New York 2019 - The End (No, Really)

On the evening of our last day we went to Joe Allen for dinner.  This was a "must do again" event from our last trip to New York, so I'm glad we decided to close out this trip with a meal there.

We arrived 15 minutes early for our reservation, but were seated right away.  I had known in advance, but our waiter informed us that they were doing some kitchen repairs and had an abbreviated menu.  Fine by me.

I started with a glass of the Fichet Tradition pinot noir, which was nice, and Todd tried the Bad Seed dry cider which was lived up to its name.  We ordered the guacamole for an appetizer and while it was good, I think it was a bit of a disjointed choice by us.  In hindsight we should have ordered something we don't eat just about every other week - not the restaurant's fault.  Compared to what we're used to it was nothing to write home to Texas about.

For dinner I ordered the roasted chicken with mashed potatoes.  It was so flavorful and amazing - it was the best example of a simple dish done right.  For dessert I tried the banana cream pie with an Irish coffee.  The pie was good and the coffee was excellent - another example of something seemingly basic done to perfection.  Satiated, we headed back to the hotel for the night.

Apparently I've not taken any of my own photos of the restaurant.  The following are from the internet.

New York 2019 - The End

On our last full day of the trip I got up early, went down to the 3rd floor for coffee, then came back up to the room.  I eventually woke Todd and we went down for breakfast at 9am:  andouille sausage, chicken sausage, potatoes, pineapple, banana, Raisin Bran, raisin bagel w/Nutella (I don't really like Nutella, FYI, but for some reason it sounded good this morning), orange juice and another coffee.  We ate then went back to the room to clean up.

At about 11am we left the hotel and walked from 54th down to 34th, then walked on 34th to Hudson Yards and Vessel.  From there we walked the High Line to Chelsea Market which I thought was going to be a big flea market.  I was wrong.

There is a small area with a few stalls for artists and "makers", but the majority of Chelsea Market was eateries and storefronts.  It was not a bad experience, just not what I expected.  Todd was hungry so he had a slice of pizza pugliese and a lemon soda from a place called Filaga which he said was really good.  Then he stopped in Amy's Bread for a black and white cookie which was good, but not as good as the one we'd had earlier in the week.

After Chelsea Market we zigzagged our way north about 2 miles on foot to Grand Central Terminal.  By that time I was hungry so I got a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich at Art Bird & Whiskey Bar.  The sandwich was good with a thick piece of chicken.  If the chicken had been crispy it would have put it over the top for me.

We looked around a bit, went up the steps to the Apple Store, then left to go back to the hotel.  On the way we walked through Bryant Park.

While walking through Chelsea on the High Line, I was fascinated by this old building with barrel-shaped windows.  It was fenced off and there was lots of construction equipment around - it looked like it was being renovated.

New York 2019 - Day 3, Part 1: Central Park

After breakfast we spent the first part of the day in Central Park.  It was a hot, bright summer day.

Around 10:45 we walked the few blocks from our hotel to the Columbus Circle entrance.  We walked by/through Tavern on the Green, Strawberry Fields, the Ladies Pavilion, The Ramble, Belvedere Castle, the Charles B. Stover Bench, the Shakespeare Garden, the King Jagiello monument, The Ramble again, The Point, the Loeb Boathouse, Bethesda Fountain, the Mall, the Dairy Visitor Center, the Chess & Checkers House, the Victorian Gardens amusements at Wollman Rink, and The Pond.

We exited Central Park at 59th and 5th and walked by the Apple Store.  The iconic glass cube and underground store has been undergoing renovation for 2 years but a temporary store next to it is open for business.  We didn't go in.

We continued down 5th to 53rd and made a right so that we could go by The Halal Guys for lunch/dinner (they're opening storefronts around the country now and there's one coming near us - can't wait!).  We each got a combo platter then stopped in the nearby Hudson Market for drinks, a Crunchie bar (yum! - it'd been so long since I had one), and a black & white cookie (because, NY).  We took our food back to the hotel and ate in our room.  It was all delicious.

After eating we put the leftovers in the fridge then took a shower to clean off the day's sweat - we were soaked.  Then we relaxed in the room until it was time to get ready for our evening:  a night at Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

Near the Ladies Pavilion

New York 2019 - Day 2: Vessel

I so very badly want to type "The Vessel", but it's just "Vessel".

