Soh Daiko, Japanese Taiko troupe, performing at Uniqlo.
During first few weeks of working in NYC, I wondered why so many people were walking around with shopping bags (Uniqlo, Macy’s, Magnolias Bakery, Aldo, etc.) to work.
Then it hit me.
That’s their lunch bag!
Here’s mine.
Chinatown Shopping Adventures
I have been looking for a simple, spacious, and more “classy” bag to lug around all my crap when I go out or to work. Basically, something more professional than the backpack I’ve been rocking. I have quickly started noticing a trend with a specific bag. Nondescript, decent size, and a variety of colors. EVERYONE has it.
I caved into the madness. I really wanted to figure out who made it and how much it cost. There were several times I came close to stopping and asking one of the many women carrying it. Close!
Then I remembered, Google knows everything.
“Nylon solid colored bags with leather straps” was the only thing I could go off, and it worked.
Then I saw the price tag.
Seeing as I’m in NYC and cheap, I went off to do research about shopping for handbags in Chinatown. :P
I even went to Bloomingdale’s and one of the flaship stores in the city to check out the colors and size options. Obsessed much?
Ventured into Chinatown one day after work just to get familiarized with the streets and pricing, but everything seemed to be closing up shop at that time. Some store owners didn’t know what I was talking about when I simply asked “Longchamp?”
In one instance, the store owner pointed me to the back of his store and pushed in the wall to reveal a secret closet. He motioned for me to go in before him and I thought, “OK sure why not, but please don’t kill me.” I asked for a price. About $100 off the retail price. I tried to get him to go lower but he wasn’t budging. I also wasn’t carrying any cash so it was more of a practice run. At another shop, they had a walkie talkie with someone one on the other end waiting for an order to bring something to the store. The price was a few bucks cheaper but when they brought me the bag I was disappointed with the quality. So I went home and planned to come back some other day.
Today was more fun. I crashed at a new friend’s place last night in Midtown, and instead of going back home, I headed to Chinatown during the tourist rush.
I got out of the subway and stopped by La Colombe Torrefaction for iced coffee. My summer bucketlist includes visiting as many different coffee shops in the city as possible.
It was busy when I walked in so I was glad I was just getting coffee to go.
After that I started scouring the side streets I had checked out before but I there didn’t seem to be much action. Then I started walking up Canal and started seeing the walkie talkies again. I also started hearing: “Handbag? Coach? Prada?”
So I slowed down and responded with:
What color you want?
Large brown. How much?
Ahh, I can get it cheaper.
How much?
$35
No I give it to you fo $60 dolla
No sorry, thanks.
And then I started walking away.
I saw the woman hold up 5 fingers and yelled for me to come back with “Miss miss I give it to you for $55!”
So I countinued my trek up the street and saw another woman with a small bag filled with DVDs and decided to ask again. She pointed me to another woman that was the designated bag wrangler. Instead of walkie talkies, this woman was rocking a bluetooth headset. There were other buyers standing around waiting for their “orders.” This crew seemed to be dominating the block.
So I decided to start haggling again. They were selling for the same price but were more willing to budge when I started to leave. I started at $35 again and the decreased the price by $10 the more I pestered. We eventually settled on $40 when I told them that’s all I had in cash. Mission complete.
In the end, I walked away with a large purple bag. I also saw another girl pay the same price for a medium sized Le Pliage. Win? Let’s see how long this baby lasts.
Flying Solo
I have been getting creative in finding things to do. Most of the time when I fly solo it’s usually as a result of looking for something on a whim. Like going into the depths of Chinatown I never knew existed. Where you can buy 5lbs of bananas for $2. As my friends back home put it after I texted them the experience with GroupMe, there’s always money in the banana stand.
I’ve also walked around the Upper West Side to get a glimpse of a quirky little neighborhood. Along the way, I walked past a thrift store beneath a church that was a few minutes from closing. I decided to run in and check it out. Scored a Chemex for $7.
Last Sunday, I went to the only Target I could find on Google maps. Little did I know I’d be walking through El Barrio to get there from the subway. I felt right at home. Walked past several panaderias, taquerias, and a woman sitting outside a shop making fresh gorditas on a comal. Signs of summer are every where. Kids cooling off by running around open fire hydrants and Mister Softee trucks and coquito carts on every corner. Childhood nostalgia started hitting me hard.
Target was an interesting experience as well. I envied those that were walking up to the shopping plaza with granny carts and watched as others lugged their purchases into cabs to get back home. Despite the fact having a car is very convenient, I think I would actually prefer doing without one when I finally decide where I will start my career, or maybe I’m just really entertained by the people watching I get to do on a daily basis.
The rest of my solo excursions have been shopping related. As weird as it sounds, I think grocery shopping has become a hobby. Each store has something different to offer, and whenever I spot a store I don’t recognize, I can’t help stopping in to take a peek. I think the one I’ve liked the most has been Fairway. It reminds me of Whole Foods, but less emphasis on everything being organic and all natural. There’s also an Asian supermarket within walking distance from my apartment that stocks everything from fresh shark to fruits and veggies I’ve only seen on Wikipedia.
I’ve also been exploring as many coffee shops as possible around the city and boroughs, but those are for another post.
Setting the Grind on a Hario Skerton
The Hario Skerton mill is quickly becoming a favorite of coffee professionals. It’s imported from Japan, and consequently, there are no instructions in English. The included literature informs the user that the ceramic burrs are washable, and also gives grind adjustment instructions.
We’ve come…
Explored a little bit of Williamsburg in Brooklyn yesterday morning. Picked up a Hario coffee grinder yesterday at a kitchen supply store called whisk.
One thing I’ve learned these past few days is that there are specialty stores for EVERYTHING.
Couldn’t figure out how to adjust the nut to get a coarse grind for cold-brewing but I found a simple guide. Figured it may be of some use to other coffee geeks.
