When Bubby Comes to Town

First and foremost, thank you all so much for your positive comments on Ari’s “Wanderlust” music video.  (He’s also updated his Tour Belly page… check it out!) I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of changes come August 25, the date of their record’s release, and I’m excited you’ll all be able to experience it, too

Breakfast yesterday was weird, but very tasty:

Daisy Brand 2% cottage cheese with 1 plum, a few strawberries, 1/2 banana and 1 T PB2.

I haven’t had time to get to the gym much this week, as you may have noticed, so I’ve been running more often than usual.  I went for a 2 mile jog yesterday, stopping to walk a couple times for 20-30 second breaks on the way back.  When the end is in sight, I often peter out and get more tired.  Does anyone else have this problem? I think I need a running buddy! When I ran in Michigan with Judy, I did 3-4 miles easily.

When I got back from the run, I did Level 3 of 8-minute Abs.  I forgot to turn my HRM off, so these stats aren’t 100% accurate:

Total time: 42:42 minutes

Maximum heart rate: 191 (96%)

Average heart rate: 136 (68%)

Calories burned: 318

On the way into the city for my haircut, I snacked on an apple:

My hairdresser (whom I hadn’t seen for 15 years; he used to cut my hair when I was little and pretty much gave me the exact same haircut I had when I was 2… I love it! I’ll have to find you an old photo) was in Caitlin’s neck of the woods, so we met up for lunch at Bouley Bakery.

I’ve been wanting to try out David Bouley’s new place for so long, and this did not disappoint.  It has everything! Fresh organic meat and fish:

A hot bar:

Cold salads:

They even have sushi!

We both decided to build killer salads.

Mine had:

• spinach
• arugula
• tomatoes
• feta
• whole wheat pasta shells with walnuts
• beet salad with walnuts
• marinated Chinese mushrooms & tofu
• asparagus
• lobster/bean salad

I dressed it with a little oil and vinegar.

I wanted some bread, so I got a whole wheat roll with sesame seeds.

Our tummies were pleased.

After lunch, we wanderd over to Moomah, a coffee shop that, we agreed, is like Alice’s Teacup for toddlers.

The design is whimsical and artistic, like stepping inside a children’s book.

Yes, I’m that creeper who takes pictures of the bathrooms…

… but even that is beautiful!

They sell handmade toys and gorgeous dresses (that, rumor has it, Caitlin’s mom is trying to get them to sell for “big girls” like us).

Everything is perfect, down to the plastic to-go coffee cups.  I was low on cash and pushing my 3 PM-coffee-cutoff (which I think I’ll be adjusting to 5 PM on days that I work), so I just admired Caitlin’s iced latte.

Then, just as the rain was starting to come down, we scurried underground and took the subway to MoMA.  The exhibit was absolutely beautiful.  So many colors!

I especially liked Paul Signac’s Portrait of Félix Fénéon:

We started to get a little tired and needed a Smarties pick-me-up.  C and I first discovered our love for Smarties on a camp trip to Quebec in 2002; when I saw these in Berlin I had to snag her a box.  They’re like M&Ms, but with a harder shell and better chocolate.

After we looked at a few more exhibits, we parted ways and went home.  Dodging raindrops (who needs an umbrella?), I ran from the subway to the house to be there in time for Ari’s Bubby and aunt’s visit.  After catching up with them a little, we all went to Sac’s for dinner.  There aren’t any kosher restaurants within walking distance, so we decided on Italian instead.

I had 1 piece of tomato focaccia:

I was a bad girlfriend and ordered spinach fettuccine with shrimp in garlic & oil (shellfish is not kosher).

I ate all the shrimp and half the pasta.  The bottom of the bowl was filled with about 1/2 inch of oil; it’s odd that I ordered this considering I work in an Italian restaurant and can get it for free any night, but I was in the mood.

After saying goodbye, we left to go pick up the rest of Ari’s family from the airport.  There were all kinds of complications with their flight (baggage claim, missed connections, customs, etc.) and we ended up spending three hours at the airport.  No matter, because on the way home, we stopped at… Coldstone!

I went all out and ordered a “Like It” cup of Sinless Sweet Cream w/ 1 Reese’s PB cup, peanut butter, and hot fudge.  Coldstone is no Oink’s, but I still savored every bite.

We were pretty exhausted by the time we got home (Ari’s sister had been up for 24+ hours) and went right to bed.  It was a good day

Hope you have a great Friday! I’ll be working, but I have a good feeling that this week will be much better than last. What are you up to this weekend?