Walking Talking (& Eating) Robots!

Day 5

We're off to a bit of a late start today but that's okay. It is totally worth it when you're eating savory crepes! Mine was stuffed with goat cheese and basil, served with a salad of mixed greens, red onion, yellow peppers, almonds, and dried cranberries with a Balsamic dressing. So delicious and so filling!

Once we got motivated (and believe me it was hard, another 95 degree day), we head into the city to check out the Union Square Green Market. It was packed, not only with people but with the most amazing produce I have ever seen. It certainly put the Dallas Farmer's Market to shame. Already we're sweating and burning up, so we head across the street to Whole Foods for sunscreen and a bathroom.
[New York Survival Guide Tip #1: When you see a bathroom, use it!]

Next we went in search of the mythical #1 falafel. I wasn't sure how that would be something I wanted to eat (really? Only $1?) but I was intrigued. When we got to Cheeps in the Lower East Side we discovered that not only had they undergone renovation but the falafel's were now $2. Not a problem! The were so delicious! A medium sized pita is stuffed with 4-5 falafel and served with your choice of marinated lettuce, onions, tomatoes, olives, pickles, tahini, etc. The hot sauce will blow your mind and probably get all over your pants. A couple doors down is Pomme Frites, a Belgian fry place with at least 20 different kinds of dipping sauces. I recommend the roasted eggplant.

We needed to walk off our food coma, so we wondered around, looking into interesting shops. We checked out an Asian market I've been to before (just don't ask me the name), then around the corner to Panya for snow balls- try the lychee. It's heaven! I rode my first NY City bus (!) My recollection of the afternoon is a bit hazy (not sure why- honestly) so this may or may not be the order in which it appeared.

We set off for H&M (a must stop when on the East coast) but was disappointed by the selection. I had to buy shoes as my flip flops tried to kill me (you know it's hot when the tops of your feet are sweating) and it took FOREVER to find my size. Oh well. We walked down to City Bakery where I had some mac & cheese then is was off to Asian Pub and an amazing happy hour. All drinks were $1 off, so my double only cost $5! We munched on edamame and I marveled at the culture clash interior (think Irish pub with a kimono on the wall- brilliant)then wondered the Bowery looking for somewhere else to go. We discovered this amazing Irish Pub called Slainte.

After that we decided we should probably eat more (!) so we took off back to the East Side and a Korean place called Song 7.2. There we noshed on kimchi pancakes (my new favorite thing), dumplings, and some kind of stew. It was all really good. Down the street was a karaoke bar where we sang. It did not remind me of any karaoke bars in Dallas and I'm not sure if that is a good or bad thing. There is no real DJ, you read a mammoth (bound) book and tell the bartender. The arrangements were a bit cheesy, but I had so much fun. There was such a diverse crowd and some of the older clientele really got into it.

The plan was to head to Veselka, an East Village legend that we all wanted to try, but we were so tired and a bit inebriated that we just went home. However, we couldn't bored the train to Brooklyn without stopping at Mr Frosty first! Everywhere you go in NY the ice cream trucks serve soft serve instead of the cheep novelty treats we're used to. You can get a cone dipped in almost anything!

I had so much fun, but it was exhausting. In all, I think the most I paid to eat at one sitting was $12. Pretty darn good! Tomorrow, we're off to Queens.