Playing Catch-Up

It's been a nutty week. A subletter is moving in tomorrow afternoon, at which point I'll drive off to Lexington, KY for a minute (well, 24 hours), come back for a night, head home to the DC area to see my family, and then go to NYC for 6 weeks.

How much closet and dresser space does my subletter need? I'm not sure, but I've left 2 out 3 dresser drawers empty and the primary closet rod vacant. The rest of the closet is another story. And then there were the pictures. After about 10 months of thinking about what I want on my bedroom walls, I finally hung a nice mirror my mom found for me as well as a collage of framed pictures. Prior to that, I rearranged the room. Inspired by new roommate, I opted for less floor space and a more grown-up bed protruding from the wall, rather than tucked in the corner (there are only so many options in a 9 3/4' x 9 3/4' room with 3 doors (hallway, closet, porch)). But I like it. I'm happy with it. I'm now pretty used to it (just in time to leave!). And if it hadn't been grey and rainy for the past few days I might have even grabbed a picture. Maybe tomorrow morning, in between washing all the linens.

Fabric has offered a lovely break this week. There's this bird print, an IKEA find:

And an array of awesome fabric acquired through swaps, the one I hosted and a couple of private swaps:

I've already got some projects planned out. Some of the blues and greens will make it into a chuppah I'm making, some of the blues and browns will go into another quilt that exists only in my head, and the pinks and oranges will find a home too. I'm very excited for all this fabric -- I don't have any of it and some I've admired from afar for a while. Moreover, I received fabric that I might not have bought but can't wait to use because it's just plain awesome.

Because I'll be without a sewing maching for about 7 weeks, I raced this week to finish several baby quilts. I need to bind the last one, a scrappy, wonky log cabin for Craft Hope, but aside from that I'm done. I'm saving some of the pictures since I won't be making anything for a while. Kind of weird that absence.

In the meantime, I'm going to ask you for your advice and knowledge:
*Any great vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Lexington, KY? Any good fabric shops?

*I'm from the DC area but haven't lived there in a while. Any new restaurants I should check out? What fabric shops should I know about that I don't (G Street Fabrics is about my limit).

*And, finally, the big one: New York. I'll be living in Brooklyn and attending classes at NYU. But I'm ready to venture anywhere. Please post any suggestions, recommendations, must sees/dos. I'm truly open to any and all information -- food, fabric, excursions, favorite hidden spots, free activities (in parks or elsehwere), somewhat known but unheralded must-dos? I've been to NY before but this will be my first time living there for any (short) length of time, and I want to explore as much as possible. Also, your favorite Thai restaurants are much appreciated!