10 Offline Things I Did This Week

The Connecticut Pizza debate, 6 months off Amazon Prime, converting to Swiftie-ism

Jul 02, 2024

Good morning, we are officially in the dog days of summer! If you live in New York, you might notice some of the neighborhoods are empty. Parking spots abound, brownstone windows are shuttered, and the mad rush of strollers and scooters on the sidewalk during the drop-off commute has ended. Everyone is off and this week is QUIET.

Here’s my dog, enjoying his summer:

Here’s this week’s 10 things. Thanks again for reading, and I’ll see you with an essay next week!

10 Offline Things I Did This Week

Ate bar-style pizza at Colony Grill. If you haven’t heard, Connecticut’s local government just said we have the best pizza in the world, and New Yorkers are not happy about it. I walked into a bodega here in NYC last week and two Italians from Brooklyn were discussing the topic, bickering over Pepe’s and Sally’s. I chimed in that I was from the Nutmeg State and our pizza’s pretty good. And that weekend, I proved myself right. While visiting my parents in my Connecticut hometown, I got myself a nice pie from Colony. For those not in the know, Colony is one of the O.G. originators to bring bar-style pizza to the masses, and its origins are in Stamford, CT. Bar-style pizza is a ~VERY~ thin-crust pizza served with minimal toppings that extend all the way out to the crust. Colony’s known for its hot oil and “stingers” pie, which is basically hot oil with more hot peppers on top. Hot hot hot and good good good.

Bar-style pizza, not to be mixed up with bar-stool pizza, served hot in the USA’s pizza capital, Connecticut

Tried on, and purchased a hot little red dress. 🌹🥵💃

Ordered an iced Americano with whole milk and my friend pointed out that my coffee cup said “A-hole.”

Finally ate at Jeffrey’s Grocery in the West Village. I’d passed it before while walking around the neighborhood and it caught my eye. IDK, there’s something about seeing 20-somethings slurp oysters down like it’s their job at 2:00 PM on a Wednesday. What was…their job? What sort of person ate at Jeffrey’s? I was intrigued. So last week, I had some work to do on my laptop, and I walked in for lunch. Before being seated, I asked the server if it would be a “vibe-killer” to whip out my laptop and work while I eat. “Not at all” he replied. “We all gotta work, right?” Right. I sat at the bar and drank a diet coke and ate one of the best caesar salads of my life. Maybe I’ll start a substack where I re-create delicious restaurant dishes at home?
Anyways, the vibe at Jeffrey’s was awesome, and there were not many oyster-slurping twenty-somethings there when I ate, it was more of an older crowd with a few European tourists. It reminded me of a not-to-be-named seafood restaurant out on Long Island that is down-home and delicious, unpretentious and family-oriented. It’s hard to re-create a down-east seafood joint in New York City, especially in the rich West Village, but Jeffrey’s has done it.
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Signed up for my first half-marathon. Even though it’s not until next spring, I’m still excited! I’m doing NYC Run’s Brooklyn Half. If you’re running, see you there?
Picked up All Fours by Miranda July. After reading her profile in the New Yorker, I knew I had to. The cover alone piques my interest. TLDR; it’s about womanhood, motherhood, domesticity, and female sexuality. A perfect summer read.
Celebrated 6 months off of Amazon Prime, which should be an essay on here soon. Please note; though I cancelled my Amazon Prime membership, I have not totally given up Amazon. I’ve done maybe 3 orders over the last 6 months, which is down significantly from when I was a Prime member. Without Prime, my incentive to shop w/ Bezos has gone way down. Your order needs to be over $35 to be free so I sit on purchases a lot longer, cutting down my impulsive shopping big-time.
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Bought some really nice butter. Sometimes you just gotta splurge on French dairy, ya know? Have you heard of Rodolphe le Meunier’s - Salted Churned Butter? I’d seen someone buy it during my co-op shift months ago. I asked, “$8 butter?” The customer replied, “It’s so worth it. You’ll die." So I finally bit the butter bullet and let me tell you…. This butter puts Kerrygold to shame!

Went to see live music and I was just like…have I grown out of crowds? Or maybe I’ve just gotta be in the mood for crowds. Because I went and did not enjoy myself. I was really excited to see this band, but I grew quickly annoyed with the crowd. It was impossible to see and everyone was pushing and shoving. Where was the chill? The unspoken rules of live-music-watching? Maybe Knockdown Center attracts a certain person, but by golly, I swear I’ve never been shoved more in my life. I eventually went to the back to have more room and dance, but everyone was talking. I will not give up on live music forever, but it’s definitely becoming less frequent as I grow older.
Became a Swiftie. After just 10 minutes of watching the Eras Tour on Disney Plus, I became indoctrinated. Maybe live music from my couch is more my vibe now. "Cruel Summer" is the best song I’ve ever heard. I got goosebumps watching the performance. I finally *get it*. Just a month ago, I was complaining to my friends that I didn’t get it. But guys, I finally get it.
"Cruel Summer" reminds me of August nights in Rhode Island with my older sister, hopping fences adorned with hydrangea, the sky purple from an incoming thunderstorm. We’ve just had seafood for dinner, and school doesn’t start for another month. "I love you, ain't that the worst thing you’ve ever heard!"