I've had so many adventures since my run and near-lockout on Saturday! I spent the rest of the evening getting oriented, putting together a calendar of potential activities, and contacting friends in the city to see when they were free
Sunday morning I headed out early to get some groceries and other provisions. I stopped by Target for a few household necessities, and then did my best to buy healthy food at the healthy food store so E would be proud! It was a muggy, overcast day, but I went for my run anyway. I've noticed a couple of things while I've been out jogging and touring around.
First, people here seem to walk on the left, Continental-Europe-style. It's not that the sidewalks are so crowded that they just walk wherever there's space. This is true even early on Sunday mornings; the sidewalks were wide open. There are few other people. Everyone walks to the left. Maybe they're all French? Unlikely.
Second, the reused plastic bag is a big deal here. I think the reusable bag in general is a big deal because often people need to take a lot of stuff with them when they leave for the day. Maybe you need to take lunch, an umbrella, a change of clothes for the gym, etc. But for some reason the grocery store plastic bag has cornered the market here, where in other cities it's probably more common to see a large purse, messenger bag, or reusable canvas bag.
There is an enormous Mardi Gras-esque West Indian Carnival in Brooklyn on Labor Day, and I'd heard from a couple of people that the whole thing is completely insane, and if you're not of West Indian or Caribbean descent, you should just get the hell out of Dodge. I did. Here's how:
Sunday night, I went with my friend L to see Fuerza Bruta in Union Square. Prior to seeing the show, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Now that I've seen the show, I'm not quite sure how to describe it. It's some combination of acrobatics and performing arts, with a bit of audience participation added for good measure. It was super high-energy, although L pointed out that the pacing of the show seemed to be a little off. Each segment when on a little to long and dragged the energy level down a bit, when the lights and the music were still flashing and pumping. It seemed a little incongruous in some way, but the show was still really interesting.
I spent Sunday night at L and J's place in Jersey City, but not before stopping for a most delicious and most desperately needed cherry vanilla malt from Torico's.
Monday morning, Labor Day, started out with a strong coffee from Dames Coffee, and then we were off for the day to Cape May, NJ. It was overcast and incredibly muggy, but at least not miserably hot out. Cape May is an adorable town, exactly what you'd expect from a Mid-Atlantic seaside vacation spot.
We spent some time at the beach (sorry for my dirty camera lens - it was windy and impossible to keep clean), and wandered in and out of shops, avoiding the one powerful but brief rainstorm of the day.
L and J chatting in the sand
Then we found the miracle of miracles in West Cape May: a joint shop that sold homemade organic ice cream called Bliss (I had two scoops: cinnamon clove and honey orange creamsicle) and a restaurant called Good Earth Organic Eatery, where L and J got their dinners. I had roasted squash, a taste of smoky vanilla ice cream (which had not been an option when we made our purchasing choices), and a delicious honey lemon green tea. Next door was the Seaside Cheese Company, where I got some bagel chips, blueberry stilton, and wine-soaked pecorino. What a dinner!
Words of wisdom from a Cape May fence post. Smart, those fence posts.
And then, the long drive back to the city.
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