Just trying to figure out what to do this weekend is quite a challenge in this city. There is such an abundance of things to do that you are constantly asking yourself whether you are missing out on something as we speak. This is probably why there are so many singles in large cities as well - people not ready to commit, always thinking something or someone better might be out there. Not for me though. I realized during my first trader joe shopping experience that I work best when forced to making quick decisions.
So imagine, Sunday afternoon and you think you could get your grocery shopping done before the weekend comes to a close. Entering Trader Joe's at Union Square - forget about quiet and peaceful. You'll see masses of shoppers who enter with you and you have no choice but to get in line immidiately. There is a poor shop assistant with a large sign "line ends here" and she almost has to leave the supermarket.
I learned that it is best to come in pairs because then one person can get in line with the cart and the other person can go get things. If he or she can move and actually get to the shelf that holds the groceries in need. There might be about 10 people in line for a certain item - it's really fascinating how many people fit in this shop. As I was by myself I decided to simply get in line and shop whatever crossed my path - and like I said- it actually proved to be quite an effective approach. It only took me half an hour and if you make friends with the person behind and in front of you, you might even be allowed to sneak out for a second in order to find the laundry detergent. No, seriously, I was glad this way I only had a couple of minuted at every shelf and did not have time to read the non-fat, good for you, makes you skinny advertisements on the peanut butter jars... For the first time it did not take me ages to decide which cornflakes, müsli or oatmeal to choose. Randomly picked one and then had to see that I keep my spot in the fast-moving lane... I did hear that the lines aren't as bad at the one in Chelsea and maybe you just need to come in at counter cyclical hours (kinda difficult if you work full time though). But maybe it wasn't such a bad thing and I'll stick to speed shopping in the future. The harder part is carrying all that stuff since my neighbourhood is a good walk away from the supermarket. But no worries, I will figure things out - at the latest an empty fridge will force me to make a quick and effective decision... Maybe there should be an expiration time on certain websites as well - so you either buy or loose it - that would probably make me buy things quicker...
As with the choice of what to do on weekends- I think I'm gonna start taking a New Yorker approach and just take things easy. You are never going to be able to cover everything so don't even stress out and try. Just focus on a few things you like to do/explore and then go with the flow...
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