Friday in the Village

First stop today was a visit to Myers of Keswick, a British-themed grocery shop nearby. There was everything for the homesick pom, lots of comfort food including a range of pastries like Shepherd's Pie, Pork Pie and Cornish Pasties. They were running a competition on guessing the sex of the Royal Baby.

Then to Roger's Time Machine, a collectibles shop specialising in old magazines, comics and movie memorabilia. You had to get buzzed up to the second floor, a wonderfully seedy and chaotic second-hand bookshop with everything categorised and fading on display. There were 1950s toys in original packaging, old movie posters, hundredweights of comics and magazines and everything for the mass media collector. I was after some Adventure Time originals for my son, but as in Perth they were sold out. Roger said I should wait until the fuss over the TV cartoon dies down and then they'll be cheap.

After attending to some grocery shopping and laundry, and a light lunch, it was our intention to visit the Chelsea art galleries on 9th and 10th Avenues - there are about 50 of them in close proximity. However, we hadn't reckoned on the "long weekend" from July 4th, and they were closed in droves until Monday. While wandering in the sun we came upon a "samples sale" of asserted designer clothing so had a look at the clothes on offer - not much of interest and the sale price was what they were worth in, say, Target.

Another clothes shop had an amusing window display.

Full of lols, we hoofed it through Greenwich Village, strictly from West Village to East Village.

Pausing at the Marie's Crisis bar for refreshment, we overheard a couple of gay guys debriefing about their July 4th party, and it was just like being there with a waspish commentary. The bar/cafe is unrenovated, and if we'd waited a bit longer there would have been show tunes belted out on a large Steinway.

Refreshed, went through the Washington Square park and admired the ballet students working out in public and earning their lunch with calisthenics for the crowd.

Lynda stopped at a Chinese food cart outside the New York University for a cheap noodle dish.

Then to St Mark's Place - historic rock cradle and a fond memory from my last visit. There's evidence of gentrification, and hipster bars, and cute food joints. The old Khyber Pass restaurant is still there, under a mask of scaffolding.Search and Destroy lives on, selling t-shirts and second-hand outrageous vintage gear.

Time was getting a bit short, so we hastened to 13th Street to catch a one-man show The Accidental Pervert, which has been running for years to good reviews. It had its moments, and the writer/actor Andrew Goffman is engaging and polished.

The day had taken a toll, both of us were tired after the show and once home and fed with a quick scaloppini alla vino and more of the $25 Faively Mercurey the door was shut.