It was worth a shot

In case you're one of the two or three Manhattanites who haven't heard, Trader Joe's opened today just east of Union Sq.

For the uninitiated, TJ's (as the faithful call it) is a hippie/hipster grocery store that stocks mostly "Trader Joe's" brand items (or Trader Giotto's or Trader Ming's). The stuff there is (relatively) cheap and incredibly varied; it's worth checking out. Or, if you're like my Dad, it's apparently worth going every single day just "to get some milk". The entire staff also wears Hawaiian shirts, although the NYC store went with the Hawaiian t-shirts as opposed to the short-sleeve button-downs I've seen in other stores.

So, like any fearless young dude with designs on firing up the stove one of these days, I trekked out to "TJ's" this afternoon. I didn't actually buy anything -- the place was shoulder to shoulder with the young and old alike and the checkout line was at least 50 deep -- but if I ever do decide to stop just watching the Food Network and actually do some cooking, I'll be back.

Lest you think this place won't be eternally mobbed, like my Mom always says: "It's like they're giving away the stuff for free".