Today we breakfasted in the hotel (included with the room, which we didn't know in advance - a nice surprise).  I like a variety so I had small amounts of scrambled eggs, sausage, potatoes, Raisin Bran, cantaloupe, honeydew, banana, orange juice, coffee, and a chocolate pastry.

Good morning city

I can see the future, and tonight you'll look like this...

New York 2019 - Day 1

Without any intended plan, we seem to end up going to New York every 2-3 years (2011, 2014, 2016)   and always have a good time.

The impetus for this trip was my learning that a stage version of the Baz Luhrmann film Moulin Rouge! was coming to Broadway in August.  Since this is one of our favorite movies...

So in May we bought tickets to the show and started planning the trip.  Away we go!

Riding the moving walkways at DFW Airport, watching the planes line up

Poof!

We landed at LaGuardia and took a Lyft from the airport to our hotel, the Marriott Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Central Park Western Hemisphere Northeastern Above Ground On 54th Near Starbucks But What Isn't Hotel.  We didn't know it in advance, but apparently this is the tallest hotel in New York and possibly the USA.

New York 2019

We just got back from a great trip to New York to see Moulin Rouge! The Musical, so the next posts will be about that (while it's fresh) then I'll circle back to Disney World...because I can Can CAN!

New York/Pet Shop Boys - Day 5

The time for leaving finally came, as it always does.  We had an afternoon flight on Monday the 14th, so we had a relaxing morning packing and having breakfast.

Dough at City Kitchen was so good that we went back again for our last New York breakfast.  This time I had a really well made cafe au lait donut that I savored while watching the world go by out on the street.

We walked back to the W, grabbed our packed bags and checked out.  Our Uber driver took us to LaGuardia and after getting through security we had about an hour and a half until our flight.

We'll be sharing our flight today with, let's see...

...looks like Olaf the snowman and Peppa the pig.  Their 4-5 year-old owner and her dad sat down in the chairs right across from us even though the whole gate area was available - can't really blame them though as it was right by the windows.  She plopped her friends on the window ledge then spent the rest of her waiting time watching a movie on a cell phone while chewing on her blanket - it was sopping wet when her dad took it away from her before they got up to board.  The blanket, not the cell phone.

New York/Pet Shop Boys - Day 4

This was Sunday the 13th and our last full day in New York.

We slept in and so it was nearing lunchtime when we left the hotel.  We walked a few blocks to Toasties on 49th and sat at the window as we ate.  I had the Cordon Bleu (on a roll) which was a chicken cutlet with grilled honey baked ham, melted mozzarella, grilled onions, lettuce & tomato.  It was delicious.

When lunch was finished we took the R train downtown to the Oculus and One World Trade Center.  The Oculus is a transportation hub for the area, but it's also a giant shopping mall.

Waiting at the 49th Street station

Having fun with the Prisma App:

Arriving in Lower Manhattan at the Oculus.  Not very crowded when we arrived...

New York/Pet Shop Boys - Day 3

This was Saturday the 12th.  We started out the day with Dough at City Kitchen.  City Kitchen is a collection of different food vendors brought together in one space.  Dough makes donuts.  Large, very delicious donuts.

I had the salad-plate-sized mocha almond crunch

Todd's dulce de leche with toasted almonds

Almost Forgot

I forgot to add in my last post that I picked up this neat "pop up theater" in the Dairy visitor center/gift shop while in Central Park:

The laser cut paper construction comes flat in a envelope-sized package.  Once removed you bend the folds in the opposite direction to form a cube.

While I don't see it online, the Central Park Conservancy does have other great items available in their shop on the web.

New York/Pet Shop Boys - Day 2

Friday, November 11th - a great day for a stroll through Central Park.

We started off with breakfast at Kellog's NYC, a branded cereal bar just down the street from our hotel.  This was a "Malted Nutty Banana" which included Krave chocolate cereal, malted milk powder, toasted hazelnuts, sliced banana, and skim milk.  It was a good combination.

Who doesn't love cereal?  Not this guy.

USS Maine National Monument at the Columbus Circle entrance to Central Park.
Subtitle:  Three youth at rest.

