sammich chart

 So as you can imagine, Chelsea Market is not bustling anymore. That part I'm okay with because I hate crowds. How guilty should I feel for enjoying the relative emptiness and secretly hoping it stays this way forever? That and outdoor dining.

The market has one way traffic now with one entrance and stationed peeps to make sure you don't go backwards. So basically you have to be very efficient... unlike us.

My mission was to get a lobster roll. After the craving suddenly hit when I processed I was standing on Northeast land.

The restrooms are kind of in the middle, so if that's your first stop like it was for us... well you can check out some cheese and ciders right next to the sectioned off hallway, and I think you can still pop into the Asian trinkets store at the top of the stairs, but if you want a lobster roll, you have to exit the building and go back to the main entrance.

Let's be efficient, we said as we began our second pass. Let's get a taco on the way.

This adobada taco on corn tortilla with everything was... so GOOD. 

After ordering, they route you out an exit on the side. Womp. It's like a freaking video game when you forget to save - make one wrong move and you're back at the beginning navigating the same damn obstacles. Taco was worth it though. And fueled us through our last pass through the market. I thought one of the stationed traffic directors would recognize us and our stupid asses passing by for the third time, but he did not.

No worries though. I did obtain my hot lobster roll with buttery meat and chives. Plus tall can of lunch cider* that was the same height as my little lobster roll.

I wasn't the most enthused by the size, but okay, I get it. Also look at this claaaaaaw.

By the way, there is a restroom inside The Lobster Place. So we really didn't need to go through the trouble the first time. Ah well.

Rainy day lunch of banh mi with ham, pate, and pork. Maybe it's because I haven't had a banh mi in awhile. Or maybe I was entirely biased by the tendon-y texture-like bite I had right at the start that put me into a love trance. It could also be the thick smush of pate in the crevice of the bread. But I was a huge fan of this sammich. Washed down with some savory anise-y broth.

*By the by, this was the cider I originally wanted because I'm a sucker for packaging. But c'mon, it's so cute.