Jul 27, 2008

City to the Suburbs

This past week I was graced by the presence of the one and only Mr. Teen Heartthrob. He stayed a record 5 days and during this time, there was a lot of night time hitting the city on account of our ridiculous work and school schedules that keep us at respective locations till 9, 10, 11 pm. A few things we did in the city:
We took the Roosevelt Tram to Roosevelt Island. I've been wanting to do that since I moved here and finally all dreams came true. It was much larger than I thought. I think I expected more of a kings dominion experience where the cars are all tiny and just fit 4 adults uncomfortably. Not the case. Anyway it was a great 4 minute ride across the East River, and then a walk along the shore of Roosevelt Island with unparalleled views of the city. I felt so far away from the busy city that never sleeps. It was nice.


Being away from the city makes you feel a little less claustrophobic. And makes you wonder where all those empty cargo ships are headed. And how many bodies are at the bottom of the river.
That night we ate at Persepolis and had the most amazing Persian food. Hummus and a beet and pineapple salad for appeteaser. TH got salmon kebab and I got some eggplant and lentil curry. There were 4 flavors of rice to choose from - dill, orange and almond, and sour cherry. We tried the dill and the orange. Orange was the clear winner. If you're ever on the upper east side, I recommend this restaurant. I will be a return customer.

We also went to a Mexican restaurant next to my apartment building. The food was so-so.The waiters and the clientele are what made this place memorable. The table behind was had a few very inebriated kids who were really enjoying themselves. The waiters and them at one point broke out into a spontaneous "shake-off" which culminated with the waiter lifting his shirt and doing the body wave with his huge gut hanging out.Other things than food and eating that we did? We hung out on 5th avenue, just generally looking and being important (read: tourists)We also got out of the city for a day and went to the once-beloved home of TH: Princeton, New Jersey! We took the train there and explored the city a little bit. I got to see where TH used to stay up late in his hot lab coat, being all sexy and handling specimens and chemicals. I saw where he lived for a few years and let me just tell you, Ivy league student housing is extravagant. I saw Albert Einstein's house and Stargazers field and the campus that I recognized from the movie, A Beautiful Mind.
This is us getting off the train and TH saying "geeeeeez, woman, take it easy with all the picture taking."In Princeton, we went on an ice cream tour, wherein we tried 7 different kinds of ice cream from 2 shops. Bloat city. My favorite was a plum lavender blend or strawberry saffron.

We also went to Princeton Record Exchange, which is this transcendent store that buys and sells CDs, records, and DVDs for super cheap. I made a killing in that place: 7 CDs and 3 movies for under $40. AWESOME.

Princeton was a lovely little town where jazz quartets played on every corner, lines are always spilling out the doors of ice cream shops, and kids and adults alike sit in the park to enjoy a nice day. I loved it. I could easily live in a town some day, away from the crazy city life I currently enjoy.

Today we took a bus ride to church, and stayed the entire time, all 3 sessions (you should be proud) before TH had to head back to DC.
Now its back to the harsh reality of grad school. Oh, if anyone cares I did awesome on my presentation last week. Hooray for mirrors and imagining people in their knickers.

4 comments:

modestmuse said...

What a great time. It really feels like summer, doesn't it? Princeton sounds idyllic and fun to have an authentic tour guide.

Ireland Fam said...

You're still the hippest person I know. Your blog is the only one that makes me jealous of your life. You probably didn't even know I was stalking you. HA, I'm everywhere! I wish you the best.

this one said...

i found a cute picture of TH.

http://www.necn.com/files/2008/08/05/vlcsnap-1797019.jpg

hmmmm...

Julie said...

Hahaha. Looks like he got some new glasses. And he HAS been really secretive lately...