Let's Go Explore. Explore. Explore.

It's spring break, and I've pretty much only done two things:

1. Read in coffee shops and bakeries
2. Wander, often aimlessly, around New York City

I'd say that in the last week or so, I've probably walked at least a half marathon if not a full marathon. It's starting to get sunny out, and that pretty much only means one thing: Exploring. Everywhere. Mostly the Upper West Side.

On Saturday, I walked down through the Upper West Side to Central Park. I apparently forgot that my camera was capable of taking pictures for a while. I then met up with Jungle K and some of her friends down in Union Square for some delicious upscale dining hall food at Vapiano. Yum! Then we wandered around Greenwich Village and SoHo for some people-watching and sightseeing. The highlight of this trip was, of course, Washington Square Park:

Sand art in Washington Square Park

Random piano player in the (empty) fountain of Washington Square Park

On Sunday, I walked down the Upper West Side again to check out one of the biggest flea markets in NYC, Greenflea. Miss M recommended this market to me a few weeks ago, and I've been dying to check it out. Every Sunday from 10 am - 5:30 pm (6 in the summer) on Columbus between 76th and 77th Streets, The Parents Association of PS 87 hosts the market to raise funds for the school. Education AND thrifting? I'm IN. There were a ton of delectable treats and fun finds. I didn't buy anything (except a samosa because they're irresistible), but I definitely want to go back. What a fabulous find! Then I sat in Magnolia Bakery with a latte, a White Chocolate Fudge Brownie, and a good book.

Before heading back uptown, and taking in the view of course.

The Cathedral never ceases to amaze me.

Random Peacock on the Cathedral grounds. What the heck? Not complaining.

Today and Monday I made my gym trips into mini walking trips as well, finding some more fun things to photograph in the Upper West Side.

An ad that made me cry. No big deal.

I will seriously give money to whoever can tell me what these creatures are.

This whole thing made me really realize just how marvelous this city is. Where else can you just wander like this? While on these adventures, I also saw Lin-Manuel Miranda, writer and star of In The Heights. It's been a pretty fabulous week. It's a shame that the second half of it must be spent in the library.

Anyone else go on safari this week?

Marie! The Baguettes! Hurry Up!

also known as An Ode to Hungarian Pastry Shop
(that was going to be the title but it didn't fit with the song lyrics/movie quote theme... this one was BOTH!)

Ladies and gentlemen (Gentleman? Hi Dad!), I have found my zen.

There is a little coffee shop that has been in Morningside Heights for a million years. It's a local business, a piece of history, and a landmark. It combines everything I love and miss about quirky Gainesville (Coffee Culture Tuesdays, where did you go?) with everything I hoped for about artsy, local New York flavor. Am I exaggerating here? Is this place heaven on earth? I loved the mood lighting in this place too much to screw it up with my camera's flash, so I've graciously stolen these images from teh interwebz.

From the front, an unassuming local cafe. Nothing too special.
(Source - Plate of the Day)

But let me introduce you to...
THE PASTRY CASE.
There are actually two of them. Only one is pictured.
(Source - Ezter H. via Yelp)

Yes, I have been here three times, and I've never had anything that wasn't completely delicious. The first time, I was with my mom. We got two cappuccinos, an apple turnover, and some kind of peach pastry that I've since reordered as simply "Peach." I seriously can't stress this enough. Delicious.

Today I decided to mix it up and order an eclair. A puffy pastry is sliced in half, with rich creme filling the bottom half. It is then topped with fluffy chocolate mousse, followed by the other half of the pastry... which has been dipped in dark chocolate.

Seriously. Look yummier.
(Source - Cass A. via Yelp)

On my second and third trips, both this week, I discovered my second favorite thing about Hungarian Pastry Shop: free coffee and water refills, self serve. So you mean I could sit there ALL DAY and just keep drinking coffee? Um, yes. Obviously I don't since the coffee is decently strong, but it's nice to know during finals week I'll have the option. It's also nice to refill my water bottle from the icy pitcher!

Someone else's delicious setup. I'm pretty sure that's tea, but you get the idea.
(Source - phong-lan h. via Yelp)

So I order my pastry du jour and my coffee and find a table. I've been lucky, table-wise, so far. Today I snagged the last one. The company surrounding my study spot? Professors. Writers. Grad students. Maybe a few stray undergrads, but only the serious Ivy Leaguers. This place just makes me FEEL smarter. And every once in a while you'll get a local having a fascinating conversation; that's when having an iPhone with Pandora queued up and ready to go is a handy little tool. The lighting is dim, but there are sconces around the cafe, and my eyes were never straining to read my book. There's no wireless internet, but most of my reading is book-bound, so I don't mind. Also, the owner's kitties wander around, and they are quite adorable.

A fairly accurate description
(Source - Urban Photo)

Ok, bear with me on this one. I also love the bathroom. Sure it's small and there's usually a line. Honestly, in NYC, I'm just happy there IS a bathroom. But it's covered in graffiti. And not hateful, angry, racist graffiti like most of New York. Not even drunken, slutty, Greek life graffiti like most college towns. I mean, thought provoking, hippie protest, beautiful, quotable graffiti. Sure, there were some political statements I didn't agree with. But there wasn't any angry YOU'RE WRONG graffiti criticizing it - just differing opinions. My favorite piece?

Words to live by.
(Personal Photo)

And last but not least, the cafe is completely open, so you get the breeze, but you also get lots of street noise. I don't have a problem with this, since most of the street noise is bells coming from the towers of this famous Morningside Heights landmark, to be explored at a later date.

The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Magnificent.
(Source - American Guild of Organists, NYC Chapter)

To sum it up...
Five Things I Love About Hungarian Pastry Shop
1. THE PASTRIES
2. The free coffee refills
3. The ambiance
4. The bathroom graffiti
5. The neighbors

Let's Go Explore: Riverside Park

My To Do list for this week is pretty epic, but I'm refusing to let it get to me. As soon as possible, I need to switch cell phone plans, figure out where the heck my Apple iWork rebate ended up, AND find two long lost packages that made delivery attempts on Saturday before my mailroom opened. What's that, a cell phone company, technical support/customer service AND the US Postal Service? Maybe I'll go the DMV this week too, just for fun.

So this morning, after a failed trip to the post office to find my long lost textbooks, I decided I needed some kind of release. It's nice outside today, warmer than it has been, but not nearly as hot as it was last week. I decided to walk down to Riverside Park and see the Hudson, up close and personal.

Riverside Park stretches four miles along the Hudson River, from 72nd St to 158th St. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead (of Central Park fame) in the late 1800s. I am constantly amazed at the park system in this city. The way the walkways accommodate the naturally hilly landscape just astounds me. Although I only saw a small portion of Riverside Park today, I look forward to getting to know one of my closest parks a little better over the next coming weeks.

And of course, I never go anywhere without my iPhone, so here are some shots of the park this morning!

Pretty trees on one of the walking paths

Trees along the soccer field, with the river in the background

Hello Hudson! And a soccer game going on

A lovely shaded pathway
Not pictured: a ton of people and puppies out playing today