IT'S TIME FOR THE ST. PATTY'S DAY PARADE!! I've never been in this city before on St. Patrick's Day - never seen anything like it. The party got started before some of the last night's hangovers ended. By 10am Penn Station was virtually overflowing with party seekers pouring out of the trains that had already primed the pumps...if you know what I mean. It was easy enough to find the parade site. All we had to do was follow the wave. At some point I thing we actually became part of the wave and with little effort ended splashed up on to 48th and 6th. That's where it got crazy.
The goal was to move east on 48th one block to 5th Avenue which seemed easy enough until we got about 20 feet away from our intended parade watching spot. At that point, even if we want to stop we couldn't have. Enthusiastic, shamrock-clad, half-crazed parade watchers intent on getting a front row view pushed their way along and so pushed us along too. I figured we were either gonna die or get a great view of the parade. When the pushing finally slowed sure enough we were alive and 1 row away from the street barriers. Unbelievable...
For about 2 hours we pushed back on the balls of our feet to stay in place and watched NYC cops, firefighters, baton throwers, boy scouts, girl scouts, marching bands and every kind of Irish and Irish want-to-be-today enthusiast march up 5th Avenue past St Patrick's Cathedral. We would have stayed for the whole thing (or probably not - it went on for 5 hours!) but our calves had a weeks worth of working out by that point and the call of cold draft began to waft our way. So as soon as the wall of people behind us gave way for a few seconds we dashed to our next St Patty's stop - The Tempest on 8th Ave. It was a great place to celebrate the great Irish holiday since its a great Irish pub. And since it is a great Irish pub we didn't have suffer through Irish want-to-be stuff like green beer. Ain't noth'n like the real thing. And the owner Joe is the real thing. Armed with an undeniable Irish accent and leprechaun charm, Joe bounced around the bar making sure everyone was having a great time without getting too green around the gills :-)
After that, it's a blur. We hopped around to a few fun spots in Chelsea and the West Village sharing shots, beer, and a lingering kiss of Irish cheer.
Good thing there's plenty of taxis in Manhattan! Thanks D. That was a blast.
A Hell's Kitchen classic on Day 55
FREE MANGO ICE CREAM! I only said it once and my good friend Donovan was out of bed and ready to roll with me to Pinkberry.
I caught it on Twitter. They're testing out a new desert tonight and its FREE. It was raining and a little cold but it was so delicious we walked to a second location and got another one. Mmmm.
Since it seemed to be a great night for free stuff Donovan suggested we check out Rudy's on 9th Ave. It's a dingy little pub in the heart of Hell's Kitchen that was a know hot spot for the Irish American mob in the day and now it's known for $7 pitchers of draft ($5 before 8pm!) and all you can eat free hot dogs (no veggie though - but you can BYOF). I liked the place right away. The worn red leather booths were full of happy, new yorkers and a few tourists enjoying a true Manhattan classic. It's a great place to just hang out and talk which is exactly what we did. No high tech distractions, the TVs were turned off for the night and the air was electric with the great vibes of laughter. And Donovan took full advantage of the free hot dogs - 3 in one sitting. And not a piece of broccoli in sight. Oh my veggie heart!!!
I caught it on Twitter. They're testing out a new desert tonight and its FREE. It was raining and a little cold but it was so delicious we walked to a second location and got another one. Mmmm.
Since it seemed to be a great night for free stuff Donovan suggested we check out Rudy's on 9th Ave. It's a dingy little pub in the heart of Hell's Kitchen that was a know hot spot for the Irish American mob in the day and now it's known for $7 pitchers of draft ($5 before 8pm!) and all you can eat free hot dogs (no veggie though - but you can BYOF). I liked the place right away. The worn red leather booths were full of happy, new yorkers and a few tourists enjoying a true Manhattan classic. It's a great place to just hang out and talk which is exactly what we did. No high tech distractions, the TVs were turned off for the night and the air was electric with the great vibes of laughter. And Donovan took full advantage of the free hot dogs - 3 in one sitting. And not a piece of broccoli in sight. Oh my veggie heart!!!
Day 53 - What are 2 things that can stop you dead in your tracks in Manhattan?
