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| Manhattan, as seen through the Brooklyn Bridge |
I spent last week in New York, and as my friend Jules says, "Yeah, it sucks to be you." I know.
Yet travel has never been optional for me. I feel most alive when I'm on the move. If an opportunity arises (this time, a business trip taken by my husband Matt) I feel almost obliged to take advantage of it. My feet are permanently itchy, and as a result I'm pretty much permanently in debt.
But how wonderful is New York! It snowed heavily most of the week and so I waited until the sun came out to take most of my shots. Matt and I took a long rambling walk from midtown to downtown, across the Brooklyn Bridge, all over Brooklyn and Williamsburg, and finally back across the Williamsburg Bridge to Manhattan. The day was sharp and clear and well below zero but what a stunning day!
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| North Manhattan skyline |
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| Central Park after 8 inches of snow |
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| Statue of Liberty and southern Manhattan |
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| Midtown, from Central Park South |
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| Brooklyn. Those brownstones! |
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Williamsburg Bridge and brave sub-zero jogger.
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Earlier in the week, during the rainy/sleeting/snowing weather, I kept my heavy Nikon in the hotel and committed myself to exploring New York armed only with an iPhone. Forgive the grainy nature of some of the shots, but I have to say a phone takes a pretty good photo these days.
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| Tribeca. And the obligatory subway steam vent. |
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| Snow, to sleet, and back to snow. |
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| I love the gilt mosaic tiles of these old subway place names. So beautiful. |
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| And Grand Central Station. Having my Holden Caulfield moment. Sigh. |
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| Then the snow began, in earnest. |
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| I was forced to take refuge in the meat room at Gallaghers steakhouse. Those guys are serious about aged prime rib. |
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| And I may have needed coffee and pastries after. To ward off the chill. |
New York was wondrous. I can't wait to go back again with my girls, because I know they would love it too.
If You Go:
Reading:
Must Eat NYC - a great book recommended by Julie at Scrumptious Reads in Brisbane. Divided into areas, it comes with its own app so you don't need to lug the book around. I still lugged the book around. It's really beautifully photographed.
Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks - Bonnie specialises in vintage and antique cookbooks, books about cooking and old recipes and ephemera. I spent several happy hours here and found a few treasures.
Catcher in the Rye - A New York classic. You have to read it. And if you've already read it, read it again. It will forever inform the way you see New York.
Eating:
Places I ate at and enjoyed, in no particular order.
Little Park, 85 West Broadway Chef Andrew Carmellini is some kind of genius. Exquisite food, reasonable prices, and in a week where every meal was an opportunity to try something new, I went twice. Really good.
Prune, 54 East First St Gabrielle Hamilton's Lower East Side restaurant is a tiny crowded gem, where every single customer seems to be a regular. Gabrielle wrote Blood, Bones and Butter, the memoir of her life as a chef; and Prune the Cookbook has just become a NYT bestseller. Marvellous food, marvellous fun.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters Originally from Portland, Oregon, Stumptown coffee can be found in many of New York's best cafes. They have their own at 29th and Broadway. The coffee is excellent. The queue is long, but afterwards you can sit in the cosy lobby of the Ace Hotel (see below) to drink it.
Gallaghers Steakhouse 228 W 52nd Street Eat here if you're seeing a Broadway show. Dark wood panelling, waiters in white coats, very serious cocktails and even more serious steaks (did you see their meat locker, above?)
Buddakan I feel slightly reluctant to include this, simply on the basis that it was the scene for an episode of Sex and the City. I've never seen the episode. The dining room, however, is spectacular. And the food is well-executed, but you are definitely paying for the location. Dress up.
Staying:
I don't have a long list for you here. We stayed here because a friend recommended it, and now I'm recommending it to you.
Ace Hotel, 29th and Broadway Very cool, much cooler than I am. But I like a hotel that has taxidermy and free wifi in the lobby so everyone in the (creative) neighbourhood spends their mornings, afternoons and evenings there drinking coffee. Industrial style, great location. Stumptown coffee downstairs.
Labels: travel
