travel and leisure
dan and i enjoyed a lovely jaunt through new england last week, even though it wasn’t leaf peeping season. the wedding of a family friend gave us a pretty good excuse for a summer vacation to the east coast. we saw dan’s parents, sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew before taking off for a little driving tour to see more friends and family.
day 1 – but i want my gluten-free beer!
after the wedding we went to NYC to see young, my friend from high school, and mollie, our friend from college. young works for a fancy pants high-rise law firm in midtown where we had to clear security to have a cup of coffee. mollie is also in the law profession (until next week when she starts an internship with an environmental justice agency) working as a courtroom advocate for those on welfare in brooklyn. i don’t think there are any more different examples of the american justice system, but it’s good to know that at the end of the day we can all meet up at a peruvian restaurant and enjoy the sangria and cocktails.
the trip to NYC was not simply to see friends. i had a more selfish indulgence in mind. the doctors say i have textbook celiac (exactly why did it take 15 years to diagnose?) so i am to maintain a gluten-free diet for the rest of my life. well, that ain’t happenin’ until this girl gets her few last glutenous goodies – including one final chocolate cupcake. magnolia bakery in greenwich village is supposed to have the world’s best, so that was our first stop.
the popularity of this place has skyrocketed due to cameos in sex and the city, and a shout out in the chronicles of narnia skit on SNL. lines commonly wind around the building – luckily not on a monday afternoon - the line was relatively short. the cupcakes sit haphazardly on a window seat in half constructed bakery boxes with a hand written sign over head reading: cupcakes are SELF SERVE. as I reach over a gaggle of small children from (I’m guessing) wisconsin, and grab for a chocolate cupcake with chocolate butter cream frosting and sprinkles, i wonder how many people have breathed heavily over this box or been pushed by the morning throngs onto the display. i inspect my cupcake for drool or pet hair. good enough, i think, just get me out of this tiny crowded room. i think i’m going into sugar shock just standing here.
safely extracted from the bakery, dan, my cupcake, and i head to our next indulgence, the only gluten-free restaurant i know of: the risotteria. why buy a cupcake and then go to a gluten-free restaurant? i’m trying to taper off. plus, you’ve gotta support the team. alas, our friends at the risotteria decided to go on summer vacation as well, and the restaurant was closed. i was pretty bummed. instead of surprisingly tasty gluten-free goodness, i indulged in a tiny panic attack. where else can i go out for gluten-free pizza and beer? this is important! “pizza and beer” was my first phrase when i was little. i need this stuff! phew, oh well.
we ate at a burger joint where i had a salad (wah wah), went to coffee with young in his secure high-rise where i ate my cupcake (mmmmm), and then went to the guggenheim 1 and 1/2 hours before closing. turns out it was plenty of time – dan and i have been sprinting through world-class museums since january, remember. we made it back to the village, got the car, drove to brooklyn, and found a parking spot across the street from mollie’s house all in about 45 minutes. we think that’s some sort of record.
Stay tuned for day 2 – when dan relives his childhood in acton, but the people in his old house think he’s casing the joint.
day 1 – but i want my gluten-free beer!
after the wedding we went to NYC to see young, my friend from high school, and mollie, our friend from college. young works for a fancy pants high-rise law firm in midtown where we had to clear security to have a cup of coffee. mollie is also in the law profession (until next week when she starts an internship with an environmental justice agency) working as a courtroom advocate for those on welfare in brooklyn. i don’t think there are any more different examples of the american justice system, but it’s good to know that at the end of the day we can all meet up at a peruvian restaurant and enjoy the sangria and cocktails.
the trip to NYC was not simply to see friends. i had a more selfish indulgence in mind. the doctors say i have textbook celiac (exactly why did it take 15 years to diagnose?) so i am to maintain a gluten-free diet for the rest of my life. well, that ain’t happenin’ until this girl gets her few last glutenous goodies – including one final chocolate cupcake. magnolia bakery in greenwich village is supposed to have the world’s best, so that was our first stop.
the popularity of this place has skyrocketed due to cameos in sex and the city, and a shout out in the chronicles of narnia skit on SNL. lines commonly wind around the building – luckily not on a monday afternoon - the line was relatively short. the cupcakes sit haphazardly on a window seat in half constructed bakery boxes with a hand written sign over head reading: cupcakes are SELF SERVE. as I reach over a gaggle of small children from (I’m guessing) wisconsin, and grab for a chocolate cupcake with chocolate butter cream frosting and sprinkles, i wonder how many people have breathed heavily over this box or been pushed by the morning throngs onto the display. i inspect my cupcake for drool or pet hair. good enough, i think, just get me out of this tiny crowded room. i think i’m going into sugar shock just standing here.
safely extracted from the bakery, dan, my cupcake, and i head to our next indulgence, the only gluten-free restaurant i know of: the risotteria. why buy a cupcake and then go to a gluten-free restaurant? i’m trying to taper off. plus, you’ve gotta support the team. alas, our friends at the risotteria decided to go on summer vacation as well, and the restaurant was closed. i was pretty bummed. instead of surprisingly tasty gluten-free goodness, i indulged in a tiny panic attack. where else can i go out for gluten-free pizza and beer? this is important! “pizza and beer” was my first phrase when i was little. i need this stuff! phew, oh well.
we ate at a burger joint where i had a salad (wah wah), went to coffee with young in his secure high-rise where i ate my cupcake (mmmmm), and then went to the guggenheim 1 and 1/2 hours before closing. turns out it was plenty of time – dan and i have been sprinting through world-class museums since january, remember. we made it back to the village, got the car, drove to brooklyn, and found a parking spot across the street from mollie’s house all in about 45 minutes. we think that’s some sort of record.
Stay tuned for day 2 – when dan relives his childhood in acton, but the people in his old house think he’s casing the joint.
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