8. New York

Month: May 2015
Location: Manhattan

“He adored New York City. He idolized it all out of proportion.  Uh, no, make that: He-he... romanticized it all out of proportion.  He was too romantic about Manhattan as he was about everything else.”

So says the character of Woody Allen, ‘Isaac’   in one of the all-time great movies, ‘Manhattan’.  While not as obsessed as him, I too love New York – henceforth any reference to New York means New York City and by that I mean Manhattan.  One of my favorite things to do is go to NYC for ‘Memorial Day’ weekend and then cap the summer by re-visiting over the ‘Labor Day’ weekend.  This was the first of those visits.

Manhattan!
I landed at ‘LaGuardia’ airport in the morning and took a cab to my ‘Midtown Hotel’.  I dumped my luggage and then hopped on a train to my first destination, ‘Katz’s Delicatessen’, one of the premier deli’s in NYC, if not the country.  They have a strange system here, where as soon as you come in, you are given a numbered ticket.  Then, as you order, they write that on the ticket, which is also marked after you pay. After that, you are only allowed to leave when you hand-in your ticket.  I do not understand it, but it’s clear that you should hang on to your ticket for dear life.  After figuring out the system I joined the huge line and placed the order at the counter, which in itself was a task and a half.  Then it was getting a table, but after a few bumps I managed to find a community table that I shared with a family.  The food was definitely worth the wait and the navigation through the crowd.  Plus I had kept my ticket and so was able to exit successfully.

My next stop this afternoon was just a few blocks away, where I was playing “Escape The Room NY” game.  There are 5 rooms in the city and I had already “escaped” successfully from 3 of them, as I had in Nashville and Chicago.  For this trip I had signed up for the remaining 2 rooms and this afternoon I was attempting the first one.  I arrived at the location and I was early…way early.   They send me off to a nearby bar called ‘Schillers’, which is one of those charming places with black and white tiles.  After spending the next hour getting to know a couple of cocktails, I came back to the room in a happier frame of mind!  I got to know my teammates, who were young and when they heard about my experience, were looking at me for guidance.  We tried our best and worked well, but were beaten by the clock, just a couple of minutes away from escaping.  The room itself was called “The Theatre” and was a great layout for a game like this.

Twilight on the 'Highline'
After mentioning to the folks that I would be back, I set off to walk down ‘Bleeker Street’ to a place called ‘Bantam Bagels’, which I had seen on the show ‘Sharktank’  After a walk of 30 minutes or so I arrived to see that the place was closed.  Well, I just kept going on towards a place which I had never been to in all my visits, ‘The Highline’.  I had read about this on ‘Chicago Riverwalk Project’ website and was looking forward to the visit.  Essentially the ‘Highline’ was an elevated rail line that supplied the ‘Chelsea Market’.  After decommissioning, it was condemned to deterioration, till a group calling themselves “Friends of the Highline” came together to rescue it.  The rails stayed, but a walkway was built around it with gardens and now it was transformed into one of the prime location for real estate.  In fact, condos around this place are some of the most expensive in the neighborhood.  I joined the ‘Highline’ at its Southern point on ‘Gavenport’ street and as I went upstairs, I saw that there were a lot of people who had come out to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine.  As I walked the length of the ‘Highline’ - all the way to the 34th street - I passed by artists, food stations, gardens and seats acting as viewing areas for people.  It was definitely a place that I was glad to have found.

After navigating through the crowd that is perpetually surrounding ‘Time Square’, I arrived at my hotel for a shower, before heading out for dinner at ‘Atera’, a restaurant I had heard a lot about.  I arrived almost 45 minutes early in order to wait at the bar, but since they do not have a lounge, I was directed to a nearby place called ‘B-Flat Bar’, which is underground, and one has to enter through a dimly lit stairway.  I had a cocktail and then went for my dinner, which comprised of 18 or 20 courses, served with impeccable style and service.  I say 18 or 20 because I had opted for a wine pairing and so lost track of what happened towards the end!

The sinful 'Frozen Hot Chocolate'
The next day dawned with me regretting my decision to go for the wine pairing, but I had to recover fast since I had plans.  I was on my way to the East side towards ‘Serendipity 3’.  All my Saturday’s in NYC follow a pattern and it starts with their famous ‘Frozen Hot Chocolate’.  I arrived before the opening at 11:30 am and there was already a line. In little less than an hour I was on my way, having had my share of the chocolate goodness. I set off for the long walk to my favorite place in NYC, ‘Cathedral of St. John’s The Divine’.  I crossed over to the West Side and then walked up the length of ‘Broadway’, from the ‘59th Street’ to the ‘110th, stopping at some of my usual spots like a small park that’s hidden between buildings and ‘Westside Market’, which I just like for its organization.  I was in a hurry though, since I had a tour to get to.

The group had already gathered when I reached the cathedral and I joined them for a ‘Verticals Tour’ , which was essentially an expedition that would take us all the way to the ceiling…and beyond.  We huffed and puffed around the narrow spiral staircase to the first stop, which was the balcony overlooking the main floor of the cathedral.  I had been here previously and now we went even higher, to appreciate some of the “stained-glass windows”.  What was amazing that what appeared to be small figures as you looked from the base were actually life sized images when you got closer.  We continued climbing to over the ceiling that is visible from the inside, and then climbed beyond it to the roof, with incredible views of Manhattan.  Everything that goes up must come down and with the remains of my heart in my mouth, I came down and for the next 45 minutes or so I walked about the cathedral, sat down and also lighted some candles. 

