After a nice short 9-hour work day (yay!), I decided to go walking in Central Park instead of working out in the gym in my apartment building. It was supposed to be another miserable 95-degree day today, but it was surprisingly cooler than. I had fully prepared myself to melt on the subway platform this morning but was pleasantly surprised at the welcome reprieve from the sweltering temperatures of late.
Anyway, I never quite made it past Columbia Circle on my way to Central Park tonight.
I got drawn into an art and framing gallery, and spent quite some time poring over several NY cityscapes - some in water color and others in lithograph. I was picking out two different framed prints to buy – keepsakes to remind me of my stay here - and was discussing pricing and framing with the two nice middle eastern men working in the shop. But there was a bit of a language gap that created some confusion, and by the time I’d decided on my purchase and the frames I wanted, I realized that the print I wanted really didn’t come in the size I’d asked for. Anyway, I started over picking out two prints and working these two guys for their best deal.
Ah but you can get a good deal at this gallery. “You pay cash?” one of them asked me. I said “No, credit card.” (Tip: Never wander the city without credit card, subway pass, and $20 cash. I carry these even when I go out just walking for exercise. I also carry a camera.) So he explained the deal of the day to me: “You pay cash, no taxes.” At first I didn’t catch “taxes.” He clarified: “Cash – no taxes.”
“Ahhhh,” I nodded. Right, OK, and that’s about as illegal as selling knock-off Louis Vuitton purses on Canal. I told them I’d think about it and come back tomorrow. The price was just too high. I left with a beautiful $7 set of panoramic post cards and my dignity.
I was walking around Columbus circle and started to pass a cameraman who was filming an interview right in front of the Time-Warner building. I didn’t recognize the woman being interviewed so I kept walking. But my curiosity got the most of me, and I turned around and went back to join the tiny crowd watching this interview.
That’s when I realized that the famous person was the interveiwer, not the interviewee. I recognized him. I recognized his voice immediately – but I had to study his face to make sure it was who I thought it was. He looked older and shorter than he should have (in my mind). Of all of us standing there, though, none of us could remember the guy’s name – we all asked each another, "What's his name?" like it was on the tip of our tongues. He’s one of those actors who plays bit parts and appears a lot on TV and on film. I finally asked a man standing close by (who turned out to be a member of the actor’s entourage).
It was Jay Thomas. “Ah! That's it!” I snapped my fingers as if I'd known all along.
The name meant nothing to me. But I knew I’d seen this guy on a thousand shows. And I knew I liked him. (See imdb.com/name/nm0858988/.) So I snapped a few photos.
When I entered Daffy’s on 57th Street after that, I knew my walk just wasn’t going to happen tonight. Time to shop! I love Daffy’s – clothing bargains for millionaires. I got a $79 Nine West purse for just $35.99, among other summer clothing items.
I guess it’s not a good thing to live within walking distance of so many clothing stores. I keep finding myself wandering in. And spending! Shopping in New York is just so much fun. I’ve really got it good here.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Shopping with the Animals at Rite Aid
It’s official. The hot weather is here. We went from being 20 degrees below normal to breaking heat records – all in the space of two weeks. So today was a beautiful 80+ degree day. I got a good dose of much-needed Vitamin D today, soaking up rays on the Gershwin's second floor sun deck, reading NY Times Magazine. That’s two weekends in a row that I summoned the courage to bare my pale arms! If I keep it up, they won’t be pale for long.
Later this afternoon I went across the street to do a little shopping at Rite Aid – it’s the only store where I can find affordable cereal. Usually they have cereal on sale 2 for $5. I was out of Grape Nuts, so I sorted through my coupons for the first time in a while and trekked across the street.
I am a coupon-clipper. I get that from my mom. I’ve really got to hand it to my parents. One thing they ingrained in us kids was how to save money. My sister Lisa is famous for buying clothes for under ten dollars. Every time I see her, it’s “I paid four dollars for this skirt at Hammer’s,” or “I got these sandals for a dollar-eighty-eight at Hammer’s,” etc. I get such a kick out of Lisa's uncanny ability to remember exactly what she paid for everthing. That must run in the family too.
Anyway, at Rite Aid I was standing in line when a very Italian-looking New Yorker walked in and stood next to the counter near me. He held a snow-white kitty cat on his shoulder. This cat had the biggest, bluest eyes I’d ever seen on a cat. Frank Sinatra eyes. When I asked the cat’s name, the man said, “I’m not sure yet. Maybe snowball." This was one beautiful cat - for a stray.
