New York in list form.

From New York 08

There are a lot of things to blog about these days, and I think I'll start with a simple list of how I spent my time in New York (with Jo, Katie and Lu, of course):

• Cheap, excellent manicures. An indulgent treat!
• Indian food on the Upper West Side.
• The American Museum of Natural History.
• Hot dogs and papaya juice at Gray's Papaya, on the Upper West Side.
• Silly magazines and great conversation at the Barnes & Noble Cafe, also on the UWS.
• Several walks around the Great Lawn in Central Park.
• Watching people give up their seats for others on the subway. It happened all the time. Might there be more ordinary kindness in New York than in Michigan, in some ways?
  
• Bagels, cream cheese, and coffee for breakfast.
• The Christmas service at All Souls UU Church, with Forrest Church's remarkable sermon.
• Singing carols at said service.
  
• Pashmina scarves from the "scarf cart"! Cheap!
• Joanna's departmental offices--both at the Institute of Fine Arts and at NYU's main campus.
• Friendly security guards, doormen, and waitstaff whom Joanna meets on a daily basis.
• The Village Tannery, for the most beautiful leather handbags that I've ever seen. Handmade. Like butter. Thanks to Jo and Mom for knowing the proprietor--I got a sweet discount!
  
• Doma Cafe in Greenwich Village. The enormous cockroach climbing the wall, and the way the cafe's proprietor nonchalantly scooped him/her into a cup with a paper towel.
• Speaking of vermin: the rats in the subway system.
• The children's boutiques on the Upper East Side--the ones you read about in US magazine.
• Rockefeller Center at Christmas.
• The shop windows at Bergdorf Goodman, with the Oscar de la Renta gowns.
• The Plaza Hotel.
• The ice rink at Bryant Park, with the Empire State Building at the horizon behind it.
• Stumbling upon Times Square unexpectedly. Yes, it's possible to do that!
• Grand Central Station's remarkable ceiling of constellations.
• The Chrysler Building.
• Singing Christmas carols while walking around Midtown (in the style of Andy Bernard from The Office).
• Also from Andy Bernard: "Wake up. Boot. Rally!" (Inside joke, but one I want to remember, so forgive me for writing it down here.)
  
• Hot dogs and papaya juice (again) at Papaya King on the UES.
• Black and white cookies from the William Greenberg Bakery.