City weekend

I went to Purl Soho, I petted the Liberty, I ate New York pizza, I drank delicious, intoxicating things. It was perfect. 
This now-three years running tradition of a May weekend in New York City with my aunt is emerging out of the mists, growing its own inside jokes and little specialties. Special-ities. Getting tippled on wine and talking about books or music or movies is one. Watching the Derby on Saturday, after which we make homemade BLTs (with a $4 tomato purchased from Grand Central Market, where tomatoes are $5.99 a pound) is one. Having friendly little spats over who's treating who for what is one. A frequent refrain is, "Well, okay, I'll let you pay for lunch, but I am buying the four-dollar tomato!"

Friday was for the Botanical Garden, for meandering and soaking up all the flowers.

Saturday was for shopping in Soho. We took the subway down to a very different Spring Street. I discovered that Purl Soho and Anthropologie are right around the corner from each other. I needed to pilgrimage to Purl to pet the Liberty (as I said before) and Anthro is just... well. 

Purl is tiny, but I made my way back to the cutting counter. I found some really pretty sea foam green linen for 40% off, and, after blinking back honest overwhelmed-by-beauty tears, set upon choosing the very nicest, prettiest bolt of Liberty to coordinate with the linen. The man working the cutting counter and I talked about how we store our finest, most special fabrics in a separate pile, apart from the rest of the stash: maybe this is what it means to be a fabric nerd. Exquisite is the word. I have no idea what I'm going to sew with the one yard of Liberty and two yards of linen I bought, but whatever I do with it it'll be a lovely reminder of this day.

By late afternoon, I had a tidy little bag of treasures to tote home. It was just right.

I'm so lucky that I get to do this every year, so lucky that I have my dear aunt who says-- as I drag her all over the city-- that she loves it, that she isn't tired yet, that she's having fun. That she's buying the $4 tomato, and lunch.

She's a good one. Maybe the best one. I'm so glad I have her in my life.
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