Journal: August 21. More Mad Men. Union Square. Lower East Side. Chinatown.

After a fine night on Regina's comfortable couch woke up with coffee and two more episodes of Mad Men, bringing me completely up-to-date.   Began my catch-up just before leaving Los Angeles in May in a great Mad Men orgy.  I'd missed the first three seasons, but thanks to the Venice Abbott Kinney branch of the Los Angeles Public Library.  They had almost complete sets of all three seasons-the few they were missing, I could order from other branches in a triumph of library work.  I did love those DVD's with their very serious add-on documentaries about The Women's Movement, The Civil Rights Movement, The Port Huron Statement, and more.

No Bonus add-ons for this gi--it's set in 1964--where will they begin? 

Just as were about to leave,  Sarah and Sam called from Long Island.  Betty Jacoby, 94, is in the hospital in Riverhead--rushed there in the middle of the night--so great concern all around.  Oy.

With all the tv watching, phone calling,  and worrying, it was almost one  before we left the house.  Regina is a great shopper and browser of flea markets and had read that the Hester Street Flea Market on the Lower East Side had excellent food vendors as well.  I was too hungry to wait, so en route, Regina obliged me with a stop at an  Italian butcher and deli on Bloomfield Avenue where I got an eggplant parmigian sandwich to tide me over (she had a chicken cutlet--no sandwich--much neater and trimmer).  I later realized that I could have had a hamburger across the street at the ice cream parlor where the last episode of the Soprano's was shot  (a steady stream of tourists stops by to snap pictures), but I will do that another time.

Traffic was terrible at the Lincoln Tunnel.  Not clear why.  As we we drove downtown we had to stop at the Union Square Green Market.  I've always thought that the Farmers Markets in Santa Monica and the Ferry Building in San Francisco were about as exuberant as you could get, but mid-August in Union Square with its grand displays of tomatoes, corn, herbs, enormous beets and radishes and all sorts of lettuces, herbs, jams, honeys, etc. felt like a grand harvest celebration.  Regina bought corn and tomatoes while I bought purslane and beets and radishes--since I loyally get my the corn and tomatoes closer to home.

Our next stop was the Hester Street Market where Regina got to realize her food aspirations--and I happily participated.   We each had a half of a lobster roll from Luke's (at the Hester Street flea market), I got a french caramel macaroon and iced coffee--made in the latest style and Regina had some remarkable lemon poppy seed ice cream.  

Waking through Chinatown, I couldn't resist baby bok choy and garlic chives, and we both bought bar-b-que chicken wings for a late night snack.


Then back through the Lincoln Tunnel--Regina wove her way uptown through secret viaducts to zip us effortlessly to New Jersey.  Back in Montclair, I packed up my car and headed home, arriving just as night fell.