Travel Journals, New York City, Day 1
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Post date: MAY 15, 2008
The truth is, I love New York City. I love its so-called
grime. I love its character. I love that I can walk down the street and see both a businessman walking toward me, and a cross-dressing man with his partner walking behind me. I love the variety of clothes, cafes, people, and food the city offers.
What's my point? Well, lucky me, I get to spend two weeks in the city. Doing what? Having fun. So here it is, a travel journal of sorts, neatly packaged here on the BBQ.
Day 1: Highlights
SHOPPING: Lower East Side Boutiques
The best thing about shopping around LES is that you're bound to come across one of a kind items. There are streets lined with cute boutiques, like the one I visited today.
On 9th St. between 1st and A is my new favorite called LoveSong 422. I love it because unlike some stores where the girls look bored/tired and annoyed, I actually had a full-out conversation with the owner, who did not look bored/tired annoyed, and was actually a lot of fun. This made the shopping experience a whole heck of a lot more personal and enjoyable.
There I found this awesome necklace. In case you can't tell it's a water faucet and get this: most of the proceeds go to the YEW Foundation to support organizations with clean water initiatives. Meaning, this necklace and the purchase of, is a cool concept - the money goes to help bringing clean water to places that lack it. It's a hip public health act.
In addition to cool necklaces as such, this place sells lipbalm with artistic
decorative lids, Paddywax candles that smell like rhubarb (SO good), lavender, chamomile and limoncello. At 4 bucks a pop for candles and 6 bucks for the balm, you can afford these.
I even heard that some hipster guys in the area drop in from time to time to stock up. Interesting. If you're in the area, come by and say hi to Rechelle, the owner!
LoveSong 422
441 East 9th St. btw 1st Ave & A
New York, 10009
For more info on Campaign for the Right to Water, go here.
To help it out by purchasing some cool gear, go here.
EAT: Momofuku
Ramen is a big thing here on the Lower East Side, and apparently Momofuku does it best. One of our writers (a native New Yorker) came here and wrote about this place, but I had to see it for myself, and I believe. For starters the menu is pretty simple -great for indecisive individuals. The ambiance is great though the long tables with benches, a throwback to my old childhood lunch days, did not provide a pleasant memory.
It's no matter because the ramen is, simply put, delicious. Who knew such a simple dish could be executed so well? I chose the chicken ramen. The meat was cooked to perfection with a slightly crispy touch to the outside but tender and moist on the inside. Served with scallions and a deep flavorful broth, the ramen noodles were springy and chewy, with just the right thickness. Ahhh. How I could have a bowl right now.
Drinks are a little pricey too, however, my friend and I tried this tamarind celery cider -his idea (it was a throwback to his Jewish culture), and I was pleasantly surprised. Actually, really surprised because I don't like celery. It pretty much tasted like a light, less sweet version of apple cider. A definite must if you like to try new things, but expect to pay three dollars for a teeny tiny little jug of it.
Lastly, for dessert, which I did not try, is soft serve ice cream. Momofuku has soft serve icecream in random flavors like tiramisu and cracker jack (yes, cracker jack). I don't know why, but a couple of these Japanese restaurants on the Lower East Side have random desserts, like cotton candy (there's one particular restaurant that has a cotton candy machine outside of it). Today's meal: excellent, Price: okay, $12 for a bowl of chicken ramen. But worth it.
Momofuku
171 1st Ave, between 10th and 11th St.
NYC 10009
*NY skyline pic courtesy of www.photos.somd.com
The truth is, I love New York City. I love its so-called grime. I love its character. I love that I can walk down the street and see both a businessman walking toward me, and a cross-dressing man with his partner walking behind me. I love the variety of clothes, cafes, people, and food the city offers.
What's my point? Well, lucky me, I get to spend two weeks in the city. Doing what? Having fun. So here it is, a travel journal of sorts, neatly packaged here on the BBQ.
Day 1: Highlights
SHOPPING: Lower East Side Boutiques
The best thing about shopping around LES is that you're bound to come across one of a kind items. There are streets lined with cute boutiques, like the one I visited today.
On 9th St. between 1st and A is my new favorite called LoveSong 422. I love it because unlike some stores where the girls look bored/tired and annoyed, I actually had a full-out conversation with the owner, who did not look bored/tired annoyed, and was actually a lot of fun. This made the shopping experience a whole heck of a lot more personal and enjoyable.
There I found this awesome necklace. In case you can't tell it's a water faucet and get this: most of the proceeds go to the YEW Foundation to support organizations with clean water initiatives. Meaning, this necklace and the purchase of, is a cool concept - the money goes to help bringing clean water to places that lack it. It's a hip public health act.In addition to cool necklaces as such, this place sells lipbalm with artistic
decorative lids, Paddywax candles that smell like rhubarb (SO good), lavender, chamomile and limoncello. At 4 bucks a pop for candles and 6 bucks for the balm, you can afford these. I even heard that some hipster guys in the area drop in from time to time to stock up. Interesting. If you're in the area, come by and say hi to Rechelle, the owner!
LoveSong 422
441 East 9th St. btw 1st Ave & A
New York, 10009
For more info on Campaign for the Right to Water, go here.
To help it out by purchasing some cool gear, go here.
EAT: Momofuku
Ramen is a big thing here on the Lower East Side, and apparently Momofuku does it best. One of our writers (a native New Yorker) came here and wrote about this place, but I had to see it for myself, and I believe. For starters the menu is pretty simple -great for indecisive individuals. The ambiance is great though the long tables with benches, a throwback to my old childhood lunch days, did not provide a pleasant memory.
It's no matter because the ramen is, simply put, delicious. Who knew such a simple dish could be executed so well? I chose the chicken ramen. The meat was cooked to perfection with a slightly crispy touch to the outside but tender and moist on the inside. Served with scallions and a deep flavorful broth, the ramen noodles were springy and chewy, with just the right thickness. Ahhh. How I could have a bowl right now.
Drinks are a little pricey too, however, my friend and I tried this tamarind celery cider -his idea (it was a throwback to his Jewish culture), and I was pleasantly surprised. Actually, really surprised because I don't like celery. It pretty much tasted like a light, less sweet version of apple cider. A definite must if you like to try new things, but expect to pay three dollars for a teeny tiny little jug of it.
Lastly, for dessert, which I did not try, is soft serve ice cream. Momofuku has soft serve icecream in random flavors like tiramisu and cracker jack (yes, cracker jack). I don't know why, but a couple of these Japanese restaurants on the Lower East Side have random desserts, like cotton candy (there's one particular restaurant that has a cotton candy machine outside of it). Today's meal: excellent, Price: okay, $12 for a bowl of chicken ramen. But worth it.
Momofuku
171 1st Ave, between 10th and 11th St.
NYC 10009
*NY skyline pic courtesy of www.photos.somd.com
Labels: Food, ShoutsOfAdoration
bbqchickenrobot
WideEyedEggplant
The GOOD Pants
2Scoops
El-izzle
