Thursday, June 12, 2008

I feel extra Jewish

So I'm home. The trip to Israel went off without a hitch and I'm happy to say that I wasn't sure I wanted to return to New York City. That's right, this blog almost became "Sincerely (,) Israel." And it still might.

But besides that, it was an incredible trip in a beautiful and vibrant country that I will never forget. Everyone should get there once in their life.

Pictures (all 577 of them) are posted in my flickr account, which can be seen here... http://flickr.com/photos/jessicablair/sets/72157605470103878/

But enough about that.

Yesterday I had a wonderfully New York day and I'd like to share, if I may. Barney Greengrass, the quintessential breakfast and smoked fish spot on the Upper West Side, turned 100 years old. Now, I'll be honest, I'd never heard of the place. Never been there, never even thought about it. But I'm Jewish and I love smoked fish. Well, in honor of their 100th anniversary of existing (!), they rolled back their prices to what they would have been should it be 1908. That's right...Adam and I spent a total of 6.50 (tax included) on four glasses of orange juice, smoked salmon and sturgeon with eggs, and a smoked salmon and sturgeon sandwich. Let me just remind you non-New Yorkers that 6.50 is about how much I would have paid for my salad fork if these were 2008 prices. It was delicious and the line was worth it.

We skipped the bus home and took a walk through Central Park. Believe it or not, I've never actually taken the time to stroll through there. I've been in and out a couple of times, but now I was able to feel one with nature for half an hour. And now I understand why people hang out there. There's a lot more oxygen within those trees.

And finally, we ended our night at top chef, Wylie Dufresne's WD-50 for a belated birthday gift to Adam. Not only was the food excellent, but I swindled the staff into letting Adam take a tour through the kitchen and meet Dufresne himself. It was a night to remember.

And today, I'm doing what any New Yorker would do as the weekend approaches. I'm leaving. That's right, it's off to the country for me. Time for swimming, eating meat, and taking naps.

Shalom!

No comments: