Bob had work work work to do, so I waited w/B for Mary to surface, and then I split, leaving those two to their devilish deeds. I walked over to 1 Penn Plaza and was guested into the secure part of the building, where I got to once again marvel at Bob's view of lower Manhattan. Ahhh. We took the subway together downtown, he departing at 14th St. and I continuing down to the Lower East Side.
There, I walked. A lot. It was a gorgeous Fall day, with a hint of a breeze, the temps were in the 60's, and there were pumpkins and fall colors everywhere! Quite to my surprise, the LES is quite nuveau these days. There are tons of galleries, clothing boutiques, and off-market shops for things like dog clothes, vegetarian shoes, and funky eateries, many of them vegan! I bought a pair of vegetarian shoes (of course!), and then sidled across the street to the Lower East Side Visitors Center. Crowded and cluttered, the women there were awesome nice, and really extended themselves for me. Then across the street I spotted a spa. I didn't need anything done to my skin (the toxins and dirt in NYC is harsh, but I had only been there 12 hours), but I was kind of in the mood for a haircut. So I asked if they did that kind of thing, and she said no. So I asked (nicely) if she knew of anywhere, and she said no. Then she asked the fella sitting on his keister and he said yes, and walked me down the block and around the corner to Broome St. where there was an awesome little hair salon, Fringe! It was VERY funky and fun, offering up vegan delites like breakfast brownies, pumpkin (or maybe sweet potato) walnut scones,etc., and I was able to get in with Jacqueline after only 10 minutes or so (not even enough time to look through the magazines and find someone I was aiming to look like). She and I talked a minute or two, then I got a nice wash and condition, then under the scissor. Holy good haircut, batgirl!
I walked outta there feeling free and clean and lighter of purse and head. Right across the street I found a little shop making halloween candy - totally fun to watch, and I got to buy the candy right after it was made!
I meandered about, checking out how the tenements (aka lofts) had changed so much.
Falaffal in the East Village (and used CD's, and a wig for B's Halloween costume), a chill session with some tea and feet UP in St. Mark's Square.
(I love urban trees - they must be one of the most tenacious types of creatures on earth)
and then a trip uptown to the Strand, which always, consistently and thoroughly blows me away. I bought Veganomicon for ten (yes TEN) dollars (certainly looks) new, and a couple other cook books to support my new veggie habits, and a knitting book (useful and fun to read on the subway when pulling out the actual knitting is too hard).
Then meandered eastward toward 9th ave, and up town to 21st to meet Megan at Bombay Talkie. Other than some kind of weird karmic energy around getting cars ticketed and towed (resulting in a bit of extra run around in parking and then in popping quarters into the meter)
It was kind of expensive, but the food was really very good. The menu was a bit too limited for moi (though it WAS good!), and the service was great! Megs managed not to get towed, we talked and ate and laughed for 3 hours, when her guilty conscience convinced her to free up the table and go home to help Tim clear out the spare bedroom for his mom's visit on Saturday. So I was too late, really, to catch a movie w/Poppy, but we hung out and chatted for a nice while on the couch, and it was - all in all - an AMAZING day! I failed to detail the galleries, the pickle lady, and a host of other entirely NEW YAWK sites, which were all part of my wonderful experience. YAY!
On getting home, I got to meet Mia, Beca's new American Girl doll, and her skates, and the skirt to match the tights that match the skates (and the sweater that matches the skirt, and the headband that matches the sweater and on and on and on), and was given a lesson in using the spray bottle, and then made her clean it all up and go to bed. Long day for little girls. We both crashed pretty hard.
The next morning we jumped into the Pilot and Mary drove us to Hastings where we visited for a few hours with Jackie and Mike, Liana and Max. Totally yummy soup and salad for lunch, and as always, a great visit with wonderful friends. Sounds like their trip to Gay Paris was amazing!!!
The entire weekend I've been reading The 19th Wife, which is very popular right now, but not a great topic for Mary and I to discuss on the downtown NRQ train. I'm too anthropological to like the way to book was written, even if I enjoy the mystery of the murder. So I'm finishing that one up and reading Ink Death, which is scary as heck, but I really enjoyed the first one so much I laboured through the second and (evidently) now the third. Cornelia, lighten up, sistah.
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