the whole plate.

New York is a funny place on long weekends.  Two thirds of we locals clear out, which should make the city quiet and calm for those who choose to stay behind. But, the influx of tourists goes up to new heights on these weekends, and I swear the city was more intense than usual both Saturday and Sunday.

I might complain about crowds, but I am nonetheless an urban girl in nearly every way.  I hate driving and cars in general.  I don’t understand why people wear t-shirts and sneakers outside of the gym.  I’m a total food snob.  Half the places I shop have only one location.  I’m a hound for good and new art.  The size of super stores [i.e. Super Target] terrifies me.

Regardless, even we gotta-drink-my-morning-coffee-while-writing-my-to-do-list-and-updating-my iphone-calendar-city-girls occasionally need some respite from the nonstop stimulation that defines this city.  Often, I don’t realize how much I need the breather until a few moments of peace sneak up unexpectedly.

i’ve been craving fish in a big way recently.  going with the cravings always brings along a sense of peace.

I didn’t have big plans for Memorial Day Monday: while most people were out barbequing with family, my parents were up in Maine [jealousy], and I chose to stay put in the city.  It seemed that finally, on the holiday Monday, the tourist crowds dissipated.  I began my morning with a leisurely breakfast, eventually making it to the newest yoga studio at which I have a two week pass.  I know yoga seems ideal for wide, natural, and green expanses – but for this girl, there’s nothing more calming than holding half moon while staring out floor to ceiling windows that overlook empty Soho streets.  Hello, zen.

at $8 a pound and with a super annoying cleaning process, fiddleheads are maybe a two-times-a-year purchase.  but that makes them special.

My morning set the tone for an entire day: I took a leisurely stroll home in the sun, stood over my sink cleaning dirt off each individual fiddlehead fern [oddly calming], met a friend for afternoon ice cream and farmer’s market gazing, and treated myself to a pedicure.

It culminated last night, about 7:30 PM, when I stood over my stove with three burners lit: vegetarian jambalaya simmering on the left [a recipe for my freezer], a week’s worth of millet cooking in the back, and the fiddleheads sautéing with a ridiculous amount of garlic up front.  As I spent an hour over the flames, my multitasking abilities were maxed out: I was cooking that evening’s meal while simultaneously preparing components of lunches and dinners for the week ahead.  And yet, I was completely calm.  I was cooking.

so many of my favorite things on a single plate: just barely wilted kale, pan-seared scallops, fiddleheads with lemon and garlic, quinoa, guac.

Though my day involved quite a bit of wandering through city streets, the pace was slowed.  There was no rush down the blocks and no fight to be first out the subway doors.  There was only the peaceful enjoyment of being one of the locals left behind on this busy island.

Of course, I wouldn’t turn down a chance at some seaside air on a summer weekend sometime soon.  But for now?  I’m perfectly calmed by my urban oasis.

Where is your oasis?  And how did you relax this weekend?

Related posts:

1. it’s about what you don’t see.
2. vegspiration: a week of market goods.
3. dinner 8.10: tarragon pesto potatoes.