It is true what people say, you actually can't find a decent coffee in America. Last night Christi had agreed that it was very difficult to find a decent coffee, and she suggested I try and find 'Art of Joe'. I googled this morning and sure enough there was a couple on the west side, and one only 10 blocks away. I went there and ordered a coffee, it was the right size and the right temperature, accompanied by the perfect almond croissant, and yet, it wasn't great. It certainly was better than any coffee I've had to date, but not great. Cibo Pirie St awaits me!
This morning we headed out to the Guggenheim Museum. We started in the rotunda where the exhibits are, and Lee Ufan was showing. Now, I know I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to art. But I know what I like, and then, well, there are some things I just don't get. Between the rocks, paintings, cotton wool, rubber matting.....bizarre.
We quickly moved on to find the permanent collection. And this was really quite spectacular, albeit small. It contained works by; Van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin, Monet, Manet, and a couple of my favorites were Picasso's Woman Ironing, and Fernande with a Black Mantilla (from his blue period).
From there we caught the train downtown to City Hall and walked part way across the Brooklyn Bridge. Speccy!
Then we walked towards Ground Zero. We went into St Paul's Chapel which has survived the great fire as well as Sept 11 (7 buildings in total were destroyed that day). The firemen and other workers used the church for respite and many could be found tossing and turning on the pews trying to get a bit of shut-eye. Inside the church is now like a museum, but I could only read about a few stories before being too upset to read anymore.
From there we went to happier things - shopping, at Century 21. We both did more damage to the credit card! Grabbed a bite to eat and got back to the hotel and repacked the bags ready for our 6.00am flight out of here on Wednesday morning.
Today, when it suddenly dawned on me that we only had another day to go here in New York, I genuinely felt heart broken. I love this city and I need more time here, time to just explore the quirky places, the little gems, whether it's food, shops, parks, apartments anything. I mostly want to stop being a tourist here, and just 'live' New York for a bit. Feel it. Get lost in it. I want to talk to more New Yorkers and explore every last inch of Central Park. I want time to find that decent cup of coffee.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
06 September 2011
05 September 2011
Mouthgasm
This morning we got up and went out for a decent breakfast as we were catching the train back to NYC later. We opted for a place just down the road from our hotel that we had walked past yesterday morning and the place was full and there had been a line of people waiting to get in. We figured it must have been an excellent breakfast spot. As we were up a little earlier today, we got a table straight away, but not long after we were seated there was a string of people waiting.
I love sweet things for breakfast and so I ordered the pancakes, and Ros had scrambled eggs. The food was ok, but nothing to write home about and I am still perplexed as to why so many people would line up to get into this place and just not go somewhere else.
On the train back to New York (which we nearly missed because we were looking for the train heading to NYC, but should have been looking for the Washington DC train), we bagged seats right at the front on the first carriage because we were in business class...nice right? Wrong! It was so fucking cold that I had a jumper on my legs (over jeans), a jumper around my neck, a jumper on my feet, AND my brand new leather jacket, AND I WAS STILL FUCKING COLD! It wasn't until 20 mins out of NYC that I realised that half way down the back of the carriage was a darn sight balmier! I don't know if you've ever felt that sort of cold where you wanted to jump out of train, but that's what I wanted to do today.
Back in New York, I insisted to Ros that we would be better off catching the subway back to the hotel rather than a cab (despite us having to cart all our luggage around), and besides the fact that I feel like I dislocated my shoulder dragging 20+ kilos across stations...I do believe we got to the hotel a hell of a lot quicker and cheaper.
Back at the hotel and we debated for some time what we were going to do for the evening. In the end we decided on getting the list of restaurant recommendations that was given to us the other night when we were at the Riverpark restaurant. We opted for something that was NOT near us, 'Griffiti' on the lower east side. I rang them and made a booking, they said they could fit us in, but we would need to leave by 9.15. I told them we eat fast.
When I had looked up the address on the web, I saw that the chef had been a winner on "Iron Chef". Are you impressed Mark Woolston and Graham Dudley? I need to go back and research some more, I don't know whether it was the American show or the Japanese one. And the site also mentioned something about Martha Stewart. Am I supposed to be impressed? Didn't she go to jail?
To get to this restaurant by train, I had to study the subway map for a bit. The journey would have to involve three different lines, but I was pretty confident we would manage just fine. And we did. And once again, I got asked by a stranger for assistance and I was able to help the good looking, shy, young lad from the UK.
