Family Fall Trip 2016

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

We spent our first full day at the Met.  Tony had to stop and see "his lady."  

Tony takes an art break in the Alex Katz exhibit.

Stopped in at the Mandarin Oriental in Columbus Circle for the most incredible view

Photo op in Columbus Circle

The Met Breuer had a wonderful Diane Arbus photography exhibit

We walked through Central Park after leaving the Met Breuer.

I LOVE this picture of these two.

Fifth Ave

Thom Browne Selects at the Cooper Hewett Design Museum

Dinner with Soo!

Spent a few minutes in the newly reopened Rose Reading Room at the NY Public Library on 5th Ave

The Empire State Building as seen through one of the Rose Reading Room windows

Tony got a old-fashioned straight razor shave!

Got a brief tour of the new Steinway and Sons piano showroom on 6th Ave...pretty sweet but not the old Steinway Hall on 57th Street

Dinner at Benoit with Aaron, Soo and Bill

June 2016 Anniversary Trip

Saturday June 11, 2016

I have always loved the general approach to Laguardia on Delta when you fly up the East River and get to see the Statue of Liberty and all of Manhattan.  I have seen pictures from a friend who had the best approach ever though...straight up the west side of Manhattan. I always wanted to fly in that way and had never been that lucky until Saturday!  I snapped pictures all along the way.

Here's a  good shot of the Financial District with the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge.

The tall building in the bottom center of the picture is the World Trade Center.  If you zoom in or look carefully, you can see the 9/11 Memorial in the two footprints of the Twin Towers directly right of the new WTC.

Here's midtown.  The big round white object is Madison Square Garden and just above it in the picture (a bit east) is the Empire State Building.  You can also easily see Madison Square Park and the Flatiron Building in the upper right quadrant near the building with the gold top.

In the southeast corner of the park you can see a tall square building which is 432 Park, the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere.  Roosevelt Island is just above Manhattan here in the East River.  The bridge going across the river and over Roosevelt Island is the 59th Street bridge which connects Manhattan to Queens.

Here's Central Park with the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir.  The white building inside the park is the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Sunday June 12

Sunday we went to a documentary, had croque madames at Bar Boulud in the front with the windows wide open and a great breeze blowing in, checked out the American Craft show at Lincoln Center, went to the evening service at Redeemer on the East Side, and then had dinner at Sistina.  A very full day!  Not many pictures....  The Art Students League sold its air rights to a high rise going up (Nordstrom Tower) so it was covered again in scaffolding.  Students' art was all over the posts and available space on the sidewalk.  Here's one of the posts covered with original art.

Monday June 13

On Monday we had lunch at Jack's Wife Freda in SoHo and then walked over to see St Patrick's Old Cathedral.  It's closed for renovation so we couldn't see much but I would love to see the inside one day.  It opened in 1809 and was important to the Irish and Italian immigrants who came here and settled on the Lower East Side. Through the fence I was able to take these two pictures.  

 We then walked over to Bonnie Slotnick's Vintage Cookbooks, a little shop Tony had read about in the WSJ.  It was such a fun shop and we were able to visit for a while with the owner, Bonnie.  We checked out her garden too in the back with blooming roses and clematis.

Bonnie recommended we stop a couple of blocks away at Odd Fellows Ice Cream...which we did, of course!  Afterwards we were back home in time to rest and head out by subway to I Sodi for dinner.

Tuesday June 14

 It seems like we are always eating up here.  I had told Tony about Katz's deli from a couple of weeks ago so we headed over there for lunch where he got his fill of pastrami sandwich and matzah ball soup and where I had "only" the potato pancakes!  

I took him around to a few other places we had discovered on our recent trip...Economy Candy, CW Pencil.  We headed back uptown then where I went alone to Argosy Books.  

That evening we canceled our dinner plans and instead went to the Mandarin Oriental Lobby for the view and small plates.  The view down 59th Street and of the park is so fantastic especially wth the shadows cast over the park.

Wednesday June 14

We went to a play this afternoon after having lunch at Eataly at LeVerdure and getting our discounted tickets at TKTS.  We killed about 30 minutes at the window of the RLounge at the Renaissance Hotel where there is a wonderful view of Times Square.  I set up my phone to capture this time lapse video.

Girls' Trip 2016!

Sunday May 22

Our annual girls' trip this year began with one of us missing.  Jane joined us on Wednesday.  Lynn and I hit the ground running upon our arrival Sunday, May 22.  We wanted to get tickets to hear Renee Fleming and the Met orchestra at Carnegie Hall so we went by the box office first and then stopped in for lunch at the iconic Russian Tea Room.  Neither of us had ever been there.  The food was ok but we were thrilled we stopped in for the experience because these days you never know how much longer an iconic restaurant or shop will be around.  We asked the hostess about the other dining rooms and she took us to the second floor where we were able to see the giant crystal bear with goldfish swimming in his belly!

The famous Russian Tea Room on W 57th Street

 Twelve-foot tall crystal bear fish tank on second floor of Russian Tea Room

Renee Fleming and the orchestra were both fabulous although I will say that our seats weren't the best for hearing even a voice as strong as hers.  

