Summer is over!
Hi. Summer is over in NYC. Last week it rained almost the entire week, and only cleared up on Sunday and today (Monday). Overnight last weekend it went from warm, hot summer to cool, dreary and rainy fall. It was just like the drastic change between winter and spring. Anyway, the seasons being well-defined and their changes stark still amazes Fiona and me.
This weekend just passed was the Labor Day weekend, so Monday (today) was a public holiday. We had a fun weekend out and about in Manhattan. Probably the most amusing thing was trudging through the torrential rain in the beautiful, cobblestoned streets of SoHo while trying to do some decent shopping (well, shoe shopping that then turned into rain boot shopping for Fiona). This was on Saturday. The day was drizzly, but that was about it when we got down to SoHo and spontaneously decided to go to The Mercer Kitchen (another Jean-Georges Vongerichten establishment) for lunch. (The Mercer Hotel, which this restaurant is in the basement of, was the hotel where our beloved Russel Crowe threw the phone at the concierge; corner of Mercer and Prince Sts in SoHo.) As expected, great lunch, nice food, but not Perry Street standard. The Times said similar a few weeks agao when they revisited their Mercer Kitchen review (they have been gradually returning to two- and three-star restaurants reviewed over three or four years ago to see how they are faring). But still a cut above most places, and great for a cozy Saturday afternoon lunch on a drizzly day. Two J-G places in two weeks? Yes, this is NOT a trend that is starting...if money was no issue then it would be tempting, though.
Anyway, after lunch and then poking in a few boutiques we suddenly noticed a torrential downpour creating much commotion at the store's door. Anyway, the brave all-weather people that we are, we kept going. Didn't get too wet, but it was rather funny. Particularly since Fiona had been wanting to buy some Burberry rain boots for a long time and had finally decided to get them this day in preparation for the coming months of rain/snow/slush/sleet. But of course, she didn't have them on for this experience! Managed to get home, but I made an executive decision to NOT go to the cheap wine store off Union Square (Trader Joe's), which was a tough call to make. Fortunately, I'm taking a class at NYU this semester that is a few blocks away from that store, so every Tuesday I can go and buy cheap wine if I so desire. :-)
The rest of the weekend? Well, on Sunday night we went to this place called Brother Jimmy's BBQ on Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side. We were having dinner with some colleagues/friends of mine, sort of a kick-start to the new academic year here (starts tomorrow). I've never had BBQ (traditional southern BBQ, that is) before, and neither has Fiona, so it was fun. I (and another, not Fiona) had the SUnday night special - all you can eat ribs and all you can drink beer for $22.95. Didn't over-eat or over-drink, but certainly was, err, comfortable shall we say. Very yummy, but not necessarily something I'd do too often unless I wanted to become super-sized! But it was authentic (despite being in NYC and not in the deep south), and a place to go for some fun. Whenever anyone is in town from home we'll go there - worth the "cultural experience." And finally today (Monday), we just hung out at home and got ready for the (short) week that lies ahead. Pretty good long weekend.
And lastly, we very much mark the great loss of Steve Irwin. It is all over the news here - front page Times (website) and probably prominent on tomorrow's print edition. CNN just devoted a whole hour of "Larry King Live" to a Steve tribute, and then another half hour or so after that (including many details about fierce stingrays). In an odd way, it has put Brisbane on the map in the American's minds - they keep saying he's from Brisbane and then put a graphic up with the map showing Brisbane, Sydney, and the Great Barrier Reef. Only thing is that I just know that the Americans will now start to think we're from some place with super-dangerous wildlife. But seriously, must be a shock for Australians and it sounds like his conservation work was at least somewhat substantial. But what we really have to admit to, and I feel terrible saying it, is that in his death, Mr. Irwin has brought one of our most beloved figures into our living room here in NYC - yes, it was a special moment when we got to see Prime Minister Howard's tear-jerking speech for a whole minute on CNN.
Okay - back to the TV; Hewitt is playing Gasquet in the US Open and is up two sets and winning the third set. By the way, we're going to the US Open women's final next Saturday night, which promises to be fun (even from the VERY cheap seats with probably a crappy view).
