Yesterday was the kind of day that weekends were made for. After lingering in my pajamas for a few hours, I treated myself to a mini-shopping spree at Bolton's.
Bolton's is like Filene's Basement and Burlington Coat Factory--you have to wade through a lot of dowdy, older-skewing fashions to get to the finds. That said, I never leave Bolton's empty handed and yesterday was no exception. Within an hour, I found 3 tops, a pair of khakis and a breezy black dress -- all for $100. Much as my heart belongs to the pricier and trendier Ann Taylor LOFT, I can't deny that Bolton's is a worthy competitor for my shopping affection.
Sporting one of my new purchases (pale pink sleeveless top with gathered neck - $14.99), I met my friend Tiffany in the lobby and we went to see "Get Smart." An entertaining romp that provides enough belly laughs to offset the jokes that fall flat, the movie also showcases Anne Hathaway's evolution from Disney ingenue to style icon. She's a breath of fresh air in this day and age of Britney, Lindsay and the like.
After "Get Smart," Tiffany and I went for drinks (fruit smoothie for me, mochachino for her) at nearby Cinema Cafe, a casual bistro very conducive to girl talk and breakups. I've experienced both here, having called it a day with two boyfriends and spent many a meal analyzing the indiosynchrasies of the opposite sex.
Tiffany and I met recently for the first time, when I overheard her talking about "Sex and the City" and couldn't stop myself from chiming in about how much I enjoyed the big-screen version. It seemed only fitting to end the night curled up on my couch with a pirated DVD copy of the movie. Pirated copies have come a long way, and this slightly blurry version will do until the real thing (which should boast plenty of deleted scenes given that SATC's original cut was 3 hours+) comes out.
A $5 copy of SATC? That's my kind of bargain!
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Overheard in New York, July 4th Fun
Yesterday's action-packed Independence Day began with a subway ride down to Chelsea on the significantly less crowded E train. The absence of crowds is one of the perks of staying in NYC on summer weekends. As the glitterati and other trendy folk flee en masse to The Hamptons, etc., they leave the rest of us with a quieter and, dare I say it, gentler Big Apple. Let the staycation begin!
Strolling down 8th Avenue to meet my dear friend Leila, I overhear a guy tell his friend--
"I slept alone last night." He pauses deliberately before adding, "By choice. All the women who have my number...."
His voice trails off as I walk past him, leaving me to wonder how he finished the rest of that sentence. I suspected, though, that his solo slumbering was not necessarily by his own design.
Leila and I had a good laugh over this while making our way over to the West Village for lunch at Rare burger bar. I somehow managed to resist ordering the fry sampler plate with 3 varieties and 4 dipping sauces, opting instead to indulge in the truffle fries. Delish!
Our next stop was the newest outpost of Grom, the popular gelaterie, on Bleecker Street. Dessert was made even sweeter by the absence of Grom's typically long queues. The Tirami Su flavored gelato hit the spot.
We jumped on the 2 train to Wall Street and headed over to one of NYC's summer staples - the street fair. In between the ubiquitous cheap t-shirt and ethnic food stalls, we stumbled across some colorful gemstone jewelry. Leila convinced me to abandon my accessory comfort zone and purchase a chunky turquoise necklace. For $10 and a pair of matching earrings, how could I say no?
Finally, we arrived at the day's primary destination - the Lower East Side apartment of another soul sister, Amanda. She and her two roommates continued their tradition of holiday hospitality, welcoming about 25 of us into their fabulous home overlooking the East River. In addition to patriotic red and blue Jell-O shots, burgers, hot dogs, pizza bagels and Amanda's legendary four-layer dip, we feasted on yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting that put NYC's overhyped Magnolia Bakery to shame.
With a picture-perfect view of the fireworks, everyone burst into a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that made me think of my beloved late mom. Mom adored this country. Every Independence Day, she would belt out patriotic tunes, clapping her hands and marching in place excitedly while watching July 4th celebrations on TV. It is because of her that I appreciate how fortunate I am to be an American. Thanks, Mom.
Leila and I joined the crowd assembled on the terrace, where we had a good laugh with Ross, a master joketeller with an uncommon modern-day specialty in PG-rated humor. With perfect pitch, he says,
"A priest, a rabbi and an acrobat walk into a bar. The bartender says--what is this, a joke?"
A little later, Ross has us chuckling again when we overhear him talking about the social networking site he belongs to.
"All of the girls from high school who've chatted me up seem to be unhappy in their marriages," he says.
Maybe there's something to be said for singlehood after all.
Strolling down 8th Avenue to meet my dear friend Leila, I overhear a guy tell his friend--
"I slept alone last night." He pauses deliberately before adding, "By choice. All the women who have my number...."
His voice trails off as I walk past him, leaving me to wonder how he finished the rest of that sentence. I suspected, though, that his solo slumbering was not necessarily by his own design.
Leila and I had a good laugh over this while making our way over to the West Village for lunch at Rare burger bar. I somehow managed to resist ordering the fry sampler plate with 3 varieties and 4 dipping sauces, opting instead to indulge in the truffle fries. Delish!
Our next stop was the newest outpost of Grom, the popular gelaterie, on Bleecker Street. Dessert was made even sweeter by the absence of Grom's typically long queues. The Tirami Su flavored gelato hit the spot.
We jumped on the 2 train to Wall Street and headed over to one of NYC's summer staples - the street fair. In between the ubiquitous cheap t-shirt and ethnic food stalls, we stumbled across some colorful gemstone jewelry. Leila convinced me to abandon my accessory comfort zone and purchase a chunky turquoise necklace. For $10 and a pair of matching earrings, how could I say no?
Finally, we arrived at the day's primary destination - the Lower East Side apartment of another soul sister, Amanda. She and her two roommates continued their tradition of holiday hospitality, welcoming about 25 of us into their fabulous home overlooking the East River. In addition to patriotic red and blue Jell-O shots, burgers, hot dogs, pizza bagels and Amanda's legendary four-layer dip, we feasted on yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting that put NYC's overhyped Magnolia Bakery to shame.
With a picture-perfect view of the fireworks, everyone burst into a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that made me think of my beloved late mom. Mom adored this country. Every Independence Day, she would belt out patriotic tunes, clapping her hands and marching in place excitedly while watching July 4th celebrations on TV. It is because of her that I appreciate how fortunate I am to be an American. Thanks, Mom.
Leila and I joined the crowd assembled on the terrace, where we had a good laugh with Ross, a master joketeller with an uncommon modern-day specialty in PG-rated humor. With perfect pitch, he says,
"A priest, a rabbi and an acrobat walk into a bar. The bartender says--what is this, a joke?"
A little later, Ross has us chuckling again when we overhear him talking about the social networking site he belongs to.
"All of the girls from high school who've chatted me up seem to be unhappy in their marriages," he says.
Maybe there's something to be said for singlehood after all.
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