Well there are waaaaay more than 2 but how about a celebrity trailer surrounded by screaming fans and a whole city block lined with spring time flowers. If you never experienced one or the other before, then you're missing a genuine NYC experience.
I was walking on 32nd street between Madison and 5th when I spotted what looked like a construction trailer. What made this different from the ones I've seen in my home town was the lack of mud spattering, 2 handsome body guards in leather jackets and dark glasses standing guard, and the presence of a jumping, excited, quasi mob surrounding it. Not a hard hat in sight either. The intrigue stopped me dead in my tracks. It didn't take too long even for this tourist-in-transition to realize it was actually a celebrity trailer. "Who's in there", I asked a near breathless teenager. I could have sworn she said Liam Neeson! "Really? Hmm. I'll hang out a while to see him", I thought. Not just because he's handsome - he's one of my favorite actors. So I made myself as small as possible by squeezing up against the wall and waited to see if Liam would really emerge. After a few minutes the door opened, shrieks of "OH MY GOD" and "aaaaaaaaaaaaa" erupted everywhere and then, "Ohhhhhhhh...". It was an assistant coming out to run an errand. More minutes passed and I was wondering how much longer a reasonable person would spend just to get a glimpse of another person when the door swung open again.....more screaming...more shrieking! And this time the star emerged. It was Lieghton Meester...not Liam Neeson. No wonder there were so many teenaged girls waiting around. I wondered how Liam had developed such a young group of followers. Joke's on me LOL. Oh well. It was kind of fun anyway just to see how the presence of one actor can cause so much excitement in the hearts of a NYC fan.
On the way home I turned down 31st street at 6th Ave headed toward 7th. I've walked this way before but never noticed that the entire block is almost exclusively lined with florists and silk flower wholesalers. Today, every florist had shrubs, topiaries and all around gorgeous, fragrant, fresh spring flowers lining the sidewalk in front of their stores. I noticed the aroma before I even saw the displays and literally slowed from women-on-a-mission pace to near crawl in a single step. You see flowers outside of small produce stores and florist shops all around Manhattan everyday but this was different. It was as if the concrete had given way to the earth and an entire garden had miraculously sprung up lining my path most of the way to 7th avenue. Very nice.
I have a feeling I'm going to love spring time in NYC.
I was walking on 32nd street between Madison and 5th when I spotted what looked like a construction trailer. What made this different from the ones I've seen in my home town was the lack of mud spattering, 2 handsome body guards in leather jackets and dark glasses standing guard, and the presence of a jumping, excited, quasi mob surrounding it. Not a hard hat in sight either. The intrigue stopped me dead in my tracks. It didn't take too long even for this tourist-in-transition to realize it was actually a celebrity trailer. "Who's in there", I asked a near breathless teenager. I could have sworn she said Liam Neeson! "Really? Hmm. I'll hang out a while to see him", I thought. Not just because he's handsome - he's one of my favorite actors. So I made myself as small as possible by squeezing up against the wall and waited to see if Liam would really emerge. After a few minutes the door opened, shrieks of "OH MY GOD" and "aaaaaaaaaaaaa" erupted everywhere and then, "Ohhhhhhhh...". It was an assistant coming out to run an errand. More minutes passed and I was wondering how much longer a reasonable person would spend just to get a glimpse of another person when the door swung open again.....more screaming...more shrieking! And this time the star emerged. It was Lieghton Meester...not Liam Neeson. No wonder there were so many teenaged girls waiting around. I wondered how Liam had developed such a young group of followers. Joke's on me LOL. Oh well. It was kind of fun anyway just to see how the presence of one actor can cause so much excitement in the hearts of a NYC fan.
On the way home I turned down 31st street at 6th Ave headed toward 7th. I've walked this way before but never noticed that the entire block is almost exclusively lined with florists and silk flower wholesalers. Today, every florist had shrubs, topiaries and all around gorgeous, fragrant, fresh spring flowers lining the sidewalk in front of their stores. I noticed the aroma before I even saw the displays and literally slowed from women-on-a-mission pace to near crawl in a single step. You see flowers outside of small produce stores and florist shops all around Manhattan everyday but this was different. It was as if the concrete had given way to the earth and an entire garden had miraculously sprung up lining my path most of the way to 7th avenue. Very nice.
