So, even though summer doesn’t officially end for a few more weeks, this weekend makes it fall for me.  Daughter will finally reenter the school building on Thursday.  The next two months will see me run to the Bronx, and far reaches of Manhattan to attempt to see her play tennis (there aren’t many tennis courts in Manhattan- and no public high school boasts a bunch of tennis courts, so it’s sort of guerilla tennis- one school uses a court that sits aside the West Side Highway.  Imagine playing with constant traffic to your left, and random New Yorkers filing by on your right)  And so the pattern of my free time will change slightly.   As my daughter has an awesome reading list for school, I will probably be rereading a lot of books, cause they will be in the house, and I enjoy discussing literature with her- and she’s going to read Gatsby for the first time- YAY.  But here’s what happened on my “last week” of summer.  Reviews 0-5.  NYC unless otherwise indicated.  My money- no freebies.

Books

“Reading Lolita in Tehran”   Azar Nafisi   I first read this book 15 years ago, and I enjoyed it more then.  It’s a memoir about an Iranian University professor attempting to teach literature during the early Ayatollah years. She ends up having a female book club which discusses books that are banned in Iran. While interesting, it’s a bit self-serving.  3.8

“Murder on the Orient Express”  Agatha Christie.  Reread- first read about 45 years ago.  I love Christie.  I love Poirot (her detective) I love this story.  I reread this because my daughter bought it as a fun read and it was on our Nook account, and because there is a new movie version coming out soon.  I want a fresh comparison of all the film versions to the book.  4.8

Movies

“Leap”  Animated.  This is an average kids movie.  But- it has a strong female heroine, who is resilient.  I think this is important for kids to see, because frankly, I don’t think there are enough strong, female heroines.  But, OK to wait for DVD or cable or streaming, or however else you get movies at home. 4, but entirely because of message.

“Wind River”  This is a thriller based on a Wyoming reservation (But it is not one of those supernatural thrillers that seem to be taking over the box office- don’t get me started on that genre, which is one of very few movie genres I hate)  I thought this was a well made movie.  Great visuals, great acting, great script, great directing.  Every thing about this movie is understated, and it works.  But- it is not an easy movie to recommend, because even though there are many things that are done well, there is something stopping me from saying- “Go see this film”, and I can’t tell you why that is.  FYI, my movie buddy said the exact same thing.  So, if you are still interested, read a review that may contain actual spoilers, and then think about it.  I still give it a 4.4.

Television

Sorry- I pretty much watched the US Open as much as possible, and that was about it.

Food

Alidoro This is a little sandwich stand in the Bowery.  (there are two other locations, but I don’t know how they are physically situated)  They only have 1 or 2 outdoor tables, so this is really a place to grab a sandwich and go to a park to eat.  But you really should grab a sandwich here, because they are that good.  They only do Italian sandwiches here, but mortadella or not, these are some of the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten.  No lie.  You get a choice of about 6 different rolls (go with the soft roll- I think it’s called Trapezino) because it just makes the sandwich a bit easier to eat, but seriously, all the  bread is perfection.  And then the fillings- they slice the deli meats fresh when you order.  And sandwiches have exact right filling to bread ratio.  Seriously, if they were open now I would go.  4.9

Counter by Chef’s Club- This is a fast casual place in Soho.  It’s unique because about 8 or 9 famous chefs have each contributed the recipe for a dish- so the burgers, sandwiches, whatever are slightly elevated, and slightly awesome.  My daughter and I split what I can only refer to as hash brown tater tots, served with sour cream.  It’s like a tater tot on steroids- salty, crisp and yummy.  Warning- we went early on a Friday, and it was not crowded.  I can imagine on a weekend this place will be mobbed. 4.5

Oddfellows- Soft serve ice cream.  There are only about 5 flavors, and a few toppings, but this is really good ice cream.  I’m not a soft serve girl, but it was really good and creamy.  And it is conveniently located next door to Counter…. 4.3

Housekeeping-

You have all become friends to me, to the point where I talk about you all.  My daughter will say, “Did you come up with a good recommendation for Tater?” or “How’s Ryder?  Did he get his doghouse yet?”.  But this week, my daughter asked “Have you heard from Mojo today?” because my blogging buddy Joanna lives in Houston.  So to everyone in Harvey ravaged areas, my thoughts, prayers, and a little bit of my money are with you.  Stay strong.  You got this!

Thanks to all of you and your comments this week!  I truly appreciate every one of you!  I love keeping the conversations going.  I’m learning that so many people share the same feeling and struggles that I often feel.  Thanks for the honestly and the stories!

Ok- this week I plan on writing about family (spent Saturday with my parents and we will spend today with my Father in law and Sister in law- I’m guessing there will be anxiety and blog posts stemming from both these things) There might be an non- family rant or two.   I can’t imagine not mentioning pumpkin spice……. But who knows- I never blog about what I think I’m going to blog about!!

Happy September.