How I have missed thee. Let me count the ways along your frenetic Manhattan streets, in your shaded Central Park, over your bridges and down into leafy Brooklyn, bathed in Bohemia, in your gluttony of eateries that pop up out of nowhere in the most obvious yet least likely locations.
It is hard to reconcile with only spending a few days in New York; a city in which you could spend a lifetime and never completely fulfill your mind or your stomach. And we were a day down after our (un)fortunate stop in the Bahamas. Our suburb of choice for accommodation was Brooklyn, where we stayed in a converted warehouse at the Williamsburg end of town, between the breweries, coffee shops and food trucks that have trajectoried this suburb's popularity into a whole new level of space and time. We could have very easily spent our whole time in this proverbial neck of the NYC 'hood', but we had a whole city to consume, absorb and digest in only 4 days.
In some ways I don't think there is anything I can write here that can do this city justice. Most of us are familiar with its ways and vistas, its people and its wares, and images alone will conjure up the feelings and emotions that only this great city can give. You don't need me to labour on about how wonderful New York is, so I will settle for a brief description on the things we saw, the food we ate, and let your minds do the rest.
As with any city tour the best way to take in the sites is to pound the pavements, and in New York's case, look up. We alighted in downtown Manhattan and headed north. With the Flatiron building behind us, and the Empire State in front, we weaved our way between Broadway, 5th and 6th, stopping off for the occasional iced coffee and popping our heads into various stores along the way. By mid-afternoon we had stumbled through to Times Square and wandered east to the Rockefeller and MOMA, where entry is free on Friday afternoons and the queue snakes all the way back to 54th street.
We tried to recreate a photo I have of me taken in this spot exactly eight years ago. I think it's pretty spot on. Shame I'm not the same age..!
After craning our necks and fighting with the crowds to view Picassos, Rousseaus, Warhols and Lichensteins it was time for a drink, so we caught the metro down to the East Village and spent the evening with the locals.
One of my favourite artworks at MOMA
On day two we joined the joggers (not literally, that would be stupid) and crossed Brooklyn Bridge before nosying around Greenwich Village, dreaming about which house we would live in, while also being on constant celebrity watch. We then walked north to the Chelsea Markets where we severely damaged our wallets and waistlines before hitting the High Line, a disused rail track transformed into a beautiful walkway that winds between the high rises and skyscrapers. We ended the day back in Greenwich for lobster rolls and wine (see below).
View from the High Line
Day three and we decide to spend the morning east side and check out our local hood. After a deliciously boozy brunch we sauntered down to the Brooklyn flea markets that overlook Manhattan on the water's edge.
Our last day was (typically, it seems for us) hugely hungover and reliant on the ability of strong coffee and cream cheese bagels to get us through the morning. With delicate stomachs duly filled we took the metro down to the financial district and checked out the 9/11 memorial. We then hung with the suits on Wall Street before ducking into anthropologie - just to look, of course - and making our way out to Newark airport.
Of course no trip to New York would be complete without gorging oneself on its numerous and wondrous culinary options. From food trucks to diners to fine dining to markets we endeavored to put as much food in our stomachs as possible. On our first day we ate...
1 waffle with syrup
1 banana
4 x coffees
1 iced coffee
Mac and 4 cheese x 2 from Smack - surely the best name for a restaurant, statistic.
1 chili dog
1 Reuben with pickles
1 portion Katz fries with pickles
Homemade tofu salad
Spicy corn
Ais chows down on a Reuben from Katz's diner
Starting as we meant to continue, other culinary highlights included the Chelsea Markets where there are multiple eateries including a lobster bar where you can stand, order oysters by the dozen and lobster by the kilo while quaffing champagne in between buying your weekly groceries and shopping for beautiful clothes (which I duly did). We opted for some specialty banh mi - pulled pork for Ais with a taco on the side (for comparison's sake of course) and peppercorn catfish for me. Meaty, and with just the right amount of spice...
In the evening we ventured into Greenwich Village and stopped off at a small bar known for its seafood. We dined on the finest lobster rolls we have ever tasted (Golden Fields... Soo yesterday!) washed down with a fresh Viognier while the fairy lights of Greenwich twinkled outside. How very SATC.
For breakfasts we sought out eggs and French toast, Brooklyn-style, and indulged in the great New York tradition of the alcoholic brunch, where the first, and often only meal of the day on Sunday is a humongous plate of food accompanied by either bottomless bloody Mary's or prosecco. Can you imagine! How no one in Melbourne has cottoned on to this glorious revelation is way way beyond me. I mean, we love our brunch, we love our booze. Why the hell has no one thought to put the two together and turn us into alcoholics at breakfast?
For market fare we visited the weekly Brooklyn flea markets where there were just as many food stalls as bohemian fare. Sushi, ice creams, lobsters, sliders, fish, tacos and doughnuts were just some of the offerings displayed courtesy of brightly coloured trucks, stalls and BBQ stands. Fresh lemonade and artisan beers flowed from kegs, while hungry hipsters struggled to find the best way to hold their single origin lattes, bloody Mary's, banh mi and recently purchased 70s apparel all with two hands. Ais settled for a salted caramel and chocolate doughnut, while I plumped for a tataki tuna crisp taco with radish and black sesame, all consumed about 30 minutes after brunch.
On our final day we opted for a boozy picnic in Central Park with goods purchased from Whole Foods Market, the most ridiculously elaborate and gluttonous organic supermarket I have ever laid eyes on. You want sushi made in front of you to take away? Sure. How about a choice of over 100 salads topped up every hour in the salad bar to go on the side? Would you like a freshly bbq'd chicken to go with that? Or maybe you'd like to choose one of the 50 curries from around the world that our team of chefs are putting together? And don't forget to check out the cheese counter where I'm sure we stock every European cheese for you to choose from. And don't even get me started on the sweet treats. Hasten to say, a feast was had and we whiled away the afternoon stuffing our faces while listening to a nearby roller disco filled with the coolest people I HAVE EVER SEEN.
So, that pretty much sums up our New York adventure. When Frank Sinatra sang, 'I want to be a part of it', he really wasn't lying, and on more than one occasion Ais caught me saying I wouldn't mind 'being American' and living in New York. This, coming from someone who in the past has been rather disparaging of Americans. Not in a mean way, just in a 'you can always tell who American tourists are' kind of way, but in America, I found myself revelling in all things, well, American - the excess and the access, the big and the even bigger and the understanding that everything and anything is achievable.
Farewell New York. I miss you before I even know you...
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