A "P" KINDA WEEKEND.

I just realized that almost everything I did this weekend was related to the letter "P". (Did I put the period in the right place in that sentence??)

Friday was one of the first glorious days of the season in the city. The month of April is a weather forecaster's worst nightmare because the weather is totally schizophrenic and you can't fool the public as easily as in winter or hot summer months. For example - it can be sunny yet cold. Your body's solar-meter (your body's ability to recognize solar energy) is all thrown off because it sees the sunshine, but it doesn't feel the warmth. Well this past weekend was different because it was both sunny and ranged between a comfortable 60-70 degrees.

Due to wonderful weather and a wonderful boss, I was released at 2pm and went straight to the Post office. There, I got a money order for $130 made out to the Brazilian Consulate for my visitor's visa. After that, it was off to Bloomingdale's where I discovered Memoire Liquide in the Perfume section.


Memoire Liquide began 25 years ago in Santa Monica, California. I was lucky enough to actually be helped by the amazingly sweet and humble owner, Jen (and also met her sister and co-owner, Robin). It is a perfumery that holds hundreds of different base fragrances in little vials. You can mix, match, and blend all types of delicious, spicy, fruity, musky, clean, and flowery scents. Either choose one scent you love and have it made into a spray, lotion, or body wash...or (if you are like me and unable to make normal purchasing decisions) buy the tri-fragrance pack (where the scents come in tiny bottles with a convenient roll-on applicator). The concept is based on the fact that scents can activate and trigger your memory. I chose one scent that was heavy on the vanilla overtones (which is similar to my normal everyday Flowerbomb perfume), one that had a bit of spice and reminded me of my ginger oil diffuser from Origins, and one that had a very tropical, floral scent which reminded me Hawaii. Specifically of Ala Moana Mall. The great thing is that I can wear each of these scents individually or I can mix the vanilla with the spicy (which smells really great), the spicy with the tropical (which also smells really great), and maybe even the vanilla and the tropical (which I haven't tried yet). I don't remember any of the names of these scents, but that's OK because they keep all of your scents on file at the boutique!!! Highly recommended for those who want a perfume that isn't mass-produced or easily recognizable.

The night pleasantly ended with a rooftop Party at the Empire Hotel. I had to add this in, because it fit in nicely with my "P"-themed weekend.


Saturday was the perfect day for a Painful bike ride. We rented bikes for $5/hour from the bike shop next to our apartment and went for a ride around Central Park, out onto the East Side and all the way down to South Street Seaport, and then back up the West side along the Hudson River. It's about an 18 mile ride (the Google Pedometer that D so kindly mapped out for us pictured above includes a scary hill in Central Park that we opted to NOT attempt conquering). It was a two hour trek, but well worth the pain and soreness later. And also quite re-affirming that the West side is far more beautiful than the East side.


Afterwards, it was time for a Picnic in Central Park. Just about everyone in Manhattan and its surrounding boroughs had the same idea - and that was to find a small patch of green in Sheep's Meadow, lay out a towel, and bask in the sun. What an amazingly diverse group of people all crammed together the one lawn in Manhattan that is larger than 2' x 4' - New York has this wonderful ability to bring all different types of people together into one area, peacefully co-exist, and enjoy one of the last free things in life.


Despite the picnic, we were still hungry once the sun began to set. So we headed over to Patsy's in the Upper West Side for some brick-oven Pizza. Patsy's was supposedly New York's first pizzeria restaurant (opening in 1933) and now has several locations throughout the city. Patsy Lancieri was the uncle of Patsy Grimaldi and taught little Grimaldi everything he knew about New York style pizza - Grimaldi would later open up my favorite pizzeria, Grimaldi's, in Brooklyn. Boy - who knew pizza could be such an empire and family enterprise!!! What it would be like to marry into this family...and for the record, I think Grimaldi's is better.

After a day of bike-riding, sun-poisoning, and shoveling down three slices of pizza - it was time to Pass out on my couch while watching You've Got Mail. A pretty uneventful Saturday evening, I know.


On Sunday, M came into the city for some bridesmaid dress shopping!! After our shopping excursion, we had a late lunch at Penelope - a very cute, homey cafe and bakery. The decor is a little worn in, they open the shutters, and they write the menu on old-fashioned chalk-boards.


I ordered the Penny Egg Sandwich, which was scrambled eggs, American Cheese, soy sausage, and Pesto on an english muffin. Very simple but extremely delicious and tasty. I want to find out what brand of soysage they used!!! It was really great! I also ordered a side of greens but unless you REALLY want JUST a side of greens with a light dressing and a sprinkle of three craisins, it is not worth the $6...when I could have just gotten another sandwich.

After lunch, we headed over to Park Slope in Brooklyn - which I discovered that I absolutely LOVEEEE. It is super cute, has snazzy-yet comfortable-looking restaurants, and smaller mom & pop shops. It's what Hell's Kitchen should be.

Despite it being only about an hour since our last meal, we decided it was necessary to order once we were seated at Beet. And I do not regret this decision!


I ordered the Thai iced tea, which almost everyone at the table proceeded to do once they tasted how amazing it was.


A and I shared the Crab and Avocado salad. Absolutely delicious!! Half an avocado topped with a fresh crab salad and fish roe - though a little mayo-heavy it was not very heavily-spiced so we were able to enjoy the fresh taste of the crab, the added salt from the fish roe and the natural texture and creaminess of the avocado.


I also had the Thai Crepe - which really wasn't a crepe at all and more like 4 dumpling-type globulars that were filled with peanut, radish, and scallion and topped with sun-dried tomatoes. Great texture and interesting dish!!! I don't necessarily think that sun-dried tomatoes should be married to peanuts, but I didn't mind the flavor combination.

We then watched the motion Picture film, Adventureland...which made me kind of sad inside. A little too awkward, a little too unnecessarily dramatic, and a little too annoying to watch.

OK I don't know how to end this post. I wish I could be insightful and give you something interesting to think about, like the Pirates...or Obama's new Portuguese water dog. I'll try harder tomorrow. Peace out, everyone!