Grocery Shopping in Harlem

There is nothing quite like having two 6 a.m. flights, a sleepless shopping night with the cousins, and a very successful night on the town in a mere 5 days to completely exhaust you. Alas I arrived back in the Big Apple yesterday and was greeted with some really great weather. Great enough to inspire some people watching (staring?) in Central Park. It was fun going there as a walker instead of a runner (got that bursitis flaring up), mostly because I could use my SLR camera and take zoomed in pictures of people from afar without them noticing.
There are quite some characters in Central Park. I saw the amazing bubble man (see pic) a bride (also see pic) and of course someone playing the bagpipes (they are EVERYWHERE). Yesterday I was on a mission though. I wanted to find "Strawberry Fields". With my roommate Sara in tow we travelled across the park to the West Side. On our way we saw some people paddling their little row boats, boyfriends and girlfriends holding hands... boyfriends and boyfriends holding hands... and of course dogs (thankfully they have sweaters on this time of year, wouldn't want them to get sick!)
Our final destination was quite the attraction. There were flowers over the "Imagine" tiles that made the peace sign, and also a little shrine with candles dedicated to the Beatles (it was almost like they were all dead). The whole time we were there Beatles songs kept playing in my head. Luckily our next destination was Harlem so the Beatles became the LAST thing I was thinking about.
There is this gem of a store called "Fine Fare" that I kid you not is HALF the cost of what I pay for groceries on the upper east side. Everything in this area is super "cheap". I honestly paid $6 for box of oatmeal on the Upper East Side and I saw a box in Harlem for less than $3. I actually did most of my grocery shopping before I left for NYC. Mom, Dad, if you are wondering where all the oatmeal and granola bars went....
So I gathered some of the essentials and walked out of the store with only a $15 check out bill (amazing!) I however made the mistake of waiting outside the store for my roommate (it was a ZOO in there). Not only was there a man waiting at the exit door trying to sell food (really sir, because we JUST went grocery shopping), I was also approached by a crazy man trying to get me to by a baby out of a trash bag. Let me clarify, a baby doll. I kind of laughed and asked him, "What am I going to do with that?" He acted surprised that I didn't have any kids. Let me tell you, even if I had kids I would not be purchasing a baby doll with it's head popping out of a trash bag!
I'm looking forward to the next couple of days here. I worked out in Becca's hotel gym today and will be doing the same tomorrow. She is staying at a REALLY NICE hotel near Grand Central station. We are planning on ordering some delicious takeout tomorrow and watching the Biggest Loser finale. It gets even better (I know, I know... Biggest Loser and takeout already sounds too good to be true), but Wednesday we are watching the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center and none other than Michael Buble and Aretha Franklin will be performing there for free!
Until then I will enjoy my remaining days with the hoarder next door. He is almost completely moved out (he had about 6 movers come yesterday). It worked out great for me because they carried my suitcase up four flights of stairs!