When my friend Aki comes into the city, it means lots of fun activities and lots of eating.
Los Tacos No. 1
The first thing was lunch at this popular place which I somehow have never been to. There was a line but it moved quickly, and while the place was packed, we managed to get some stand-up bar space.
We each got two tacos, one pork and one chicken. They were GOOD and much spicier than I was expecting. Afterward I felt the need for a palate cleanser and got soft serve black sesame ice cream from Cafe Zaiya near Grand Central. That really hit the spot.
The Cloisters
Almost every year I check out the costume exhibit at the Met. This time it’s Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, and it’s a little different than previous ones. Instead of being contained in one area, it’s spread out through the Met —
— as well as the Cloisters, which is where Aki and I went last weekend.
It’s not easy to get up there, which is why I rarely go. Since it was the weekend, we waited forever for that particular subway, and then the ride itself was very slow. However, we made it.
The museum was crowded. It focuses on medieval art and is usually pretty empty, but because of the costume exhibit, which closes tomorrow, it was packed with a line out the door. We both thought there must be a separate one for members, and walked past the long line. Some snotty girl was like, “There’s a line guys,” and we were both like, “Uh we’re members.” Just to be sure, I asked the guard, “I’m a member but should I wait in that line first?” and he told me just to go to the register. In your face snotty girl!
Seeing the costumes amid the medieval and religious art and artifacts was very cool —
— but the hordes of people made it not so enjoyable. Luckily my membership got us in for free (well, free for Aki) so we could leave quickly without feeling like it was a waste.
An unexpected walk through the park
We decided to take the bus instead of the subway to my apartment since it was a direct shot — or at least I thought it was. Usually it stops right near me, but for some reason that day it ended pretty far northwest. So we took a subway partway down and walked across Central Park. Unfortunately again I miscalculated and we had to walk around the Reservoir. D’oh! At least it was a nice day.
By the time we got to my apartment we were extra pooped as well as hungry. We hung out drinking old-fashioneds and eating random food (cheese, crackers, cucumbers, sardines).
For dinner we decided to make something at home rather than go to a restaurant. Aki got the idea of getting sausages at Schaller’s Stube Sausage Bar. While they’ll cook sausage for you, you can also buy them uncooked from the butcher/market area, which is what we did. In addition to a few different kinds of sausages, we picked up some good rye bread and (randomly) a cucumber for a vegetable on the side. We grilled up the sausages, slapped some butter on the bread, sliced the cucumber, and had another old-fashioned each. It was pretty satisfying.