When we got to the restaurant, Ros and I were seated side-by-side, not opposite each other, at a square table, set for four other people. The dining area itself was tiny, as the restaurant was in a renovated lower floor of an apartment. It would not have sat more than 18 people, and NOT comfortably either! Later on in the evening I went to use the bathroom for the sole purpose of seeing how small the kitchen was. I had to wait for one of the staff to close the dish washer door before I could squeeze past. There were three staff in the kitchen and I had to sidle past all three to get to the loo. It was smaller than my kitchen at home, which is a small kitchen for a standard three bedroom home in Oz. Probably, if you think of a standard sized bathroom in a home in Australia, then chop it in half lengthways, you will have the size of this kitchen.
Anyhow, we were given a menu, and it all looked unusual, so I just picked the shrimp, and Ros chose the burger. We ordered, and as we were waiting for the food, four people came in and were seated with us. Christi immediately introduced herself and her friends (given that we would be dining together). Her partner's name I didn't catch, and her partner's friend from college, Keith, and his partner Tiffany. The friends were visiting from Chicago.
Our meal arrived and well, I think I have just had the meal of my life!
Don't ask me what we ordered exactly, don't ask me what it tasted like (I wouldn't be able to describe it) or what the flavours were (besides it being fusion I could taste Middle Eastern, Vietnamese, Indian), or what the theme was. But every bite was sensational!
Christi and her partner were able to tell us a bit more about the chef/restaurant - the chef is Egyptian, and worked as a pastry chef for one of the best chefs in France. They also mentioned the Iron Chef and Martha Stewart connections.
The food was so good, on a whim we decided to order another main as recommended by Christi, it was a pork dish, in a type of bun/flat bread with cornflakes on top! It was AMAZING!
As per the night at the Riverpark restaurant our new found friends said that they couldn't believe foreigners had found the place. Christie said she was shocked when she first heard our accents. I had to admit that I couldn't take the credit for this one, that the recommendation had been from a local.
After the main had been served, we decided to see the dessert menu, and whilst I was leaning towards the strawberries with truffle, and pepper ice-cream...we actually decided on the chocolate caviar cupcake with something something ice-cream (sorry, I just can't remember).
MOUTHGASM!
Just give me a moment.
Seriously, when I took the first bite, not only was I speechless, but my eyes welled up with tears of joy. I am not lying to you. And I barely said a word as I devoured the rest of my plate. This guy knew his desserts!
For me, this has been my favorite evening in New York, and the US so far. The meal was excellent, and once again I have been pleasantly surprised by the generosity and friendliness of the people. Tonight I was especially surprised at how similar our sense of humour is, we had a barrell of laughs tonight.
This night will be etched in my memory for a very very long time.
So happy.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I love sweet things for breakfast and so I ordered the pancakes, and Ros had scrambled eggs. The food was ok, but nothing to write home about and I am still perplexed as to why so many people would line up to get into this place and just not go somewhere else.
On the train back to New York (which we nearly missed because we were looking for the train heading to NYC, but should have been looking for the Washington DC train), we bagged seats right at the front on the first carriage because we were in business class...nice right? Wrong! It was so fucking cold that I had a jumper on my legs (over jeans), a jumper around my neck, a jumper on my feet, AND my brand new leather jacket, AND I WAS STILL FUCKING COLD! It wasn't until 20 mins out of NYC that I realised that half way down the back of the carriage was a darn sight balmier! I don't know if you've ever felt that sort of cold where you wanted to jump out of train, but that's what I wanted to do today.
Back in New York, I insisted to Ros that we would be better off catching the subway back to the hotel rather than a cab (despite us having to cart all our luggage around), and besides the fact that I feel like I dislocated my shoulder dragging 20+ kilos across stations...I do believe we got to the hotel a hell of a lot quicker and cheaper.
Back at the hotel and we debated for some time what we were going to do for the evening. In the end we decided on getting the list of restaurant recommendations that was given to us the other night when we were at the Riverpark restaurant. We opted for something that was NOT near us, 'Griffiti' on the lower east side. I rang them and made a booking, they said they could fit us in, but we would need to leave by 9.15. I told them we eat fast.
When I had looked up the address on the web, I saw that the chef had been a winner on "Iron Chef". Are you impressed Mark Woolston and Graham Dudley? I need to go back and research some more, I don't know whether it was the American show or the Japanese one. And the site also mentioned something about Martha Stewart. Am I supposed to be impressed? Didn't she go to jail?
