West Meets East: Our Trip to NYC

Where do begin?

How about with the phrase found on every t-shirt

on nearly every street corner in Manhattan:

Sigh.

I do.

...

For our ten year anniversary,

Samuel and I headed to the Big Apple.

Not only was it our first trip to the east coast,

but my first flight ever!

And after only one pre-flight melt-down where I bawled

about not wanting to leave behind
five father-less & mother-less children

in the event of an accident,

I got over it and said,

"See ya!",

...after dropping the kiddies off with grandma!

{ T H A N K  Y O U,  M O M ! }

Then we headed to the airport to the catch the red-eye...

{ Wow.  So cosmopolitan sounding!  At least to me it does! }

 ...and never looked back!

{ Note:  I really do love my kids! }

...

At the airport,

I was all set with my airline acceptable liquids in 3 oz. containers,

minus any of the deadly weapons I usually carry on hand,

and was gearing up for the full-on pat-down...

when to my surprise,

all I needed to do was remove was my belt and shoes 

to walk through the metal detector.

Huh.

I was expecting...more.

Anyway,

I took pictures all the way down the ramp

and told everyone I could that it was my first flight. 

Apparently,

instead of seeing that I was excited,

they took it for nerves and

assured me that,

"Everything would be alright."

Okay,

now I'm nervous!

Personally,

I thought take-off was incredible!

And while everyone around me was dropping off

into sleep,

I had my nose pressed to the window peering down below.

After a staying up pretty much all night,

I finally worked up the nerve to do the splits over the lady

in the aisle seat so I could check out the bathroom.

It was tight-
both in awesomeness and size!

And though it sounds silly,
I recorded every detail in my head so
I could tell the kids all about it!

{ And yes, they LOVED hearing about it! }

Landing was pretty amazing too,

and I couldn't believe how everyone all around me

was acting like what we did

- F L Y -

was so not a big deal!

{ Come on, people, this is AMAZING! }

After freshening up we made our way out of the monstrous terminal,

only one of many at J.F.K.,

and while Samuel picked up our luggage

I hooked up with an unexpected friend!

While figuring out the best way into town,

this "cool cat" of a man
(that's really the only way I can describe him),

offered to split a cab with us into Manhattan.

It seemed...right.

So into a taxi we went with this dude who turns out to be 

a studio musician who splits his time between Florida and New York.

I would say that meeting this guy was pretty fun in and of itself,

but I was too busy bracing myself for the ride of my life

in one of the craziest car chases...EVER.

Note:

I said car chases.

Though, in actuality,

no one was chasing anyone.

Tell that to the cabbie though,

who acted as though getting us from Point A to Point B

was a matter of life or death.

I quote:

"I love people, they are my friends.  

But the moment they get on the road...

T H E Y  A R E  M Y  E N E M Y."

Hmmm.

Okay...

But I'll tell you what,

there was no better way to start our trip!

The top-left is our crazy cab driver

Yes, he's the smiley old man who looks like he wouldn't hurt a fly!

bottom-right: St. Peter's Cathedral;

bottom-left: Our buddy from the airport.

{ Note }

Samuel was sure our new friend would stiff us the ride,

but the exact opposite was true.

He found out we were celebrating

our tenth anniversary and picked up the entire tab!

"New Yorkers get a bad rap!

We're not all bad."

And he was right,
during our stay,
we were fortunate to meet
some of the most incredibly friendly people!

And yes, Samuel felt horrible for doubting... :)

After the life-changing taxi ride,

it was time to get acclimated to how most people get around...

The Subway

It's immense, loud, consfusing, deep (sometimes three levels down!),

surprisingly clean, safe (we only saw two people in cuffs),

and incredibly artistic (the tile work & murals are beautiful!).

On the subway you'll find suits, blue collar workers,

tourists, musicians...

People sleeping, singing,

and yes,

begging you for money.

Getting people through this beast of a city

quickly & efficiently...

It's no small feat!

And if you know where you're going,

which station platform and train will get you there,

and what stop you need to get off of...

using the Subway is easy!

If you don't,

that's a whole other story,

more of...

our story!

Samuel will object to that,

and I cede that we did all right for ourselves,

but we did do our fair share of backtracking!

Another funny thing we noticed was all the funny signs.

Our favorites are above, and include a

"No Honking" and "No Standing" sign!

The consensus from locals:

Everybody ignores them!

Equally fun is all the crazy footwear.

My absolute favorite pair is regretably not documented.

It was a gentlemen across from us on the subway who

was dressed to the nines,

designer suit and all,

with crazy bright red suede high-top dress shoes.

They were pretty awesome.

Okay, back to the story...

Being bright and early,

we checked our bags and hit the streets.

