NYC Days 2 and 3

Another wonderful day in the city, despite the cold temperatures and nasty precipitation (started as a mist turned sleet turned rain). After a leisurely wake up and realization that New Yorkers do not in fact have food in their apartmens (read crackers, Greek cavier, goldfish, apples, oatmeal - all organic and all from whole foods), we quickly realized the necessity of feeding ourselves well. Lois knew where to hit the spot - Dim Sum at Golden Unicorn in Chinatown. My belly was soon filled with rice noodle shrimp, dumplings, spring rolls, tea. Yum. How can anyone not like Chinese food? Since the Chinese New Year was the end of last week, celebratory paper poppers were still collected in the rain ridden gutters on the streets. After Dim Sum, icecream was necessary, made by a Chinese icecream maker at the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory whose "regular" flavors were soybean and leechi and whose exotic flavors were chocolate and peanut butter. From Chinatown we walked through Little Italy, through Soho, and through part of NYU's campus. After an afternoon of walking, we dined at Red, a Mexican restaurant in the Financail District, at the Seaport. Yum yum yum. Enchiladas, fajitas, chips/salsa were all delish. Lois's roommate got a margharita which also smelled / looked delish. After dinner we met up with some of Lois's friends and hung out in their apartment for a little bit. Then began the Meat Packing District adventure aka the place full of d-bags. All the bars were PACKED, we were pushed, and had to wait in lines. Not my idea of fun. Redemptive factor - we got a huge, free pretzel.

Sunday morning we awoke to sunshine on our faces and blue skies. We got an early start and to head to Ellis Island. For a small $13 fee, you can board a boat and head to Liberty Island (love Lady Liberty) and Ellis Island. Since we had a ballet later in the day and visited the Statue of Liberty last fall, we opted to just visit Ellis Island. Upon arriving, Lois and I noticed we had missed the park ranger tour (Ellis Island is a historic park landmark!) by 10 minutes. We asked someone at the park ranger station to point us in the right direction so we could meet up with the group. And then, a park ranger said he would just give us a private tour! It was so neat, and we learned a lot. I highly recommend visiting and going on the tour! After the tour, we met up with Lois's boyfriend and headed to Lincoln Center to see a matinee ballet. The ballet was three mini ballets in one - a classical piece, a story (the magic flute), and a swing/jazz/funny piece. I loved it! After the ballet, we walked up 5th Avenue, past the Plaza (Salut, Eloise!), Columbus Circle, Central Park all the way to Union Station to eat at Max Brenner, a chocolate bar which has other delish food (think seafood burger, veggie burger, fresh...). We headed back to the Financial District to watch some of the Superbowl and then headed to bed. Such a fun weekend!

This morning I left from Penn Station, heading back to Albs. I'm sitting in my studio again, enjoying some concierge food and not dreading the week. :)