New York City!

This photo captures much of the spirit of our trip. We did a lot of walking about and shopping, the sort of captivating walking/shopping that is only possible in small, isolated pockets in Boston. My friend Amy and I were taken with these Sohung Designs coats and pretty much everything else he had on display at The Market, NYC, a showcase for young designers. The coat I'm wearing came back to Boston with me. Looking at the photo, I may need to order the belt, too! Almost everything else I purchased has to remain secret until after Christmas.

We stayed with Amy and her boyfriend Aaron in the East Village. We enjoyed 241 top-shelf martinis just down the street from their appointment (dirty, of course, with lots of olives, since, as Amy says, that makes them practically a meal).

We went to the Russian Baths, spent a lot of time on the roof (and even had an illegal open-fire picnic with a tiny hibachi grill and sausages), and went to Coney Island. We rode the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel, Chris and Aaron, particularly Aaron, were talked into playing games like "Bushel Baskets" and "Shoot out the Star," we rode bumper cars at the El Dorado (Motto: "BUMP YOUR ASS OFF!"), and we walked all the way down the boardwalk from Coney Island to Brighton Beach, where in the span of about 200 yards the mixed working-class families seen at the amusement park shift to a group composed entirely of Russian-speakers, primarily old Russian-speakers, gathering in little cliques on the benches to smoke and talk and, yes, even sing songs in Russian.

And I did knit! And I went to Purl a controlled myself with only a few skeins purchased! In fact, here's a photo of me knitting the MERMAID SLEEVE in front of Purl!

A finished Mermaid is in the near future. Hooray!