Cambridge Wandering

[Japanese restaurants, Porter Exchange. Cambridge MA; 9/18/10]

We went to Cambridge on Saturday so I could shop for a couple of new throw pillow for my old couch (a compromise since I'd intended to buy a new couch when I sold my condo, which of course didn't happen). My 23-year-old couch will have to stay for now, but stuffing was flying from the holes in my throw pillows so they had to go. While in Cambridge, we stopped in at the Porter Exchange and had some excellent tempura at Tampopo, one of the tiny (and cheap!) Japanese noodle restaurants that are usually packed with Asian students, but at 3:00 had a few tables open. I had a nice miso soup and tempura that was amazingly tender and light -- delicious.

[Tampopo, Porter Exchange]

I didn't have any luck finding pillows for my couch in Porter Square (we later drove out to the 'burbs and found some at a Home Goods store), but I did find a small area rug to go under my desk chair to protect my landlord's carpet. (One night last week, I had an overwhelming desire to finally move my almost unused desk out of the din of the dark spare room into the sunny back room in my apartment, which I should have done two years ago.) Anyway, rather than put a clear plastic desk mat under the chair, I found this wild Turkish-patterned "Mad Mat" at Nomad (see mat example here, except mine was half the price) that will protect the carpet and might induce inspiring hallucinations besides. The mats are made from woven recycled plastic, are easy to clean, and should be pretty sturdy as they're meant to be used outdoors. Fun!

[Memorial Drive, Cambridge; 9/19/10]

On Sunday, we drove back into Cambridge (a couple of miles from my apartment) so we could wander around Harvard Square and down by the river. On Sundays in the warmer weather they close off Memorial Drive to traffic and leave it to cyclists and runners and strollers. I wasn't feeling too well, but wanted to get outside and enjoy the warm day. We ended up at the Algiers coffee house on Brattle Street, which I've gone to for years but never realized has a roof deck! It was beautiful up there, at least until our food arrived and attracted bees, so we moved inside. I guess they run out of pollen this time of year, because they get very pesty if you try to eat outdoors.

[D enjoys the sun on the roofdeck at the Algiers]

September can be such a lovely time of year in New England. The oppressive heat of summer is gone, yet the sun shines and it's warm enough to be outside without bundling up. The grass hasn't gone to brown yet and a few flowers remain in bloom even as the leaves on the trees begin to turn from green to red and yellow. Even so, the early fading light makes us a little sad as we know what's coming!

[Rosa rugosa at a house on Brattle Street]

Comments

[marja-leena]

What fun and what lovely weather indeed! Hope you'' soon feel better too.

We're having a somewhat wet September so the brown grass of summer is now lush and green and had its first trim in many weeks. Our 'English' family flies home this afternoon and summer will truly feel like its ended.

[Planethalder]

D looks lovely! Did you actually write a post about how you both met (if so I missed it so can you link me to it?) :-)

[Leslee]

Marja-Leena: What, it's not always wet and green in Vancouver? ;-) Maybe it's your "English" family that will take that wet weather back home with them - but bittersweet, I'm sure.

Planet: I'm not sure I posted that story! You know, online dating... First "real date" (post meetup date) I did post about. Then there was this, ehem, interruption for a few months. Then we started dating again "for real" April 2009. :-) Anyway, here's a photo of the two of us from last month.

[Lorianne]

You know, I was kind of hoping you'd have pictures and stories from the marijuana-fest on Boston Common this weekend, but it looks like the two of you went in the opposite direction. Oh well. Maybe next year! :-)

(In the meantime, I hope you're feeling better now, or soon!)

[Roberta]

Leslee, my mouth watered when I read miso soup and tempura. The craving is now seated deeply in my brain. Thank you. Thank you very much.

[Leslee]

Lorianne: Heh, well, I always find out about these things after the fact. ;-)

Roberta: I'm sure there's somewhere in Austin you can get Japanese food. :-)

[Planethalder]

Thanks Leslie. You know, I never ever posted about how Mr Planet and I met (at the time we actually met). I think the first proper mention of Mr Planet was when I announced our engagement! We met at a Wong Kar Wai movie show :-) Perhaps I should blog about that ;-)