I have a feeling I'm going to love spring time in NYC.
Day 50! There's a number that looms large
Wow! 50 days and counting. Makes me think of another Big 50. Yikes!
It was gorgeous in Manhattan today. I traded in my winter coat for a long cardigan and set out for a few hour to go nowhere in particular. I ended up just trolling around what's become "my neighborhood". Got some groceries, picked up some tofu cheesecake to go and stopped to say hello to some of the now familiar neighborhood characters. As I headed down 7th Ave I ran into Tommy Guiry.
Tommy is best known for his role in Mystic River and he's been in several episodes of Law and Order (which is why his face was so familiar to me when we first met - L&O is one of my favs). I stopped into a local pub a couple of weeks ago to see what they had for entertainment and the bartender Tracy convinced me to stay for a glass of mid-afternoon wine. That's where I met Tommy. You really never know who's going to be sitting next to you at dinner or at the bar around here. He was just coming from an audition then and that's what he had been doing again today. Good luck Tommy!
By now I know that when I get a tofu cheesecake craving I head to the Chelsea Market. On my way west I caught a glimpse of the sun shining on the Hudson River. I haven't been to the river yet since it's been so cold. Today was the perfect day to check it out. I was walking down the north side of the market when I came across a guy sitting on the ledge outside the fish store talking on his cell phone. He actually stopped talking, waved to me (from all of 3 feet away) and said hello. That's just the kind of sun-shiny day it was here today. Everyone was happy. Not only did the stores and restaurants have their doors open wide, everyone on the street was opening up for spring too.
I did a quick walk along the river (still pretty cold in the wind so I made it fast) and then back to the market.
It was so alive today in a very peaceful kind of way. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite hang out spots.
There was a 3 piece jazz band gently wafting out sweet sounds as the crowd casually moved through the building from store to store. Some listened while they enjoyed a laid-back brunch at one of the small, coolish cafe's there. It was a nice change of pace compared to the usual hustle of the busy weekday rush.
NOTE: Don't go to the CM on a sunny Sunday afternoon if you are in a hurry. Come back on Monday so you don't spoil the mood. LOL
It was gorgeous in Manhattan today. I traded in my winter coat for a long cardigan and set out for a few hour to go nowhere in particular. I ended up just trolling around what's become "my neighborhood". Got some groceries, picked up some tofu cheesecake to go and stopped to say hello to some of the now familiar neighborhood characters. As I headed down 7th Ave I ran into Tommy Guiry.
Tommy is best known for his role in Mystic River and he's been in several episodes of Law and Order (which is why his face was so familiar to me when we first met - L&O is one of my favs). I stopped into a local pub a couple of weeks ago to see what they had for entertainment and the bartender Tracy convinced me to stay for a glass of mid-afternoon wine. That's where I met Tommy. You really never know who's going to be sitting next to you at dinner or at the bar around here. He was just coming from an audition then and that's what he had been doing again today. Good luck Tommy!
By now I know that when I get a tofu cheesecake craving I head to the Chelsea Market. On my way west I caught a glimpse of the sun shining on the Hudson River. I haven't been to the river yet since it's been so cold. Today was the perfect day to check it out. I was walking down the north side of the market when I came across a guy sitting on the ledge outside the fish store talking on his cell phone. He actually stopped talking, waved to me (from all of 3 feet away) and said hello. That's just the kind of sun-shiny day it was here today. Everyone was happy. Not only did the stores and restaurants have their doors open wide, everyone on the street was opening up for spring too.
It was so alive today in a very peaceful kind of way. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite hang out spots.
There was a 3 piece jazz band gently wafting out sweet sounds as the crowd casually moved through the building from store to store. Some listened while they enjoyed a laid-back brunch at one of the small, coolish cafe's there. It was a nice change of pace compared to the usual hustle of the busy weekday rush.
NOTE: Don't go to the CM on a sunny Sunday afternoon if you are in a hurry. Come back on Monday so you don't spoil the mood. LOL
Day 49 - The Art and Soul of Chelsea
Sometimes the most amazing treasure is buried in your own back yard. Well, not even buried...actually sitting right out there and overlooked because it's just too easy to find. My backyard in Chelsea is literally full of treasure.