First stop:

Radio City Music Hall & Rockefeller Center

In planning the trip,

we decided to opt for purchasing NY City Passes.

It would get us into a number of top sight-seeing attractions

at a fraction of the cost,

plus give us some VIP advantages that moved us ahead of most lines.

{ We highly, highly recommend them to anyone! }

This came in handy as we headed to,

"The Top of the Rock".

The views are breathtaking,

and Central Park really is an oasis amidst all the high rises!

Next up,

The MoMA

{ Museum of Modern Art }

This museum is incredible!

My personal favorites,

for those who love,

"Linnea in Monet's Garden",

Monet's, "Waterlillies".

Or if your a fan of, "Olivia the Pig",

the work of Jackson Pollock.

And last but not least,

Yoko Ono's montage of John Lennon's butt cheeks.

Yep. 

You read correctly.

It's pretty deep stuff...

After a full day of sightseeing,

we officially checked into our hotel, "The Carlton".

A beautiful place within walking distance of the

Empire State Building.

After a quick shower and change,

it was off to Times Square where we dined at,

"Victor's Cafe", a Cuban hot spot. 

The dish of the night?

EMPANADA DE YUCA RELLENDA CON LANGOSTA
Brazilian lobster tail and sofrito enveloped in a savory cassava turnover

{ Warm. Spicy. Buttery. }

It was fun to take a time-out from the blitz of Times Square
and just enjoy a relaxed, tropical atmosphere with
a really savory and warm meal.

...

After dinner, it was a short walk to the Theater District

for one of the major highlights of the trip,

Broadway's "Phantom of the Opera"!

It's the longest running show on Broadway,

and now we know why:

Incredible costumes, stunning performances,

and a masterful orchestra all work
to create a riveting and truly spell-binding story!

What an amazing experience!

By the end of the show,

I had officially gone 27 hours without any sleep.

You'd think I'd be ready to crash,

but this is the city that never sleeps,

so off we went to explore Times Square, 

this time ablaze in lights and complete with  

NYC Police Mounties and Spiderman!

After a quick change at the hotel

we hit the street for some post-show munchies at NYC's famous,

"53rd & 6th Halal Cart".

Their hours are crazy
-7:30PM - 4:00AM!-

which means our timing was perfect!

 

The key to the perfect chicken sandwich (or gyro):

Minus the white sauce but heavy on the hot!

Ooo, spicy!

After the late-night snack

we thought about heading home,

but then Samuel caught sight of the Empire State Building.

The last elevator up was at 1:15AM

and it was 1:04AM.

We looked at one another for only a split second

before we both took off sprinting,

belly's fully of Halal!

What appeared to be only several blocks away,

was actually more like eight!

And as we skidded into the empty lobby,

breathless and sweaty,

I asked the fatal question,

"Are we too late?"

They checked the time:

1:14 PM!

And sent us on up in an elevator just for two!

The views from the top of the Empire State Building are amazing,

and at night,

it's absolutely magical.

At this height,

hundreds of large fireflys dance just out of reach.

Turns out they're moths that reflect the powerful lights of the building,

but still,

pretty darn romantic!

To keep the fire alive,

I nudged Samuel towards the edge knowing

his fear of heights would kick in.

{ Of course, it did! }

Yes, I'm mean like that!

But I followed with a kiss!

Despite staying out so late,

we were determined to start the next day bright and early!

Of course, three hours later than planned,

we finally roll out of bed and stroll to,

"Eataly".

Mario Batali's massive food emporium is billed by New York Magazine as,

"The Best Tourist Trap That Locals Love Too".

The best bite of the day:

 A heavenly slice of tomato& basil foccacia!

To die for!

And a cheap eat at only $1.80!

After breakfast we enjoyed the sights of the Flat Iron District,

including the famous Flat Iron Building and Madison Square Park.

This was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

Samuel absolutely loves history and

all things related including architecture. 

I knew he would love this place,

and it was sweet to see him just as determined

to get me to all my foodie hot spots too!

A quick hop on the subway took us to Battery Park. 

Located on the tip of Manhattan,
we boarded a ferry that would take us
to The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island.

It was pretty amazing to see Lady Liberty in person. 
And the view of Manhattan is striking,
particularly when you note the absence of the
Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.



Ellis Island is rich in history. 
It's hard to believe that 40% of American's can trace their
lineage through passage here.

{ On a side note...}

When we came home,
Samuel learned that his family on his
mother's side came through here!

...

Stepping off the Ferry and into the heart of the Financial District,
we headed towards Wall Street and found...

Charging Bull

"Symbol of agressive financial optimism and prosperity."

Some  highlights of  visiting one of the

"Principle Financial Centers of the World":

The Federal Reserve Building

The New York Stock Exchange

Chamber of Commerce

We also discovered the place where in 1789,

George Washington took the oath of office for what would be

the first United States Presidential Inauguration, 

on the balcony of Federal Hall!

