Last post. Thanks

This is the last post in this blog. Please every one must leave the blog. You can follow my journey by connecting Òscar's Blog. I want to thank all the people that helped and supported me during all these "too short" months in the city. Thank you also for all your comments and I hope to keep each other in touch. Tomorrow I'm leaving New York back to Barcelona. I truthfully believe that this is not a "Good Bye" but hopefully just a "See you soon". Anyway, the purpose of this blog, as a Report of the Adventures of a Catalan Exchanger in New York, is over. I will continue posting directly in my personal blog and maybe I will open a new one, the next time I come. So shall it be!

Dinner for two at Mercat

Yesterday night we enjoyed the only real Catalan food served in New York city. It is in Mercat restaurant by Soho. Ham, cheese, wine and "pa amb tomàquet" just the way it would be served in Barcelona. Among other delicacy we found the "Rap amb romesco" was absolutely remarkable. I strongly & very honestly recommend this new establishment of the city. We were actually celebrating the joy to be together but also the hard duty to say good bye.

US Open 2007

Ellis Island

An evening at Shea Stadium

It all stared with a brief Gmail Talk in the afternoon: "Jodi: Dave is suggesting to go the Mets this evening. Vols anar-hi?" Obviously, my immediate and affirmative answer was a short "Visca!!!" That was all, a couple of hours after we were taking the 7 train express to the Shea. Since I'm in the city I never refuse any proposal for something new, more over, when we are accompanied with our friends Dave and Jen, stupendous people and always nice.

The NY Mets' Shea stadium is magnificent. I was expecting something smaller but it is really huge and surprisingly for a Thursday night It was pretty full. So Mets fans are truly loyal, I can tell! I loved keeping track of game's evolution through the score-board and following the fans directions like "Make noise" or "Let's go Mets!". Crazy!!!

In spite of the sad defeat of the locals, the game NY Mets vs SD Padres was exciting till the last minute. I enjoyed it a lot as I'm starting to fully understand the game bases and because I had lessons and real-time comments from Jodi and Dave, both experienced baseball fans.

Just a small note about the delightful American fast food you can taste on your seat while you watch the game. Sitting on the row we took the advantage of the moment to taste the delicious and already mythical Nathan's hot dogs with mustard and relish. By the way, I can not say the same about the disappointing beer and the fries.

So that was my wonderful baseball premiere, I can't wait for more magic nights at the Shea!

Happy Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday and it was really a wonderful day. It started very sweet in our home at St. Marks. As finally ended my last academic assignment I decided to spent the day out enjoying the neighborhood. Between two grey and rainy days yesterday the weather was pretty sunny and I went to the Prospect Park to have fun reading my Sant Jordi's books and take the sun laying peacefully on its long meadow's grass.

In the lunch time, I started looking for a cheap place to eat out around the Park. I left it by its west side walking calmly. Then I happened to take the 3rd street in the Park Slope and I confess that I joyfully fell in love again with this city. Honestly, the 3rd street at 8th avenue in Brooklyn is one of the most beautiful and quite places to live I have ever seen in New York.

At the corner of the 3rd st. at 7th ave. I found a very cozy Italian restaurant called "Sette Enoteca e Cucina". They were offering a nice price-fixed menu for lunch and I took the advantage of the deal to have a fresh salad and a delicious dish of pasta in its quiet patio by the 7th ave.

I have to admit that after the scrumptious lunch I went back to the Park to have a short nap. But the sky slowly turned in a little but cloudy and I decided better to go back home to wait for Jodi to come from her office.

When she finally arrive the amazing presents' storm started. The bill of gifts was long and generous and they all were given wisely and deliberate in a rhythm able to create an in-crescendo of awesomeness and emotion. I sincerely ended astonished, excited and very emotional. The list, preceded by a private and fun card, went like this:

1. A Mad Libs Book - The world's greatest word game - Good

2. An American English Proverbs Book - Very useful - Very good

3. Common American Phrases Book - For everyday contexts, what I needed - Very nice

4. An ultra-cool Brooklyn Industries T-Shirt (See the photo) - Brutal

5. A delicious Nano iPod - 8GB in Black - Bestially flabbergasting

6. The sweetest Photo Scrap Book ever seen from our last 6 months together - Demolishing

After the gifts orgy we recovered energy at a fusion Japanese-Thai restaurant by the neighborhood.

The food was correct but not as remarkable as the night deserved, so we decided to culminate the feast with a sweet desert at The Chocolate Room. There we enjoyed one of the 10 best Chocolate Cakes in NYC (NYMagazine2006) and a real and tasty Coffee Espresso conveniently accompanied by "Death Cub for Cutie" music. The day ended as sweet as it started. And so, happy birthday!

Sunflowers

Sometimes I receive flowers and it makes me feel so happy!!!