Midday Jaunt

The NYU kids across the hall took over the apartment yesterday to film part of their short, so after spending the morning cooped up in my room, I ducked out for a bit with the roomies to get some fresh air. Casey brought over his Rebel XT when he moved in last week, just in time for me to start taking some pictures over this beautiful 50+ degree weekend.

I've been meaning to get more into photography lately, mostly because New York is such a photogenic and visually rich city. This has been somewhat complicated by the fact that the only camera I own is a 3.2 megapixel dinosaur my parents picked up for me on a family trip to Japan back in 2003. The Rebel XT's a step up, but hopefully I can save up for a nicer DSLR in the next few months.

Anyway, the sun was out in full force today, hanging splendidly in a cloudless sky. Plenty of folks took advantage of the warmer weather, catching a late brunch outdoors in the crisp air. There's a Brazilian diner right across the street from my apartment that always seems to attract a good crowd, but I have yet to scope it out for myself. Directly across the street in either direction of the diner are two community gardens. People in the neighborhood tend their own flowers and bushes, but I particularly enjoy them for the random pieces of art that get thrown up around their fences.

Further down the street is Tompkins Square Park, home of riots and demonstrations as far back as the late 1800s, but probably most remembered for the political activists, drug fiends, and homeless folk that populated the grounds between the '60s and early '90s. Police enforced clean-up efforts and the gentrification of the East Village and Alphabet City mean its most common visitors these days are families and dog park goers, though. Less character, but at least the drunks still get their lean on most nights.

 

 

 

One of the best parts of living in the city is, of course, the seemingly endless options for good grub. I met up with Casey and Laurie as they were finishing up a late lunch at Motorino, the latest pizza hub to be crowned "NY's Best Pizza." That title gets thrown around a lot here, but it always seems to matter more when it's the New York Times doing the crowning. Funnily enough, the idiosyncrasies of their rating system mean New York's best pizza still only warrants one star. I don't think anyone's complaining, though.

A pit stop for some fried and frozen treats at Led Zeppole later, we headed over to the East Village Tavern, our regular watering hole. A solid selection of microbrews, a great staff, and an alarmingly luxurious bathroom make it the spot to be at most nights (and days).

This city's got so much to do, but sometimes it's just nice to get out and walk around. Breathe in that vibrant New York air.