The Weekend. July 11 - 13.
Impulsive choices, sandwich devotion, and tooth gems.
Good morning! How was your weekend?
This might be my least motivating weekend recap ever. I didn’t get up to much after Friday. Ending age 34 alone. Uh oh!
Friday
Started the day with a customer picking up a cookie order for a summer birthday: suns and swimsuits. Then got to work on another order for a baby shower: butterflies, mushrooms, and ladybugs. After decorating half the batch, I met up with two friends who are in town for the month. They used to live in New York but now live in Nashville and brought their family up for the summer. Such a fun idea.
We leaned into the New York spirit and got pizza at John’s on Bleecker. I love it there, the space has great character, and the pizza is classic New York. We shared a house salad (I love an Italian house salad, even better if it comes in the wooden bowl) and a pepperoni pie.
While I waited on line, I noticed the new, very hyped sandwich spot next door: Salt Hank. I believe they only sell french dips. The line was endless. I was standing next to a family visiting New York, and the dad joked, “What kind of lunch break do these people have to wait in a line like this?” His daughter (and me, silently) replied, “Lunch break? Dad, these people aren’t working today.” Yeah dad, it’s Friday, it’s summer, it’s New York!
The pizza totally hit the spot, a little greasy, but the thin crust was fantastic. I couldn’t stop thinking about pizza all weekend. After lunch, we got ice cream at Van Leeuwen. I had the honeycomb brownie peanut butter. PS Salt Hank was sold out by the time we left John’s, it was around 2P if you plan on going.
Later, I got a haircut with my stylist Cortney at Butterfly, then walked to a pilates class. On the way, I ran into a friend on maternity leave and we bonded over the luxury of having a little time off on a gorgeous day.
I ended up being ten minutes late to class and decided to wait for the next one, which meant I got to spend the next 40 minutes reading on the gym’s balcony. It turned out to be a really nice, unplanned surprise in my day.
After class, a friend texted saying they and some friends were grabbing a drink at The Drift Inn. I love those last-minute plans when everything just lines up. As I was walking down the West Side Highway my shoes started to pinch and it felt like the walk was taking forever. Luckily, I was right next to a Citi Bike station and hopped on. It was like it was calling to me.
It sounds cliché, but biking along the water in the summer air was euphoric. I used to bike everywhere, and it felt so good to be back on one. I don’t love Citi Bikes; they’re clunky, and finding a dock (if it’s not right near where you need to be) is very annoying.
We shared snacks and had a couple refreshing cocktails. Stayed until about 10, then wandered over to Salt & Straw. The line was long, and I was sure it would move fast, but it took 30 minutes (I lost the bet). I was saying the whole time they really should cut samples when the line is that long. Note - do not get the strawberry pretzel salad, the pretzels were completely soggy.
Got home and finished decorating cookies.
Saturday
Okay… I did absolutely nothing. Not exactly the plan, but that’s how it went. I had originally planned to spend the day at the pool, and in classic me fashion, I became fixated on packing a perfect sandwich for it. You know that ideal summer sandwich moment by the water? Nothing better. I’d just learned a new sandwich technique (see here) it has changed everything (for the better).
I went to the store to get a good piece of bread. It was already 11, I hadn’t eaten breakfast and I was thinking about the sandwich. Then I started to overthink it — will it be hot and gross by the time I eat it? I don’t have an ice pack. Will it be messy? I don’t have sandwich paper. I could use a container, but I hate the visual of eating over that. I couldn’t handle the stress and I just didn’t want to ruin the moment of eating the sandwich so I made it then. For breakfast. And it was perfect.
The sky was still cloudy, I already had my sandwich so I worked on projects for my upcoming birthday party. When the sun finally came out around 3, I somehow couldn’t get myself to the pool. Had the other half of the sandwich for a late lunch. Basically, my whole day revolved around that sandwich.
Finally got out for a walk around sunset.
Sunday
Clouds again. Cmon people! I’ve got to keep my tan up! Spent the morning cleaning, then watched the men’s Wimbledon final (yay Sinner!).
Eventually the sun came out, but I still didn’t get to the pool. Why am I like this?! Instead, I went for a late lunch at McDonald’s (not usually a Sunday move for me), but hear me out. Right now, the Happy Meals come with the cutest toys: mini McDonald’s items like a soda machine, the pumpkin Halloween bucket, and many more! My family and I are obsessed. I’ve been stopping in once a week, but I keep not getting the ones I want. This journey is becoming emotionally exhausting.
After eating, I stopped by Live By The Sword for new tooth gems as a birthday treat. Have you ever gotten a tooth gem? You should! It’s fun — a little tooth treat. They usually don’t last long, though I have one that’s been hanging on for nearly three years.
My dentist has no issue with them, so I will continue to have them. This place offers a 30-day policy, so if one falls off, they replace it. I’ve definitely swallowed a few (yikes), I even found one in an Airhead I was eating (yikes pt II).
Stopped by Kinko’s to print something for my birthday. The printer totally botched my file, so I went to the front desk for help. The staff member blamed the PDF and asked, “Did you make this on Canva?” I called the police.
Spent the rest of the day at home.
Bites of the week:
Uncle Lou, Dry-Fried Green Beans w. Minced Pork
Let’s have a good week.
See you tomorrow!