Oh, Trader Joe's

Yes, late to the game. But I have seen the light, and there is no turning back.

I was shopping at Whole Foods and Eataly for my first week in the city. Well, that was mainly because my mother was visiting and paying. Once I was on my own, I started to branch out and made a trip to Trader Joe's in Chelsea (about 5 minutes walk from my apartment, lucky me.)

And I also went the next four days, in a row, until there was nothing else that I needed to purchase. So when I went on Friday, it was for a frivolous purchase that's made me very happy:

• Alstroemeria, $3.99

I had my doubts about whether these would last, but look at how beautifully they bloomed! The only downside was a lot of ragged leaves that I had to cut away. But, that may have been my fault because I dropped these flowers on a subway grate because I was trying to balance a pile of books I'd picked up at Strand and a cup of ice cream from Eataly. Technically it was gelato, but couldn't type that without feeling like a poo.