It was another hot and humid weekend, a heathen summer, thus far. I can count the many hours the heat has hindered me and held me down to slumber. This weekend was not going to be another wasted weekend.
As part of my quest to find a new apartment, as many may attest that it is a nightmare in New York City, I went to a neighborhood I liked and searched for postings and real estate offices. Online search can only take you so far before you realize 70% of those Craigslist ads are actually scams.
I had visited Long Island City, LIC, many a times but had never been interested in this location, barren and industrial, it didn’t have that homey atmosphere. However, a couple of weeks ago, by chance and hunger, my friend and I had stopped at a brunch place off the Hunter’s Point stop and I just fell in love with the the area. Unfortunately, it is an expensive area despite its industrial surrounding but due to its proximity to the city. But I persevered and returned to look.
Nearby, there was a flea market. In Khmer, we call these markets “sky market” because they have no roof, the English etymology is quite a mystery, on the other hand.
It’s much smaller than the ones in Brooklyn but its cute, quaint, and offered many a taste and feast for the eyes. Used, new, and homemade items lined the 4 rows of tents. A DJ pumped music as people puttered around, waited in lines for the latest Lizzmonade drinks, fried oysters, pulled pork sandwiches, and pickles on a cob. Most of the stands were cash only and the ATM machine was down so we ended up only at one place, a venue featuring South African street food, I only had a lychee ginger drink that was pure heaven for the dehydration. My friend met up with us and spotted some money and shared fried oysters and a bite of paella. Delicious!
To make up for lack of food, we finished with early dinner at Cranky’s Cafe, a cute Creole restaurant for pamplemousse (champagne with grapefruit) and mangolini (champagne and Soju with mango).
The next day, as it was Bastille Day, after breakfast in bed, I dragged my boyfriend to meet up with a few friends for French brunch. We returned to LIC to catch a bus that connected to Greenpoint. Hot and sweltering, we ventured by foot to Williamsburg, passing many a places, before reaching our destination, Le Barricou.
Kir Royale, French toast, and a 30 minute pancake was enough to knock anyone down.
But nope, we returned back from all this sweet food for some artisanal hot dog at Crif Dog. I got a chili dog, which is a hot dog smothered in mustard and chili sauce. We ordered to go and ended the Sunday by resting at the waterfront in Newtown line, facing LIC. It must be a sign!