To get to this restaurant by train, I had to study the subway map for a bit. The journey would have to involve three different lines, but I was pretty confident we would manage just fine. And we did. And once again, I got asked by a stranger for assistance and I was able to help the good looking, shy, young lad from the UK.
When we got to the restaurant, Ros and I were seated side-by-side, not opposite each other, at a square table, set for four other people. The dining area itself was tiny, as the restaurant was in a renovated lower floor of an apartment. It would not have sat more than 18 people, and NOT comfortably either! Later on in the evening I went to use the bathroom for the sole purpose of seeing how small the kitchen was. I had to wait for one of the staff to close the dish washer door before I could squeeze past. There were three staff in the kitchen and I had to sidle past all three to get to the loo. It was smaller than my kitchen at home, which is a small kitchen for a standard three bedroom home in Oz. Probably, if you think of a standard sized bathroom in a home in Australia, then chop it in half lengthways, you will have the size of this kitchen.
Anyhow, we were given a menu, and it all looked unusual, so I just picked the shrimp, and Ros chose the burger. We ordered, and as we were waiting for the food, four people came in and were seated with us. Christi immediately introduced herself and her friends (given that we would be dining together). Her partner's name I didn't catch, and her partner's friend from college, Keith, and his partner Tiffany. The friends were visiting from Chicago.
Our meal arrived and well, I think I have just had the meal of my life!
Don't ask me what we ordered exactly, don't ask me what it tasted like (I wouldn't be able to describe it) or what the flavours were (besides it being fusion I could taste Middle Eastern, Vietnamese, Indian), or what the theme was. But every bite was sensational!
Christi and her partner were able to tell us a bit more about the chef/restaurant - the chef is Egyptian, and worked as a pastry chef for one of the best chefs in France. They also mentioned the Iron Chef and Martha Stewart connections.
The food was so good, on a whim we decided to order another main as recommended by Christi, it was a pork dish, in a type of bun/flat bread with cornflakes on top! It was AMAZING!
As per the night at the Riverpark restaurant our new found friends said that they couldn't believe foreigners had found the place. Christie said she was shocked when she first heard our accents. I had to admit that I couldn't take the credit for this one, that the recommendation had been from a local.
After the main had been served, we decided to see the dessert menu, and whilst I was leaning towards the strawberries with truffle, and pepper ice-cream...we actually decided on the chocolate caviar cupcake with something something ice-cream (sorry, I just can't remember).
MOUTHGASM!
Just give me a moment.
Seriously, when I took the first bite, not only was I speechless, but my eyes welled up with tears of joy. I am not lying to you. And I barely said a word as I devoured the rest of my plate. This guy knew his desserts!
For me, this has been my favorite evening in New York, and the US so far. The meal was excellent, and once again I have been pleasantly surprised by the generosity and friendliness of the people. Tonight I was especially surprised at how similar our sense of humour is, we had a barrell of laughs tonight.
This night will be etched in my memory for a very very long time.
So happy.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
04 September 2011
Boston
Yesterday we caught a train to Boston. After we checked in we went for a wander. Across the road from our hotel we saw some spectacular architecture poking out over the trees, so we headed in that direction. In front of the main building was a massive water feature/pool thingy... When we got to the building, we found it was some Christian science institute... Then we stumbled across one of the main strips and we went into a couple of pubs for a few drinks. There was a baseball game on at Fenway park and everyone was in their red sox gear.
This morning we got on a hop-on/off bus for a tour around Boston. It is a truly beautiful city, and I quickly started to regret not spending more time here, to get a real feel for the place. We stopped off at one of the many piers where there was a market underway, we also had lunch there. Then we stopped at Boston Common and briefly walked around the park, and went through a few of the suburban streets (so gorgeous), and then the Cheers pub (from the TV series). It would have been great to have had time to walk around the cemetery, and to go to City Hall, but time was precious and I wanted to get to Harvard.
Got to Harvard and the feel of the place changes again as soon as you enter Cambridge precinct. Harvard students undertake walking tours of Harvard, so we did one. Our guide was Adam, and whilst he was studying Economics at Harvard, he actually wanted to be an actor, and let me tell you he was thoroughly entertaining! And I expect to see him on the big screen one day. Again, if any of you are fortunate enough to get to Boston, this tour must be on your to do list. It was only a shame that we couldn't go into some of the buildings.
