This is my college blockmate (you don’t necessarily room together, but you’re guaranteed to be placed in the same dorm) and one of my best friends since the first week of freshman year, Nesrin. She and her husband flew into town for the weekend, so I got to steal her for brunch at Le Pain Quotidien so we could talk pregnancy symptoms and crib selection (we’re both due in the fall).
(Speaking of crib selection…if you’re in the market for one, the Pottery Barn Kids Kendall is majorly on sale right now – that’s the one I bought for my nursery and the one Nes is considering for hers.)
Watermelon juice with a hint of fresh lemon and mint, oh yum.
Click here for Le Pain Quotidien sandwich inspiration (ricotta + figs + honey).
If you ask for the bread basket at Le Pain Quotidien, this is what comes to the table alongside it: praline spread (Brunette) that is to Nutella what natural peanut butter is to Skippy: a crunchier, more organic (and, in my opinion, even more delicious…if that’s possible) version.
After brunch, we wandered south through the street fairs and ended up at the rooftop bar at the Mandarin Oriental in Columbus Circle for a break from the heat.
The bar is gorgeous, but quite fancy-pants and thus not exactly my scene – although it’s certainly nice for something different, and a great place to bring out-of-town guests (amazing view).
Hmm…this could be a prettier angle, couldn’t it? In any case, this was my view for much of Sunday (which was sadly cloudy, so: still no tan legs). The Manhattan Plaza Health Club is one of my favorite escapes – I use my parents’ guest passes to get past the doors and hang out by the gorgeous pool (really, it’s gorgeous – here is a pic), but they sell day passes on weekdays to anyone who wants to give the facilities a spin.
(That, by the way, is a baby hat I just finished knitting and the second Stieg Larsson book.)
EEEEE.
Post-pool, I spotted this mini version of Kendrick’s winter coat at Daffy’s and couldn’t resist. It won’t fit until sometime around February…but it’s a mini version of Kendrick’s winter coat! There was no way it wasn’t coming home with me. (You can see Dad’s coat if you scroll to the bottom of this post.)
Daffy’s, by the way, is a total treasure trove of ridiculously overpriced Italian baby brands (that coat was originally…wait for it…TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS FORABABYCOAT) marked down to amazingly reasonable prices (I shelled out $40 for the coat, but there’s lots of great stuff in the $10-$20 range).
And the evening ended with my favorite pasta at one of my favorite restaurants, Amarone.
