Sep
24
Ahhh the weekend. I have a choppy schedule at my new job. I had Friday night off, and worked Saturday, then had Saturday night off and all Sunday. Weekdays I get up early and take my boss’s son to the bus stop, then am off until 11am. Having a long morning is nice but it doesn’t give me much time to go exploring out of the Upper East Side, where I live. So Saturday night I planned out my Sunday itinerary and got up early to make full use of my day off.
I started of at “Bagel Bob’s” a little hole-in-the wall with a bar and couple small tables. I found it while reading an article on the best bagels in NYC. From the recommendation of the gal ahead of me in line I got the Cinnamon Raisin toasted with butter and a cup of coffee. Good bagel. Good coffee. And only $3.10 for both. They have dense and chewy bagels that are baked fresh during the day, and have a bunch of options for flavors and spreads. A fun little place to sit and people watch; the employees impatiently wait for your order and it’s bustling with locals coming in for their morning coffee and bagel.
After breakfast I went to a church my dad found online. It’s a little ways from where I live but I really enjoyed the service and got to meet a lot of new people. I’ll definitely be going back. The pastor even went to college in Michigan and has been to TC. A handful of Calvin grads, too. Oh the connections :P I went out for pizza with a group of people from the church after the service. They have “connection groups” that meet after the service or midweek to dive in depth into the Sunday message. I’m super excited about this new connection. I went to Times Square church Friday night but it was overwhelmingly large and not really my style. After the connection group I wandered off to East Village. Love love love. It’s a little grungy, a little loud, a little granola. Crowded bars, dreadlocks, old 10 speeds. Organic cafés. Even one street-side booth selling “wheatgrass shots” along with Acai smoothies.
Had to have some mid-day froyo. The Yogurt Station lured me in with their unlimited toppings and flavors self serve bar. Best idea ever. I always want to try everything, or have like 10 toppings but don’t want to pay $1.25 each! Here you grab a bowl, headed over to the yogurt station and pick your flavor. I tried pistachio and pomegranate. Then you take your pick of toppings. Everything from reeses to blueberries. You give the cashier your cup, they weigh it, and you pay per ounce. Love it. I just discovered on right around the corner from me too. :D
This is what I love about New York. It’s big, it’s diverse, it surprises you. I wandered into “Little Italy” and just happened across this Sunday carnival/street fair. Shoulder to shoulder packed streets. It was so fun. Lots of food all around. Sweets, sausages, pastas, deep fried pickles, canolis, gelatos.
After walking through Little Italy I went over to the West side of Manhattan to the Hudson River. I saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time, poised in the distance, and soaked up the sunshine on the boardwalk.
On the recommendation of a random guy I was talking to on the corner while waiting for the light to cross the street I went to Spice, a Thai restaurant, near Union Square. He didn’t lead me wrong. I got a chicken peanut curry with veggies and it was so good. The restaurant has a fun vibe with dim lights and fun music, and was packed full which is always a good sign ;)
