kodi

We had a wenderful weekend in NYC this past weekend. Before walking the Brooklyn Bridge we took Patrick's advice and had strawberry ice cream at Brooklyn Ice Cream factory. Although I love ice cream , strawberry is not my favourite, but since Patrick had said how good it was, I simply had to try it. Oh my god....it was SOOOO good....to die for.
The walk across the bridge was magic....and our timing was perfect.
Managed to have Grays papaya hot dog.....loved it. H&H bagels...loved them.
The Hilton hotel was wonderful. Absolutely NO problems because we were priceline. Were treated very well, given a very nice room with 2 beds. Over all, a wonderful experience. Patrick, I think you'll be happy there.
WE did so many things, , so many memories. IT was my nieces' dream and it all went so very well. She came home on cloud nine. She even bought herself something at Tiffany's. Even the food in the deli's was sooo good. Loved some of the pastas.
Thanks for everyones help.

Patrick

So glad you liked the ice cream. Did I tell you I got the peach instead, then while eating it started reading the rave reviews about the strawberry? Meanwhile my partner got both butter pecan and strawberry. I tasted the strawberry, and like you, even though it is not usually my favorite -- this one is really special.

kodi

Patrick, peach was also my first choice, and would have had just that if you had not written about the strawberry. So I had both flavours in a cup, but was so glad I did . Strawberry was on the bottom, so I got to savour it!
Enjoy the time you have left in NY.

ellen_griswold

YUM YUM, be still my heart!! And tell me more patrick - where is this wonderful place? Clark and i will be in NYC soon for a long weekend and this will be a MUST DO! Thx!

kodi

HI Ellen,
The Brooklyn Ice cream Factory is just under the Brooklyn Bridge. It is a 'must do' before walking over the bridge. We took the subway to Brooklyn ( I believe the station is Fulton) and then asked the ticket seller in the subway how to get to the Ice Cream Factory. Basically, you make a u-turn when coming out of the subway and walk down to the water, about 3 blocks. The Ice Cream Factory is right on the water. OR if you do what Patrick did, and take the water taxi, the ice Cream Factory is right there when you get off the water taxi. DO try the strawberry. IT's soooo good. Have fun.

Patrick

And for good measure, the very famous Garibaldi's Pizza is just half a block away. Although, I found it not the greatest pizza I've ever had, it was good.

ellen_griswold

Thanks, guys. Anything else in the area to see or do? I would imagine getting there will take a chunk of time (as anywhere in the city) so anything else interesting / unique in the area?

Meesthare

Hi, everybody - the name of the pizza place is actually Grimaldi's. We also did the Brooklyn Bridge walk this weekend, but our adventure was the day before Kodi's, on Friday. We took the C train from 50th and 8th to Brooklyn Bridge/High Street, which ended us up on the Brooklyn side so we could walk back towards Manhattan. It's a very easy walk, although I was dragging an ankle that was still smarting from the previous day's walking. On Thursday we had lunch with some friends at Sarabeth's, on Amsterdam between 80th and 81st, and then walked down to my daughter's office opposite Penn Station. I think walking is still the best way to see New York, but next time I'm going to have to get in shape before we leave!
We thought the pizza at Grimaldi's was absolutely fantastic. Didn't have time to check out the chocolate shop or the ice cream, unfortunately, but as my sweetie says - something to plan for the next trip. Lunch at Sarabeth's was incredibly good.
Lots of thanks to those of you who provided suggestions and directions. Our trip too was magical. We drove down from Toronto - took Route 17 for part of the way down, but came home all the way along the Thruway. The fall colours were splendid along both routes.

Patrick

Grimaldi's! Right!! Teach me to post after coming in after a show, dinner, and several drinks!!

We also walked around the adjacent "artsy" area known as DUMBO (down under manhattan bridge overpass), but weren't overly impressed. But there are some funky shops and galleries to poke around in.

kodi

Hey, Meesthare, glad to hear that you had a good time. We missed out on the pizza. We had eaten soooo much and enjoyed the ice cream, that we were too full for pizza. And there was a big line up and we didn't want to miss the perfect timing at dusk for walking the bridge. I wasn't sure where the chocolate place was and was sorry we missed it.
YOUR ankle was sore? Whew me too!!! I agree, walking New York is the way to do it and I've never walked so much in my life. We were on our feet all day and evening and would drag ourselves back to our room and then have to hobble around our room. What a great time though. We covered a lot of territory and loved it all. Loved Little Italy and ate at Due Amici's. It was great.
WE flew home on a small plane (Dash 8) out of Westchester and it stayed low enough to see all the colours...even NIagara Falls.
All in all .... a really great trip.
Ellen, I'm not aware of anything else I'd do on the Brooklyn side. So much to see in Manhattan. But definately worth the trip for the food and the walk across the bridge.

Meesthare

Hey, Kodi - good to hear that the flight out of Westchester was pleasant. I'm going to be flying there in a few weeks when my daughter has her baby. She lives in Westchester (Pelham, actually). We drove down this time to bring her the family bassinet for its next occupant!
Patrick, I can see why Grimaldi's might not be everybody's favourite, although it definitely appealed to us. They use crushed tomatoes instead of sauce, and there isn't a lot of cheese on it. We happen to prefer it that way, and the ingredients tasted fresh and yummy. My sweetie is already planning which toppings he wants to order next time.

Patrick

Actually I think what I enjoyed the least was the fact that although the crust was very thin -- which I really like -- it was quite soggy in the middle, almost uncooked. I really prefer it a bit crispy. And like John's thin crust pizza, the crust has absolutely no yeast taste, something I really like. Also prefer a wood oven taste -- the coal doesn't give it any flavor so far as I can tell. What's the big deal about coal oven pizza, anyway? Give me a good wood oven any day.

kodi

NOw I'm sorry I didn't try the pizza. I'd like to see if it's that good.
Meesthare, congratulations on the new baby coming. I think you'll like Westchester airport. Small.. and stress free.
While in New York we also went to Zabar's, but it was so crowded that we only staryed a few minutes. I'd love to have more time there when it's less crowded. Also it would be better if we'd been staying in an apartment. The cheeses and meats looked great.
We loved the deli's near our hotel and found we could eat very inexpensively.
NOw it's diet time again , til the next trip.
Good luck Meesthare.

Meesthare

Thanks, Kodi! I'll let you know when the baby makes his appearance. (We know it's a boy.)
We've been feeling upset about the Staten Island ferry crash. The story seems to have more immediacy since our Brooklyn Bridge walk.
Have a good day, everybody!

kodi

So very sad about the Staten Island ferry. We were just on it last Sunday and so can't even imagine how aweful it must have been for the passengers.
Meesthare, if I can help or if you have questions about Westchester Airport, don't hesitate to email me. My email address is [email protected]