Il laboratorio del gelato @ Whole Foods Bowery

e. houston b/t bowery & 2nd ave
(what neighborhood is this? i wasn’t sure.)

i hate the massive, bland luxury mCcondos that are infiltrating and taking over the last hold-outs of even pseudo-gritty new york. condos just don’t belong near chinatown, east village, or the lower east side. i realize i’m being a huge hypocrite in that i am loosely in the same socioeconomic class (based mostly on education, general career path) that is driving the luxury condo surge, but i hope that i will never choose to live in such a monstrosity.

having made my rant about luxury condos, i have to say the i grudgingly am an ardent fan of the new whole foods bowery, which occupies the massively airy bottom floor of the avalon chrystie condo building (again more hypocrisy). although it feels like you are entering a foreign world (aka suburbia, where the supermarkets have immensely high ceilings, aisles are not squished togehter, and where you don’t have to “punch someone in the eye to get to the gouda” as N put it), this whole foods in an eater’s delight. right smack dab in the middle of the ground floor (yes, there’s an enormous upstairs dining section with 4 restaurants), is an ILDG stand. not just packed pints to buy, but an actual gelato stand, with MORE flavors than i’ve ever seen at ILDG and more variety of flavors as well. but same price and same intense flavors.

and the best part is that unlike the actual ILDG store that closes at SIX EVERY day, this whole foods is open until 11 pm, DAILY. go eat some gelato.