At 5:05 am, I awoke, hauled my pre-packed bag onto my back, and totted down the empty streets of my neighborhood to the subway. In spite of my heroic effort, 450 people still arrived at Central Park before me to wait in line for tickets to see the last performance of Romeo and Juliet. Over the course of seven hours, the sun rose higher and hotter until I was huddled beneath my orange pig umbrella and straw hat, a small limp pile of polka dotted dress. I still did not get tickets. Romeo and Juliet, the tragedy.
As a consolation prize, I walked to my favorite Upper West Side chocolate spot, the Levain Bakery. It’s hard to spot, partly because (much to the detriment of all involved) it is located beneath the much flashier Max Wax. But I found it, descended the short steep stairs, and was surrounded by cookie and bakers with blue kerchiefs wrapped around their heads. The four cookies offered always look delicious, but I always get walnut and chocolate chip. The chocolate-chocolate is so intense it caused gagging in at least one unprepared friend (be prepared to share with a family of seven and their ravenous goat), and the oatmeal raisin is, though certainly delicious, definitely lacking in chocolate.
My preferred cookie is a six ounce heap of walnut and chocolate, even bigger than my two hands knotted together. The chocolate is always still melted, the walnuts still warm, the edges of cookie still snappably crisp, the center of cookie still gooey as pudding. And the happiness lasts; the cookies are so large they inspire their own orbits of envious moons.
So Juliet dies. As does Romeo. Life is short. Eat big cookies.
Levain Bakery is located at West 74th and Amsterdam Avenues, just two blocks West of Central Park. Buy milk next door, or trot down to Pioneer Grocery at West 74th and Columbus. You’ll need a gallon.