I've been hearing about the art galleries in the area since I got here - some only 4 blocks away - but somehow I always seem to head out in the other direction. Today I finally went west. The very first gallery I found was the Walter Randel Gallery on 10th Avenue.
Walter was actually personally in the gallery today and spent some time with me explaining the history of some of the art pieces and bios of their artists. Not only was he very sweet he was extremely knowledgeable. He's been involved in the arts since he was a teenager - began as a sculptor, lived all over the world, gathered art collections from the most remote corners and brought all of his experience and stories right back to Chelsea. I had such a nice time talking to him and learning more about the art on exhibit and the area.
Before I left he gave me a brochure about the Chelsea art scene and discovered there are well over 200 galleries between 10th and 11th avenue from 30th street down to 14th. I spent the next 3 hours just wondering in and out of galleries and discovered some amazing art and artists. And keep in mind, this is available to everyone for FREE. Of course the galleries are there to sell the work of many talented artist to collectors that are looking to buy. But anyone can drop in and enjoy the exhibits.
Before I headed home I got an invite from Timothy at the Axelle Fine Arts gallery for my first exhibit opening. Very cool!
I've been hearing about the art galleries in the area since I got here - some only 4 blocks away - but somehow I always seem to head out in the other direction. Today I finally went west. The very first gallery I found was the Walter Randel Gallery on 10th Avenue.
Walter was actually personally in the gallery today and spent some time with me explaining the history of some of the art pieces and bios of their artists. Not only was he very sweet he was extremely knowledgeable. He's been involved in the arts since he was a teenager - began as a sculptor, lived all over the world, gathered art collections from the most remote corners and brought all of his experience and stories right back to Chelsea. I had such a nice time talking to him and learning more about the art on exhibit and the area.
Before I left he gave me a brochure about the Chelsea art scene and discovered there are well over 200 galleries between 10th and 11th avenue from 30th street down to 14th. I spent the next 3 hours just wondering in and out of galleries and discovered some amazing art and artists. And keep in mind, this is available to everyone for FREE. Of course the galleries are there to sell the work of many talented artist to collectors that are looking to buy. But anyone can drop in and enjoy the exhibits.
Before I headed home I got an invite from Timothy at the Axelle Fine Arts gallery for my first exhibit opening. Very cool!
Friends From France - Day 47
I'm fortunate to be staying at a great place that constantly welcomes new international visitors. New York City attracts people from all over the world. Almost 50 million people last year alone! I think that is one of the many incredible characteristics of the city that I love best.
This is Celine and Kevin from France. Their friend Jerome is behind the camera. They were here for 2 weeks and found fun and adventure every day - and every night!! - even though we had a ton of snow while they were here. Brrrr. They're tougher than I am.New York City has great architecture, entertainment, music, art, fashion and adventure....everything. But by far, the best thing about NYC is the people. The ones that live here AND the ones that come and go. So don't let anyone tell you that it's not a friendly city. For every person that acts New York Nasty, there are 10 that are Big Apple Awesome. Smile...you get what you give.
Coming out of the blog on Day 45
It's been 15 days since I wrote last. If you've been following along you might notice a whole new layout. Now there's an index, easier to follow format and better comment system. It took some time to convert everything over but I thing it was worth it.
The last 2 weeks has been work, work, work (and snow, snow, snow) so I'm definitely behind on my adventure seeking. Time to get back out there before the dish gets cold.
Back soon!
The last 2 weeks has been work, work, work (and snow, snow, snow) so I'm definitely behind on my adventure seeking. Time to get back out there before the dish gets cold.
Back soon!
Fashion treasures in the Fashion District...fact or fiction???
30 days of dishing on New York done already! Wow where does a month go.
People keep asking me, “Do you still like New York?” and saying things like, “You just hold on to that pretty smile for as long as you can dear.” Are they trying to scare me. Am I missing something. I guess that just means they don’t see what I see. Endless possibility. And today I discovered endless shopping possibility New York style.
