Chaos at Whole Foods

We found out when we got to Whole Foods Market at Columbus Circle that this wasn't going to be the tranquil, relaxing Sunday evening shopping experience that we were used to in Redmond. I have been to this location a couple of times before, but apparently not when all of Manhattan is trying to pick up a bite to take home for dinner at the same time they pick up their cookie and snack provisions for the week. It was quite a scene, with the express line snaking all around the store in such a circuitous fashion that they assigned a dedicated employee to hold up a sign and mark the end of the line.

Luckily we were able to pick out the items we needed fairly quickly (mostly items to pack in J's lunch for the week). After all of the jostling in the aisles, we were relieved to see that the checkout lines were remarkably efficient, and we were through to the outside in no time.

Dinner at Time Warner Center

Finding ourselves in need of some groceries to last us through the week, we decided that none of the grocers in our neghborhood charged enough, and therefore set out for the Whole Foods Market in the Time Warner Center. Since we hadn't eaten yet and were all a bit hungry after a long day, we decided to give Landmarc a try (they always say that you shouldn't shop for groceries on an empty stomach).

The lowlight of the meal was apparently the bread, which my wife pronounced to be The Worst Bread Ever. I thought this was an unnecessarily harsh judgement, especially since I actually liked the bread. Particularly the crust, which I found to be pleasantly chewy but my wife described as "flavorless except for the disgusting burnt taste." Ah well, we agreed to disagree.

Other than that the meal was uneventful, except for the fact that little J was thrilled with the cotton candy they offered for dessert. In addition, he really liked the restrooms, which were semi-concealed by a cylindrical antechamber.

Based on J's judgement we might return, but it will take some convincing for my wife.

Rug Shopping

This afternoon's challenge was to see if we could acquire some rugs for the condo we are moving into, ideally to have in place before our furniture arrives next week. We chose to start with ABC Carpet & Home on Broadway, for which my wife had seen some online recommendations.

Indeed they had an impressive selection, although I don't envy the guys whose job it is to keep flipping through the massive piles of 10x14 rugs at the whim of casual shoppers.

We wound up puttiing one large rug on hold, but also found a nice bargain hallway runner in the downstairs remnant area that we took home with us.

Lunchtime on Sunday

Walking around looking for furnishings, we stopped in a Zaro's bakery on Broadway. J was coaxed into a toasted cheese sandwich, which I have to admit didn't look that appetizing; they had them pre-made in the deli case and toasted one for us after we ordered. Unfortunately the toasting they gave it was only enough to make the cheese slimy, with not even a hint of browning on the bread. J didn't seem to mind, though. The bread they made it on was pretty soft and squishy, which made it more kid-friendly than the crusty bread he usually gets.

Breakfast at Barney Greengrass

This morning for breakfast we headed out pretty early to go to Barney Greengrass on the west side. I have been there once before, but this is my first time with the famliy. We arrived at about 8:30AM and already the small dining room was almost full; we got the last table that would hold more than two. It was good that we didn't wait until later; clearly it was only getting busier.

While little J had to forego his usual bacon strips for Sunday brunch, he really liked the scrambled eggs and ate them enthusiastically. Of course, it probably helped that we had ordered a small black-and-white cookie to dangle in front of him until he did.