Thursday, July 17, 2008

Waterfalls, Water Taxis and the Brooklyn Ikea

After getting my butt handed to me last night by a certain boxing instructor at my gym, I've decided rest up today, with plenty of fluids and balanced meals. (And when I say balanced, I mean I balanced out my lunchtime salad with several mini peanut butter cups.)

So let's talk about wanderings from a time when I could walk without pain... On the last day of my parents' visit, we headed downtown to the South Street Seaport to check out the Waterfalls in the harbor. Interesting, but not as impressive as The Gates in Central Park a few years back... More entertaining was the yogi performing in the Seaport - I missed his better tricks with my camera, but they included stuffing himself into a 17-inch box, and putting his legs behind his head, propping himself on his hands and swinging like a pendulum. Wild...

Afterwards, my mother was intrigued by the free water taxi to the new Ikea in Brooklyn and convinced us to take a ride. Good times - the ride across the harbor was great, and Red Hook's waterfront lovely. Even if they weren't, the gorgeous new Ikea and a fabulous outpost of Fairway, our favorite NYC grocery store, were well worth a visit. Just remember: no Ikea receipt, no ride back for you... we ended up buying lingonberry sauce and a hotdog just to get back to Manhattan. -A

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Ode to a Dead Tree


One of my favorite things about living in NYC is the incredible creativity of my fellow residents. Display found near York Avenue... -A

No means no

Dear Craigslist,

I understand that you are a bastion of frugality.  I do.  I really do.  But in the end basic economics really does win the day.  When you're absolutely in a tight budget, and you tell me so, you can't tell me the second email around that you've managed to scrape together an extra 5 Washingtons as your best offer.  

Especially when the somebody else had already agreed to pay my  asking price.  Supply and demand.  It works.

I know you weren't aware of the other bidder... but you really should get your Caps Lock fixed.  

Sincerely,

H