A.
This weekend just passed was the Labor Day weekend, so Monday (today) was a public holiday. We had a fun weekend out and about in Manhattan. Probably the most amusing thing was trudging through the torrential rain in the beautiful, cobblestoned streets of SoHo while trying to do some decent shopping (well, shoe shopping that then turned into rain boot shopping for Fiona). This was on Saturday. The day was drizzly, but that was about it when we got down to SoHo and spontaneously decided to go to The Mercer Kitchen (another Jean-Georges Vongerichten establishment) for lunch. (The Mercer Hotel, which this restaurant is in the basement of, was the hotel where our beloved Russel Crowe threw the phone at the concierge; corner of Mercer and Prince Sts in SoHo.) As expected, great lunch, nice food, but not Perry Street standard. The Times said similar a few weeks agao when they revisited their Mercer Kitchen review (they have been gradually returning to two- and three-star restaurants reviewed over three or four years ago to see how they are faring). But still a cut above most places, and great for a cozy Saturday afternoon lunch on a drizzly day. Two J-G places in two weeks? Yes, this is NOT a trend that is starting...if money was no issue then it would be tempting, though.
Anyway, after lunch and then poking in a few boutiques we suddenly noticed a torrential downpour creating much commotion at the store's door. Anyway, the brave all-weather people that we are, we kept going. Didn't get too wet, but it was rather funny. Particularly since Fiona had been wanting to buy some Burberry rain boots for a long time and had finally decided to get them this day in preparation for the coming months of rain/snow/slush/sleet. But of course, she didn't have them on for this experience! Managed to get home, but I made an executive decision to NOT go to the cheap wine store off Union Square (Trader Joe's), which was a tough call to make. Fortunately, I'm taking a class at NYU this semester that is a few blocks away from that store, so every Tuesday I can go and buy cheap wine if I so desire. :-)
The rest of the weekend? Well, on Sunday night we went to this place called Brother Jimmy's BBQ on Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side. We were having dinner with some colleagues/friends of mine, sort of a kick-start to the new academic year here (starts tomorrow). I've never had BBQ (traditional southern BBQ, that is) before, and neither has Fiona, so it was fun. I (and another, not Fiona) had the SUnday night special - all you can eat ribs and all you can drink beer for $22.95. Didn't over-eat or over-drink, but certainly was, err, comfortable shall we say. Very yummy, but not necessarily something I'd do too often unless I wanted to become super-sized! But it was authentic (despite being in NYC and not in the deep south), and a place to go for some fun. Whenever anyone is in town from home we'll go there - worth the "cultural experience." And finally today (Monday), we just hung out at home and got ready for the (short) week that lies ahead. Pretty good long weekend.
And lastly, we very much mark the great loss of Steve Irwin. It is all over the news here - front page Times (website) and probably prominent on tomorrow's print edition. CNN just devoted a whole hour of "Larry King Live" to a Steve tribute, and then another half hour or so after that (including many details about fierce stingrays). In an odd way, it has put Brisbane on the map in the American's minds - they keep saying he's from Brisbane and then put a graphic up with the map showing Brisbane, Sydney, and the Great Barrier Reef. Only thing is that I just know that the Americans will now start to think we're from some place with super-dangerous wildlife. But seriously, must be a shock for Australians and it sounds like his conservation work was at least somewhat substantial. But what we really have to admit to, and I feel terrible saying it, is that in his death, Mr. Irwin has brought one of our most beloved figures into our living room here in NYC - yes, it was a special moment when we got to see Prime Minister Howard's tear-jerking speech for a whole minute on CNN.
Okay - back to the TV; Hewitt is playing Gasquet in the US Open and is up two sets and winning the third set. By the way, we're going to the US Open women's final next Saturday night, which promises to be fun (even from the VERY cheap seats with probably a crappy view).
A.
posted by andrewstephen at 10:39 PM
1 Comments:
Hello! Yes, it was a great weekend, and yes, my feet (and shoes) got wet. Painful reality has been that after purchasing some great rainboots it has not rained!
:)
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