Honking Horns

I pulled out my Fitbit, the one I haven't worn since February, according to the app. I charged it and will be wearing to to log how many steps I take each day. I was surprised that I only made it to 7,775 steps yesterday, considering that I walked to the grocery store twice (one can only carry so much) and that we walked to dinner. With all the fabulous food options here, I'm gonna have to "step it up a notch." I love walking and it was always my number one source of exercise in Montana and North Carolina, but in those places I didn't have to deal with all the honking. I swear someone honks about every second here! I have a very sensitive startle response-- always have. I even flinch when Richard touches me and I'm not expecting it, so I don't think it's due to being scared of the city. I actually love my neighborhood. The only thing I truly need to be afraid of is being hit by a car or bus. There's an intersection a block away where several people have been killed recently. It's not always the drivers' fault -- sometimes it's the pedestrians not following the crosswalk signs. Richard warned me about this intersection. There's a separate light for cars to turn left, and pedestrians think, oh well, the crosswalk sign is about to change, so I'll just start walking now. DON'T! I waited until I had the white walk sign and still narrowly escaped being hit by a speeding bus that was running his red turn arrow. In the evenings there's a police officer directing traffic. No one pays attention to him, but he's there muttering what I assume are obscenities as he stands in the middle of the insanely busy intersection, people breaking every traffic law possible and him being unable to do a thing about it.

Richard and I walked back to the area where we had eaten the night before because there was a sign on the side of the building advertising Gotham West Market. The sign said it had 9 different restaurants under one roof. We actually had to backtrack towards home to get to Gotham West Market -- it was closer to home than we realized. What a cool place! We had a hard time deciding what to eat, but settled on a place called Indie Fresh. They had lots of healthy options. I got turkey meatballs and Richard got milk and cereal (because he said he was saving calories for dessert). That's the way we do things. You can't forget about the good stuff! I was watching Ellen DeGeneres the other day and she was interviewing Channing Tatum. He made a comment that really resonated with me. He was talking about all the dieting and exercise that went into getting in shape for Magic Mike 2. He said that dieting takes the color out of life. I agree, and I like color a lot so you won't see me eliminating unhealthy foods altogether--splitting dessert with my honey works for me. After our healthy food, we went to Ample Hills Creamery for the unhealthy stuff. When the guy behind the counter heard that we had never been there, he gave us each a sample. Mine was Salted Crack Caramel. Holy cow it was good! They give you 2 scoops in a cup, so Richard and I split Salted Crack Caramel and Praline (it had a fancier name, but I can't remember it). This morning we went for donuts. Richard had searched on his GPS for a donut shop, not the typical Dunkin, but something special. The search indicated one near his bus stop on his morning commute, so he paid closer attention and discovered that it is in the car wash that he stands next to as he waits for the bus. The place is called Under West Donuts. They don't open until 6:30, but we arrived at 6:15. The man and woman working inside the tiny shop invited us in and chatted us up as they were getting last minute things done so they could open. The donuts are amazing and the people are so sweet! The guy moved here a few months ago from Key West. The woman didn't say where she was from so I assume she's a local. She warmly welcomed us to Hell's Kitchen and wrote down the names of 6 of her favorite restaurants in the neighborhood, giving details about the owners and their menus. She also told us that Jerry Seinfeld (on his bicycle) and Meryl Streep had been in there for donuts. How cool is that?! Once again, another friendly New Yorker and more places to explore!