New York is a pet-friendly city. I’ve seen dogs in that Rite Aid more than once. A couple weeks ago a nice-looking young guy walked in with an African Grey parrot on his shoulder. Later tonight on my way to Central Park for a stroll I saw a man and his daughters watering their three dogs at a small fountain outside the Time Warner building. One of the young girls had a huge, brightly colored Macaw on her arm.
Anyway, the cute kitty in Rite Aid earned that nice man the privilege of moving ahead of me in line to buy his pack of cigarettes. When I got up to the counter, I warned the cashier that I had "a lot" of coupons. After ringing up my items, Ahmed proceeded to carefully scrutinize every single coupon. I must have really thrown him off with the first coupon. It was good for a free 2-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper – a value of up to $1.59. After verifying the $1.79 price on the soda bottle twice with the scanner, Ahmed started reading the coupon aloud: “…free…up to $1.59.” He looked at the cash register, then back at the coupon, then back at the cash register. I tried to help: “That means the coupon is worth $1.59.” After another minute of thought, he carefully folded the coupon at the bar code and scanned it.
Still seven or eight coupons to go.
For each and every coupon, Ahmed rifled through my purchase to find the item matching the coupon, carefully reading the product label and comparing it to the coupon. This was taking some time, so I started holding up the items for him. He seemed skeptical of the lipstick coupon, reading the coupon, and then reading the tiny fine print on the lipstick next to the UPC code. “Maybelline New York,” I assured him. He nodded, folded the coupon, and scanned it.
By the time Ahmed was done totaling my purchase and scanning coupons, Snowball the cat had probably taken in a couple Broadway shows with his new owner.
All in all, I saved over $13 on my one-basket purchase, so it was worth the wait. I think I’ll call and tell my sister.
Later this afternoon I went across the street to do a little shopping at Rite Aid – it’s the only store where I can find affordable cereal. Usually they have cereal on sale 2 for $5. I was out of Grape Nuts, so I sorted through my coupons for the first time in a while and trekked across the street.
I am a coupon-clipper. I get that from my mom. I’ve really got to hand it to my parents. One thing they ingrained in us kids was how to save money. My sister Lisa is famous for buying clothes for under ten dollars. Every time I see her, it’s “I paid four dollars for this skirt at Hammer’s,” or “I got these sandals for a dollar-eighty-eight at Hammer’s,” etc. I get such a kick out of Lisa's uncanny ability to remember exactly what she paid for everthing. That must run in the family too.
Anyway, at Rite Aid I was standing in line when a very Italian-looking New Yorker walked in and stood next to the counter near me. He held a snow-white kitty cat on his shoulder. This cat had the biggest, bluest eyes I’d ever seen on a cat. Frank Sinatra eyes. When I asked the cat’s name, the man said, “I’m not sure yet. Maybe snowball." This was one beautiful cat - for a stray.
New York is a pet-friendly city. I’ve seen dogs in that Rite Aid more than once. A couple weeks ago a nice-looking young guy walked in with an African Grey parrot on his shoulder. Later tonight on my way to Central Park for a stroll I saw a man and his daughters watering their three dogs at a small fountain outside the Time Warner building. One of the young girls had a huge, brightly colored Macaw on her arm.
Anyway, the cute kitty in Rite Aid earned that nice man the privilege of moving ahead of me in line to buy his pack of cigarettes. When I got up to the counter, I warned the cashier that I had "a lot" of coupons. After ringing up my items, Ahmed proceeded to carefully scrutinize every single coupon. I must have really thrown him off with the first coupon. It was good for a free 2-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper – a value of up to $1.59. After verifying the $1.79 price on the soda bottle twice with the scanner, Ahmed started reading the coupon aloud: “…free…up to $1.59.” He looked at the cash register, then back at the coupon, then back at the cash register. I tried to help: “That means the coupon is worth $1.59.” After another minute of thought, he carefully folded the coupon at the bar code and scanned it.
Still seven or eight coupons to go.
For each and every coupon, Ahmed rifled through my purchase to find the item matching the coupon, carefully reading the product label and comparing it to the coupon. This was taking some time, so I started holding up the items for him. He seemed skeptical of the lipstick coupon, reading the coupon, and then reading the tiny fine print on the lipstick next to the UPC code. “Maybelline New York,” I assured him. He nodded, folded the coupon, and scanned it.
By the time Ahmed was done totaling my purchase and scanning coupons, Snowball the cat had probably taken in a couple Broadway shows with his new owner.
All in all, I saved over $13 on my one-basket purchase, so it was worth the wait. I think I’ll call and tell my sister.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)