Day 7 3/5/09 - USA

New York

Highlight

• The rain didn’t let down at all, and it was so miserable out. We didn’t head out until after 11am, and the first place we visited was the Buttercup Cake Shop. There was not too huge a selection of cupcakes and other desserts, but everything looked super nice. I ordered half a dozen to go, and they were very yummy.
• Tried very hard to get money out of the ATM and only just managed. I don’t know why I have been having all these problems with my card.
• Went to a huge Johnston and Murphy store but couldn’t find that bag anywhere. At least I tried.
• Went over to MoMa since today is definitely a museum day. Unfortunately they wouldn’t let me in unless I had photo ID, and I didn’t want to pay the $20 entry fee when it could be free.
• Giving up on that, made a long track to the Met. I got distracted along the way actually, and went to look at the futuristic Guggenheim instead. Unfortunately most of the space was being renovated or closed, so I finished there in about ½ hour. Luckily I didn’t have to pay the $15 entry fee. There were a few gems among the collection though the $3 I paid for the audio guide probably wasn’t worth it.
• Tried to get into the …. But it wasn’t free. They did have an excellent gift shop though so I spent some time on that.
• Finished up at the quite excellent Jewish Museum. The displays were very informative and great. I managed to finish the 4th floor and most of the 3rd floor only though.
• Took the very long subway ride home. It must be the dire weather, as I managed to have a subway carriage all to myself and took a picture of it as evidence.
• We stayed in and ordered Oaxacan for dinner. The great thing about NYC is that you can get all sorts of great stuff for take-out. The food was actually quite expensive and you don’t get much, but at least it tasted very good.

Food

• jerk chicken, rice and beans, mixed vegetables
• Jerk Leg of Lamb – boneless leg of lamb stuffed with Jamaican jerk spices and roasted to a spicy climax.
• The Buttercup Bake Shop cupcakes:
  • Red Velvet - yellow cupcake with a hint of cocoa, dyed a deep beautiful red (tastes like a light chocolate cake). Frosted with cream cheese icing
  • Lady Baltimore - An almond-flavoured white cupcake filled with coconut, candied cherries, cookie crumbs and almonds. Frosted with meringue and topped with coconut, cookie crumble and a cherry
  • Sour Cream Spice - A dense cupcake packed with all your favourite spices, filled with walnuts and raisins. Frosted with cream cheese icing.
  • hot chocolate
• Chilies and Chocolate Oaxacan Kitchen:
  • corn chips
  • Mole Negro chicken ($18) Made from dried chiles, chocolate, sesame seeds, plantain, and tomatoes, served with rice
  • Rubbed Meat with Pork, salad and guacamole, wrapped in tortilla