case of charm

Fall is flown into the Northeast and I have to say, I’m welcoming it with very open arms! It’s been a great summer, but it’s time to get down to business… it’s too much of a tease to have beautiful weather, only to have to sit at a desk all day. Chilly mornings and brisk walks to work, now that I can handle!

Friday night Ali and I celebrated our 22nd and 23rd birthdays with lots of old and new friends, it was nice to finally have people over at our apartment and celebrate a year of our friendship.

I spent Saturday on the UES (sorry Georgia fans, but Pourhouse wasn’t calling my name for the Coastal Carolina game). I braved the 3rd Avenue breeze for a Crab Cake BLT al fresco at Atlantic Grill then worked my way over to the Met for some wandering.

If you’ve studied Art History with me, you know that my taste is bizarre and eclectic and mostly just weird. I have a soft spot for satirical art and political cartoons (Hogarth is my favorite artist, after all). If you’re in the NYC area, go check out “Infinite Jest” a new exhibit up at the Met. There was an amazing collection, mostly of French and British satirical art, all funny and all what I would love to pepper the walls of my apartment with.

Today was spent sleeping in and not watching any television (thanks Time Warner!). Ali and I have become great fans of the iPhone app “Scout Mob” which shows you deals in your area, that you don’t have to pay for in advance.

We took a leisurely stroll for a deal in the West Village to try A Salt & Battery. We’ve been seriously missing Oxford, so some fish & chips and mushy peas were just what we needed! Oh my god it was so good. Not a real restaurant it’s more like a little diner with stools, tons of vinegar bottles and a pervasively delicious smell of things frying (fish, fries, Mars bars).

Our deal was for 50% off— $9.50 got me a bottle of cider, fish, fries and mushy peas (and the names of 2 popular bars for the displaced Brits in NYC via the cute chef). I told Ali that God sent this food to us straight to our mouths from heaven with a quick stop in the fryer. [FYI: It’s on the corner of Jane and Greenwich Ave.]

As if I needed any more reminders of England… there was a sister store called Tea & Sympathy. I’m embarrassed to admit the amount I spent on Cadbury’s & Bourbon cremes. T&S also had a little restaurant that looked adorable and English and they had all of the food I actually loved in England on the menu. Thank god they’ll deliver to Hudson & Houston!

Too much recounting, my brain hurts. Soup is on the stove and I have a whole bag of laundry to unpack from the cleaners. I love New York. I love not doing my own laundry.