Seconds, Anyone?

I survived the sprawling, delicious feast my mom made for Thanksgiving Day. The home-cooked meal was pretty rad, and yes, I had seconds. And then a teensy bit.

All the usual suspects were devoured, including turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with homemade gravy, green bean casserole and rolls (two kinds). A fruit salad with blackberries, blueberries, pineapple et. al kept it a little "healthy," and the cabernet sauvignon was aplenty.

Pumpkin pie is an all-time favorite, and ours was fantastic. No store-bought crust here, but a flaky, golden crust made from scratch.

It was a wonderful meal! Thank you, mom.

Bright Lights, Big City

It was riveting, a book I just finished called "Bright Lights, Big City."

I was two when it came out in 1984, and only recently learned about it, how it was the seminal debut novel from twentysomething writer Jay McInerney.

Though he skyrocketed to the status of bonafide literary star, I'm not sure his subsequent stories ever outdid the big hoopla of "Bright Lights." I'd like to read more of his books, but haven't decided which one I'll jump to next.

A book snapshot can be found here. In short, we follow a cool but confused young man -- he works as a fact checker at a prominent magazine and his wife recently left him while on a modeling job in Paris -- during a week in Manhattan where his life begins to unravel as illusion and reality collide.

It's a quick read, and I learned a lot about Manhattan during the hedonist '80s days. Besides, now I know to check out the classic French bistro, The Odeon. Great French onion soup there, I hear.

A New York Stroll

I know, I was a little MIA this month. A flurry of work travel...

Here I am in New York in October -- Central Park, to be exact. It was a crisp, sunny stroll through the world's most spectacular urban park.

I had just come from Mario Batali's Eataly cafe and artisanal Italian marketplace, a few metro stops away in the Flatiron District. At this moment, I'm feeling like a local with my grocery bag, iPod and subway navigation skills. I'm pretty sure Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey" came on just about now.

It was a warm, cozy fall moment.