East Village

I'm slowly eating, and drinking, my earlier comments about prices here. Its definitely possible to stay on the inexpensive end of things (especially if you live here), but it's not at hard to drain the contents of your wallet. Last night we enjoyed $7 Corona bottles -- and I hate Corona.

Yesterday was supposed to be a big work day for me as I keep failing further behind. I try to work, but if I haven't seen something new by early afternoon I start to get ancy (and a little grumpy). The day started off at a neat little coffee shop just around the corner from our apartment. I have no idea how old the building is, but it seems quite old and interesting as the interior bricks have taken on a sagging look, the businesses are all quite narrow, and it's easy to identify the retrofitted plumbing. Coffee is again becoming a necessity as we've been running around during the day and staying up late.

With a little work behind us we headed for the East Village. We'd been over that way before, but hadn't really taken the time to explore and get a handle on things. We started off at the 2nd Ave Deli, which was one of the first recommendations that we received -- from the guy working the counter at the Boulder Bookstore when we bought our guidebooks. One of the neatest things about this experience is that almost everyone has a good story about New York to tell and a few favorites to share. Surprisingly there's very little overlap. I guess there's just so much to do in New York that no matter where your interests lie there's something for you.

Anyways, the 2nd Ave Deli was really good and I can't say that I've eaten at a place like that before (without a large Jewish population out West places like this don't really exist). I have to admit the place was intimidating with all the activity and foods I hadn't seen before. As soon as we sat we were served a giant plate of pickles (probably 10-12), slices of bread, and a cabbage mixture. I tried the kreplech (also recommended by the Boulder Bookstore guy), which is a fried dumpling mixture. Though there were plenty of tongue and liver dishes on the menu and I'm hopeful that this wasn't part of the kreplech, but whatever I had was tasty enough that I wouldn't complain.

From there we wandered over towards Tomkins Square Park. Apparently this used to be a pretty rough place and used to sport a full-time shantytown. Today the park is really nice and filled with all sorts of activity. We meandered across the park and through the neighborhood. I got a good feeling from the place -- it seems to retain the feeling of a genuine neighborhood. I can't imagine what it was like before and I don't imagine it's going to stay the way I saw it for long. Although each street East of 1st brings an incremental drop in activity, it's easy to see change is coming. Next to the graffitti-strewn walls are all sorts of new businesses, pricey new restaurants, and trendy clothing boutiques. Like much of the rest of Manhattan, long-term businesses and residents will be pushed out, rents will rise, and the place will clean up. Though I'd like to feel sad about the changes, given the choice between a crack-house and a snooty bistro I would guess most people would choose the bistro every time.

There are quite a few cool vintage clothing stores in this neighborhood and Laurie and I took the opportunity to explore a few. Though I'm on a mission to replace my dated frat-boy waredrobe, I wasn't able to find anything that fit. I either need to lose the midwestern gut or grow a few inches. Needless to say, I'll be going for a jog today.

We left Alphabet City and wandered over to 7th Street to check out Brewsters, the Burp Castle, and McSorleys for happy hour. The bartender for Brewsters was sitting out front reading, the Burp Castle was all closed up (and who wants a $10 pint anyway), so we headed for McSorleys. Walking into the place you're overwhelmed -- it's like taking a step back in time. Though I wanted to leave Laurie at the door and enjoy a few with the fellas, the Supreme Court said I had to take her in so I did. We found a cozy table in the corner and got our 2 darks each -- I'm so glad that we were forewarned about the ordering style. The floor is covered in sawdust, the walls in pictures, and the bar with barflies, but the coolest thing is the tables. I'm not sure when these were built, but they look like they've been around for a long long time. I imagine they used to be 2-3 inches think, but they've worn down unevenly over time and are now probably closer to one inch. It's incredible to think how many sliding pints, knicks from plates, and nervous scratching it would take to do this. The waiter had an unusual style that added to the ambience and hearing him call orders to the bartender as we glanced out though the dusty air into the fading evening light is not an experience I'll soon forget.

We slowly made our way across the West Village in search of chocolate. Laurie was determined to find a cool bakery she read about (Magnolias) and I can definitively say it was worth the effort. I can't remember the last time I had a cupcake this good. It's what a cupcake should be. I don't even remember where we ate them or how long it took.

We took it easy for a few hours, but made plans to hit our first real club later in the evening. Unfortunately, the skies decided to again open up and we were treated to another deluge. Undeterred, we made our way the few blocks to the Meat Packing district. Though very few places are signed it's easy to tell the entrance from the hordes of people and velvet ropes. The deluge I mentioned before definitely gave us a leg up and our expected bouncer hassle was non-existent. The place we went (Ciello) was small, cozy, and decorated well. The bartender was not the friendliest fellow, but we suffered through it to get a drink or two for dancing courage. This was the final night of a week of Scottish DJ's and I have to say their take on house music wasn't my favorite. Regardless, L and I finally got out there and worked up a healthy sweat before going home.

On the way, we were treated to a good argument in the middle of the pouring rain. I have no idea what happened, but neither the cabbie or the girl in the Mercedes SUV were backing down. Even by the time we made it around the corner, I was wondering how long this was going to go on and how many things you can realistically say when someone cuts you off. Everywhere out here people are pushing the limits of the possible.