Hell's Kitchen

This morning we got up early...7:30... and we were out by 9:00.  We were so early the F train subway platform at 57th Street was deserted.  

We headed downtown and got off at 14th Street.  We stopped in at Roasting Plant for coffee.  It is really GOOD coffee.  I needed beans and got a cup while there.  They were micro-roasting some beans.  Very interesting.

We were headed to Tartines for breakfast.  Meg suggested it since she and her friends had eaten there.  Along the way I took pictures.  This old-timey barber shop was great!  For some reason they had several pictures of Elvis inside.  There were men seated, waiting to have their hair cut.  I also liked the name of the place!  (It says it's unisex, but I didn't see any women inside!)  Oh wait...I was re-reading this and just GOT it.  Elvis...Johnny Be Good...Duh.

This was just a cool building we passed.

We got the biggest kick out of seeing this car LOADED TO THE BRIM with junk!  Tony says there was a little bit of room for a driver.  You can't just leave a car parked indefinitely on the street so I suppose the driver would move the car for the street sweeper and then move it back.  We really laughed about this car!

Lots of bicycles are chained to posts along the street.  The light and shadows were great for this photo.

We finally made it to Tartines.  We sat outside and had eggs Benedict and a croque madame.  It was really good.  We also had a great time watching all the people who live in the neighborhood.

Tony's Croque Madame

My Eggs Benedict

This morning we did several things Meg had told us about.  After breakfast we walked over to a great little bookstore called Three Lives.  I could have stayed in there for hours.  I love reading on my iPad but there is still nothing like the feel of a book in your hands!

This is just a building in Greenwich Village that I photographed, fiddled with in an iPhone app, and then posted to Instagram.

Tony was a real trouper.  I told him since it was so cool and nice outside that I would love to head up to the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market.  He acted like he would like nothing better.  We walked around and I took a few pictures.  Here they are!

I was about to crop this picture when I noticed that Tony is in the mirror behind all these chairs.  I had to save that part of the picture!

I have told Tony several times about buying my first Je and Jo ice cream from the little cart they had at last summer's Hell's Kitchen Flea Market.  They have since opened a shop and I really wanted to go by there so we headed that way since we weren't too far.  It's a cute tiny little shop in an odd neighborhood.  I got the mint ice cream with the lemon and lavender cookie dough in the center; Tony got the Nutella ice cream.

I remembered Bill telling me about the Sullivan Street Bakery being in Hell's Kitchen.  I googled it and was happy to see it was just right down the street from je and jo.  We walked in and gawked at the all the delicious breads and pizzas and sandwiches and then left.

There are many little parks and playgrounds in the city.  I got so tickled at this sign on the fence at the entrance to one of the city's playgrounds.  I am sure that every playground has this same sign.  I posted it on Instagram and jokingly commented that our evening plans had now been ruined!

Tonight we had dinner at Aldea.  It was good but we have decided that our experience at 11 Madison Park has ruined us!  Ha!

Dinner was great.  Glad to be home though...or back at the apartment.