Bleecker Street Pizza, 69 7th Ave. S., Manhattan

Many moons ago, when Pat and I were zipping around Manhattan with a broker named Greg, looking for a place to live, we went past Bleecker Street Pizza, in the West Village, and Greg opined that it was the best slice in New York. I have always been meaning to check it out, but never did until this very day.

I had a piece with mushrooms and pepperoni. and was indeed mightily impressed by the very thin and crispy-delicious crust. The crust is really what it's all about with this pizza. They got it just right. The place is very small but with a few tables, and we got one. "We" was not just me and Pat, but also one of Pat's former colleagues from back in the day, Ben, visiting us from Chicago. Ben is very funny. We have been having a good time with him.

We wandered around the West Village and SoHo after lunch. We had dessert at Grandaisy Bakery (73 Sullivan St.): Ben had a tart/pie sort of thing; Pat had bread pudding in slice form, and I had a chocolate cookie sandwich with cream cheese filling. All were good old-fashioned bakery treats, meaning they were not showy nor overly rich but they were solidly yummy. After a bit of shopping we went for hot chocolate to Allessi (130 Greene St.), which is a store with its own Tarallucci Cafe. I had been here before, during a day of shopping with friends very early into my NYC experience, and it is very cool. The hot chocolate is thick and intense, and not too sweet. The place is very modern and artistically chic, sort of Euro-futuristic.

We have now reached a stage, 8 months in, where we don't check out new places as rabidly as we did when we first got here. We now have some tried-and-true favorites, both for delivery and eating out. Also it is getting colder, which I hate, and pregnancy doesn't really make a person want to get out and hit the town.

Also, I have more of a sense these days that I have things to get done. I have lined up some very short-term consulting while I continue to look, albeit more hopelessly with each day of ballooning bigger, for a job. I am participating in NaNoWriMo. Pat bugs me frequently about making a slipcover for our loveseat. I've been working from afar on finding a new home for my mom and figuring things out for her future. We are hosting Pat's family for Thanksgiving next week. Pat has been very busy with the end of the year approaching at work. And I like to keep the apartment in tip-top shape for our many visitors.

Some things aren't as fun as when we got here and everything was new, but other things are just as good or better. Our apartment is now just about perfectly how we wanted it. I think all the time about how happy and lucky I am to be with Pat.