We missed our last bus back so we grabbed a quick bite to eat and then caught the subway back to town. The trains and stations are quite clean, new looking, and not so stuffy. And the whole city of Boston, but especially the Cambridge area seems very young. I suppose that's stating the obvious though.
When we got off the train, Ros went off to do some shopping and I headed back to the hotel, but then I remembered that I wanted to go to the observatory at the Sheraton. So I had a quick shower and headed out again. Unfortunately, as with most observatories, they are glass enclosed, and whilst I know why, it really annoys me as glass will ruin a good photo. On the way back to the hotel I stopped at the Christian Science place again for some more night photography and got a few decent shots there.
Tomorrow we only have a few hours in Boston before having to get on the train back to New York. Definitely not enough time in Boston.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
This morning we got on a hop-on/off bus for a tour around Boston. It is a truly beautiful city, and I quickly started to regret not spending more time here, to get a real feel for the place. We stopped off at one of the many piers where there was a market underway, we also had lunch there. Then we stopped at Boston Common and briefly walked around the park, and went through a few of the suburban streets (so gorgeous), and then the Cheers pub (from the TV series). It would have been great to have had time to walk around the cemetery, and to go to City Hall, but time was precious and I wanted to get to Harvard.
Got to Harvard and the feel of the place changes again as soon as you enter Cambridge precinct. Harvard students undertake walking tours of Harvard, so we did one. Our guide was Adam, and whilst he was studying Economics at Harvard, he actually wanted to be an actor, and let me tell you he was thoroughly entertaining! And I expect to see him on the big screen one day. Again, if any of you are fortunate enough to get to Boston, this tour must be on your to do list. It was only a shame that we couldn't go into some of the buildings.
We missed our last bus back so we grabbed a quick bite to eat and then caught the subway back to town. The trains and stations are quite clean, new looking, and not so stuffy. And the whole city of Boston, but especially the Cambridge area seems very young. I suppose that's stating the obvious though.
When we got off the train, Ros went off to do some shopping and I headed back to the hotel, but then I remembered that I wanted to go to the observatory at the Sheraton. So I had a quick shower and headed out again. Unfortunately, as with most observatories, they are glass enclosed, and whilst I know why, it really annoys me as glass will ruin a good photo. On the way back to the hotel I stopped at the Christian Science place again for some more night photography and got a few decent shots there.
Tomorrow we only have a few hours in Boston before having to get on the train back to New York. Definitely not enough time in Boston.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
03 September 2011
No entry
For avid followers, thank you for following and I apologise for the lack of a post yesterday, but last night we got back to the hotel at midnight, and I knew I would have time to blog on the train to Boston today.
Yesterday morning we both slept in after the night before's shenanigans. When I finally got my ass prepared, I went straight into midtown and left Ros behind to do my washing! I grabbed a breakfast of fruit salad and juice because I was still full from the previous evening.
My first destination was the photography institute, I figured that there would be an exhibition that I could see. Now if anyone knows about my trip to Japan last year, you would know that I had earmarked a couple of photography places to checkout, but everyone one I went to was closed on the day I was there. So I find the place in NY, only to see that they were installing a new exhibition so the place was shut except for the shop. Unbelievable! It reopens on the 9th, just after I leave.
My next port of call was the Morgan Pierpont library - the famous banker collected treasures, mostly books, and his residence is now a museum. I went straight to his library when I got there. If any of you ever have the opportunity to come to New York, you simply must have this on your list of things to do. But then I am a lover of books, and I place a lot of value on them. More than art. The library, besides being fabulously ornate was wall to wall books (lower half wall only), then there was a hidden room behind a secure door, something like a massive safe where the more valuable books had been stored. This room had a ladder in it as the book shelves went up to the ceiling.
On display behind glass, were books such as the Gutenberg bible (the man owned three of them); drafts of the constitution to end slavery; and the collection had also been updated to include letters to/from people like Matisse, Pollock, Voltaire and even a letter from JD Salinger to one of his children.
I checked the museum's store to see whether they had a book for sale that showcased the collection, but it is out of print as they are updating it. I will have to seek this out online in future.
From there I headed back to Times Square to meet up with Ros again. When I got there I had time for a quick lunch. I ventured into "chop't", a salad bar. One can either choose from the menu or make your own. You select the type of lettuce, other ingredients, dressing, and they chop it all up in front of you. It was a great salad!
