After a very long weekend  (5 days) we are finally (almost) settled in our new home.  Today we ventured out to Manhattan for a little shopping. Our mission was to find a collapsable shopping cart, a metal trash can, and a few remaining groceries.  I guess every “first” in a new place holds a unique memory.  When our train got to the Bedford stop, 3 men with guitars boarded.  They began to play a lively Mexican tune, singing in sweet harmony as the train rattled on toward Manhattan.  At this, Brannon made a great comment about why he loves living in New York.  ”How many times have we been serenaded by a mariachi band on the way to Woodruff Road?”  Zero. I suppose this is just another normality of the city.

We made our way to Bed Bath and Beyond on 6th Avenue where we found the trash can and cart. The cart came unassembled and we were wondering how we were going to carry a huge trash can, cart parts, and groceries all the way back home.  Again, the ingenuity of the city came to the rescue.  At checkout, the clerk simply asked, “Would you like to have this assembled?” To our surprise there was what seemed to be a full time product assembly guy waiting by the door for everyone’s assembly needs. “This is brilliant!” I thought.  Where else but here?  :)

Trader Joe’s was a madhouse, with the line stretching the circumference of the store all the way to the entrance.  But they had all the groceries on my list, and that made me very happy indeed.