Thursday, March 29, 2007

signs of spring

In my last post, I moaned about winter. Someone must have heard my griping, because in the past few days the weather in NYC has been a dream. And I've been doing lots to celebrate.

First order of business: Shake Shack. For those of you who don't yet know about this divine place, you must discover it. Shake Shack was dreamed up by fancy chef Danny Meyer, so the food is delicious, but it's designed to look and feel like a roadside or beach-side food shack in the summertime (and it's pretty cheap). It's a little hut in the middle of lovely Madison Square Park, which is only open seasonally (March through October, I believe), serving the yummiest burgers, hot dogs, fries, shakes, ice cream, and "concretes" (frozen custard with mix-ins like Oreo cookies). You take your food to one of the many little tables or benches and enjoy eating either beneath a cloudless blue sky or, as I did with my boyfriend the other night, an array of twinkling nights. Springtime perfection...

I also did my first round of spring shopping: for SHOES! As anyone who knows me can attest, I have a real thing for shoes. And because I love shoes so much I tend to wear mine to death, so I need to start over with a fresh batch every season (at least, that's what I tell myself). Yesterday I purchased round-toed polka-dot cork wedges (white with black polka dots), gold ballet flats with suede-tipped toes, and red flats with white polka dots (can you tell I'm going to be very much about polka dots this summer?). I find there are few things more satisfying in life than arriving home with a big bag full of new shoes, knowing that in (hopefully) a few weeks time, the weather will graciously allow you to wear them.

The other reason for all this reckless behavior (burgers! shoes!) is that I've handed in the first draft of my manuscript (woo-hoo!) so I now have a mini-break while I wait for my editor to get back to me. As soon as she does, I'll have to return to the grind for a little bit, so I feel I better soak up this freedom while I can. It's kind of like nice weather in New York: you know it can't be forever, so you try to enjoy every moment.

2 comments:

Jennifer Echols said...

We've been in full bloom here for weeks (with the pollen to go with it), and I've considered posting pictures for you, but I thought they might make you sad. I'm so glad to hear the NYC weather has caught up with your fever! :)

Kelly McClymer said...

Spring. I've heard that word before. It usually arrives here in my north-ward area of the woods about May. It's warm enough here that the kids have put away the winter coats, and some are even in shorts and short sleeves. And when I say warm, I mean in the 40s. With very little snow left (just the big piles bulldozed into parking lot corners :-)