I met Ros and told her she could not leave New York without seeing the Morgan library. Whilst she did that, I went and purchased tickets for the Jersey Boys. Then I headed towards another library I had read about back in Oz, apparently it is another must-see - The University Club Library. It is located on 5th ave so I trek all the way back there only to find that only members or guests can enter! However the building itself was certainly a fine piece of architecture.
Because I was on 5th I decided I may as well head further up and go to the famous toy store with the big piano. You can take one home yourself for a mere $200,000! The staff there have the best jobs as they just show kids the toys, there was one grown up kid just on a skateboard going up and down the aisles.
I was due to meet up with Ros again at 5.30pm but I literally couldn't take another step, so I rested on the seats in front of the gorgeous Plaza hotel and Pullitzer fountain and then caught the train back to Times Square on a line I hadn't used before.
We went back to the hotel and rested for a bit before heading out to see the Jersey Boys. Another amazing theatre production! When that finished we grabbed a quick slice of pizza and headed back to our hotel for a well earned rest!
Waiting for the train to come, there was a busker singing and playing guitar.
Anyone who has been in any subway at any day, time or season would know that it is the equivalent of stepping into a sauna. So I figured this guy had already earned a dollar just for being there. I watched a few people drop him some cash and then I did. He STOPPED playing, much to my embarrassment, and called Ros over and asked whether he could please keep me. Whilst I am a sucker for the odd musician, Ros thought it best that she keep me because I am her navigator and she would be lost without me..... Aaawwwww, it's nice to be wanted by many....
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Yesterday morning we both slept in after the night before's shenanigans. When I finally got my ass prepared, I went straight into midtown and left Ros behind to do my washing! I grabbed a breakfast of fruit salad and juice because I was still full from the previous evening.
My first destination was the photography institute, I figured that there would be an exhibition that I could see. Now if anyone knows about my trip to Japan last year, you would know that I had earmarked a couple of photography places to checkout, but everyone one I went to was closed on the day I was there. So I find the place in NY, only to see that they were installing a new exhibition so the place was shut except for the shop. Unbelievable! It reopens on the 9th, just after I leave.
My next port of call was the Morgan Pierpont library - the famous banker collected treasures, mostly books, and his residence is now a museum. I went straight to his library when I got there. If any of you ever have the opportunity to come to New York, you simply must have this on your list of things to do. But then I am a lover of books, and I place a lot of value on them. More than art. The library, besides being fabulously ornate was wall to wall books (lower half wall only), then there was a hidden room behind a secure door, something like a massive safe where the more valuable books had been stored. This room had a ladder in it as the book shelves went up to the ceiling.
On display behind glass, were books such as the Gutenberg bible (the man owned three of them); drafts of the constitution to end slavery; and the collection had also been updated to include letters to/from people like Matisse, Pollock, Voltaire and even a letter from JD Salinger to one of his children.
I checked the museum's store to see whether they had a book for sale that showcased the collection, but it is out of print as they are updating it. I will have to seek this out online in future.
From there I headed back to Times Square to meet up with Ros again. When I got there I had time for a quick lunch. I ventured into "chop't", a salad bar. One can either choose from the menu or make your own. You select the type of lettuce, other ingredients, dressing, and they chop it all up in front of you. It was a great salad!
I met Ros and told her she could not leave New York without seeing the Morgan library. Whilst she did that, I went and purchased tickets for the Jersey Boys. Then I headed towards another library I had read about back in Oz, apparently it is another must-see - The University Club Library. It is located on 5th ave so I trek all the way back there only to find that only members or guests can enter! However the building itself was certainly a fine piece of architecture.
Because I was on 5th I decided I may as well head further up and go to the famous toy store with the big piano. You can take one home yourself for a mere $200,000! The staff there have the best jobs as they just show kids the toys, there was one grown up kid just on a skateboard going up and down the aisles.
I was due to meet up with Ros again at 5.30pm but I literally couldn't take another step, so I rested on the seats in front of the gorgeous Plaza hotel and Pullitzer fountain and then caught the train back to Times Square on a line I hadn't used before.
We went back to the hotel and rested for a bit before heading out to see the Jersey Boys. Another amazing theatre production! When that finished we grabbed a quick slice of pizza and headed back to our hotel for a well earned rest!
Waiting for the train to come, there was a busker singing and playing guitar.
Anyone who has been in any subway at any day, time or season would know that it is the equivalent of stepping into a sauna. So I figured this guy had already earned a dollar just for being there. I watched a few people drop him some cash and then I did. He STOPPED playing, much to my embarrassment, and called Ros over and asked whether he could please keep me. Whilst I am a sucker for the odd musician, Ros thought it best that she keep me because I am her navigator and she would be lost without me..... Aaawwwww, it's nice to be wanted by many....
