I mentioned in my Christmas post that I took a little day trip to NYC this past Monday. It’s trips like these that makes me wish I lived in a big vibrant city sometimes!
It was the day before Christmas Eve, but we didn’t do the normal tourist stops like Times Square and the Rockefeller Center. Guided by my Manhattan-resident cousin, we explored New York City like a true New Yorker.
First was the hour long train ride on the Long Island Railroad to Penn Station.
We passed by 1D World! Confession: I’m a One Direction fan. Not a huge one but who can dislike their catchy tunes?
After a bit of struggling (NY subways don’t like to be on time) we made our way to East Village. Our (my) goal was to visit a yarn shop. I’m not sure that my cousins and brother enjoyed it as much as I did. We all also wanted to go a little thrift shopping and to grab some of the best eats in New York according to my cousin.
This song is becoming more and more the theme to my life.
There’s a thrift shop on just about every corner of East Village so there was no trouble finding one. We stopped in the first one we saw. Great finds while thrift shopping is really based luck and I just didn’t find anything I really liked, especially now that I’m trying to build a capsule wardrobe. One of my cousins found some things so after his purchased we walked a few more blocks to Downtown Yarns.
Downtown Yarns is a tiny but cute and cozy yarn shop on Avenue A. I’m not sure what heaven looks like but I imagine it’s a little something like this.
The employees were very knowledgeable and helpful. They also wore crazy and quirky outfits that featured things they knitted which was pretty awesome! I’ve knitted a lot and for a long time but there’s no way that I’m an expert. Walking into a store like this was a bit overwhelming, considering I didn’t have any project in mind. I decided on knitting a pair of socks for myself and the employees did a great job with helping me choose the right yarn and needle size. I haven’t started on the socks yet but I’m deciding between two patterns I found on Ravelry. I’ll keep you posted on the progress!
Next was the food portion of our trip. According to my cousin, we had to get the best ice cream New York had to offer. I was expecting a hard serve place with about a million flavors but instead I found us walking through the door of a soft serve shop called Big Gay Ice Cream.
Their specialty is in adding unique and interesting flavor combinations to plain old soft serve – and it is literally the best ice cream I’ve ever had. I cannot stress this enough. If you ever get the chance, go there and if you can’t decide on what to order, just ask your server. He’ll probably suggest the Salty Pimp, their best selling cone. If that yarn store was what heaven looked and felt like, the Salty Pimp might be what heaven tastes like.
Alright, I next was the best fry place in New York. How can you tell when a restaurant is the best at what they do? If they get bogged down by lines just for serving one type of food. Pomme Frites just serves Belgian style fries. They also offer over a dozen dipping sauce flavors. The shop is tiny, something a lot of NYC stores have in common so there’s barely any room to sit or stand. We took our order to go and had to chow on the street so I didn’t have the hands to take any pictures.
Then we went on to Buffalo Exchange. I wouldn’t call it a thrift shop, but this chain store sells fashionable second hands at a fraction of the cost of retail stores. The clothes they sell come directly from people in the community and they seem to have some higher standard than regular thrift shops because most of the clothes they sell are trendy and in style. I picked up an oxford button down, a batwing sweater, a polkadot skirt, and these awesome harem-style trousers all for $45.
Then, we took a quick walk through the Union Square Holiday Market since it was really crowded. We finished off our day by seeing The Hobbit in 3D. So I have to admit that I haven’t seen all of the Lord of the Rings movies, among other trilogies. However, I have read The Hobbit twice. I can’t say I enjoyed it both times, but I think now that I’m older I’d probably appreciate it more. The movie though was very good except for the slow start. It was very visually appealing and the soundtrack is amazing. Now I have part 2 to look forward to plus the actor who plays Bilbo, Martin Freeman plays Dr. Watson in Sherlock, which I figured out right at the end of the movie. Is it weird that I think he’s adorable despite being 41?
We took a cab, which was a bit of a crazy ride by my standards to Penn Station right on time to catch the train back to Long Island. This trip will probably be the most fun I’ll have this Winter break and it’s something I wouldn’t mind doing more often. The next time I visit family in Long Island, we’re going to have to do this again, but that might not be until another year if I end up going to Hong Kong this summer. By the way, I submitted my application to study abroad today so wish me luck!
Girl Meets Yarn 