An amazing dish from 'The Pint of Milk': sauteed exotic mushrooms, walnut sourdough, taleggio and truffled chestnuts $14
As we head over the Queensboro Bridge bound
for JFK in a yellow cab, I soak up every last glimpse of the Manhattan skyline.
For the first time in weeks, I am truly still. No plans, no must-sees, nothing
new to take in. Flashes of the past weeks fill my thoughts in a pleasant blur,
yet I’m not sure I’m ready to leave the frenetic energy of this awe-inspiring
city behind.
“I’m really sad to be leaving,” I say aloud
as my eyes glaze momentarily.
“Me too,” says the Mister beside me. “But
it was a really great holiday.” He squeezes my hand.
A day later, another cab drops us at home
in Footscray. It’s Sunday morning and the street is deadly quiet. Nothing
moves, just our breath as it hits the cold air. Our car is still here! Inside,
everything is as we left it. Not perfect, but clean, and it feels like home. The
deep chill in the air has permeated inside, yet somehow I feel cocooned and
warm. I love seeing all my things again and, for the first time, feel as though
we have plenty of space. I remind myself, not for the first time in the last
few weeks, that we are lucky. So easy to forget.
While nothing changed on the home front
while we were gone, the rest of the west seems to have progressed at a rapid pace. In the weeks since returning, I’ve been like a kid in a "candy" shop checking out all the fabulous new places -
Common Galaxia in Seddon is hitting all the right notes for me and just down Victoria Street, A. Bongiovanni & Son is winning my heart by making it easy to source speciality groceries (too many wonderful baking supplies for my own good). The
Mexican taqueria chain, Guzman Y Gomez has made a quick bite before a movie much more attractive at Highpoint. The Reading Room at
Victoria University in Footscray is now providing a coffee fix and eats to the
wider community, not just students, so of course I had to sample their tasty
wares. I made the effort to (finally) try The Pint of Milk in Newport and was not
disappointed. I can't stop thinking about the nutty, earthy dish I ate there (pictured above). I’ve revived my sense of community by getting re-acquainted with
my not-so-old favourites: Besito in West Footscray, Elceed in North Melbourne, and
neighborhood favourites West 48 and Ebi Fine Foods. Is the west really going off or am I just
trying to tell myself that I don’t need New York, there is plenty happening
here?!
I've discovered that it's possible to wish you were still on
holiday and be happy to be home at the same time!
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