DAY TO DAY...

While I have visited New York City on numerous occasions over the years (usually on one or two week vacations) I have never before actually LIVED here. That assumes a two-month visit qualifies for 'living here' but hey--I have a New York City Library Card, so I'm almost a resident!

Here's another shot of where we live, Lincoln Center, taken from the corner of Amsterdam and 66th Street--Julliard, a fire station, and the aforementioned NYC library branch is to my back. When we arrived, New York was still recycling Christmas trees, and many apartment buildings would have piles of trees sitting on the sidewalk, awaiting pick-up. Which brings us to trash, which is put on the curb for collection on this day or that depending on the street you're on, and which is color-coded by bag for recycling or disposal.

While we have appropriated significant funds for restaurant extravagences (and more on that in a future blog) we still eat most meals at home, which means we had to explore the neighborhood to find food stores, all of which are WONDERFUL (if a bit more expensive than the Safeway or Publix back home). Closest to us is Balducci's, just down the block on the other side of 66th from Julliard (see photos). Further afield, there's Zabar's (Broadway around 77th) and H&H Bagel (the same) both of which have yielded numerous treats. On a day-to-day basis, however, we usually end up at Fairway (73rd and Broadway) a cramped and crowded store with a whole range of phenomenal goodies. The bins of various coffees (freshly ground while you wait) and their selection of cheeses and olives has been especially wonderful. We feel wealthy and decadent on a daily basis....

Dan

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