today was tutu's last day of her visit, and we lucked out on the weather. cold but not unbearable. so after we got some work done, the three of us headed to manhattan in the late afternoon. first stop was minca ramen in the east village. b is a big fan of ramen being from south bay l.a. and he introduced me to it when we met. yum- big, steaming bowls of broth with noodles, various mushroom and sea vegetable products, half a 1000-year old egg, a couple of slices of roast pork, and chopped scallions. my standard order is the minca sio- velvety miso/chicken/pork broth with garlic, with the bean thread noodles. their kimchee is amazing as well as their daikon salad. b loves their gyoza and cold tofu appetizers.
from minca we walked north to 14th street and caught the L train west to 8th ave. in march I'll be a 6-year resident of nyc, yet it was my first visit to the chelsea market. that's how many things there are to do in this city at all times. it's housed in a former nabisco factory and the market has revived some of its food industry past, in that there are several working bakeries in the facility. our first stop was chelsea market baskets which sells not only customized gift food baskets but all the elements to make your own or buy the items a la carte. next for me was bowery kitchen supply, where I was drawn to their window lined with utilitarian glassware like a moth to a flame. inside, the store is filled with the kind of basic, no-frills cookware I love. I walked out with a beauteous new peugot pepper mill. (something I had put off buying for while but I'm sure will be worth the cost) next we meandered through several more shops before convening for snack time. I picked up a smooth cappuccino at 9th street espresso (one of the best in the city I've had) from the super cool people working the counter, and cookies from sarabeth's kitchen. b and tutu shared some l'arte del gelato. next into t salon for some loose asam, then finally a visit to posman books before leaving.
From the Chelsea Market website: To walk through the Chelsea Market is to stroll through a sort of postindustrial theme park, carefully festooned with the detritus of a lost industrial culture...The old factory floors weave and bob, and the central hall is a jumble of disused ducts, an artificial waterfall, the original train shed, old signboards and other elements.Right now the market is decorated with an eco-trash holiday decor including wreaths and a christmas tree made of bent and broken cd's. (that are really beautiful in the way they catch the reflect the light)
chelsea market is housed in one of the buildings the high line passes through. if you haven't been there yet go! go! go! a former elevated railroad trestle turned park, the first phase opened last summer, after ten years in the making. it has become one of my favorite places in the city- the photos above were taken in september on my cell phone camera. it was cool being there tonight, having the park all to ourselves and seeing all the plants dried and surrounded by patches of snow. it made me notice other things I hadn't seen before.
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