Subway station mosaics with a side of carrot cake
(Editor's note: This was supposed to be sent at 7:30 a.m. yesterday, but it was flagged for fraud (??? idk ???). Here it is!)
In the last seven days I rode not one, not two, but THREE different commuter rail trains into three different segments of the New York City suburbs and let. me. tell. you: A TRUE JOY. I will now compare and contrast in an appropriate amount of detail the Thomas the Tank Engine-chic of the Long Island Long Island Rail Road, Metro North, and New Jersey Transit.
NJ Transit: most crowded train; extensive wood paneling reminded me of the Brady Bunch living room; double-decker trains for an eLeVaTeD experience; a light-up sign that reads "speak softly" in what is surely an homage to 26th President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt; Secaucus is what all the Congressmen from states that touch the ocean should call their convenings (get it? like sea-caucus...)
Metro North: train was late on the way there but took less time than scheduled upon the return. only explanation: Westchester needed more elements of surprise; great fence at the Botanical Garden stop; being a reverse commuter is smugly zen; strong trees; Bronxville is hilly Highland Park, Illinois
Long Island Railroad: the teal seats are capital a Art; always at least one person drinking out of a brown paper bag; very into the Keebler Elves vibe of the houses near the Kew Gardens station; how I get to my grandma's, so the best idk what to tell you
There are more train references to come, so I hope you have your ticket because I have a hole punch! (false):
Here's the scoop on snacks:
Carrot Top Pastries is rad as hell. The Washington Heights bakery-diner hybrid is so worth the trip, as they have beautiful cannolis, cakes, and cookies, on top of a menu of breakfast foods and other savory snacks. But the real reason you go is for the carrot cake. The cream cheese frosting: plentiful and thick. The walnut chunks: hearty, but not overwhelming. The warm spice blend: subtle and an expert companion to the tangy, savory flavor of the frosting. You want the triple, not the single, because the two slices are the same height, but only one comes with three swishes of frosting. But wait, there's more!!!! If you take the C train downtown from 168th, you will go past the 163rd Street stop, which has a mosaic so beautiful it made me gasp! Yes, an authentic gasp! The tiles were so vibrant. They may even be better than the hats at the 23rd Street N/Q/R, which is my favorite mosaic ever.
Here's the scoop on stories:
Alison Roman makes Thanksgiving in her very small kitchen (Alison Roman // The New York Times)
This story gave me a lot of confidence that, with the right amount of lists, sleep, and calisthenic exercises, I, too, could feed a lot of people some elaborate food all at the same time and not have to finally convince someone that my idea for a prom-centric business is good so I can get rich and buy a massive house with a massive kitchen. Dream big!
The 2010s broke our sense of time (Katherine Miller // Buzzfeed News)
This story is a meditation on the technological transformations of the last decade and how that progress affected the very nature of the most central element of humanity: time. If this story was a musical piece, it would be a hypnotic dirge. It is very smart. It is smartly written and smartly designed on the webpage, with little gifs that pull your attention away just enough to act as meta commentary that supports the exact point and mimics the exact experience the author is defining.
Growing up in Levittown (Britta Lokting // Curbed)
I remember learning about Levittown in social studies class and hearing about it and seeing it first hand when we visited Long Island. I really wanted more from this story, which traces the town's history and status as a living piece of Americana. An exploration of how the old rules of "idyllic" suburbs have evolved is really worthwhile, but this came off like a laundry list of high school students' random escapades as opposed to a thoughtful macro-analysis of a trend.
That's all for this week! Thanks for reading. Thanks for noshing. Have a great weekend!
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