So, the weekend has been and gone. Saturday was spent much as I would spend a sunny Saturday in London - getting very pink legs in the park with my flatmate, then drinking wine with her in the evening. We actually ended up in a sports bar, where I showed off my complte lack of sporting knowledge by talking to some real-life jocks who were friends of my flatmate. Yes, these people do actually exist. At least I could offer some half-convincing World Cup banter, which they were all surprisingly in to, despite having to watch the matches at strange times due to the time zones.
On Sunday I met up for brunch with Dara, who is a friend of my friend Jenn's - what a delight that was. I hadn't quite realised how much I was missing talking to people on a similar wavelength. Brunch is a big Sunday thing here. Dara was explaining that it basically happens any time between 11 and 3, and usually involves cocktails. I passed on the cocktails, given how hot it is and how generally dehydrated I am at all times at the moment. We went to a place near my flat, as Dara used to live on the same street a little bit further up. The place is called Rose Water, and despite being a little pricey, was really very nice and highly recommended. I had scrambled eggs with roast potatoes, bacon and a minted pea and rocket salad - basically, the nearest thing this place does to a full English.
Dara then showed me some of Brooklyn - her neighbourhood, Boerum Hill, plus some really lovely bits of Brooklyn Heights. We came across some Bastille Day celebrations - basically, lots of people playing petanque in the street whilst drinking Pernod. Again, I turned down the booze.
Today I decided that, as I woke up to thundery rain, I would go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is one of only a few of the big museums that has a suggested donation rather than a hefty ticket entry price. Sadly, it is closed on Mondays (READ THE BLOOMING GUIDEBOOK, SARAH) so instead I wandered through Central Park, stopping to eat my packed lunch by the boating lake. I then walked down 5th Avenue to Bloomingdales, stopping at FAO Schwartz to take a picture of the Big piano.
Bloomingdales did not have a hat that I liked, so I kept walking down to the New York Public Library which, sadly for me, was completely swathed in scaffolding so I have no nice pictures of the outside. I shall have to go back at some point later in the trip to take some.
The NYPL is very different to the British Library, in that it is housed in a beautiful old building made of marble. Inside, the corridors are quiet and calm. The reading rooms were very beautiful, though I wasn't allowed to take pictures in them sadly. You'll just have to take my word for it. Something I also wasn't supposed to take pictures of is the Declaration of Independence handwritten by Thomas Jefferson. I didn't realise this until after I had been told off by a surly security woman, but I did get one blurry shot:
Anyway, I have been here nearly a week now. It feels like a really long time - not because anything is terrible, just because every day there's new stuff to look at and learn about. I have been laying the foundations to get my voluntary stuff under way, so hopefully will have some stuff to report back on it that area soon.
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