cookies

When I wake up at 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 12, it feels as though it’s the crack of dawn. I slowly stumble out of bed and spend the next five minutes trying to convince myself to be a functioning human being. But just a block over, people who have been up for hours already are unloading their trucks and bins onto stands that line Broadway outside the campus gates. It’s Thursday, and the Columbia Greenmarket is open.

I consider myself a big sleeper—I try to get 10 hours of sleep every night. I have absolutely no FOMO (fear of missing out) when I leave a party early to sleep, and I always finish my homework by 10:30 p.m. Always. Do I sound cool yet?

There is nothing more satisfying than a good chocolate chip cookie—I should know, since I'm on an eternal quest to find the perfect one. It's hard to ruin this American classic, but the optimal CC ("chocolate chip," for you novices—not Common Core, Columbia College, or Caroline Chiu) cookie will differ depending on what kind you prefer: cakey, crunchy, soft, gooey, etc., etc.

Welcome to New York, the most expensive city in America (though Taylor Swift probably wouldn't have sold as many albums if that's what she called her song).

I walk toward the coveted back room of John Jay, seeking a glorious mahogany throne upon which to sit so as to comfortably relish the fruits of my labor (by fruits I mean food that is not actually fruit and by labor I mean indecisively circling the buffet multiple times). After several stressful minutes of scanning the premises under the fiery stares of lone diners, I achieve repose at a corner seat, bathed in light so generously bestowed by Helios above.

It's been a whirlwind of a year for Morningside Heights' dining scene, with restaurants coming and going since the late summer 2013. The changes include the loss of longtime staples Columbia Cottage and Havana Central—not to mention the loss of Vareli, the rise of Domain, and the subsequent loss of Domain and return of Vareli—while the neighborhood gained Dig Inn, Insomnia Cookies, and Pita Grill.

Since opening this summer, Insomnia Cookies has made a big splash in the Morningside Heights cookie scene.

Yeah, you read that correctly. This Monday, Dec. 16, the Morningside Area Alliance is holding the Morningside Heights Cookie Extravaganza at the Union Theological Seminary's Union Food Lab, featuring fresh-baked cookies, warm drinks, and live music. The event will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m., and tickets are FREE! BUT make sure to RSVP. While tickets will be available at the door, there's only a limited amount left. Plus, all those who RSVP are entered into a raffle for free cookies. Both admission and a gift box to store all your cookies are free, but the actual price of the cookies ranges from 25 cents to $2. All proceeds will benefit Cathedral Community Cares, a charity that helps fight poverty with a special emphasis on health and hunger. So, pick up plenty of cookies both to soothe the stress of finals and to give out as holiday gifts for your friends!