It’s called wholesale stores. Really! There’s an area of town that virtually everyone has heard of but relatively few people go to called the FASHION DISTRICT. It’s between 5th and 8th Avenue bordered roughly by 20th street to the south and 34th street to the north. Every block is filled with jewelry, clothing, accessories, furs and of course…shoes. Many famous clothing houses have showrooms in the area so naturally models, stylists and fashion-conscious treasure hunters can be seen roaming the area 7 days a week. Seriously savvy New York City women take advantage of the great buys here on a regular basis but (from my recent experience) aren’t to keen about dishing about it. A great magician never gives away their secrets.
There is so much to choose from the faint-of-fashion-heart can get a little unraveled threading in and out of the jacquard weave of side streets and dazzling merchant displays with “wholesalers only” signs spiked unwelcomingly in the windows. Many of the shops do open their doors to simple retail buyers and offer amazing bargain prices, it just takes a little time to sort out the good quality from the junk and figure out who’s retail friendly and who’s New York nasty.
A little perseverance pays off. I found earnings for 2 and 3 bucks that most people are paying $20 or $30 for at their favorite dress shop because guess what…that savvy dress shop owners shops here too. Bags…oh the bags! And I don’t mean cheap knock-offs, I mean gorgeous, nice quality bags at prices so low even my limbo-champion friend Kim would be knocked over. I found beautiful necklaces, sunglasses, scarfs….and I’m just getting started. Over the next 10 days I plan to tear through The Fashion District with a fine rat-tail comb. And when I do find all the best deals in town I WON’T TELL ANYONE exactly where they are nor will I feel like a heal ‘cause that’s what a real savvy New York woman would do (or not do)! Heeheehee
People keep asking me, “Do you still like New York?” and saying things like, “You just hold on to that pretty smile for as long as you can dear.” Are they trying to scare me. Am I missing something. I guess that just means they don’t see what I see. Endless possibility. And today I discovered endless shopping possibility New York style.
It’s called wholesale stores. Really! There’s an area of town that virtually everyone has heard of but relatively few people go to called the FASHION DISTRICT. It’s between 5th and 8th Avenue bordered roughly by 20th street to the south and 34th street to the north. Every block is filled with jewelry, clothing, accessories, furs and of course…shoes. Many famous clothing houses have showrooms in the area so naturally models, stylists and fashion-conscious treasure hunters can be seen roaming the area 7 days a week. Seriously savvy New York City women take advantage of the great buys here on a regular basis but (from my recent experience) aren’t to keen about dishing about it. A great magician never gives away their secrets.
There is so much to choose from the faint-of-fashion-heart can get a little unraveled threading in and out of the jacquard weave of side streets and dazzling merchant displays with “wholesalers only” signs spiked unwelcomingly in the windows. Many of the shops do open their doors to simple retail buyers and offer amazing bargain prices, it just takes a little time to sort out the good quality from the junk and figure out who’s retail friendly and who’s New York nasty.
A little perseverance pays off. I found earnings for 2 and 3 bucks that most people are paying $20 or $30 for at their favorite dress shop because guess what…that savvy dress shop owners shops here too. Bags…oh the bags! And I don’t mean cheap knock-offs, I mean gorgeous, nice quality bags at prices so low even my limbo-champion friend Kim would be knocked over. I found beautiful necklaces, sunglasses, scarfs….and I’m just getting started. Over the next 10 days I plan to tear through The Fashion District with a fine rat-tail comb. And when I do find all the best deals in town I WON’T TELL ANYONE exactly where they are nor will I feel like a heal ‘cause that’s what a real savvy New York woman would do (or not do)! Heeheehee
Love is in the Time Square air...
It's the eve of Valentines' Day. Some lucky guy was just seen proposing at the ice heart in times square. Sooo sweet. @TimesSquareNYC
Careful where you plunk down your buck for a late night slice in Manhattan
Ahhrrgg…spent day 26 AND 27 laid up all over a bad slice of $1 pizza. Two Brothers is good. All others…BEWARE!!!
“Don’t text me. Don’t I.M. Don’t Facebook - just BACKOFF!”
I overheard a New York teenager relaying a conversation to his friend while I walked through Central Park on day 25. I had to laugh out loud. I remember when we would say, “don’t call me or come to my house”.
They must think I’M a dino!
They must think I’M a dino!
