Just Having Fun

There hasn't been much to report in the last few days, we've been running around East and Westside Manhattan looking for a place to rent before Deb starts work soon. The story of the apartment search is a pretty boring one, but we've seen nice places, horrible places, plenty in between. So many so that we've started to lose count of them, they're all melding into one monstrous all-consuming thing from the abyss that is the NY rental market. This isn't particularly unique to Manhattan. If you've ever been on any apartment search yourself, I'm sure you know what I mean.

Everything in New York is more audacious, the people, the pets, even the wildlife. While Deb was busy talking to another broker about our cause, I hear a chirping in my ear and turn to see a little sparrow hopping around the skeleton of a little tree. It was only about a metre away from my head. This would be pretty boring to most of you, but I got some nice photos of it. As the Sydney born and raised boy that I am, I found it fascinating, becuase the only wildlife that ever gets near you is a seagull, and only if you're holding a chip.

I found it most funny that in a city so commercialised, animals are still so hospitable. It was after all in my first visit to NY where squirrels would play in Central Park at a similar distance to you, happily posing for photos (that's what I like to think they were doing anyway).

At the time we were up at one hundred and something-th street, and Deb pointed out that the diner that they so often used as a backdrop for Seinfeld scenes was up here. With time to spare, and having a metro nearby, we headed up, using it as a chance to explore the area as well.

 Well, here I am! I didn't go in, but it was nice just to go there after all those years growing up with American TV.

What did we have for lunch instead? Well, I can't tell you, I just have to show you.

Excuse the slightly deranged look. The cheese had already gone to my head. It was delightfully crispy, and with the relatively sensible portion of cheese on top (for the surface area), not actually that oily. The only downer was the tinned mushroom, but hey, it's cheap for a reason. We had ONE piece between the two of us, with a bottled drink to wash it all down. And it cost less than $8. How many ways can I say I love thee NYC.

After the lunch that filled our dietary requirement of guilt, we visited a few craigslist appointments to net ourselves some cheap homewares/furniture. Who would have thought we would run into fellow Australians.
From Sydney.
From near where Deb grew up
and where I went to school...
It really is a small small world. We got to talking as it looked like they had already worked their way into a bottle of wine. They made it seem like they were heading back just for Bondi. As we left their apartment with a shelf and a clippy light, we were very jealous indeed.

No matter, then it was off to meet Hilda at Eolos for dinner, a lovely, rustic and intimate little place specialising in Sicilian food, or so the menu seemed to indicate.

 

Deb is here looking wistfully at me, wondering what she's done to turn me into such a glutton, especially after my showing at lunch.

The decor of this place was just so thoughtful. One could easily pass time just noticing all the curios scattered around the walls, and pillars. And as their lights wound down for the night, we ventured out into the cold, and called it a night.