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Broadway,New York,United States
01 September 2011
Korean or some shit
This morning started off like any other. I got up before Ros, showered, dressed and went out for coffee/brekky and a walk. Got back and we headed downtown once again. This morning we were booked on a bus trip across to the Woodbury Common outlet stores in New Jersey.
We got there after 12.00pm and agreed to split up and meet again at 4.15pm for the 4.20 bus home.
One of the first shops I went into was Kenneth Cole where they just had a flat 50% off everything in the store, and whilst I need another watch like I need a hole in the head, I purchased another Kenneth Cole watch for something like $35. Then into Calvin Klein and $340 later.... I pretty much decided at that point that enough was enough, and time to focus on the nieces and nephews. Found Adidas and got Sabrina her tennis shoes, but am completely panicked about whether they will fit her or not. Got Nikolas as AWESOME pair of sandshoes from Nike, but am completely panicked about whether he will like them or not. Then to Osh Kosh B'gosh and found some clothes for the other three.
I had so many bags, my arms were sore from carrying them.
I was proud of myself for not going into more shops, and the amount of money I didn't spend!
Met up with Ros and waiting for the bus we started chatting to two young guys from Melbourne. One of them worked for Estee Lauder and had a work trip to the US, so his partner came along for the ride. We sat adjacent to them on the bus and chatted about things we had or hadn't done in NYC, and joked about things like getting fries with your breakfast.
The bus trip home took 45mins more than the trip over, and so by the time we got back to the hotel we were already running late for a dinner booking at the Riverpark restaurant. I rang them and they happily changed the booking to 8.45pm.
After showering and getting ready, we decided to cab it to the restaurant, (first cab since we've been here). We flagged a cab and I gave the cabbie the address, but as we got closer, we could tell he was struggling. Next thing we know the cabbie is trying to reverse down a one way street. He was trying to tell us that we were at the end of 29th St...anyway we convinced him to go further East and I instantly knew we were in the right place because I saw Tom Collicchio's rooftop garden. We paid the cabbie, and tipped him FFS!
The meal was amazing, for entree I had Marscapone Ravioli and for main I had prosciutto wrapped trout. For dessert we shared some chocolate pot thingy which was just amazing. It was all amazing. Ros fell in love with our waiter Nathaniel, and he served us a complimentary glass of moscato. Yum!
As Ros and I were chatting about how amazing the meal was, and the incredible view, the lady sitting next to us interrupted and said that she couldn't help over-hearing and that obviously we were visitors and she wanted to know how we had heard of the restaurant. She said that Riverpark was still an unknown "hidden gem" in New York City, and she was so impressed that we had found it!
This woman 'Lisa' even complimented me on my haircut. Erm HELLO, I come from little ol' Adelaide!
We ended up chatting with Lisa and her friend Rich for some time, as well as the waiter Nathaniel. The waiter had given us some other restaurant suggestions, and then Lisa attacked the list and said "no, we need to give them a much broader view of New York, like, Korean and shit".
She was clearly a smart woman, because then she realised that in Adelaide we would have ample access to Asian flavours, so she wanted to recommend something completely different.
We had a wonderful meal, wonderful conversation, and walked away with a swag of foodie recommendations. Ros insisted we all have a photo together. It was an awesome evening. (I had even spotted fireworks across the Hudson during the evening).
I can't believe how many wonderful people we have met along this trip. It has been a learning curve and a pleasant surprise.
In my head, I am already planning my next visit....
Oh, forgot to mention, on the subway after our shopping trip, three guys asked me whether they were on the right train for China town. With some confidence I was able to reply, that they had the right train, but were going in the wrong direction. I do believe I have mastered the subway thank you very much.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We got there after 12.00pm and agreed to split up and meet again at 4.15pm for the 4.20 bus home.
One of the first shops I went into was Kenneth Cole where they just had a flat 50% off everything in the store, and whilst I need another watch like I need a hole in the head, I purchased another Kenneth Cole watch for something like $35. Then into Calvin Klein and $340 later.... I pretty much decided at that point that enough was enough, and time to focus on the nieces and nephews. Found Adidas and got Sabrina her tennis shoes, but am completely panicked about whether they will fit her or not. Got Nikolas as AWESOME pair of sandshoes from Nike, but am completely panicked about whether he will like them or not. Then to Osh Kosh B'gosh and found some clothes for the other three.
