Running around the city...

After the MOMA experience, John & I started heading towards some of the shops on our list. Take it from me, trying to imitate a giant inflatable rat takes a lot out of you. So we started looking for lunch.

And by a stroke of luck, 'wichcraft appeared. One of a chain of Tom Colicchio's sandwich shops, this was definitely a place high on my list to try. The guy's won like 5 James Beard Awards, and he's the star of Top Chef. (The name is a play on "Craft," his original NYC restaurant.) The atmosphere was spare & casual; a perfect, comfortable lunch spot.

John had the meatloaf sandwich (with cheddar & bacon!) and I tried the grilled gruyère& caramelized onions on country bread. Totally not at all surprisingly, it was delicious! And the gourmet peanut butter sandwich cookies & lemon Pellegrino also rocked. 

I will say, though, I make a helluva sandwich myself. My current favorite is the turkey & bacon with pepper jack & fresh, homemade guacamole on toasted asiago semolina. (Sometimes I switch out the guacamole & pepper jack for goat cheese & balsamic glaze, which is also quite good.) I must tip my hat to Colicchio, though, for the color of the toasted bread. You win this round!

Ok, where was I? Oh yes! New York! Here is a large Hallmark store in Times Square, masquerading as a NY gift shop / toy store / plush jungle / crap depository:

The Shoebox display looked good... minus the SIGNS FROM 2007?! I can hear Steve's eyes rolling in unison with mine.

The storefront at Kinokuniya Japanese Books, which had cleverly sneaked out of its Rockefeller Center location & reappeared in Bryant Park. Took us a while to find it! That shiba book is a must-find (I didn't have room in my bags for books):

This t-shirt is perfect for me, don't you think?

Love the architecture of the police station near Canal Street:

We were down there trying to find a purse for John's wife. (We didn't, unfortunately, though we put in a valiant effort!) I unexpectedly found an awesome Tokidoki purse!

Then we hit kidrobot, Giant Robot and more:

And at some point I accidentally
took a photo of my boob with my phone:

Probably because we were in such a hurry to get over to the reception preceeding the Louies (annual greeting card awards) at Chelsea Pier. The ceremony was fun & some very deserving (and very excited!!) people took home a Louie.

Night in Times Square

   Having arrived safely in New York and satiated myself with Nobu, I took a stroll around the city. I was keenly aware of how safe Times Square seemed compared to prior visits; there was a strong police presence and I felt completely comfortable walking around by myself even late at night/early in the morning. Here's the view from my room on the 32nd floor of the Crowne Plaza Times Square. (They left a welcome bag with eye mask & earplugs on my bed.  But I wore myself out so thoroughly every day that I never needed them!)

   I also remarked on how easy it was to get around the city; it used to seem so huge, but after just a couple of hours I had figured out the lay of the land. I think, too, that after visiting Tokyo, no place will ever feel "too big" again!

A church just down the street from Nobu:

Fun window at Kate's Paperie:

I took this one for Joan. He was a very sweet horse:

"Date Night" was featured all over the city, which I was pleased to see, since it was actually very good!

I allowed myself to be talked into a pedicab ride; a nice excuse to get off the high heels for a bit. The weather was perfect: clear & cool, in the 70s. A beautiful night for a ride!

Pointing out the sights (and, also remarking that he felt like he was driving an empty pedicab, since I was so light!):

Deja vu:

Too bad I didn't have time for a show!

Near Rockefeller Center:

Another tourist took this photo for me, and then one of his own. (I guess he had never seen a beautiful girl in a pedicab before. LOL)

At the end of the ride, I walked a bit more:

A little foreshadowing for my day on Canal Street:

Glitzy McD:

What's that creepy Peanut doing on the beach??

   One of the best things I learned on this trip is that not only am I capable of traveling by myself, I actually enjoyed it. That was unexpected. I was really upset when I learned that Camille couldn't join me, but knew I had to make the best of it. And I did. And it was awesome. I learned that traveling alone opens up a wealth of new experiences, because you're available to talk to strangers, since you're not talking with a companion. Not to say that it's necessarily a better experience, but it is very different and just as fun. I felt very open to possibility.