Day 23 and a Night at the Museum
Well it wasn’t really night time but I like the way that sounds. New York City is home to the American Museum of Natural History. The first time I had a chance to see it was in the movie Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller. Sure enough, the giant dinosaur skeleton made famous in the movie stands in the entrance hall to great the visitors. I’m not really sure but I think he winked at me when I walked in!
.
This museum has a very cool admission policy that allow everyone to visit without worry about the cost. For adults, general admission is $16 but with their “pay what you wish” program anyone can enter for a s little as $1. Considering the enormity of the exhibit and the obvious expense to maintaining the building and artifacts, that’s pretty remarkable. $1, $16 or somewhere in between, the price of admission is well worth it.
.
There are over 20 huge history filled exhibit halls to choose from in the museum! I started with was the “Asian Animals” hall. The plaque on the wall at the entrance said this exhibit was debuted in 1930. As I walked around, I tried to take myself back to a time when there was no television or internet…when the average person would only be able to see a small handful of creatures like this in a zoo. There are hundreds of species on display (safely behind glass unlike the movie), from cute, tiny birds to intimidatingly large animals like the Asian Tiger or the Guar Ox. The Guar stands taller than I am in heals and a few pounds heavier - like 2,000 or so. Each animal is displayed in a setting similar to what their natural habitat would look like with detail about where they are from and how they lived. Even with all of the information and images we have access to now, the displays were still interesting enough to draw me in to read and study each one as I walked through the room. In 1930 this must have been a thrill to the imagination and a truly mind expanding experience.
.
The next hall in my path was the “Asian People” exhibit. It’s impossible to write about everything I learned here. It’s a virtual time capsule of thousands of years of history. Here’s one interesting fact I’ll share. Apparently as far back as 7,000 B.C. people in Mongolia would travel to Lake Tsagan Nor to seasonal homes along the dunes to hang out by the water and enjoy the warm weather. WHAT A CONCEPT! I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same. LOL
.
Seriously though, by the time I had finished the second hall two hours had passed and I thought my brain was going to explode. It would be easy enough just to quickly stroll through the museum, take a look at everything as you whiz by and feel like you’ve polished off another New York gem in a couple of hours but so much would be missed. So I left while I still had enough fresh brain cells left to guide me home. I’ll come back and do another room or two next week. I’m lucky I’ve got the time to take advantage of all this wonderful place has to offer. Maybe next time I’ll stay after dark and see if dino want to play - fresh guy!
.
This museum has a very cool admission policy that allow everyone to visit without worry about the cost. For adults, general admission is $16 but with their “pay what you wish” program anyone can enter for a s little as $1. Considering the enormity of the exhibit and the obvious expense to maintaining the building and artifacts, that’s pretty remarkable. $1, $16 or somewhere in between, the price of admission is well worth it.
.
There are over 20 huge history filled exhibit halls to choose from in the museum! I started with was the “Asian Animals” hall. The plaque on the wall at the entrance said this exhibit was debuted in 1930. As I walked around, I tried to take myself back to a time when there was no television or internet…when the average person would only be able to see a small handful of creatures like this in a zoo. There are hundreds of species on display (safely behind glass unlike the movie), from cute, tiny birds to intimidatingly large animals like the Asian Tiger or the Guar Ox. The Guar stands taller than I am in heals and a few pounds heavier - like 2,000 or so. Each animal is displayed in a setting similar to what their natural habitat would look like with detail about where they are from and how they lived. Even with all of the information and images we have access to now, the displays were still interesting enough to draw me in to read and study each one as I walked through the room. In 1930 this must have been a thrill to the imagination and a truly mind expanding experience.
.
The next hall in my path was the “Asian People” exhibit. It’s impossible to write about everything I learned here. It’s a virtual time capsule of thousands of years of history. Here’s one interesting fact I’ll share. Apparently as far back as 7,000 B.C. people in Mongolia would travel to Lake Tsagan Nor to seasonal homes along the dunes to hang out by the water and enjoy the warm weather. WHAT A CONCEPT! I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same. LOL
.
