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Rubus idaeus

Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)

Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)

Coprinaceae (maybe?)

I have ascended 🍬

Spent some time today getting to know Tilia cordata aka littleleaf linden. Just love its sweet, honeyed scent that’s perfuming the entire neighborhood right now. Learned that it is a nervine herb that can be dried and brewed in tea. Observed that linden trees in full sun right now are in their peak or past-peak bloom, while trees that receive mostly shade have yet to bloom.

Also learned (as I set off with my little bucket to collect the yellow buds for exactly this purpose) that the tree harbors TONS of aphids - those are the small green insects that cover my picnic blanket every time I sit underneath the tree. Harmless to humans but highly unappetizing. I decided to unfortunately abandon this urban foraging effort.

“Together, these cards suggest a message of finding harmony through both external celebration and internal rejuvenation. Balancing joyful connections and communal experiences with periods of self-care and reflection will contribute to your overall sense of well-being and fulfillment.”

Let it be so for summer 2023.

ψηφίστε εδώ

I started the weekend by pulling the Strength card. I certainly needed it for an ambitious day of aimless errands around Manhattan.

Took the ferry for the first time this year! Once again, for this mode of transportation, I will heartily recommend wearing earplugs and standing on the back deck instead of packing yourself onto the crowded top deck.

First stop: Glossier. They make the only lipstick I like wearing at the moment (Gen G in “Like”) but my god, their in-store experiences keep getting worse and worse. The lighting is set to a perpetual dusk, rendering it impossible to get an accurate read on comparing different makeup shades and giving me jarring “air quality alert” flashbacks. Too soon.

I then stopped in various shops in the Nolita area, happening upon WESH! AKA NEW YORK’S HOTTEST NIGHTCLUB! It’s real!! It made my day to be in the presence of such an iconic establishment. Inside, there were $320 sunglasses.

At the end of the street was Tacombi, where I had a delicious 3pm meal that somehow kept me full for the rest of the day. I recommend the esquites, which came in this cute little cup.

I walked off my meal in the direction of the East Village, stopping in a bookstore called Codex and zeroing right in on The Well of Loneliness. One of the many pandemic-era reads that I started but did not finish. Inscribed in the inside cover was “rare lezzie lit!” and while this book originally retailed at 35 cents, it now costs 35 dollars. A nearly 10,000% markup.

Ventured deeper into St. Mark’s territory. I’ll always have a soft spot for this neighborhood. Grateful for the neighborhood establishments from every New York era that somehow still remain.

Stopped in at Physical Graffitea. Heaven on earth. If you’re going to shop at a store like this, just smell everything you can and buy something weird. You can get Earl Grey anywhere. I got watermelon oolong and a kombucha on tap to go.

One of the other patrons in the store made a Stefon reference, calling this place “New York’s hottest underground tea club,” and I reflexively turned around said to the group, “I have been thinking about Stefon all day!” and we all shared a laugh.

Walked one block over to Flower Power. I wanted so badly to ask “Can I talk to the resident witch on staff?” and “Do you have any bottles of the Come to Me oil that Jenny Lewis likes?” Instead, I browsed awkwardly and was too shy to speak to the beautiful woman behind the counter. So I took a picture of this jar of “Screamin Power” flower blend. (“for singers, yellers, & screamers / relieves congestion & tastes great.”)

Then the mothership was calling me home, so I jumped on a bike, rode it 25 blocks to the 34th street ferry, spaced out hard on the lower deck (too tired even for the back deck), jumped on another bike upon arrival in Astoria, and biked all the way home.

And those esquites kept me full through the night.

Scenes from the sunnier side of this week, when I wasn’t stuck indoors, staring at the sickly, strange-colored shadows on the walls and refreshing three different AQ trackers on the hour.

We New Yorkers really don’t care about environmental disasters until they happen to us, right?

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.

After 10 years in this neighborhood, I’ve just discovered that the building next door has a mulberry tree. There’s one on practically every block.

Will I get brave enough to forage/eat them? Stay tuned.

We are the champignons 🧩