If you can’t live in Manhattan (like I did for eight glorious days in the fall of 2009), a lengthy visit is the next best thing! Having just returned from five days in Manhattan, I have NYC on my mind. It’s hard to beat the spectacular show of foliage in Central Park, the beauty and serenity of the Cloisters overlooking the Hudson River, the poignancy of young families trick-or-treating up and down Columbus Avenue on Halloween, and the thrill of seeing an extremely talented, young friend perform on stage at Lincoln Center. I love NY!!! I love exploring new neighborhoods and returning to old favorites. And fortunately there are plenty of both to include in future visits.
My friends and I rented an apartment on the beautiful, tree-lined West 80th street on the Upper West Side.
It was wonderful to be close to Zabars, Central Park, multiple subway stops, and tons of great restaurants. We had a delicious brunch at Sarabeths on Amsterdam, enjoyed lox and bagels for breakfast from Zabars, snacked on amazing, warm oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies from Levain Bakery, grabbed a quick and tasty bite at Chirping Chicken, and had a cozy middle eastern meal at the Hummus Place on Amsterdam.
Venturing out of our neighborhood, we visited the spectacular Cloisters way up past 187th street in Fort Tryon Park,
and lunched at the lovely, nearby New Leaf restaurant, newleafrestaurant.com.
Because no visit to NYC is complete for me without it, we walked the High Line Park,
starting at 30th street and wandering down to the end at 13th street. I love seeing the city from an elevated vantage point, looking down on parts of the city that range from gritty to elegant, admiring the ever-changing landscape, and checking out the river of tourists and locals flowing through this amazing public space together.
We continued our walk through the bustling Chelsea Market, meandering past the Village, TriBeCa, and downtown to the stunningly moving 911 Memorial. What a lovely and appropriate way to honor the the victims of this terrifying and perplexing event.
Another day’s outing included a visit to Central Park to check out more fall foliage,
a stroll through the scenic and colorful Union Square Farmers’ Market,
several grazing opportunities at the amazing Eataly,
and a stop at the spectacular Grand Central Station.
After a quick and satisfying bowl of soup at Amy’s Bread on 9th Avenue we treated ourselves to the delightful show, Matilda the Musical.
The destination of our final day of touring was Brooklyn.
Lucky to have a darling two year old in tow for the morning, we visited the beautiful carousel by the bridge, the fabulous Brooklyn Bridge Park, the charming DUMBO area, and the wonderful Pizza Restaurant, Juliana’s (next door to, but not nearly as chaotic as, its well known rival Grimaldi’s Pizza). Afternoon touring included the enticing food faire, Smorgasburg, and the architectural wonders of Brooklyn Heights.
It was all so wonderful – I just can’t decide where to “live” next time I’m there! I hope that I don’t have to wait too long…
what i'm doing these days... 