Memorial Day Photos

The Art of Negotiation

It used to be the place to go if you wanted a cheap Gucci purse. Or Prada wallet. Or Oakley sunglasses.

The streets of Chinatown used to be littered with luxury knock-offs on every corner, but in the past few years, they’ve come down hard on the vendors selling luxury imitation goods. 

Anyone who wants cheap jewelry, scarves, purses, sunglasses, and more can get them from tiny little shops about 50 sq. ft. big (although there are only about 20 sq. ft. of walking space). There are plenty of good-looking products that are cheaply made...about the quality of goods you would find in Forever 21 or H&M.

Shopping in Chinatown

Although high quality luxury knock-offs are not sold openly on the streets anymore, a person need not work further than a few feet before being accosted by an African American or Chinese, “Chanel? Louis? What you looking for? Handbag? Oakleys? Coach? What you looking for? Handbag? Sunglasses? Watches? Got Rolex. What you want?” or “Got purses in bags. Got purses in bags. Louis? Gucci?”

African Americans sit around on steps with giant black trash bags big enough to hold a big kid or small teen, and these bags are filled with luxury knock-offs. The Chinese, on the other hand, take you to a small room in the back of an alley - a small room with false walls - to show you their luxury goods.

One thing to remember about Chinatown: Never pay full price for anything. They give you one price. Then they immediately give you a lower one.

“How much is this purse?”

“$25. $20.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“$20. Yeah? Okay. How much you want? You name price.”

“No thank you.”

“Name price. You name price.”

Sometimes, negotiation is as easy as not countering.

Philip was disappointed that I didn’t get a knock-off, but I did leave with a black metal double-headband with a jeweled flower and a small orange crossbody purse. My mom is the best haggler I know, and today was a testament to just how much I learned from her.

Starting price: $37

Ending price: $26

I’m looking forward to my next trip. Perhaps I’ll come home with a luxury imitation purse next time...and an even better deal!

Do Whatever You Want To Do

(Blogger was out of service for a couple of days, but I had this blog ready to go. This is my 5.12.11 blog.)

I finally got to go to Central Park today, and it was just as breathtaking today as it was last summer. 

Contrary to what I once believed, Central Park is not like the small parks people are accustomed to in Phoenix. It is 2.5 miles long and .5 miles wide. For you cowboys, that’s 843 acres.  And it’s just like the movies.

There are trees, bike paths, walk/run paths, small bodies of water, short waterfalls, rocks you can climb, rocks you can sit on, benches, dogs, frisbees, picnics, little children with their nannies, baseball games...and they are everywhere in the park. It is truly picturesque...exactly how you would imagine a park to look.

A group of young adults were playing frisbee a couple trees away. 

After playing with her little brother and parents by the pond/lake about 100 feet in front us, a little girl, with a big innocent smile on her face, joyfully reached up for her daddy to hold her. 

An old man was walking his small dog, perhaps a yorkie, when the dog’s butt became itchy and he stopped to drag it on the sidewalk before strutting off with dirt and leaves hanging from his rear.

Everything you could think of was happening all around us, but we just wanted to relax and enjoy a nice book. We snagged a spot in a grassy area surrounded by tall, luscious trees, and Philip read Water for Elephants while I read To the Lighthouse.

It was a beautiful day.

On Beauty

What is beauty? 

Artist in Times Square

Is it the girl every guy chases or the guy every girl wants? The perfectly blossomed rose in the midst of flowers still blooming? The toddler in a pink dress twirling for her daddy? I don’t have an answer for you.

What makes something beautiful?

Is it the brilliant color that emanates from something? The interesting pattern and unique texture? The perfect harmony of musical notes? I don’t have an answer for you.

Who decides what beauty is?

Is it the popular crowd at work or school? The magazine editor of a beauty magazine? The fashion designer with a new clothing line? This I have an answer for: YOU.

Phantom Pit

The cliche “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” may be overused, but it’s pure truth. You define what beauty is. You decide what makes something beautiful. You. No one can deny you the right to your definition of beauty.

I used to want so badly to find beauty in the sky, the cactus, the Grand Canyon because everyone else seemed to. These were God’s creations, but I couldn’t see the beauty. 

I’ve realized, though, that I find beauty in other creations: the green trees and forests, flowers with just the right mix of colors, the contrast of something beautiful against something harsh, a city skyline...

Panorama of Times Square

I find beauty in certain songs and in certain lyrics, in musicals or ballet performances, in the Resurrection Dance, in books and movies with strong story lines...

Theatre where Phantom is performed

Today, I found beauty on the stage of Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre. Philip and I bought tickets at TKTS in Times Square, and the tickets turned out to be on the front row, off to the side. The pit was just below us, and the actors were just a few feet in front of us. The story, acting, and singing were beautiful, and they moved me to tears.