One of my favorite locations in NYC: 'Central Park'
I left the cathedral and went down the ‘110th street’ to the Northwest end of ‘Central Park’.  And then I was off.  After all these years I have formulated a path through the park, all the way down to the South side, but often find myself getting lost.  I walked past the ‘Onassis Reservoir’ and for the first time visited the ‘Belvedere Castle’ before ending up on the ‘Mall’. Finally, I emerged from the park after over 2 hours and headed to my hotel for freshening up.  For dinner I was going to a Japanese place called ‘Brushstroke’, which was a nice and pleasant affair.  One of my courses was a ‘Lobster Rice’ and they brought out a pot of the finished product to show me, before bringing out a small serving.  Then I learned that the entire pot was mine and so I found myself carrying leftovers.

Sunday morning started with a breakfast of ‘Lobster Rice’, well because that’s what I do!  I was headed back to the ‘Escape The Room’ game for trying the last of the rooms in NY, ‘The Apartment’.  Once again, I was grouped with a lot of youngsters and we worked well together.  I impressed them when I cracked an important clue and like a couple of days ago, we were seconds away from opening the door, failing at the last clue because none of us spoke ‘Spanish’.  I had failed on this trip to escape either of the rooms, but it had been excellent sessions.

Now that's a real pizza!
I walked up ‘Bleeker Street’ to ‘Bantam Bagel’ and not only were they open for business, but their bagel bites were just as good as advertised.  However, the main reason for me to go to ‘Bleeker Street’ was to get a slice at ‘Bleeker Street Pizza’.  Now let me be clear about something.  There is a constant debate on “New York vs Chicago Style Pizza”.  For me there is no discussion.  New York has pizza.  Chicago makes an egg-less quiche!  It was as great as I remembered it and the best $3 that I have spent in a long time.  It may be becoming more obvious that I am a creature of habit and what follows the pizza is a stop at the famous ‘Strand’ bookstore.  I had first visited this place several years ago and had been taken in with its layout, with aisles of stacked shelves and also books on floors.  Last year I had found a book hidden amongst some bigger ones and it was short stories on coincidences.  I bought that and then a week later had left it on a plane.  Later that year as I visited NY and ‘Strand’, on a hunch I looked in the same place and found a copy of the same book.  After all, it is about coincidences.

After spending some time here, I was next headed to one of the hidden treasures of NY, ‘Rice To Riches’, which celebrates this humble dessert and elevates it to gourmet status.  I got my usual guilty pleasure, which is the ‘Mascarpone & Cherries’ with a topping of ‘pound cake’.  I found a table and thoroughly enjoyed this concoction before proceeding to ‘Broadway’, and headed downtown.  I had some time to spare and so stopped over at a wonderful ‘Asian’ store that had all sorts of delights.  I picked up a few things and then continued down to my destination, which is one of the best museum, educational institutions and tribute that I have had the privilege of visiting - the ‘9/11 Museum’ built at ‘Ground Zero’.

The magnificent '9/11 Museum' 
The first time that I came here a year ago, I had spent time at the giant fountains that mark the locations of the fallen towers. Those by themselves are fantastic, but the real treasure lies beneath them…7 floors down.  That time I had not been able to get a ticket to go down, but had made up for it a few months later and was absolutely floored by what I had seen.  After going down the long escalator, one enters a lobby, which then leads down a spiral ramp, all the way to the very foundation of the two towers.  At the base, in the main gallery are various exhibits, including a Firetruck that was at the site of the collapse, a piece of the antenna from the ‘South Tower’ and the last pillar to be removed from the site as it became a symbol of hope during the cleanup.  The gallery itself is quite solemn but nothing prepares you for the room under the ‘North Tower’, which showcases a minute-by-minute account of what happened that day.  The entire recreation of that day is difficult to see, but a valuable resource for generations to come.  Under the ‘South Tower’ is a tribute to all of the fallen from that day with photographs and biographical histories.  As sat on a bench looking at the wall with Virgil’s quote, I was reminded of the how much many sacrificed that day, and the innocence that has been lost forever.

I took a train back to the hotel and that evening I was going to the best restaurant in the country, ‘Eleven Madison Park’.  I took a train to the famous ‘Flatiron building’ and walked across the park to the restaurant.  The service in this place is impeccable and I had a wonderful experience, even getting invited for a tour of their famous kitchen and being presented with an ‘ice globe’ that was made in front of me at a special table.  To me it still remains one of the best dining experiences out there.

Inside 'Chelsea market'
My last morning in NYC involved a 3 hour walking “Food Tour” of the famous ‘Chelsea Market’.  I had first visited this place last year and had been impressed by the layout and the variety of options available.  I arrived just before 9 am and was soon joined by our tour guide and other visitors.  For the next 3 hours we visited many eating places, tasted a lot of good food and even visited the ‘Highline’ once again.  Plus we learnt a lot about the history of this place and how it is now the headquarters for ‘Food Network’.  Well, even ‘MLB’ has an office here.  At noon the tour was over and I still had some time to spare.  I went to one of my favorite ‘Food Courts’ on ‘58th Street’ and ‘5th Avenue’ and had some wine before going back to the hotel and catching a cab to the airport.

It had been a wonderful trip.  I have been visiting NYC for a long time and every time I find some new delight.  This time it was the ‘Highline’.  Plus, I will never tire of my trip on the ‘Upper West Side’ to the cathedral and my trip down south through the park.  I love this city and I feel that I know it a bit now.  I think that ‘Isaac’ could well have been speaking for me.

"New York was his town, and it always would be."
-   Manhattan, 1979


No comments:

Post a Comment