soft shells and sarang burung in Gotham

[OT from cottage renovations]

spent the day in New York.  it works pretty well: out on the early (06:20) train to Union Station, connect to Amtrak for a ride up the northeast corridor, and reverse the steps at the end of the day.  a couple of the connections can be a bit tight, and getting back home at 01:05 the following morning makes for a long day, but it's worth it for a day and early evening in the Big Apple with no nights away from the Grove. 

and, if you're on the upper West side and have a hankering for Malaysian food, Penang (240 Columbus Avenue, corner of 71st Street) absolutely, positively rocks.  212 769 8889.

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happened to glance at the cat cam on returning and saw that in my absence the place had gone quite literally to the dogs.  large ones. 

(click through this thumbnail for higher resolution image)

sheesh.  look the other way for a few hours and there's no telling what will happen around here. 

time to turn in now; anything else will have to wait.