That’s how I know something is beautiful. It moves me. Somehow or another (often through tears), it moves me.  Seeing beauty in the world around us is so important, but we have to know how to recognize it. 

Can you recognize your brand of beauty?

No Cancer For Me

My beautiful new toaster oven

Health nuts say microwaves cause cancer, and we shouldn’t use them anymore. People on the run say microwaves are lifesavers, and they use them all the time. I say microwaves don’t come with my apartment, so I can’t use them anymore.

Do microwaves really cause cancer? I don’t know. All I know is that my tiny little kitchen in my tiny little apartment doesn’t have one, and because I do live in a tiny little place, I needed to buy a multi-purpose appliance in its place. Like any woman who needs to buy one thing for the kitchen, I bought two: a toaster oven and George Foreman grill with removable plates. In making these two purchases, what I really bought were the following: toaster, oven, grill, waffle maker, baking dish, and microwave.

Look familiar?

The combination of a toaster oven and George Foreman grill really is better than a microwave. 


Today, Philip and I reheated left overs for the first time since we moved to New York. Using our toaster oven, we reheated (without drying out, overcooking, or burning) macaroni and cheese, a burger, carne asada meat, rice, black beans, pizza, and a pasta dish. Using our George Foreman, we reheated corn tortillas.

They were all oh-so-delicious...nothing was soggy, limp, or chewy like food normally is when it comes out of the microwave. And best of all...I don’t have to worry about cancer anymore.

What do you mean, "There's no chips and salsa"?

Filet mignon and diners were never a combination I might have imagined had I not seen it and experienced it myself.

Lansky’s (http://www.lanskysnyc.com/) is a Jewish diner in the Upper West Side that serves coleslaw and pickles in place of the traditional chips and salsa Phoenicians are used to being served. I remember the first time servers brought coleslaw and pickles to our table last summer when we ate there. I didn’t understand why they brought it to our table, and Philip and I kindly explained, “We didn’t order this.” Apparently we didn’t need to.

We returned to the diner today and were again thrown off by the Jewish diner’s version of chips and salsa and respectfully declined because we’re not coleslaw or kosher pickle eaters. We did, however, return to the restaurant for burgers, mac ‘n cheese, and strawberry cheesecake, so we made sure to order all the right foods.

Half the 10 oz burger and mac 'n cheese

Anyone who knows Philip knows that pizza, burgers, and mac ‘n cheese would be the staples of his diet were they healthy enough to sustain him. But they’re not. They are, however, still a part of his diet, and Lansky’s has some of the biggest burgers in town and the best macaroni and cheese Philip’s ever had.

The smallest burgers on the menu? 10 oz. Yep, over half a pound! Don’t worry, Philip only ate half the burger.

Filet mignon, fries, caesar salad from a diner (only $14.95!)

I, on the other hand, tried filet mignon. It wasn’t the best filet mignon I’ve ever had, but then again, I wasn’t at a high end steakhouse and I wasn’t paying a high end price either. It was cooked more than I wanted, and it was too chewy and tough for my taste. For what it’s worth, though, it wasn’t bad, and I might even order it again the next time we go.

Indulging in the Unplanned Day

There’s always something to do in the City. Even when plans don’t work out as planned, the City is defaulted to provide unplanned backups to anyone who needs them.

Philip, knowing that when possible, I try to be “green,” decided to take me to Chinatown/Little Italy for a major street exhibition event. The way he described it to me, it was a 4-day event during which time vendors set up street exhibitions demonstrating different ways to live green in the City. Or something along those lines.

We hopped onto the subway, changed trains at Columbus Circle, and popped up to the street in Chinatown. We walked. And we walked. And we walked. Until Philip took another look at his phone to see if perhaps we had gone to the wrong part of town. No, we were exactly where we should have been. Apparently, the exhibitors decided to make their exhibitions very green today - so green we had to be there yesterday to see them.

Yes, we were a day late for the street exhibitions. Other aspects of the event were happening today, but not the street exhibitions. Oh, well. One of the benefits to living in NYC is that our day wasn’t wasted. We simply walked a few blocks to an Italian restaurant in Little Italy for lunch before indulging in some yummy gelato at Ferrara Bakery & Cafe.

Ferrara's in Little Italy

Ferrara Bakery & Cafe (http://www.ferraracafe.com) is an Italian bakery over 100 years old with an Old World feel to it. We figured it must be really good to have not only survived that long, but to have thrived. The main bakery and cafe is indoors, but there was line out the door. The store was selling gelato on the street right outside its main doors, and there was a line of about 10 customers waiting for their sweet indulgence of the day. 

The gelato really was good. Philip stayed with the tried and true chocolate while I ventured out with a flavor I’ve never before tried, hazelnut. 

Yum, yum. I can’t wait to go back!