The City That Never Sleeps and Also Has $5 Pashminas For Sale on the Street

We got back from New York yesterday night. Even though it was a bitch to get home (from Newark to Lincoln took 13 hours!!!!) it was totally freaking worth it. I always forget just how cool New York is. There are so many people everywhere you go that it gives you this weird kind of freedom to just be yourself. You just don't matter that much. And no one cares that much about you no matter what you're wearing or how fat you feel.

Some highlights:





We went to Coney Island and saw the Hot Dog Eating Contest Winners Billboard.
I adore hot dogs as they are the world's most perfect and delicious food. Let me tell you there was something super cool about the larger than life hot dog eating contest billboard. Someday I hope to see the actual contest itself.




I only ate one, but it was so damn good I could almost imagine eating 50.





We rode the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel. The Wonder Wheel scared the crap out me, but I managed to take this semi cool picture when I didn't have my eyes closed and my fingernails digging into Mr. E's leg.


We bought fake purses in Chinatown. My sister in law had the whole operation scoped so I knew what to expect when they led me around the block to some weird Chinese medical center and down in the basement they had a secret room. Even though my new fake Coach smells weird and is only kind of cute, I would have bought it anyway for the experience. I kept thinking the cops were going to burst in.

We canoed the Gowanus Canal, and the guide told me and Mr. E that we should enter paddling competitions because of what awesome paddlers we were. I did feel stronger and so much more in shape than I have in like, ever, but I also think our guide may have been insane. No one has ever complemented me on an athletic activity, like, ever.

We took a trip uptown and visited Zabar's, one of my favorite places in the world.
Notable purchases: Three different kinds of knishes, a chocolate petit four, some of the most delicious cheese ever called "English Huntsman", and a huge pile of prosciuotto that Mr. E snarfed in about ten minutes. We didn't know remember where Zabar's was, but Mr. E called my mom and she gave him spot on directions. I thought that was pretty cool, especially because in the course of giving directions she managed to get in a derogatory comment about native New Yorkers (our hosts) who didn't know where Zabar's was. Hee.

We also ate some kick ass sushi, some terrible thai food, some ok dim sum, some awesome Korean barbeque, and some delicious cheesecake.

I also got the worst hangover ever. On the plus side, all that barfing is probably the only thing that kept me from gaining forty pounds over the last five days.