The Strand, Peanut Butter & Co., & SOHO

One of the most interesting parts of our trip to Union Square was that the streets surrounding the square were closed to vehicle traffic. For several hours, there were multitudes of bikes, rollerbladers, and pedestrians walking through the streets. There didn't appear to be any type of event so, we decided to investigate a little. There were lots of bikes parked along Union Square East with a bicycle map of the area. It looks like an interesting activity for us another weekend.

I have lived in New York for my entire life. While in New York City, I frequently saw people with tote bags from the Stand. I decided that since it was near Union Square Park that we would try to find it. The hubby always enjoys looking at law/mystery/war books.

The Strand was not at all what I expected. I expected it to be primarily outside and primarily used books. I guess you would say, I expected it to be far more "artsy" than it was. I kind of seemed like a less commercial Barnes & Noble. They had new books, old books, discounted books, discounted movies, and discounted CDs. We didn't spent a ton of time there because it was rather crowded since it was Saturday.

While it wasn't what I was expecting, I think I'll go back again and see if I can get a better feel for the store. When I go back, it will certainly be on a weekday.

While walking around the Union Square area, there are a variety of places to eat. I loved the NYC Street Coffee Truck! It fit perfectly with the neighborhood. Another place, that caught my eye was PIE. A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease and she has been facebooking about how much she misses pizza and beer. I thought I'd take a picture of this restaurant for her (Gluten Free Pizza and Gluten Free Beer). I didn't try the food so I don't know how good it tastes. But, in my opinion, it's worth a shot!

For a really long time I have wanted to go to Peanut Butter & Co. But, I never knew where it was or how to get there. My awesome hubby decided that today would be the day that I would get to enjoy my first Peanut Butter & Co. sandwich. It was wonderful. We both had The Elvis Sandwich. Those of you that know us, know that my husband loves Elvis and when we were in college I though he even looked a little bit like him. Needless to say, the Elvis Sandwich (Peanut Butter, Bananas, & Honey) was fantastic. We were very lucky and got a table. The restaurant is very small but, well worth the trip!

After enjoying our lunch, we went West Houston Street. On one side of the street was lots of bars and restaurants. It looks like it would be very busy in the evenings. On the other side of the street there were several markets. One was associated with the local church. Interesting the lady pictured above took her bird for a walk and purchased several things from this market and no one batted an eye. Only in NY!

In the other market along West Houston Street, there was a vendor that we met that makes a line of clothing and bags called Bugged Out . She makes onezies, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and tote bags. A portion of the proceeds from the children's clothes and tote bags goes to the research efforts to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. The organization her merchandise benefits is the MS Care Center at NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases. Please consider checking out her website.

Our day ended at Prince Street. There were multitudes of artists selling there wares on the sides of the street as well as an incredible A Capella group. It was an incredible day spent with the hubby!