Stimulation of the Senses...

I rode my bike into Queens today to check out Astoria and Long Island City, the closest cities on the other side of the island. It was a quick bike ride (maybe 10 minutes) to the hoppin' middle of Astoria. It's so CUTE! Very "old town." Little bakeries, barber shops, meat markets and ethnic restaurants everywhere. Also, the most FANTASTIC smells come from all of the food carts (roasted nuts, gyros, etc). It really felt like being in another country! I made it to one street that looked like it might be the center of town - Steiway Street. As soon as I turned the corner, I knew I was going to like it! Express, Gap, Victoria's Secret....a hidden shopping mecca. And tons of bargain clothing stores, too (we're talkin' under $5 for some things!) which I also love! I forgot to mention that my original reason for going into Astoria to begin with was to go to Costco (we still need a few things), but once I got there, I realized I forgot my Costco card! I guess it's a good thing, since I rarely leave Costco with few enough things to have gotten them back on my bike! Here are some random snapshots of Astoria. Tomorrow: Day 1 of Culinary School! I report to Culinary Management class at 12:30 and will post again tomorrow night! (Lots of exclamation marks today!!! Are you as excited as I am???)