Best I Took a Walk

I've been telling everyone about this and now I'm telling everyone via internet.

Saturday was such a nice and sunny light jacket clear blue sky weather day that I said to myself, "I gotta get out there into that nice weather!" and then I said "Why not walk over to Central Park and walk around a bit?" So I headed out. And started walking. Which lead to more walking. Next thing I knew (more or less) I was at Canal Street and I said to myself, "Well, I've made it this far...better finish this island off." So I did.

My route:

Many have asked, "How long did this 9.7 mile walk take, Brigham?" And the answer is: "Oh, like four and half hours, but I was exploring the whole time.

Here's the bullet point highlights of the highlights of the hike:

• Tried "All Nighter Cheeseburger" Doritos. These are Cheeseburger flavored Doritos. They taste like ketchup, mustard, pickles and corn chip. The sick sick truth: I'd eat them again.
• Used the bathroom at two different Apple Stores.
• Went to that big Japanese bookstore by Bryant Park. It was Ponyo day. They were having a trivia contest.
• Visited two different J. Crews...listen, this isn't a men's fashion blog (correction: this is the only blog that isn't a men's fashion blog these days) but when did it happen that Banana Republic get so whack and suddenly J Crew is full of so much cool stuff? That's all I'm going to say about that.
• Explored the Ace Hotel. Whoah. If you're ever exposed to hotel hype, then you've probably heard a bit much hotel hype about the Ace but let me tell you, this is a cool Hotel. An Opening Ceremony for a gift shop, a much larger than expected lobby full of very cool people chilling out on their laptops, a gymnasium with punching bags, and I caught a glimpse of the Breslin, which seemed very ambiancey at the least (and I hear they make a great pig's foot for two). The fact that this place is located in just about the least favorable part of Manhattan (29th and Broadway) just turns everything on its head. I highly recommend a little visit and look around.
• Bought shampoo
• Later on I bought soap.
• Phonecalls with Kat, Collin, Jeff, and Andy.
• Got street meat from that excellent cart at 6th Ave and 4th street.
• Noticed a house Mark Twain had lived in.
• Looked up art shows that weren't happening yet while I was at the Soho Apple Store.
• Saw Jason Schwartzman at the Acne store (that's jeans, Mom and Dad) in Soho. He told his lady friend she'd look good in a certain sweater and then took a seat on the couch and started reading a photography book.
• Took approximately 4 pictures.
• Thought of a great new fry sauce (kewpie mayo + rooster sauce)
• Watched a homeless looking woman lose $100 on a shell game in Battery Park (that still happens? they still have those games?)
• Ran into my last downtown bishop on my way to the subway, got a good tip on some job networking I could do.

While I know there are longer walks to take (Patricia did that thing where they walk the whole way around the whole island, for example) this was probably definitely the longest walk I ever took in the city. It left me in quite the good mood. I guess I should take a 10 mile walk every morning to start my days off right.