thursday's walk

 it was still really hot today when i went out to meet korrina and pick up the vegetables.

 i walked along fifth avenue to 23rd street and passed someone putting the finishing touches on his artwork . . (i actually took this photo while talking with morgana on the phone . . which i'm surprised i was able to do--balancing the phone and the camera at the same time).

 well, since i was talking with morgana the whole time . . i ended up walking just a bit too far . . 

 which was actually fun as i discovered new places . . like this cafe/restaurant on lexington and 30th street . . 

and a huge fairway at second and 30th . .

 i'm always admiring how her hair looks with her t-shirts . .

 sometimes we get treated to the most amazing desserts by the pastry chef.

 working on her shisui . . we both lamented at how we need to be knitting on our rhinebeck sweaters . . since it'll be time for the sheep and wool festival in just two months. korrina needs to dye her yarn, but is waiting for a cooler day.

 walking back home . . 

 but stopping at eataly to try out their new pasta cafe with chanda . . (this is the metropolitan life insurance company tower at madison avenue and 23rd street, built in 1909).

 this is a very telling photo as chanda is in the process of buying morgana's airplane ticket home. i can't believe she's finally coming home. she'll stop first to see family in florida.

our dinner made with delicious lemon ricotta ravioli, and mint and pea ravioli from eataly.

a walk about town

i had a lesson about nyc transit buses today. there are several m15 buses that run along first avenue that only make limited stops, and in order to board them you pay at a machine on the sidewalk rather than on the bus. everyone is allowed to board at all doors (there are three . . it's a long bus), but i don't see how one proves that one paid. how unlike new york to trust a person to pay for his or her fare. i suppose it's quicker than making everyone slip their card into the machine at the head of the bus  (the bus stops, the doors open and everyone boards--easy peasy) . . in san francisco they have machines that read a bar code at all doors. ah well . . it was certainly interesting.

 my sister and brother-in-law came with me to visit korrina at our vegetable box pick-up site at bellevue hospital.

we had lunch with her at little river cafe, and then when she went into work, we peeked into the restaurant and took in the view of the east river and long island across the way.

 looking north with the united nations building in the center . . 

and south with waterside plaza to the left (a residential and business complex that was once a mitchell-lama affordable housing program, and was constructed on platforms supported by concrete piles sunk into the east river--you can read about it here).

 on the left can be seen the queensborough, 59th street bridge, with the buildings of long island city.

to our right is williamsburg, with long island city on the left.

here's a different angle of the united nations and the bridge.]

 sitting on the artsy benches inside the river park building. 

 i've passed these benches many times but never sat down. they were surprisingly comfortable.

 the ceiling makes me think of being inside the whale with jonah, and also of pinocchio and monstro in the disney film.

 we then walked out to first avenue, down to 23rd street, and west to madison square park . .

 where all the fountain planters have been filled with daffodils and hyacinths.

we stopped in the eataly market, as my brother-in-law had never been before. he found lots of good chocolate to try, including this piece! (caffarel ripieno al cacao, i love fondente - extra dark chocolate with cocoa filling!) i got distracted from viewing all the food and housewares when we left, so i headed us west to sixth avenue and trader joe's, rather than south to fishs eddy, our second important destination of the day. it was just a little extra walking . . 

fishs eddy . . 

 the trees in union square are getting their leaves. the little ones are magnolias, but i'm not sure what the larger ones are. they're different from the london planes in madison square park which are still looking very bare.

in front of the little house on charles street in which margaret wise brown once wrote good night moon.

----

 meanwhile, chanda and greg in florida were visiting with grandma . . 

i just read this book by elizabeth gilbert, and thought it would be good for chanda to read.

 

 

 i think they went to a nice seafood restaurant for dinner.

dinner with korrina

korrina works in the kip's bay area of manhattan at riverpark, a restaurant that serves farm to table and is part of a large corporate center overlooking the FDR drive and the east river. the restaurant hires a farmer to oversee it's farm space outside their doors on the deck, and also their micro greens that they grow in the basement. they also order from nyc greenmarkets and local farms.

 

 the entrance to the office building and to the restaurant.

 the smaller restaurant that is used for breakfast and . . . maybe catering parties?

 everyone was incredibly nice and, well, to say the food was out of this world is an understatement. i can't get over how delicious everything was and how beautifully everything was plated. each dish was a work of art. above is buffalo's milk burrata with apple crisps and a toasted slice of their delicious bread. in the middle is a salad of butternut squash purée with fresh radishes, cucumber and black rice crisps. in front of korrina is the baby octopus with chorizo, lemon and garlic aioli.

 half the fun was talking with our server about the treats he kept bringing out. the bar menu had just changed to spring drinks and we were asked to try two of them: hibiscus and pernod with orange; tequila and matcha with dill and cucumber. there were a few more ingredients in there, but korrina will have to fill us in later.

 special pasta dishes: pantacce (i think) with fresh peas, spring onions, mint, and a cream sauce; cavatelli with fresh fava beans, tomatoes and beef.

 the sun set over the 59th street bridge, long island city and the east river . . 

 and all the city lights came on . . my favorite time of day.

 delicious lamb . . 

this is korrina's piéce de resistance: scallops with sicilian pistachios, blood orange and butternut squash purée. when korrina works, she handles all fish plates. the butternut squash purée was what she had made on saturday. it was incredibly buttery and delicious, and the scallops and lamb were so tender.

 our dessert: rocky road ice cream, spiced pear sorbet and maple brown butter ice cream: all homemade! 

the buttermilk panna cotta with mandarin gelée . . and a cappucino . . by this time i was so full that i honestly, and sadly, could not eat another bite. i did make a good dent in that panna cotta, however. but i was very sorry not to finish every bite of the maple brown butter ice cream!

heading home . .

 

 we walked downtown past madison park to fourteenth street . .

where korrina got on the train and i walked crosstown . . it was such a great night.