I had so many bags, my arms were sore from carrying them.
I was proud of myself for not going into more shops, and the amount of money I didn't spend!
Met up with Ros and waiting for the bus we started chatting to two young guys from Melbourne. One of them worked for Estee Lauder and had a work trip to the US, so his partner came along for the ride. We sat adjacent to them on the bus and chatted about things we had or hadn't done in NYC, and joked about things like getting fries with your breakfast.
The bus trip home took 45mins more than the trip over, and so by the time we got back to the hotel we were already running late for a dinner booking at the Riverpark restaurant. I rang them and they happily changed the booking to 8.45pm.
After showering and getting ready, we decided to cab it to the restaurant, (first cab since we've been here). We flagged a cab and I gave the cabbie the address, but as we got closer, we could tell he was struggling. Next thing we know the cabbie is trying to reverse down a one way street. He was trying to tell us that we were at the end of 29th St...anyway we convinced him to go further East and I instantly knew we were in the right place because I saw Tom Collicchio's rooftop garden. We paid the cabbie, and tipped him FFS!
The meal was amazing, for entree I had Marscapone Ravioli and for main I had prosciutto wrapped trout. For dessert we shared some chocolate pot thingy which was just amazing. It was all amazing. Ros fell in love with our waiter Nathaniel, and he served us a complimentary glass of moscato. Yum!
As Ros and I were chatting about how amazing the meal was, and the incredible view, the lady sitting next to us interrupted and said that she couldn't help over-hearing and that obviously we were visitors and she wanted to know how we had heard of the restaurant. She said that Riverpark was still an unknown "hidden gem" in New York City, and she was so impressed that we had found it!
This woman 'Lisa' even complimented me on my haircut. Erm HELLO, I come from little ol' Adelaide!
We ended up chatting with Lisa and her friend Rich for some time, as well as the waiter Nathaniel. The waiter had given us some other restaurant suggestions, and then Lisa attacked the list and said "no, we need to give them a much broader view of New York, like, Korean and shit".
She was clearly a smart woman, because then she realised that in Adelaide we would have ample access to Asian flavours, so she wanted to recommend something completely different.
We had a wonderful meal, wonderful conversation, and walked away with a swag of foodie recommendations. Ros insisted we all have a photo together. It was an awesome evening. (I had even spotted fireworks across the Hudson during the evening).
I can't believe how many wonderful people we have met along this trip. It has been a learning curve and a pleasant surprise.
In my head, I am already planning my next visit....
Oh, forgot to mention, on the subway after our shopping trip, three guys asked me whether they were on the right train for China town. With some confidence I was able to reply, that they had the right train, but were going in the wrong direction. I do believe I have mastered the subway thank you very much.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
31 August 2011
From ladette to lady
This morning I got up and went for what is becoming a regular morning coffee and walk, exploring the few kilometers in the radius of the hotel. When I got back we got ready to go out for the day as we had the 'Sex and the City tour booked for 11.00am. We got the subway to dowtown and got off at 50th, which also brings you out to Columbus circle and the south west corner of Central Park.
Because we had a bit of time to spare, we wandered through the south end of Central Park. We saw the duck pond, which I assume is the one mentioned in JD Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye". Stunning, 'but where do the ducks go when the pond freezes over in winter?'
We ventured out of the park at the south east corner, which also happened to be the meeting spot for the tour, in front of the Pulitzer monument (and the Plaza hotel).
The tour was good, but not great, although the tour guide earns a mention, she really knew her stuff and was quite impressive.
We then wandered down to Bryant Park where apparently fashion week is no longer held. (It's now held at the Lincoln Centre.). And I had a salad of grilled asparagus, beetroot, goat's cheese and greens, and it was absolutely delicious! The park was full of people, and it was just beautiful sitting there in the sun, in a lovely park, in a metropolis. This life is for me. And besides the small hurricane that passed through here on the weekend, the weather has been perfect.
After that we went back to the hotel for a bit, then went out to a local Thai restaurant called 'Charm' that had been recommended to Ros by a local Aussie expat. It was also a delicious meal.
Got back to the hotel to get ready to go see "Mary Poppins". We even used an iron on our clothes! The show was playing at a theatre on 42nd St, and our seats were in the second row, which I was very impressed with, but apparently the front row seats in a theatre are not the best seats. We started chatting to the Mother and daughter sitting next to me. They were from South Carolina, and the daughter was going to live in Spain for 6 months on a University exchange program. They were so, so lovely, I'm sorry that we didn't have more time to talk.