In addition,
this was also the location of the passing of the Bill Of Rights!

Just several blocks away is the sight of Ground Zero.

I wasn't expecting to get so emotional,
but as I stood there,
I remembered,
like I'm sure many do,
exactly what I was doing when it happened.

I was 7-months pregnant with our first daughter, Isabella,
and I was folding clothes in the bedroom of our teeny-tiny apartment.

That night I remember Samuel and I going out
onto our small porch,
and looking up into the sky.

Blackness.

Stillness.

No planes.

Just...quiet.

It was eerie.

And being pregnant,
I felt vulnerable,
and a little scared.

...


The construction of the new World Trade Center complex and
National September 11th Memorial & Museum
provides some solace.

Though I can't imagine what all those families
who were directly affected must still feel.



Heading westward we followed the Hudson River up north through Tribeca
and found some really creative parks.

It was a times like these when my heart would gush for my kids!
They would LOVE to play here!



Up next,
we made our way through SoHo & Greenich Village.

This is the older part of town
and it's full of historic charm,
unique and quaint shops,
and some of the tastiest treats around.

On my list of what-not-to-miss?

Francois Payard's
Bakery

He's one of the top pastry chefs in the world!

And after sampling his

Chocolate Macaroons,

Strawberry tartlet,

and Chocolate & Raspberry Le'Gateau Roule...

I officially died and went to heaven!

{ Well, not really...but close! }

{ On a side note }

A sweet nod to our wedding was

the flavors of the Roule.

That's what we chose for our wedding cake!

...

Afterwards,
it was time to leave "small-town" charm
in favor of something edgier.

How about ice cream in...

B R O O K L Y N !

And there's no better place,
or so they say on the "Best Thing I Ever Ate",
than the "Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory".

They were out of the famous "Wet Walnuts"
(fresh walnuts and 100% maple syrup),
but even without,
the banana split was excellent!
...

You can guess that by this time we were overloaded with sweets.
Time to burn off the sugar-rush
by doing what EVERYONE recommends:

Walking into Manhattan
via the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset.

Though it was drizzly on and off,
seeing the sun fade away
and the lights come on one by one was spectacular!

Samuel's wish:

To see the Empire State Building light up.

Wish granted,
though it took some
s l o w w a l k i n g...
and some huddling under an umbrella in a sudden rain,
until 25 minutes later,
when finally
-finally!-
Samuel looked away and BOOM!

There she went!

Oh, well.

At least one of us saw it!

...

Now,
on to the best part of the night,
dinner at:

For those of you familiar with
24-Restaurant Battle or Chopped,
you'll know Scott Conant.

A man passionate about cooking,
and even more so about the restrained use of red onion!

Like him, love him, or hate him...
the man is a geniuus when it comes to Italian cooking.

And our dinner,
from beginning to end,
was absolute perfection.

Period.

OUR MENU

To begin...

CREAMY POLENTA
Fricassee of truffled mushrooms

{ Smooth. Decadent. Savory. }

BRAISED SHORT RIBS OF BEEF
Vegetable & farro risotto

{ Succulent. Rich. Devilish. }

SPAGHETTI
Tomato & basil

{ Simple. Fresh. Perfect. }

The Entrees...

SPICED DUCK BREAST
Celery root puree, hen of the wood mushrooms & pistachios

{ Spicy. Sweet. Earthy. }

MOIST-ROASTED CAPRETTO
Rapini, pancetta & potatoes

{ Tender. Gamey. Warming. }

The Perfect Ending...
COCONUT PANNA COTTA
Guava soup & caramelized pineapple

{ Tropical. Creamy. Unexpected}

LEMON TART
Almond tuile & sorbet

{ Tart. Crisp. Cool. }

...

While dinner was DIVINE,

I was celebrating a small feat of my own:

Managing to wear heels after two full days of sight-seeing!

Woo-hoo!

...

Our last and final day began with a New York Classic...


 
The "Everything" Bagel with Lox Spread

Samuel was in hog heaven!

Then, it was off to 5th Avenue for
what proved to be our favorite museum by far:

The Met

Metropolitan Museum of Art

"The Metropolitan Museum of Art

is one of the world's largest and finest art museums.

Its collections include more than two million works of art

spanning five thousand years of world culture,

from prehistory to the present

and from every part of the globe."

It's an overwhelming and stunning collection

that could take days to explore!

I was thrilled to be here,
especially since a few days prior to our trip
I had finished,

"From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler",
by
E.L. Konigsburg.

Great book...funny...
especially since the kindergartner speaks like an old man!

