GreenMarket - Christmas Edition

This weekend, I stopped by the GreenMarket at Union Square to see what was going on.
Believe it or not, this outdoor market stays open all year round. I don't often visit in the winter, so I was curious what would be available. Of course there were a variety of Christmas trees (although they were kind of sad)...
And small bunches of branches for big bucks (I thought my uncle, who is a forester, would get a kick out of these prices).
There were also oodles of apples...
Crates of carrots...
Piles of potatoes (check out all those different kinds!)...
And gobs of gourds!
I had a blast walking around and checking out all the stalls- almost as much fun as I had coming up with those alliterations! I was pretty surprised not to see more Christmas-themed goods, but maybe I wasn't looking hard enough. But I did spot this beautiful swag which looked pretty festive to me!
So while the GreenMarket may not be the most "merry" space in NYC, it's still a pretty fun place to stop- even during the winter!

Thanks for visiting my blog- I hope you have a great day!

If the shoe fits...

I went shopping the other day.
When I was in Union Square, I decided it was time to upgrade my footwear. So, I made my way to the second floor...
And found myself before the glory that is DSW!
How great is this store? Of course, once I walked in I immediately gravitated to these...
And then the heavens opened as I looked farther down the aisle- how many pairs of galoshes can one girl own without being considered "weird"?
And while I at least wear galoshes in my real life, there are other shoes that I don't think I can justify. However, I picked out a few pairs that I should probably buy "just in case"- you never know when the perfect shoes will come in handy! For example, I would wear these if I ever decided to be Errol Flynn for Halloween.
And I would wear these whenever I went mountain climbing.
These would be perfect if I had a weekend trip to Nantucket...
While these would be perfect with ANYTHING!
And while it's fun to pick out "dream" shoes, at the end of a long day my feet long for sensible things like this:
So maybe I can compromise with something sparkly and comfy!
And as I made my way towards the check out, I just had to snap a photo for my grandma...
Every summer she would treat us grand kids to a new pair of moccasins (I remember one summer when I got an awesome red pair). And now, Minnetonkas are lining the shelves of the shoes stores in NYC... go figure!
So there you have it- a trip to a discount shoe store in NYC... thrilling, wasn't it?
Thank you for stopping by- I hope you have a great day!

"Hot child in the city..."

Quick- can you name this area of NYC?
It's Union Square- were you correct?
I like spending time here! I usually grab seat on the steps along with my fellow New Yorkers...
And watch the world go by!
From this vantage point you can see the water tower on top of Filene's Basement...
And some of the larger buildings in the neighborhood.
Of course, on the day I was there the heat was unbearable- so every square inch of shade was occupied.
That didn't bother me- I was too busy taking pictures of random things- like light poles!
One of my favorite parts of Union Square is this statue of George Washington.
Ready for a little history?

The equestrian statue of George Washington, modeled by Henry Kirke Brown and unveiled in 1856, was first public sculpture erected in New York since the equestrian statue of George III in 1770 and the first American equestrian sculpture cast in bronze. (Courtesy of wikipedia)

Betcha didn't know that, right?
So there you have it- photos of a lovely summer afternoon at Union Square.
Thank you for stopping by- I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Plates and cups and dishes... oh my!

The other day, I spent my entire paycheck in less than 10 minutes.

Just kidding... I really didn't!

But if I had done something crazy like that, it would have been in this store:
I know you can hardly tell what store this is due to the crummy photo quality... but it's Fishs Eddy. I love this store! I've blogged about this wonderful place before, but I can't help but share some pictures from a recent shopping excursion I took. For example, here's what you see when you first enter the store:
They're glove molds... doesn't it look like they're waving? I love walking into this fabulous store and seeing something so unexpected! But it doesn't stop there- just around the corner was this awesome light fixture:
That's right- it's made out of wine glasses- could it be any cooler? And of course, I was drooling over the collection of white dishes... I desperately want a set of these in my kitchen! (So what if I already own one set of white dishes!)
Just a few feet away is this little nook, full of vintage plates, bowls, and mugs. I've found all sorts of treasures in this corner- as you can imagine!
But of course, this table always catches my eye- can you guess why?
Thanks for joining me on a little trip to Fishs Eddy (on Broadway and 19th Street)- I hope you have a great day!

Mesa Grill

Have I mentioned how much I love Restaurant Week? We had another wonderful meal last weekend when SFS' friends were in town. We ate at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. Have you ever been to this eatery just west of Union Square? I was excited to try one of Bobby Flay's restaurants- isn't it nice inside?
Our meal started out with yummy little rolls.
A whole basket of them, in fact!
And a few minutes later, our signature cocktails arrived. SFS had a premium margarita...
And I had a Fresca Margarita (tequila + grapefruit soda + lime juice)- it was AMAZING!!
For my meal, I started with SOPHIE’S CHOPPED SALAD (with Her Own Special Dressing + Crispy Tortillas). It was chunks of cheese, veggies, beans, olives, and tortilla chips.
SFS ordered the spicy salmon tartare on a warm hominy cake. I didn't try the tartare (shocker), but the hominy cake was nice.
SFS' friend ordered the BBQ duck taco, and was kind enough to take a picture of it for me- what a good sport!
And before long, our entrees showed up. Here's a deep fried/stuffed poblano pepper.
SFS' friend also ordered the PORK TENDERLOIN (with Bourbon-Ancho Chile Sauce + Sweet Potato Tamale with Crushed Pecan Butter). Isn't it pretty?
Meanwhile, the rest of the table chose the SIXTEEN SPICE CHICKEN (with Roasted Garlic-Mango Sauce + Buttermilk-Chive Mashed Potatoes). The chicken was perfect (and de-boned), and the potatoes were heavenly! After we'd enjoyed our fabulous meals, it was time for dessert. We tried the pineapple upside down cake with caramelized rum sauce + pineapple ice cream...
As well as the peanut butter and chocolate flan- it tasted just like a giant Reese's cup!
As you can tell, we enjoyed another wonderful restaurant week meal, thanks to Mesa Grill. If you'd like to visit this restaurant yourself, it's located on 5th Avenue between 15th and 16th Street. Thank you for visiting my blog- I hope you have a great day!