Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Memorial Day Weekend Wasn't All Bad

Besides the one downer of news that briefly threatened to spoil Memorial Day weekend, we did have, in spite of it all, a glorious weekend.
Most of you have figured out by now that I love warm weather and sunshine, so around these parts, I am a new lady these days.  I feel great and am ready to go!

K has been working on an internal company project for the last 5 months and it ended last Friday so we had 3 true days spend together.
Normally she is either working all weekend or in an 'on call' mode, so this time is precious.

Because this is my blog and I like to look back from time to time and remind myself that we were living our lives to the fullest while juggling TTC so I'm making a list to remind myself of all the fun we had Memorial Day weekend 2009.

Friday:  Went to Trader Joes's for the best shopping experience ever.  Normally that place is so crowded the line starts as soon as you walk in the door.  But on a holiday weekend?  Practically empty!  I brought the granny cart (like a good NYer) with me and piled it high in anticipation of not being able to 'carry heavy stuff' soon.
We spent the afternoon laying out on the lawn.  I worked on my tan while K worked in the shade of a tree outside.  That night we made dinner together and watched the movie "Nowhere in Africa".  It won an Oscar for the best foreign film 2002 and we give it 5 stars.

Saturday:  Went to a friend's house for a pool party.  She lives in a high rise with a pool on the roof and a fabulous view of upper Manhattan.  Sweet!
Had a friend over for dinner before heading out to Brooklyn for a cupcake party.  Yes, we each ate a small cupcake from Chikalicious Dessert Club.  
Our acupuncturist OK'd it and if you live anywhere near this place or you are visiting NYC, you have to come eat a cupcake here.  I'm not the biggest cupcake fan and these are seriously the best I've ever had.  Get the red velvet.  Trust me.  You'll be blogging all about it and saying "Holy Shit, Puffer was right.  I can't believe I've never been to this place."  Seriously.

Sunday:  K and I met 2 girlfriends and walked through the LES to Chinatown where we were hustled to buy fake purses and watches.  There are great places for massage and facials everywhere and we like the ones off the tourist track on Pell Street.  Just off this small stretch of Canal, you'll also find Doyers Street and tucked away down a dingy set of stairs is some of the best Vietnamese food we've had.  Fresh, tasty and cheap!
If you're up for produce shopping, you can't get much cheaper than the stall on Mott Street south of Grand.  Go there for your veggies, but head east on Grand for better fruit stalls.  I can't say it's organic...but it's fresh and cheap and so much fun to shop this way!  I come down here at least once a week to do shopping and between this and Trader Joe's, we're saving a ton of money.

Monday:  Met a friend for brunch at Esperanto and watched life on Ave. C go by from our outdoor table.  Perfect way to start the day.  
Trekked out to Brooklyn again and strolled around the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.  We hadn't been out there in ages and it was gorgeous.  The roses aren't in full bloom, but close enough.
Checked out the neighborhoods of Prospect Heights and Park Slope North as part of our "where do we want to live next" tour.  The tour requires a deeper concentration in these neighborhoods...
Met a friend back in the city for our favorite Indian dining al fresco.
Got home in time to shoot K up full of drugs and get ready for the week ahead.

Thank You Sunshine Goddess for cooperating and finally giving NYC a perfect Memorial Day weekend free of RAIN!!

7 comments:

Jen said...

Sounds like a wonderful long weekend!

Anonymous said...

That's one beautiful weekend. I'm glad it was so full of happiness and good food.

May it set a good tone for your next steps... balancing joy with the work of TTC.

Rachel said...

Oh oh! I love cupcake recommendations (especially new ones). We'll see if I can drag my companions there on Friday. I had planned to walk to Magnolia on Saturday evening, but I could definitely postpone that for a new place ;-)

Anonymous said...

Great weekend - I wish we were having summery days, instead it's getting colder, foggier, damper and darker lol.

By the time we get to NY we're going to have a list a mile long of all the places we have to visit - better plan a long visit :)

I love the plan of keeping track of the good, everyday stuff too - very important!

thebao said...

I looooooooooooove Esperanto! Only been there once but it was DELISH. So jealous that you have all that amazing food at your fingertips. Thanks for posting this so I can live vicariously through you! ;)
Glad you had a fantastic weekend.

Anonymous said...

sounds like a glorious, relaxing weekend!

Anonymous said...

Sounds perfect! We didn't get the sunshine here but it was ok. I do love warm weather, but we have so much sun all year that I sometimes get sick of it! I know that probably wouldn't be your problem :)