Mmmm... schmear!

Yesterday was a pretty great day.

First, the quality of cable television was particularly high, resulting in day-long marathons of Hoarders, NCIS and Real Housewives of NJ. (I just admitted a lot about myself with that sentence, didn't I?)

Second, I didn't have to work- which meant that I got to out for breakfast. I'm not usually a breakfast person, but I make an exception for NY-style bagels. Lucky for me, there's a great bagel joint just down the street: Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company.
Not a great picture, I realize... I was just so excited to get inside and out of the heat! Of course, once I get inside I'm always torn: do I order the same ol' thing, or try something new? With oodles of bagel flavors to choose from, it's always a tough decision.
Add to that the myriad of schmears and cream cheese choices- and what's a girl to do?
Eventually I made my choice.
And to be honest, I went with the same things I always order...
A plain bagel with strawberry cream cheese. While that might be a tad boring...
When something looks and tastes this good, it's hard not to order it every day!
Thank you for stopping by- I hope you have a wonderful day!

Levain lovin'...

At lunch the other day, my coworker and I found ourselves on 74th Street.
It is no secret that I would love to live in one of these brownstones... (any brownstone for that matter)... but the brownstones on this street are extra special...
They're special because they share the block with Levain Bakery! (And no, I didn't jump back to the 1960's to take this picture- I just thought the extra editing looked kinda cool!)
If you've never been to this bakery, I recommend that you hightail it to 74th and Broadway STAT! The goodies that are baked in this basement abode floor me!
Here's what it looks like inside: a relatively small room, stuffed with everything you need to make the most delicious (and biggest) chocolate chip cookies in NYC!
Everything is made on the premises, so I didn't mind waiting a few extra minutes while my cookies came out of the oven. Here's the view up to the street...
And while these cookies are a bit pricey ($4 a piece), they're also a decadent treat... and especially good when shared with a coworker! (For the record, all the cookies are good- but my personal favorite is the Dark chocolate, chocolate chip!)
I hope you're having a wonderful Tuesday- thanks for stopping by!

The bakery on my block...

Remember the other day when SFS made me dinner? I evened the playing field by providing the dessert for that delicious meal! And while there are tons of yummy bakeries in my neighborhood, there was still one I hadn't had a chance to try. And considering that it's just down the block from my apartment, that's pretty pathetic. So, I stopped by for my first visit!
Though the awning was a little worse for wear, the treats inside were just about perfect. And when I left the bakery, I carried with me this tidy bag of sweets.
First of all, how much do you love the bakery string? It makes me think of candy canes and other sorts of festive holiday things.
(Since I live in Astoria, there's a healthy Greek representation.)
And as if I didn't love the bakery by now, the lovely lady at the counter put the 'syrupy' desserts in a separate container from the other desserts. That way the syrup wouldn't contaminate the non-syrup sweets... how perfect is that? And she came up with it herself, so I didn't have to ask for it and sound high-maintenance!
But enough about the packaging- check out the sweets: sticky, sweet, and scrumptious!
As for the other box, I'm sure the anticipation is driving you crazy... so here's a sneak peek:
Yep- those are chocolate filled tea cookies. YUM!
And while they look good in the box, they look even better on my mini cake plate!
Have I mentioned I like sprinkles?
Well, I do!
I hope you're having a good Friday. If you're up and about shopping this early, I hope things are still in stock for you. For everyone else, I hope you have a wonderful day snacking on leftovers!!

An afternoon on Arthur Avenue

On Saturday, SFS and decided to embark on an adventure... to the BRONX! After a subway ride and two different buses (the Q60 and Bx12), we made it to Arthur Avenue! It's the Little Italy of the Bronx! I had never been there before, but it only took a few minutes to fall in love. Unlike the Little Italy in Manhattan, this area was full of specialty food stores, restaurants, bakeries, butchers, and all sorts of other unique shops!

One of the first shops we stopped in was Tino's Delicatessen.
Along with a seating area for fresh pasta, there was a whole grocery section inside the deli... and most of the items were imported from Italy. Check out all the different kinds of pasta:
A few shelves away were the olive oils and balsamic vinegar... yum!
In the middle of the store was the deli counter, complete with hanging cheeses and meats!
As we meandered on down the road, we stopped in all sorts of stores.
Including this fresh fish market.
Admittedly, I let SFS go in alone... just looking at the live crabs outside made me a little queasy.
And seeing these dried fish a few stores further down didn't help much!
Another fun stop for SFS was this traditional butcher. I didn't take a picture of what was hanging in the window, but you can catch a glimpse of it along the bottom of this picture.
While SFS checked out the meat, I checked out the bakery next door. There were tons of bakeries like this along the block.
And every one of them had cases of the most scrumptious looking sweets!
Thanks for coming with us on our visit to Arthur Avenue. I have more pictures from our walk, which I'll post tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by- I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Farm fresh

This is where I exit the subway on my way to work every morning. Most days of the week, it's just another busy corner.
But on Thursdays, the Farmer's Market comes to town!
There are all sorts of delectable delights... from heirloom tomatoes...
To pumpkins just PERFECT for a pie or two.
The mums remind me that it's fall... though the chilly weather helps a bit, too!
I really like this farm's stand... they have all sorts of different apples.
With all the fruits and veggie crates, it's easy to forget that you're on a busy corner on the Upper West Side!
It's got to be quite a deal for the farmers- I can't imagine who can head through this area on the way to work and NOT buy something!
But don't worry- if fruit isn't your thing, there are LOTS of other things to tempt your palate.
I might have walked away with some cinnamon sugar donuts...
And boy, were my coworkers pleased with that! Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great weekend!

Walking home...

You know how there are always a couple of ways you can get home? For example, you might choose to only take back roads, or you might take a different exit off the expressway so you can run a quick errand before pulling into your driveway. Well, when I get off the subway in Astoria, there are a couple different paths I can take to get back to my apartment. Last night I chose to take the more residential route- and since I was so excited to have my camera back, I started taking pictures as soon as I could! Here are some of my favorites sights on 31st Street between Ditmars and 21st Avenue.

First, on the corner there is a florist that sells all sorts of herbs and garden plants during the summer. Every time I walk by, I imagine expanding my little 'garden'... but luckily the urge passes before I actually try to purchase anything!
A few shops down, there is this magical place.
I admit it- I've never been inside...
But only because I think they show everything you can buy in the front window! Crazy, right?
Next stop, one of the neighborhood bakeries. I stopped in this one to buy a little roll, and owner was okay with me taking a few shots of his bread window...
Although he suggested I come back in the morning when it's actually full! I didn't care- I still think it all looks fantastic!
I should mention that there are a lot of bargain stores on this block. Flip flops or towels anyone?
And last, but certainly not least, PICK 99 CENTS AND PLUS! (Yeah, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense.) This is like a dollar store, but things often cost a little more.
But I always stop in, because they often have some really good deals on stuff I didn't even know I needed. Like mugs!
Don't worry- I didn't buy any! Plus, this isn't the section that captures my attention...
I'm too busy in the office supply/party supply aisle- so much to look at!
I resisted the urge to buy something, and eventually made my home. Hope you enjoyed that little slice of 30th street... happy Wednesday!