Discovering in the City

When I was in NYC last weekend, I wandered around the city.  It may not have been the best idea seeing as it was 23 degrees outside, but when I'm by myself, I take advantage of the opportunity to wander.  Because when I'm with other people, my wandering annoys them.  In my wandering, I made 2 fabulous discoveries.  Ok, maybe these discoveries weren't technically happened upon - I knew where they were, and they were both on the list, but they weren't in the plans for that particular day, so I'm calling them products of my wandering, so there.

First up was Penelope; a fabulous Brunch place on Lexington Ave.  I sort of assumed, based on the website that it would be a lovely and large place full of tables.  I also assumed that because there was snow on the ground and New Yorkers tend to sleep in, I'd be one of only a handful of people there.  Not the case at all.  When I arrived at 10:00 the line was about 10 people deep in the teeny tiny place of about 20 tables.

Luckily, being a party of one comes with advantages - snagging the one lonely seat in the corner at the bar, immediately upon walking in.  Slightly cramped, but fabulous nonetheless. From there I enjoyed a pot of NY Breakfast tea that was out of this world, and a Penny Egg Sandwich - scrambled eggs, bacon, mozzarella and pesto on a croissant.  So delicious! Everyone around me were ordering giant plates of crazy french toast and pancakes, but this sandwich was so much better!  I definitely planning on going back again with friends and family, but maybe when it's a bit warmer outside.  If it's more than just me, I assume we'll be waiting for a table for a long time.

After brunch, the goal was to go down to the Library to see a theatre exhibit I've been dying to see.  Of course, I missed the fact that it was Sunday, and the library opens at 1:00 on Sundays.  At this point, it was about 10:30 - great.  So that's when plans changed to The Strand aka Heaven on Earth.  The Strand in Union Square is a GIANT bookstore that houses "18 blocks" of books.  That's their claim to fame.  And they certainly live up to that slogan.

The place is enormous and stuffed to the gills with every book you can imagine - used and new.  On top of all the books, there are bookish prints, and bags, and toys.  They even have a craft supply section.  See what I mean? The place is a National Treasure.  It was by far the best hour I've spent in a very long time!

So the next time you're in NYC, I strongly recommend wandering and changing up your plans every now and then.  You never know what you might find!