Doing my Best Marilyn Monroe Impression on Lexington Avenue and Questing for Cannoli in Little Italy

On the editing front today, I got to handle the New York Times Evening Briefing newsletter again (more surreal inbox joy as of 6 p.m.!), as well as work on more Buttigieg coverage, batches of Instagram captions, video transcripts, and Wordplay crossword columns. Still loving my job, if you couldn’t tell.

It was gray and drizzly again today, but that didn’t stop me from trying this swirl-tastic dish of matcha (green tea) and black sesame ice cream from Café Zaiya near Bryant Park.

I couldn’t put my finger on it, but then I realized the matcha tasted like sushi! It was good; I’d recommend.

And something super niche and nerdy I did today: I found the specific subway grate Marilyn Monroe filmed the white halter dress blow-up over while shooting for "The Seven Year Itch" (her husband, Joe DiMaggio, was not a fan of the display; they argued and Monroe filed for divorce weeks later).

It’s on the southwest corner of 52nd Street and Lexington Avenue. It’s unmarked; no plaque or even a Post-It. I fortunately did not attempt a full Marilyn imitation (also was not wearing a dress today).

Tonight I checked off something else in my East Village neighborhood I’ve been meaning to do for a while: Visit Little Italy! Many people claim the *real* Little Italy is now on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, but that’s more than an hour away from my apartment by subway, as opposed to the Little Italy less than a mile from me on Mulberry Street. I wondered if it would be hard to find, but the neighborhood is hardly shy about advertising.

I sampled cannoli and tried a mini tiramisu cup from Ferrara Bakery on Grand Street.

The cannoli was like a pancake stuffed with sweet, rich, cheesy filling. Mmm … lots more bakeries to try on this street in the future!

Tomorrow is the big day: “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Part 1”!