Back in Manhattan after having lived here a year ago, I am soaking up every moment of the Big Apple.  We love it here so much. Whether it is Times Square or Madison Square Park, there is no place like this on Earth. You never know what you will stumble upon like this dude in Union Square park just killing it with his violin-I’ve never seen people give money so freely to a street musician and, yes, I added to his pile of well deserved cash. Play on!

Today, after going to the nearest UrgentCare for a TB test (results to come Tuesday), I decided to hit all my favorite places while Thom went to a Mets game with his high school friends.  Baseball game-why, no, I’d rather go to the dentist or pump gas or fill in the blank of whatever you hate to do.  Sleeping in till 1 p.m. (combination of Eastern Time and staying up till 2 a.m. after a delayed flight), I took off south on Lexington Avenue from the Grand Hyatt at Grand Central-a really great hotel centrally located to walk everywhere.  My diet today will consist of:  .99 cent Pizza, bagel with butter and black/white cookie with some wine and coffee thrown in for much needed hydration.  Delicious AND nutritious!

On a beautiful sunny day in NYC, everyone was out walking.  Lots of gorgeous people and interesting characters to see.  Dirtier than China with trash bags in heaps everywhere, at least the bathrooms are slightly nicer here.  Now, you know you’re a true New Yorker when you know where to score a bathroom–yes, Barnes & Noble is your best bet for a decent public facility.  Checking out their book signings coming up, I was thrilled to see Diane Keaton is signing her new book Thursday night so we’ll probably check it out.  Love her!  Then I shopped with the masses at Nordstrom Rack–everyone was standing in line for the cashiers but I was Seattle-smart and knew that all the employees carry mobile POS–they were just not advertising that fact as they were picking all the shit off the floor that the slobs had thrown down.  Really people–that’s just rude.  I think everyone should work apparel retail for at least a week and then they wouldn’t be so quick to trash the floor and fitting rooms.

After buying up all the necessities I can’t find in China, I was off to Fish Eddy, a quirky dish store selling lots of eclectic fun stuff .  Then I had to get a bagel to sustain me on my 2 mile walk back to the hotel.  Strolling through Madison Square Park by the Flatiron Building, our old neighborhood, the lines were long at the Shake Shack, a really popular burger joint I never made it to when I lived here–maybe this week we’ll find time.

Izaak went to the Madison Square dog park every day when we lived here and Thom made lots of friends there while the dogs played. Ahh, the memories! Nearby, I stopped by Toshi’s Living Room, a cool club where the house dog is front and center greeting customers.  Talking to Toshi himself, he advised me to stop by Monday night when the Broadway singers stop by on their night off and take to the mic.  I’m there!  Later in the evening, hooking back up with Thom after his much needed nap after the ball game (Thom has SUCH a tough life–Go Mets 4-0), we went to Rockefeller Center to hang out. I can’t believe the ice skating rink was still going strong in late April.  Several times, uber-friendly Thom took photos for tourists, who were astonished that anyone would be so friendly in NYC. Some day, we will find a way to live here again.