I seem to always pick the most attitudesque and verbal T-shirts to wear. Today I had a red “Too hot to handle” T-shirt on complete with a drawing of dynamite and everything.

I went to Madison Avenue today and its being a Sunday, the street was closed and stands were all over the place selling everything from shawls to accessories to metal toys to Chinese antiques to shish kabob to smoothies to portraits to bras. It was amazing and an Egyptian young man gave me free coke because we’re, um, Arabs. It was really sweet of him. I always love it when someone says salam and says I’m their sister when they see me in the street. It gives me a nice feeling of friendliness and having something in common with otherwise perfect strangers in a strange city.

One of the most fascinating and creative things I have ever seen I found at a Metal Park stand. The people behind this company are really brilliant, look at what they make out of scrap and motorcycle parts:

I bought so many useless, but very pretty, things today. One of them was a Metal Park figure, others were copper monkeys and small marble animals, bags and rings and other cool things. Hey, that rhymed!

After shopping I bought grilled corn from that Egyptian young man, and got my free coke, and I even bought a skewer of very fresh chocolate-coated strawberries. I love eating and shopping in the open air, it’s so refreshing.

So then I went to pier 85 and hopped on a cruise boat for a three hour cruise around Manhattan. I had such a great time and I saw everything there is to see from the rivers surrounding this marvelous city, including the Statue of Liberty:

I give today a full mark, no other day has ever earned this rating. It was perfect; the weather, the shopping, the setting, the people, the sightseeing, tutto! Ahhh… long live Sundays like this one!