Two papers, two tests, and one quiz. Maybe I'm just not that sensitive, but I just went home and did dinner and schoolwork and studying and sistering and then Friday after work I packed a bag and went upstate with Josh and two other people and we went apple-picking and to a pumpkin farm (field?) and stayed until Monday afternoon.
You can't really grow up in the shitty section of the Bronx and avoid getting flashed. Or seeing a guy squat down, face a wall, and light up a crack pipe. Or avoid walking past an alleyway and seeing a hooker blowing a guy. Or avoid getting propositioned by a pimp. When I told Josh on Friday what had happened, he pointed out that most nannies have probably been propositioned at work at least once if not more.
I never went upstate before - any time I've left the city, it's been to go out to Long Island. The other guy who came on the upstate trip is one of Josh's good friends he's known forever, and he brought his girlfriend. As we crossed through Scarsdale, Josh's friend asked if I'd ever left lower New York before. When I said no, he laughed and said I should have gone to the Fresh Air Fund and everyone laughed at that. I did not find it all that funny, and when he asked if I even had a passport Josh changed the subject.
We stayed at a bed and breakfast - it's like half hotel, half house. It was like on Gilmore Girls, but less wacky people. Josh told me you can take the toiletries and it's not stealing but I had a hard time believing that. We spent Saturday just exploring the area and stopping anywhere that looked interesting. Apparently people go driving in CT and upstate New York in the fall to look at the changing leaves, which seems totally crazy to me. Josh wanted to stop at an outlet mall because he thought I should see one, but his friend's girlfriend got very upset and said I absolutely should never buy anything from an outlet store.
Josh said an outlet mall is full of stuff that didn't sell in regular stores or extras that were made but didn't even get sent to stores. The girl said though, it's things that are flawed in some way, or stuff that never sold after tons of people tried it on. She said I can do much better just shopping the good sales at regular department stores if I don't care about having things from the previous season.
When I asked Josh if he ever actually bought anything at an outlet store he admitted he never has. I am not sure I can afford the kinds of things she buys. She had a Bottega Veneta bag that she told me she doesn't even really like, but just got on a whim. She probably spent more on her bag than I spend in three years on clothes. I didn't buy anything at the outlet mall.
Sunday we went to an apple orchard and picked apples. They give you a big basket, and you can take a wagon to put the baskets on and pull which we did. The woman at the front had index cards with recipes for things you can make with apples, and I pretty much took one of each. You can freeze applesauce, right?
There were lots of antique stores and we stopped in a few to look around. After the second one it kind of seemed the same, and were the type of places to call themselves shoppes. There were also candle and soap stores and they all smelled very flowery, and not in a good way. There was a store where they made fudge, and that place did smell good. We found an old timey ice cream store and that was great.
On Monday we went to a place that has horses and went horseback riding which was crazy fun - it felt like I was falling every time the horse moved. It was my first time and didn't fall off, so it's going down as a success. Then we went to a pumpkin field and went on a hayride. After we picked pumpkins we had lunch and then drove home. It was really funny being a tourist somewhere. I tried to not be an annoying one. I am going to be up crazy-late each night this week cooking.
7 comments:
Sam,
You can definitely freeze applesauce. I have found that it works best in zip-lock baggies. The heavy freezer ones are best, but not necessary. One word of advice about it all: If you know you are going to freeze a bunch, don't add as much cinnamon and other spices to the pot as you think you would like, because freezing intensifies the spice flavors. You can take out the amount you are going to freeze and let it cool before you put it in the baggies, and add more spices to the pot. Then when you re-heat the frozen, taste it before you add more spices. Is this more information than you wanted?
I'm glad your touristing was fun. The "Fresh Air Fund" joke was not funny to me. And outlet malls are over-rated in my opinion.
Sounds like a wonderful weekend (minus the bs fresh air fund joke). Have fun cooking with all the apples. Try an apple pie or an apple crisp. Yum!
What a wonderful, wonderful post!
It's fantastic that you got to have this lovely experience, Sam. You sound so happy, and I am glad.
when he asked if I even had a passport Josh changed the subject
Now that is someone who knows you well, who cares about you, who has got your back, who gets you, who looks out for you instinctively.
You can freeze applesauce, right?
Yes. You can also can it.
There were also candle and soap stores and they all smelled very flowery, and not in a good way.
Those places can be overpowering and the scents too fake. The scent of real flowers and other aromatics, like that of the fudge, is a different matter.
What a lovely weekend away. Sam, I am so glad you got to do this. Sounds like it was just the right thing in so many ways. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Sounds like a wonderful weekend. :)
I don't buy many things at outlet malls, but that's because I think they are generally still overpriced! I have never spent even $75 for a purse! If you want designer names, then it may be a good place to look but you still need to watch to get good prices.. Some items CAN be slightly defective... others are simply overstock or previous season/year items.
I love the kitchen supply outlet stores though. :)
So glad to hear about your weekend away! That's the kind of excursion that sounds like the perfect compromise between the luxurious vacations that Josh takes and what you're used to. Yes, people definitely go driving in upstate NY, and CT, and all over New England, to look at the colorful autumn leaves. I went to college in upstate NY and this time of year is when I miss that area the most.
Josh's friend's girlfriend has an odd, or at least out-of-date, perception of outlet malls. It's true that some manufacturers -- particularly bakeries and the like -- use their outlets only to sell old merchandise that didn't sell in regular stores. But nowadays most clothing, accessory, houseware, etc. brands that have outlet stores sell exactly the same items there as in their regular retail locations. They sometimes have ''seconds'' racks within those stores, or a larger selection of last season's styles than they'd have elsewhere, but overall it's just a regular store with (sometimes) better prices or more frequent/larger discounts. For most of those brands, having a store that they call an ''outlet'' is mostly just a gimmick to get bargain-hunters to buy their stuff.
About the father who flashed you -- it may be that you weren't particularly bothered by it, but think about the potential effects on that little kid if she is ever exposed to his behavior. I do think that if it's possible without any greater risk to yourself than losing her as a client, you ought to try to make the mother aware of what happened. Just my two cents.
Glad all is well. Sounds like you had a nice trip overall although your travel mates (minus Josh) sound kind of spoiled and insensitive.
There's an outlet mall near where I live and I like it. It's a great way to shave some extra dollars off. Granted, the stuff is not as nice as in the "real" store, but you can always find some good deals nevertheless. A lot of stores - like J.Crew and Banana and GAP for instance - have cheaper lines especially made for their outlet stores. It's mostly basics.
Also, you can totally take the toiletries. That's one of my favorite parts of staying in a hotel. :)
I popped over here from snickollet's blog. I read this post and then the prior one, because your comment about Josh saying that nannies are regularly propositioned by fathers made me curious.
I noticed you didn't really ask anyone for advice, specifically, regarding what happened. Nonetheless, your posts have obviously struck a chord with a few readers, some of whom seem to have been worked up into a frenzy over the situation.
While I'm not in the camp of people who are terrified for the little girl, I'm slightly more concerned than Josh seems to be. If someone makes such a bold (and disgusting) overture to you the first time you meet, I think that falls in a different category than a 'father who hits on the babysitter'. I would talk to an adult woman who you trust about your experience - that is, if you have any questions about how to proceed.
Good luck.. Great writing.
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