont to do). Anyway, brunch was lovely, and the Jonathan and I went for a walk so I could get a half dozen of H&H bagels to take back to DC with me. I spent the afternoon at a lovely Purim Seudah at David K.'s, and got to see lovely 'Deis people, like the now-engaged (!) Adra H. and Jason L., Gavi Y. and Jason F. and Binny K., who I hadn't seen since graduation. I left full of hamantashen and Brandeis love, which is truly the best way to leave New York!
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