New York/Pet Shop Boys - Day 1

On Monday we returned from a 4-day trip to New York where we saw the Pet Shop Boys again in concert at the theater at Madison Square Garden.  This was our third trip to New York (the last was in November of 2014 - read about it starting here), so we didn't do some of the typical sightseeing this time.

Let's jump right in, shall we?

We flew American this time and were served breakfast on the plane.  I had steel cut oatmeal with shaved coconut and dried fruit, brown sugar, and butter.  It came with vanilla yogurt, a side of fresh fruit, and milk.  Todd had biscuits and gravy.

Happy Independence Day America

On this July 4th, let us not forget that we are one nation, one people, united for the good and common welfare of its citizens and bestowing upon them certain inalienable rights:  life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  These rights belong to all Americans - All.


Photos are from my 2014 NY/DC trip.

"Liberty Enlightening The World"

The preamble of the Declaration of Independence, inscribed at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC.

NY/DC Trip - Epilogue

Hello.  Just a quick follow up post with a couple of photos I forgot to post and a couple of new ones.

Here is the Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as seen from the air.  Photo from Wikipedia.

NY/DC Trip - Day 5

Today we take the train to Washington D.C.

I woke up at 5:30am, then ended waking Todd up at 7:30.  We got out of bed at 8 and I showered and packed.

We met Mom at 9:15 and checked out, left our bags with bell services, then walked across the street to the 810 Deli & Cafe.  I had the same breakfast as before; a protein wrap that I split with Todd, and a Bolthouse Farms strawberry banana smoothie.

After we ate we walked to Central Park and watched the falling leaves around the duck pond, then walked to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

NY/DC Trip - Day 4, Part 3

A short ride from 34th Street/Herald Square on the R train took us to 49th Street, then we walked to the Gray Line office at 777 8th Avenue and bought a double-decker bus tour of the "Downtown Loop".  Todd has always wanted to do this, so he was excited.  We walked over to Times Square to get on the bus.

Times Square

NY/DC Trip - Day 4, Part 2

Coming up out of the 34th Street/Herald Square station, we saw throngs of people lining 5th Avenue.  We walked over and the Veterans Day Parade was in full swing.  We stayed and watched for a few minutes (the whole parade lasted 4 hours), then continued around to the entrance of the building.

The Veterans Day parade

NY/DC Trip - Day 4, Part 1

Tuesday, November 11th - Veterans Day.

I don't remember what time I got up on this morning, but it was well before the 8am alarm went off.

After everyone was up and ready, we walked up 7th Avenue to Europa Cafe for breakfast.  I ordered an Europa omelet with egg, tomato, cheese, and onion, a side of diced potatoes, and orange juice.

The Europa omelet may not look that appetizing in this photo, but it was delicious

Hi Mom!

NY/DC Trip - Day 3

Woke up on this morning at 6:15am.  I woke Todd up at 8:00, and we finally left the hotel at 9:15.

Good morning New York

We took the E train at 7th down to the 23rd Street station and walked from there to Doughnut Plant - hooray!  We had eaten there in 2011 (photos noted) on our way to the New York International Auto Show, and were excited to go back.  I had a peanut butter-and-banana cream donut, and a carrot cake donut.

Good morning New York!  (2011)

NY/DC Trip - Day 2

Woke up at 6:30am and got out of bed at 7.  I showered and unpacked, then headed down to the gift shop at 7:30 to look for my hat.  Although hope springs eternal, they unsurprisingly did not have the exact same hat I bought there 3 years ago.  :o(

I went back to the room where Todd was getting ready.  We walked across the street and at 8:10 we had breakfast at the 810 Deli & Cafe.  I split a protein wrap with Todd, and had a Bolthouse Farms (funny, I just realized it was Bolthouse, not Boathouse) strawberry banana smoothie to drink.  Our local Kroger sometimes has these on sale 2 for 1, and they are tasty.

Today we had early reservations for the Statue of Liberty, so after breakfast we got on the 1 train at 50th and took it downtown to the South Ferry station.  We arrived at the ferry landing at 9am and were able to go immediately through the airport-style security and onto the first boat of the day with no waiting.  This was a huge change from April of 2011 when even with advance tickets we had to wait 2 hours to get through security and on to the boat.

Leaving the Battery Park ferry dock, looking at One World Trade Center