Snow

Hi Mom,

This is probably the most snow New York will get this winter. It gets plowed to the sides of the road, where it forms knee-deep puddles my boots and I will wade through to cross the streets.

It's still not that cold out, which is nice. Especially for all those people standing in Times Square, who probably lined up at eight this morning to get spots from which to watch the ball drop.

As for me, I'm getting as far away from the center of the city as possible--I'll be in Brooklyn watching it on TV. Now you know I'm really becoming a New Yorker.

Happy New Year!

Love,
Karen

Kugel for everybody!

Hi Mom,

Whole Foods is now carrying kugel.

I saw it today near the check-out, alongside some soups. I was pretty surprised to see it there, as they don't do much by way of kosher meat (they have some frozen, haven't seen anything fresh).

I wandered over to their pasta salads and saw a sign up by the prepared foods, asking people looking for kosher offerings to check out the case.

The whole thing made me hungry, so I headed to a nearby deli and bought a knish.

Love,
Karen

Eggshell blue?

Hi Mom,

Went to Macy's today to browse with the holiday mobs.

The place sure was bustling, though I'm guessing most stuff was coming back in, not the other way around.

I happened to pop by kitchenware, and was, as always, taken with the mixers, blenders, crock pots and and various other cookware I don't have a kitchen big enough to own.

One day, retro-colored kitchen equipment will be mine!

Love,
Karen

Five hundred bucks worth of paint on the wall

Hi Mom,

Somewhere in the Lower East Side, just inside of a storefront you would barely notice from the street, Jon's cousin Zeke is going to be painting all night.

I'm still fuzzy on the details, but it seems like a couple of artists have parked themselves and their paint there for 24 hours of dizzying masterpiece creation.

See that piece on the wall? It's $500 bucks worth of color.

Nice work, Jon's cousin.

Love,
Karen

Onigiri

Hi Mom,

When my favorite place to get onigiri closed, I was sure my habit of paying $2.50 for rice wrapped in seaweed had been broken.

Not so, said the store I found just the other day. ALL they sell is onigiri! I stepped up to the glass counter and peered in at my options. Whoa. And suddenly I knew that my exploration of this most fabulous food had just only begun.

It's Andy's fault, really. I had onigiri for the first time when I visited him in Tokyo way back in college. Ever since, I've scoured the city in search of these strange, salty treats.

So you can imagine my surprise and great good fortune at finding myself here, with options galore and tasty pieces I've never tried.

Let's see, which one to try first...

Love,
Karen

Le latke

Hi Mom,

Went to the French Consulate tonight for a Hanukkah party. There was a speech in French, some menorah lighting, another speech in French...(picture courtesy of the Consulate, thank you Consulate)!

I met some new people, ate some dreidel-shaped cookies, and then headed back out into the blustery winter night.

Coming up tomorrow, night eight, and a Hanukkah party at Jon's.

Thinking of you here in the city...

Love,
Karen

Glue wine

Hi Mom,

Gluehwine is a cheap, warm and very welcome German holiday treat. It's red wine spiced with cinnamon, cloves, sugar, and possibly a bit of orange.

I last drank it in Berlin, at an outdoor Christmas market packed with locals. And some tourists (like me).

I had all but forgotten it existed before I stumbled upon it at the Union Square Holiday Market.

The market has really exploded these past few years. Bigger, better, and full of red wine? Let me find those mittens...

Love,
Karen

Very convenient

Hi Mom,

In Philadelphia there is a very good chocolate shop with an entire case of excellent chocolates and a massive list of hot chocolate flavors to choose from.

I went there with Bonnie just yesterday (thank you, Bonnie).

Directly downstairs from the chocolate shop is a gym, such that when you step out to use the restrooms, which are located outside the gym's entrance, you feel just a little guilty.

Should I be working off the green tea chocolate or the chocolate pretzel? Were there actually calories in my caramel chocolate bite? I'm not usually the type to trifle with truffle, but here the fitness is accidentally so tightly tied it makes me chuckle. And hence, I'm sharing the experience with you.

Love,
Karen

Lotsa latkes

Hi Mom,

It's not my door. Not even close. But didn't my friend do a lovely job decorating her door for Hanukkah?

