Love for Trader Joe's

Today was the first day that both of us have felt like settled New Yorkers, staring past people in our way and tuning out on the subway with our headphones in.

I figured out the express train, and my commute is now under 10 minutes. Amelia - 1, Subway - 15, but it's no longer a shutout. Walking to work on Broadway in the East Village I'm 99% sure I brushed shoulders with Blake Lively! She lives in Bedford, NY, with boyfriend Ryan Reynolds (I googled this today), and is known to frequent the city. How about that, right? She was keeping a low profile with a scarf, but it had to be her! I finally sighted a celeb, chalk up one New York experience. Zack has to catch up now, and we're really hoping to see Sarah Michelle Gellar, since she lives on the Upper East Side.

I snapped a quick photo of the view out one of the windows in the office - it's not great compared to the actual view at all, but it's a taste. Work was so much better today! Now that I have my bearings, I love it.

I stopped by the Trader Joe's on 14th on my way home from work and fell in love. There are no fewer than 22 checkout counters in the store, which is roughly the size of your average Walgreens, and the line to check out went almost to the back of the store. They actually had people directing you to checkout counters, and walking along the line to see if anyone forgot anything, and then they would get it for you so you wouldn't lose your place! So much good food. Way too much. A true food gem. A point for the Hetfields in the game against the price gouging grocers of New York. Or so I thought until I walked 10 blocks in heels with a heavy bag of groceries. C'est la vie, I suppose. Time to celebrate with cooking all of the food, and [hopefully] a foot massage!