An UWS shopping excursion

Today I bought a book by Irving Howe, in the 80s or 90s on Broadway. A predictable UWS purchase, rivaled only by H&H bagels or linen/hemp drawstring pants. Also available for purchase in that area are... rats. Indeed, a large chain pet store over there sells both male and female rats, doesn't refer to them as "Filigree Siberian hamsters," just has little signs indicating that the rat-like things behind the glass are in fact rats. It may well be that rats can be bought at pet shops on the UES, but I wouldn't count on it. Now who, in NYC, would buy a rat? There are a lot of things people buy that I wouldn't--those rubber cause-supporting bracelets, Juicy Couture sweatsuits--but a rat pushes all those back into the running, relatively speaking. Ugh.