Thursday in New York

Last Wednesday night, I took the red-eye to New York City to visit a dear friend (shout out to Liv!) and explore the big apple at Christmas time. After a night on two airplanes, the morning cab ride from La Guardia to Liv's apartment in Brooklyn seemed to last forever, but it was still exciting to be in the city, and passing countless weirdly named small businesses and churches (my favorite of course being the Christ Alive Flower Shop). The cabby looked at the map I had given him about every forty seconds. Hardly reassuring, but we found it.

It was strangely warm when I arrived, and as we planned our first outing, down to Brighton Beach, I debated leaving my coat. I was grateful that my hostess had convinced me to bring it, when, after purchasing our requisite Russian pastry from one of the many, many pastry-selling Russian ladies on the sidewalk and heading out to the strand to commune with the gulls, the sea breeze asserted itself with one endlessly vigorous gust. We walked down to Coney Island to admire all the seasonally abandoned rides and attractions (as well as one intrepid burger/hotdog/buttered corn/kebab/cold beer/pretzel etc. stand that was open, though it didn't appear to have any customers).

When we had our fill of Russian pastry, seagulls, and sandblasting, we took the long subway ride into Manhattan. In Soho, we wandered into bookstores, shoe stores, and a kitchen shop, where we encountered an unusual little woman, older, with a longish gray buzz cut and a nice looking coat, practicing an unorthodox method of bargaining with the staff of the store. Seems she wanted a $70 copper-bottomed saucepan for twenty dollars. She was relentless, and had this distinctive, nasally plaintive (and loud) voice. "You don't like old ladies? Why don't you give it to me? I want to buy it! I have the money! I have the $20! Why won't you let me buy it?" We left the store before we got to find out the resolution. From the way things were going, though, I'm pretty sure they didn't give her the discount.

For dinner, we settled on Lombardi's, which claims to be the oldest pizzeria in the city. Perhaps to emphasize their historical position, they accept no payments but cash. However long they have been at it, they seem to have the pizza part down. Yum. After pizza, it was off to the Chinese massage place for a ten minute back rub (Liv) and a ten minute foot rub (me). If you are looking for a good way to spend $10 in Manhattan, and there are many, you could do worse than a ten minute foot rub at the Chinese massage place. I'm just saying. Rejuvenated, we headed to a dessert place that combines the fat and sugar of ice cream with the carbohydrate punch of a plate of fried rice. "Rice to Riches" offers something like 30 flavors of...rice pudding. We had chocolate hazelnut topped with cherries. My Swedish Grandma would have been proud. And probably a little confused.

Next time: Freaking Cold Friday...