Mary Poppins was amazing (actually I've never seen a production that wasn't). And whilst the actress who played Mary Poppins was by far the star of the show, the little boy 'Michael' stole my heart. You should've seen him move in the 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' song! At the end of the show Mary flies away, much to the delight of the audience on the third tier, right up to them.
The ladies to my left wished us well and us them, probably never to see each other again. Sadly.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Because we had a bit of time to spare, we wandered through the south end of Central Park. We saw the duck pond, which I assume is the one mentioned in JD Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye". Stunning, 'but where do the ducks go when the pond freezes over in winter?'
We ventured out of the park at the south east corner, which also happened to be the meeting spot for the tour, in front of the Pulitzer monument (and the Plaza hotel).
The tour was good, but not great, although the tour guide earns a mention, she really knew her stuff and was quite impressive.
We then wandered down to Bryant Park where apparently fashion week is no longer held. (It's now held at the Lincoln Centre.). And I had a salad of grilled asparagus, beetroot, goat's cheese and greens, and it was absolutely delicious! The park was full of people, and it was just beautiful sitting there in the sun, in a lovely park, in a metropolis. This life is for me. And besides the small hurricane that passed through here on the weekend, the weather has been perfect.
After that we went back to the hotel for a bit, then went out to a local Thai restaurant called 'Charm' that had been recommended to Ros by a local Aussie expat. It was also a delicious meal.
Got back to the hotel to get ready to go see "Mary Poppins". We even used an iron on our clothes! The show was playing at a theatre on 42nd St, and our seats were in the second row, which I was very impressed with, but apparently the front row seats in a theatre are not the best seats. We started chatting to the Mother and daughter sitting next to me. They were from South Carolina, and the daughter was going to live in Spain for 6 months on a University exchange program. They were so, so lovely, I'm sorry that we didn't have more time to talk.
Mary Poppins was amazing (actually I've never seen a production that wasn't). And whilst the actress who played Mary Poppins was by far the star of the show, the little boy 'Michael' stole my heart. You should've seen him move in the 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' song! At the end of the show Mary flies away, much to the delight of the audience on the third tier, right up to them.
The ladies to my left wished us well and us them, probably never to see each other again. Sadly.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
30 August 2011
MoMA
Today we headed out to organise tickets for the Sex in the City tour and Woodbury Common shopping outlet. With that organised, Ros headed to Madame Tussaud's whilst I made my way to B&H, a well know camera superstore. How I walked out without purchasing anything is quite beyond me.
We met up again and made our way to the Museum of Modern Art. Most museums you go to are relatively quiet, but this one was a hive of activity.
I suggested we start at the top and make our way down, and I'm glad we did, because all the paintings were on the 4th floor. There were works there by Cezanne, Monet, Van Gough, Matisse, Picasso, and a swag of others.
The third floor was contemporary art and I saw a piece by Jackson Pollock. I have to say, not as fantastic as "Blue Poles" in Canberra!
The second floor was architecture, design and photography, and that's where I saw my first real life look at an Ansel Adams photo! Awesome!
On the way back to the hotel, some cute guy starting talking to us, and gave us a couple of tips for places to go. And now we're going to head to "Top of the Rocks" (Rockefeller Centre), to see if I can't challenge some of those photographers in MoMA with a work of art myself. Highly doubtful.
10.50pm Update:
I'm no Ansel Adams. That is all.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We met up again and made our way to the Museum of Modern Art. Most museums you go to are relatively quiet, but this one was a hive of activity.
I suggested we start at the top and make our way down, and I'm glad we did, because all the paintings were on the 4th floor. There were works there by Cezanne, Monet, Van Gough, Matisse, Picasso, and a swag of others.
The third floor was contemporary art and I saw a piece by Jackson Pollock. I have to say, not as fantastic as "Blue Poles" in Canberra!
The second floor was architecture, design and photography, and that's where I saw my first real life look at an Ansel Adams photo! Awesome!
On the way back to the hotel, some cute guy starting talking to us, and gave us a couple of tips for places to go. And now we're going to head to "Top of the Rocks" (Rockefeller Centre), to see if I can't challenge some of those photographers in MoMA with a work of art myself. Highly doubtful.
10.50pm Update:
I'm no Ansel Adams. That is all.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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