Me, I'm planning on chopping up some onions, slicing some potatoes, and making a giant mess and/or latkes.

Plus I'm going to hunt down a Chabad truck to get some candles.

Love,
Karen

Attn: Bo Peep

Hi Mom,

Here we have one sheep backpack/purse phenomenon. Don't know where it came from, can't tell you how it got here, but boy, what a find!

I was on the escalator at Port Authority earlier tonight and saw it, almost stopped the girl to ask her where she got it. Guess some of life's great mysteries have to remain unrevealed.

The only thing about it is it's not smiling. And I, like you, believe in the necessity of stuffed animals' most obvious jubilance.

Speaking of purses, remember that My Little Pony carrier I lost when I was five? I was just thinking about it today. And the pony that blinked. Go figure.

Love,
Karen

A very large cup of soup

Hi Mom,

A giant billboard claims that Campbell's has 32 feet of noodle in every can. I have to say, I'm skeptical. Those cans look pretty small.

I stopped by my neighborhood bodega to see if it was plausible. Even the biggest can didn't seem capable of such greatness. I figure maybe they sell tanks of the stuff to Panera or someone and are using that as their metric.

While I think other brands have a leg up in terms of flavor (and less salt, such that I don't inhale my daily sodium requirement in one bite)--I was deeply impressed that they managed to string something noodle-like from a top window AND inspire me to spend an entire day wondering about their soup.

Love,
Karen

Please stand in line

Hi Mom,

There was a line down the street that seemed to wrap around the corner. I craned my neck, trying to see if someone famous was playing, or a store was closing and practically giving things away.

Turns out, there were a couple hundred people lined up on a chilly December afternoon to get in to Abercrombie & Fitch. They don't all fit into the store at once. I asked the guy about it: he smiled and said it got like that some days.

So that means all these people were lined up for the chance to spend money. On Fifth Avenue. At Abercrombie. Makes quite the case for Twelve Oaks, doesn't it?

Love,
Karen

My Umbrella

Hi Mom,

Actually, it wasn't my umbrella at all. I had borrowed it from a friend. It was huge, this umbrella, and multiple colors, kept the rain off. It did everything you'd want an umbrella to do and then some. And then tragedy struck.

I went in to a restaurant, and they asked me to put the umbrella in the front, near the door. Now, knowing what a cool umbrella it was, I tried to argue. However, they were adamant in their requests that I leave it as opposed to taking it to the table.

I coerced a hostess into watching it for me, promising upon her first born child that she'd let me know if it moved.

After dinner, I went to get said umbrella, and to my chagrin, and nobody in New York's great surprise, it was gone. The whole way home I lamented my loss. And looked to see if anyone was carrying a suspiciously familiar-looking umbrella.

Love,
Karen

My money, please

Hi Mom,

I almost switched banks today. After trips to five branches and multiple conversations with wherever their call center is based, I still couldn't use my ATM card. It had been almost a week--a week since I first told my friends I would take their cash and put the whole thing on my card, a week since I'd been able to walk up to a wall and get money from it.

Did I mention that on some blocks there are two Chase locations, one on the near end and one on the far? And the service is really spotty.

Three times I was told it couldn't be done, that there was no problem, that I had to call/go to another branch, that it was fixed. Each time I'd run up to the wall, put my card in, and get a message that my request had been denied.

I told them what I thought the problem was, they assured me no such problem had transpired. I was going to a cash-only restaurant the last time I tried it, when I decided that if it didn't work, I'd change banks...

The guy on the other end helped me figure it out, finally, but from now on I'm keeping my money under my bed.

Love,
Karen

Barnsie the bear

Hi Mom,

Now they really sell it all. Went to Barnes & Noble for a book I wanted to read. Stopped by their CD section, greeting cards, cafe and references shelves before stumbling upon Barnsie the bear.

Now, I understand people wanting New York bears--stuffed Statue of Liberty bears, Build-A-Bears in Yankee costumes, but "Barnsie?" I don't really go to Barnes & Noble for their signature stuffed.

Apparently he has been around for a while. I found him in a green cable knit sweater back from 2007 and in a gift bag, seemingly still available, online.

So there you have it, the story of Barnsie. When it comes to my giant bookstore, I'm still much more excited about the fact that they now have free Wi-Fi.

Love,
Karen