The Asian Art Collection

The Egyptian Art Collection

The European Sculpture & Decorative Arts Collection

The Nights & Armor Collection

We knew the kids would get a big kick out of seeing this!

The Greek & Roman Art Collection

The Art of Africa, Oceania, & The Americas Collection

The European Art Collection

My personal favorite?

Degas, "The Dance Class"

After the Met we hit Central Park which borders,
"Museum Mile",
which features over ten different museums along 5th Avenue.

As we strolled along we found some favorites of the park, including:

Kerb's Boathouse & Conservatory Water
Where you can grab a steaming cup of hot cocoa and
rent model sailboats to sail on the water.

The Glade Arch
A.k.a. The scene of the snowball fight in the movie, "Elf".

Alice in Wonderland
This bronze statue is huge,
and I loved the undivided attention of the Mad Hatter!

Strawberry Fields
Visiting this living memorial to John Lennon
was something my mom was really excited about.

She is a huge Beatles fan,
and still breaks into song at their mention!

Being spring,
everything was coming into full bloom,
something that several native New Yorkers were eager to point out to us.

It was funny to us,
because Spring is so
...normal.

But in a sea of concrete,
the budding of a tree really is breaking news after a cold winter!

When we reached the other side of the park,

it was time to check out:

The American Museum & Natural History

Location of the much-loved
(in our home ast least)

"Night at the Museum".

Samuel's no dum-dum so he made his offering of gum-gum

to get things off on the right foot!

After the museum we headed to Union Square.
I was on a mission to eat at another New York staple,

Bobby Flay's
M E S A  G R I L L !

See me staring wistfully inside?

That's because they were in-between service

and dinner wouldn't begin until 5:00 PM!

"Would [we] like to make reservations for later?"

Rats!

We'll be on our way home then!

"How about a drink at the bar?"

No, thanks.

We'll come back another time... :)

...

Plan B:

Union Square Park!

It's time for some street food!

Samuel had been dying for a hot dog...

...or two?

And since the farmer's market was going full boar,

we strolled along,

savoring our goods,

sampling organic this & that,

and just enjoying our last few hours here.

...

After we were done

Samuel looked at me and said,

"What do you think about hitting Grand Central before we have to go?"

So off we went with only an 1 1/2 hours to spare!

...

We had been through the Grand Central Platform a number of times,

but that was always underground on the Subway.

This time,

we made our way up and walked from the subway tunnels

to immaculate shops, restaurants,

and the amazing hustle and bustle of the Station itself.

Protected with armed guards,

this major hub of transportation is crawling with people

and they are all in a hurry!

...

We quickly discovered that this is also a mecca for foodies,

with classic N.Y. fare such as

pizza, pastrami, and rugalach,

all of which we had yet to eat!

Lucky for us

we're bottomless pits

and had a long flight ahead of us!

My favorite?

The Double Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato Shake!

...

Yikes! 

5:00 PM!

Time to head to the hotel to pick up our bags!

But first,

a chat with a New Yorker all decked out in Kings wear?!?

 Turns out he lost a bet and had to trade duds.

Now he walks the streets and gets nothing but smack

for wearing the stuff!

Once we boarded the train,

we realized someting funny.

Can you spot it?

Yup.

My jacket.

It's stuck in the iron-clad shut subway door. 

We were informed by some chuckling NY natives that

the door wouldn't open until 14th street -

which was way, way beyond our stop,

and we were in a time crunch!

That's when Samuel started yanking like crazy,

and sure enough,

he got it out!

And thankfully in one piece!

...

Back at the hotel,

the bellhop asked if he could call a taxi for us.

"No, thank you. 

We'll take the subway."

Afterall,

we're subway experts, right?

That's when he gave us the "you're crazy" look.

Apparently,

the subway is NOT an option

if your flight is taxing down the runway shortly!

Even a taxi would be cutting it.

How about...

A  P R I V A T E  C A R !

 Now this is traveling in style!

And though it cost a pretty penny,

(nearly everything in New York does...),

it wasn't that much more than a taxi

plus it was a great way to end our trip!

And whereas we came flying into the city

in a crazy cab ride,

this gentleman from Ghana

had us smooth-sailing it to the airport in seemingly no time flat.

And all the beat of smooth and mellow tunes!   

As we neared the airport,

my heart jerked.

New York is beautiful!

I love this place

and I will miss it!

But the West is calling

this California girl and guy home!

And with good reason! 

Just look at those beautiful babies?

Nothing

-absolutely nothing-

compares to home!

...

Samuel,

you're my biggest baby of all!

I love you!

And thank you for this wonderful time away.

I cherish every moment spent with you,

whether on top of the Empire State Building,

or at the bottom of life's many barrel's,

we're in this
together.

XOXO
Me