 Renee Fleming and the Met Orchestra performed an all Strauss program (yes,Tony, ALL Strauss)

On our way home from dinner at Alta that evening we stopped by the Bergdorf windows.  Several windows were being installed.  I loved this one!

Monday May 23

Monday was a full day that wasn't over until after midnight.  We began the day by visiting the Kips Bay Decorator Show House on E 61st Street.  It was pretty fabulous.  The proceeds from the ticket sales to view the house go each year to the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club.

 This room was quite exceptional.  The walls and ceiling are "chalk board" and the designs are done in, yes, chalk.

We had lunch and then strolled over the Central Park to wait in line to enter the Hallett Nature Sanctuary.  When I read about this new section of the park opening, I assumed it must be somewhere in the northern reaches of the park but, to my surprise, it was in the southeast corner, adjacent to a part of the park I have been to many times.  

 View from the Hallett Nature Sanctuary looking east toward 5th Avenue

After dinner at Amelie Lynn suggested we go over to Rocco's for a little dessert.  We shared the wonderful little ameretto cookies and then a big hunk of peanut butter and chocolate cheese cake.  The cheese cake was piped in peanut butter!  It sounds a little over the top (and yes it was) but the peanut butter cut the sweetness of the cheese cake and truly it was delicious!

Ridiculous assortment of options at Rocco's in Greenwich Village

While at Rocco's I was looking at google maps on my phone and realized we were very close to Smalls Jazz Club, a jazz club I follow on Instagram.  We decided it would be a perfect end to the night to walk over and hear some real jazz!  The first show was sold out so we were advised to cross the street and go to the Mezzrow and then bring our ticket stub back to Smalls...which we did.  All ages of people listening to jazz.  Afterwards we caught a cab right at the front door and headed back up town for some much needed sleep!

Ari Hoenig Nonet at Smalls

Tuesday May 24

On Tuesday we had lunch at Eataly's LaVerdure.  Yummy beyond words.

We walked around Madison Square Park and then hit a few galleries in Chelsea, including Gagosian and Metro Pictures.

Richard Serra installation at Gagosian

We walked over to Gramercy Park and walked around it admiring all the blooming flowers and foliage. No key to get in so we just took pictures from the sidewalk.

 Sometime during the day we walked by Rockefeller Center where we stopped for a picture of "Van Gogh's Ear" which took the form of an upright swimming pool.

Wednesday May 25

On Wednesday we went to the New York Public Library on 5th Avenue and looked around. Then at noon we gathered with others to hear the author/artist Leanne Shapton speak about her book Swimming Studies.  We headed to the West Village then for lunch at the cutest place, Jack's Wife Freda, for the most incredible mint lemonade.

Leanne Shapton speaks about her recent book Swimming Studies.

 Ceiling Mural in McGraw Rotunda

 Jack's Wife Freda

After lunch we headed to the Whitney off the High Line.  Here we are on the roof with some of the local flavor.  We've got friends in high places.

Thursday May 26

Jane arrived last night so we're off today to our personalized (with help from the Bowery Boys History of NY podcast) Lower East Side walking tour! Here are our stops:

• CW Pencil Enterprise (100B Forsyth St):  Yes...It's a pencil store and it's fantastic!  Tony read about it in a WSJ article and it was added to The List.  I loved this place!

 CW Pencil Enterprise

• The Pickle Guys
• The Tenement Museum: We arrived early enough to catch the 30 minute film beforehand then we did the Sweat Shop tour.
• Russ and Daughters

 Russ and Daughters

• Katz's Deli: Pastrami sandwiches, pickles, matzah ball soup, and a Cel-Ray

 Katz's Deli

• Essex Street Market
• Economy Candy

 Economy Candy

• DiPalo's Fine Foods
• Ferrara Italian Bakery

 Parmesan cheese wheels at Di Palo

 Farrara Italian Bakery

• Bowery Restaurant Supply
• John Varvatos Bowery (Old CBGB)
• John Derian Company
• Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks
• McSorley's Old Ale House

 McSorley's Old Ale House

• Dinner at Cherche Midi

Friday May 27

The new World Trade Center observatory opened last year and we had not been up for the view so that was a big thing on our list.  The elevator ride is very quick and gives you a fast view of the city as it grew over the years, from a small Dutch village to the city it is today.  Here's an incredible view from atop the spire itself with Jimmy Chin, the world renowned  mountain climber. Click here.

One World Trade Center

 Brooklyn Bridge as seen from observatory

Looking northeast

Looking north toward midtown

Here we are 1776 feet high!

We then checked out the new subway station at the World Trade Center and took a train up to the Meatpacking District for lunch at a favorite, Spice Market.

The Oculus, One World Trade Center train station

After lunch we took a train up the west side to the Cloisters.

Hudson River view from Ft Tryon Park

That evening we had Korean BBQ in KTown with our friends Aaron and Soo.  It was, as my dad says, a very large day!

Saturday May 28

Saturday's first stop was The Met for the fashion exhibit Manas x Machina.

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel wedding ensemble

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel wedding ensemble

The Psycho house on the Met's rooftop

After lunch in the Met dining room and stopping by to see "Tony's lady," we walked over the Met Breuer, located in the old Whitney Museum on Madison Avenue.