Shvitz-O-Meter: when the Big Apple is twice baked...

which retailers offer respite from heat so oppressive even pigeons pooped out in Central Park?

Skip the sample sales (heresy) and sample these alternatives to the official Bloomberg-approved cooling stations, measured in "icicles:" Best Buy on 86th and Lexington (5 icicles) so cold, you may need a cardigan, Metropolitan Museum of Art store (4 icicles) - skip the steps, and enter at base of museum - a Fifth Avenue hot air haven with no admission fee, Barnes & Noble (4 icicles) for air quailty, 1 for limited available seating, restroom and reading materials. Food Emporium @ 1450 Third Ave (82 St) - 3 icicles in store, 5 in freezer section.

Select smaller shops may offer a bigger blast, but you won't be part of the anonymous cool air seeking masses.
 
~nancy brenner, cool as ice.

Lots o' shopping

I have been running errands and attaching all kinds of shopping opportunities into the mix. Here's the rundown:

1. I quit NYSC (New York Sports Club). It kind of stinks. There's a lot of them, and several in my neighborhood...but just because there are lots of McDonald's around doesn't mean you should eat dinner there every night.

2. I joined Equinox. Yeah, hells yeah, it costs more. But! I got a good deal through my company's corporate rate and therefore escaped paying any initiation fee. It will cost me $118/month and I had to sign a year contract. But, dude, it is SO MUCH NICER. I want to move in. I haven't worked out there much yet, so I can't comment on the class/trainers yet, but I have a feeling it will be better than average. I have a personal training session set up for next week. Will let you know how that goes.

3. So! I had to buy some new work out clothes, obviously. So I went to Paragon Sports, arguably the world's most expensive sporting goods store. But I was in the 'hood, they have lots of stuff, and I did get one thing on sale. Not a great sale, but a sale nevertheless. Everyone always makes fun of my pajama bottoms and huge T-shirts, so I'm trying to mix it up and look MILF-ish (except for the part where I am not a mother).

4. And since I was in the general neighborhood, I had to make my bi-monthly stop in at Club Monaco. I got a skirt for $19 and top for $29...well worth it. That sale section is really something else!

5. I also stopped in at Barnes & Noble, sat on the floor, and read almost an entire book - for free! Now THAT'S a bargain.

Cha cha cha...

Union Square: Growing Shopping Oasis

Ah yes, Union Square as photographed by me from inside DSW. What used to be a marginal wasteland dotted with a few good restaurants is now feeling comfortable in its new retail skin. Barnes & Noble, Sephora, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's (nearby), Virgin, DSW, Filene's Basement, Diesel, Puma, Shoe Mania...the list goes on. And situated between 5th Avenue and the East Village, you really can't go wrong by taking one of the many trains that empties into the Square for hours of shopping until you are dropping.

Granted, the turning of New York City into a big huge giant-ass mall hasn't really thrilled me during the last several years that I've seen it happening. But if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. What choice do we have if we continue to choose to live in this teflon town where money continues to pour in no matter what happens? It's quite awesome, in the sense that it instills awe.

I will surely be driven out of dodge in the near future as there is no way that a barely middle class lass such as myself can continue to afford the spiraling prices of...everything... That is, unless I find myself a sugar daddy. Perhaps I should start wearing that Banana Republic outfit my mother bought me (see post from a few days ago) after all.