Monday August 13- in the running for best day

This was a fabulous day.   Almost overslept b/c of the late night (and one of Caroline's specialty mixed drinks :)  ) but got myself down to the Flatiron district again in time for my:

Free haircut at the Ted Gibson salon!!!!

Before

Me in the Ted Gibson dressing gown

How did I get a free haircut?  Well, it was Craigslist!  I saw that one of the associates at Ted Gibson needed to demonstrate a layered cut and I volunteered.  It takes a little longer this way, but I got a $100 haircut for free.  Well, "New York free" which means $20 for the tip and I had to buy two products.  She told me about the products before I got there so it wasn't a surprise, and I got some useful things, but "free" around here makes me laugh :)

I now know what a "precision" haircut is.  Dang, I've never had anyone cross check my hair so many different ways and spend such a long time cutting each individual strand.  But it looks good!  In the pics it is hard to tell b/c it is still long and we only did subtle layers, but it feels much more healthy and I got a great blow out as well.  I wish I had a picture of the back of my hair--it truly looked like a movie star it was that beautiful.  Genyii took a photo, so maybe I'll ask her for it!  Anyway, it was a lovely experience and I would definitely go back.

After

Here is what Genyii posted on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/GenyiiScott/status/235063595896012800/photo/1/large

Skywriting above Chelsea! 

The famous Chelsea Hotel, home to Patti Smith, Dylan Thomas, Bob Dylan, Virgil Thompson, Robert Mapplethorpe, Sid Vicious, Janis Joplin, Madonna, and on and on and on

How can the Chelsea Hotel be closed?  But it is.  Some permanent residents still live there, but they fear they will be kicked out.  What's going on?  Jack Kerouac wrote "On the Road" here- this place MUST stand!

 The plan for today is to wander Chelsea.  Land of art galleries, expensive living, uber hip everything!  Found an Italian restaurant I wanted to go to, but the kitchen is closed on Mondays.  They referred me to "The Chop Shop" which is actually a Thai place, and the food was fabulous!  The chicken coconut curry was yummy, and the veggie dumplings had the crispest crust.  YUM!  Are you noticing a theme here in my eating habits?  I love the food in NYC!

Strolled the neighborhoods, looking at the wonderful apartment buildings and brownstones- I really love this area and can see why it is such a hot spot.  Many of the galleries are closed for new installations, but I did lots of window gazing and saw much unique artwork.  Found two bookstores--I can find them anywhere!--and bought "The Imperfectionists" at 192 Books, even though the person at the counter was excessively snotty.  The other bookstore would be heaven for a visual artist, as the Juilliard bookstore is to me, so I just looked around but was in awe of this specialty bookstore.

In search of a public restroom, I stumbled upon the Chelsea Pier.  The weather was perfect, the skies clear, the water peaceful, the view fantastic, it was relatively quiet, and there were few people there.  Heaven!

It was so beautiful.  I decided to stay as long as I wanted.  So I sat and read, snacked, and even took a nap. Yep, I felt comfortable enough to lie down on the bench and nap for 30 minutes.  And I felt so much better!  I absolutely loved watching the ships and getting away from the noise that is NYC.

Strolled to the Empire State Building to use one of the free tickets from Sara.  On the way, I encountered the High Line Park.  I had read about it, but did not expect to see it.  It is amazing!  The city has turned an unused, abandoned raised train trestle into a park!  There are beautiful plantings, sculptures, patches of grass, benches and lots of places to sit, and even food stands.  It is incredible!  And you can see into people's apartments!  I learned a lot.  The New Yorkers love the High Line, and it is truly special.  There are plans to add more to the park, but I think it is over 20 blocks currently.

New York Post Office, Penn Station (yes, it truly is ugly!  I see why New Yorkers are pissed), and Madison Square Garden were also on my way.

Empire State Building- long lines, annoying people, lots of stages of waiting.  Completely worth it.

When I finally couldn't bear the crowds any more, I left.  I couldn't stand the tourists pushing me-one Chinese man was particularly egregious.  I counted to ten, swore in my head, and moved on.

I really wanted to eat Korean, as this is Koreatown (so small now that it is easy to miss it).  I found one that wasn't too expensive, but wasn't really that good either.  I probably should have just paid for it and actually enjoyed it.  Happily, this is the first sub-par meal I've had here.

Looks great though, huh?  And the soup was really good :)  Not so the bugalbi.

One interesting thing happened to me today- at one point I was tired, hot, and hungry, and memories started to flood over me and I almost started to cry.  The man waiting next to me at the stoplight must have noticed that my eyes were flooded with tears and he smiled at me and started talking to me about the weather and how beautiful it was.  He escorted me down the block, and when we parted ways I was smiling.  What a chance encounter with a sensitive person who could tell I needed some kind words.  Thanks, man.