Daily Bread

Breads and pastries always make a good day-starter.  That and a super hot cup of coffee and a mind intent on running around a park free of dogs.  Well, the first two happened this morning, the running didn't.  We happily found this Japanese Bakery with breads named Kobe Cream, Sunrise and Green Tea. There were rolls embedded with shumai, teriyaki balls and of course, noodles.  I swallowed the Sunrise with its toasty sugary top and kept the one with Kobe cream for later.  Later, we looked for a trail in the part but found ourselves in the middle of toddler soccer games and putting course.  So much for running since it was by then already noon.  Meanwhile, the Kobe cream awaits...

Inked

As Saturday mornings are, this one went down a little differently.  Something seized me and drove me to  actually take a pen to paper.  It was strangely, quite a homecoming.  Never mind that I was almost a month late for someone's birthday.  Now, I just need to remember to mail the thing.  I am not even sure how much those things cost anymore...

Who Stays on Wall Street?

It had been weeks - over a month, really, since the trip.  The pictures are starting to look strange.  The trouble with these things going digital, one thinks one will remember....  Anyway, we went to New York City - early July - for one of those vacations that promised to be hectic for sure.  NYC did not dissapoint at all.  I am getting winded just thinking about it. 

We stayed in a place tucked under the shadow of the Trump building.  I love how the spot did not look touristy at all yet all these tourists were all over the place.  Sign of the time was seeing people take photos of the NYC Stock Exchange tickler while they were giving it the finger.

It took us exactly two fights to get the subway system down, but we did.  We were somehow able to find a.) Peking Duck dive hidden in plain sight in Chinatown; b.) the Empire State Building - which almost felt like following the North Star; c.) the chaos that was Times Square. 

I wish they'd leave this place alone. 

 The duck was good but we were leery at the whole process of only taking order for the entire duck which was then paraded in front of you in its cooked entirety, then whisked to a side bar to be cleanly sliced and the rest taken back to the kitchen...

 There was a party in one of the balconies of this building.  We could hear it all the way where we stood at the Empire.

Iconic NYC food cart.  Disorienting to see and smell at midnight.

Just so happened to pass by.  Serendipitous. 

The mosh pit that was Times Square.  I could not stand it - literally.

From Charm City to DC in a Wink.

Oddly, I am nibbling on saltines again, but this is really about Baltimore and my trip to Washington DC on a lark.  The humidity really surprised me - it was kind of liberating to walk around with bare arms and legs late into the night without a single thought on a coat or a wrap for that matter.  Literally, I landed on the Charm City and then hopped on a train to DC.  It was a Sunday and there was a Giant BBQ fest going on so there were crowds everywhere.  From the Union Station, we jumped into a Circulator bus hoping that it would take us straight to the Mall, but alas, the driver's locale IQ was no better than ours.  So he deposited us on some corner from which we followed the signs for at least two miles to the National Mall.  It was just as well, because the walk turned out ideal for the kind of time we had for DC immersion - about three hours!  In a span of that, here are what we saw:

Baptist Church along the way.

One of the many buildings that looked the same way.

The Gothic-ness of the Union Station

Outside one of the 8 or 9 Smithsonian Museums

The Lincoln Memorial looked this way after two miles of walking.

Not the most poetic angle - the pool had been drained and the buildings crowd behind.

Random Olmec head outside the Museum of Natural Sciences

If only I can ride a bike....

I think this was designed by Ralph Lauren

stone garden

I was really tired.

At the bottom of the Post.

He was majestic.

Another one...

Sneaked into the lobby while one went to the bathroom.

One of the many street entertainers.

If we were legit tourists...

It was big.

The gown.

Did not see these two in flesh.

It Rained in Spain

Well, it rained cats and dogs, but we came anyway.  The De Young was drenched to its steel and granite bones, but still looked glam.  The traffic was horrid on the way there - two overturned cars, mini-pile ups and several close calls.  Only the sugary apple bun and coffee could calm our wet and ruffled spirits down.  You wouldn't know it was raining inside the museum though.  For some reason, there were a bunch of field tripping little girls trolling the Balenciaga exhibit being herded by docents with high-pitched voices singing odes to this hat and that bolero.  The kids were not comprehending for sure.  Even I stared with want for being balled over by the nunnery wear and square shaped gowns.  Some of the pieces predated Lady Gaga quite a bit.  All in all, the hyped up importance was a bit lost on me but appreciated the effort to align fashion with the Spanish Civil War.  The dim sum feast afterwards proved to be more satisfying and the trip to Fillmore district yielded even more satisfying finds - like a $13 Mizz Mooz sandals that saved certain feet from death.  The mid afternoon snack at the Citizen Cake was sadly a downer. The pomp and circumstance did not match the creamsicle concoction that tasted like orange chicken and the brownies and cupcake were too average for the cost.  All in all, it was a good day.