Seriously though, by the time I had finished the second hall two hours had passed and I thought my brain was going to explode. It would be easy enough just to quickly stroll through the museum, take a look at everything as you whiz by and feel like you’ve polished off another New York gem in a couple of hours but so much would be missed. So I left while I still had enough fresh brain cells left to guide me home. I’ll come back and do another room or two next week. I’m lucky I’ve got the time to take advantage of all this wonderful place has to offer. Maybe next time I’ll stay after dark and see if dino want to play - fresh guy!
PJ Clark's (3rd and 53rd)...Next classic bar on "The List" to check out
East Side, West Side, riding through the parks
We started swinging at Jilly’s then we split to P.J.Clark’s
On to Chuck’s Composite, then a drink at The Stork
We won’t get home until morning
‘cause we’re going to take a walk
On the sidewalks of New York
… written by James W. Blake and Charles E. Lawlor
Dennis D
Look UP!!
It doesn’t matter where you are. SoHo or NoHo, Upper East Side or West Side, Chelsea, Midtown, Downtown or just around town. Look up and you’re bound to see some fascinating architecture. A virtual open air exhibition and it’s FREE day and night. One of my favorite overhead sites is the Empire State Building. At night its lit with color and you can see it for blocks if you’re out for a walk. During the day there isn’t a block in Manhattan that doesn’t have something interesting to see if you’ll JUST LOOK UP.
.
And it’s impossible to feel unhappy when you look up. Have you ever noticed that? All the locals will know you’re a tourist but you’ll probably see things some have them have never looked up to see AND you’re bound to be smiling. Hope I never take it for granted.
.
Yep. In New York, things are…looking up.
Now I know why they say, "It's like Grand Central in here!"
It’s day 20 and I spent most of the day hunkered down inside, avoiding the snow storm that still hasn’t hit. While I was sending some emails and cleaning out files I found some photos taken last week at Grand Central Terminal.
I’ve actually been there a couple times in the past few weeks. The first time was during the day. I expected a big, madly busy, slightly grungy train station with hundreds of commuters hurrying frantically to make their connection. Instead, the first thing I saw when I walked in was a bakery with fresh, hot bread spilling over wire baskets and delicious looking deserts filling glass display cases.
The bright, not-grungy, cavernous rooms are connected by impressively huge corridors that lead to trains as well as retail stores, food courts, bars and restaurants. It was a mad frenzy of activity but not just with rushing commuters. Many were there to grab lunch, meet a friend, or see the sites. Connections of all kinds were being made at Grand Central. In the food court there were knishes and lox, pita and kabobs, steaming soups and fresh salad bars, chocolate pots and coffee spots. And the waiting area was crammed with folks that just needed a rest. Some of the chairs in the lounge area were so comfy their occupants had fallen asleep. An amazing accomplishment amidst this swirl of activity. Must have been some late nights (smile).
The second time I visited Grand Central it was to meet a friend for dinner. We were starting out at the famous Grand Central Oyster Bar and then checking out a nearby Mediterranean restaurant. “Meet me at the main concourse information booth”, he said. Hmmm…”what’s the main concourse”….ugh what a tourist. So I suggested we meet at the oyster bar. That I knew I could find :-) Turns out that information booth is the traditional (and sometimes romantic) meeting spot that movies are made of. Well I missed that one. Sorry Dennis.
We met at the doors of the restaurant, went straight to the bar and both ordered a Kettle One martini…dirty. Great start. The restaurant has been in operation since the opening of the new terminal in 1913 and holds over 450 patrons. I remember peeking inside the afternoon I first visited the terminal and it looked like every seat was taken and then some. Tonight the bar overflowed with after-work energy and conversation bounced off the incredibly high ceilings.
Over the course of a quick hour, Dennis and I sipped on our drinks, shared a dozen delicious oysters, some lively conversation and then dashed off to our 8pm reservation.
On our way out we walked past the famous main concourse information booth. Ahhh…right in the middle of the main floor of the terminal. Yep…pretty tough to find.
Avra was our next stop for the night. We had to wait a while but it was worth it. This spot was recommended by Dennis’ friend - the same one that recommended Piadina. Great friend and another great pick! The grilled calamari stuffed with feta was my favorite…and can anything really wind up a perfect night better than chocolate molten cake and 2 spoons?
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