catko

On the way back from SoHo, stopped at the Corner Cafe Shop (or Corner Shop Cafe, I forget which) which I think might end up being my hangout. When I was thinking of this trip, one of my ideas was to find a local bar to hang out in, just to be out at night and maybe meet some people. But the bars on my street are all loud live music young drinkers' bars. This is a cafe and bar and restaurant open to the street, with organic food and whatnot, couple blocks from the place. More my kind of thing, not that I knew I had a kind of thing.

Rearranged the apartment. I'm realizing that I really lucked out with this place, with the view, the loft, the open windows, and the fact that it doesn't face the street with the noisy late-night bar hoppers. Around 6, we headed out to the East Village, which has a very different feel, more ethnic, and seems quieter. Our destination: the Niagara Bar, and the Joe Strummer tribute mural.

I posted here about Joe, he's one of my heroes, and ever since I found the video linked there, of a guy painting this mural right after he died,   I vowed I would see it one day. Today was the day.

Don't know what else to say. Lori and I were both in tears just being there. We wished we'd brought a candle or something. Funnily enough I'd just bought two candles at Aveda, but I wouldn't have wanted to use a $12 aromatic oils candle just to leave on the street, so.

Stopped at a restaurant NOT mentioned on our list (Banjara,1st and 6th) and had really wonderful Indian food. Indian food always seems so....salubrious, like the spices and stuff are good for your chi or something. I had a student that said a lot of the herbs are medicinal, so maybe that's it. I had coconut milk in an actual coconut! It was good, nice and sweet.

Back to the apt to upload photos and post, chat a bit online, and watch the All Star Game. I told blue and kathyk we did that instead of seeing fireworks at Central Park, so I guess we're bad tourists.

By the way, the weather is still amazing. So lucky. Of course, I'd be loving this even if it was 95 and humid, but this just makes it seem so much more the right thing to be doing.


   

I'm kind of getting into arranging these little still lifes of our meals. Not bad for a phone camera. And the mural shot, Lori says it's hard to take a picture when you're crying, but I think it came out good.