NYC Trip Report
Oct 20th, 2003, 08:12 AM
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NYC Trip Report
Just back from 3 great days in NYC with friends. 4 women together leaving the kids behind. One of the group had never been to the City and another was pretty much a rookie also. It was my job to plan the trip and to get in as many of the highlights as possible.
We drove down Friday morning to the home of the Evil Empire after watching the Red Sox crash and burn on Thursday night. Hoping to avoid any confrontations with gloating Yankee Fans.
We drove down via the Merritt Parkway. Its such a lovely highway and I've always loved the detail on the bridges. Much nicer than driving on 95.
Arrived in Manhattan. We stayed at my brother's apartment on the Upper West Side. Everyone was duly impressed with the views from his corner apartment overlooking the Hudson River. We loved watching the cruise ships come in and out of the harbor all weekend.
After getting settled, we walked up to Lincoln Center and then up to Columbus Circle, down Broadway for our group's first glimpse of Time Square. Attempted to get tickets to a show, knowing that it wasn't likely. The line to the Tkt booth was too long, so we went to the box office of a few shows. I don't think our hearts were really into seeing a show. We hemmed and hawed and ultimately did not purchase. Checked out the lobby of the W hotel. Loved the water in the elevator area. The bar was a little too hip for us so we left without having a drink. Walked over to the Broadway Bar at the Marriott Marquis where we had a birds eye view of all the lights and sights (including the Naked Cowboy).
Had our one and only encounter with a gloating Yankee Fan. A couple at the next table overheard us talking with the waitress (Boston native) and interrupted our conversation to tell us how rude and awful Boston fans are. Its ironic to be categorized as rude by people who eavesdrop and then interrupt a private conversation. The gloating over the Yankees victory may have been kind of fun but it was not good natured in any way shape or form. Fortunately this experience was not repeated.
After our drinks we walked over to Becco's for dinner. We all enjoyed this very much. The food was very good. We particularly enjoyed the antipasti that included grilled veggies, salted cod with potato, wild salmon tartare, a slightly sweet cheese and octopus salad. Really great. The waitress also did a very nice job picking out a wine for us. Not being familiar with their wines, we described what we liked and she matched a wine for us. It was perfect. We had a great time with lots of great conversation.
Saturday morning we walked through Central Park to the Metropolitan. One of our group is a horticultralist and really enjoyed the park. Two of us spent 5 hours at the Met but still didn't see more than 1/2 of it. The depth and breadth of the Met?s collections are astonishing. We kept going to one exhibit after another despite our exhaustion. The other two walked up to the Conservatory garden to explore that part of CP. They loved it.
We hooked back up at the apartment and despite our exhaustion managed to get a second wind. We hopped in a cab and went downtown to the Staten Island Ferry. Got there in time for sunset and saw the Statute of Liberty and the lights of the city. We decided that that Staten Island Ferry is the best thing in the world that?s free. The silhouette of the statute against the fiery red sky was really worth making the effort to see.
After the ferry we cabbed it up to Soho for a lovely dinner at Provence (on MacDougal). I had reserved a table through Open Table but the restaurant did not have the reservation. We had no problem being seated but I wouldn't trust Open Table again.
Dinner was lovely. Appetizers of escargot, pheasant pate and wild salmon tartare. Entrees of shrimp/scallops, duck and rabbit. Desserts of a lemon tart, chocolate terrine and creme brulee. All the food was terric. However service was not the best. Issues with wine and lack of attentiveness overall left us a little cold. It wasn't bad service, just not great.
The following day we visited Battery Park where we were harrassed by watch sales men and pocketbook guys. We wen there in search of the Irish Famine Memorial. We were in the wrong place because we missed the distinction in the guide book between Battery Park and Battery Park City. Entertained ourselves by haggling with the pocketbook guys and eventually succumbed to temptation and bought our ?Pravda? and ?Kate Splade? bags.
Got proper directions for the Famine Memorial which took us right by the World Trade Center. We viewed from the World Finance Center. Very difficult to see and remember but glad to be able to pay respect to the lost lives. Viewing that space without the visual cues that a public memorial gives us allows us to choose between remembering the Day or just seeing a construction site. It was obvious that some around us were remembering and others were choosing to be blind.
We found the Famine Memorial. It was very moving. Glad we made the effort. For those unfamiliar, this is a memorial to the 1.5 million Irish who died or emigrated during the Irish Famine in the 1850s. The memorial brings you through an actual stone cottage from Ireland and up through a hilly field. Your walk culminates at the top of a hill with a view of Ellis Island and the Statute of Liberty. The memorial helps you understand the struggle that the Irish have lived through and points out the successes of immigration. It illustrates just how wonderful a country the United States is and how blessed we are.
Visiting both sights in succession taught me how important public memorials to tragic events are so important to our cultural memories. These memorials help us remember and keep us from being blind to past events. The World Trade Center needs a very special memorial for that purpose so that people will not chose to be blind.
We cabbed it up to Chinatown for dim sum and shopping. Loved walking by the shops with the unfamilar food on display. It all smelled wonderful but we weren't brave enough to actually do any buying.
After dim sum we hopped on the subway to 51st Street and went to St. Patrick?s. There was a Mass being served in Spanish, very crowded and beautiful. I was able to light a candle but quickly left. Outside the front steps were also jam packed with participants in the Mass. I am not sure what occasion was being celebrated but the participants were wearing purple and white cloaks. There were also little girls in angel costumes and a woman in a traditional costume. There was also a procession with a band playing a dirge and carrying a large statute clothed in purple and white. I am Catholic but this was unfamiliar to me. Really interesting to see but the crush of the crowd during the procession was a little frightening.
The skaters were out in Rockefeller Center which was decorated in yellow and orange mums.
We power walked down 5th Ave as we were 2 hours behind in leaving NYC. Cut through the lobby of the Plaza and over to Central Park. After a quick stop at Balducci's we headed back home.
Overall a great trip. Packed a lot in but enjoyed it all tremendously. Loved being able to show novices around the city.
We drove down Friday morning to the home of the Evil Empire after watching the Red Sox crash and burn on Thursday night. Hoping to avoid any confrontations with gloating Yankee Fans.
We drove down via the Merritt Parkway. Its such a lovely highway and I've always loved the detail on the bridges. Much nicer than driving on 95.
Arrived in Manhattan. We stayed at my brother's apartment on the Upper West Side. Everyone was duly impressed with the views from his corner apartment overlooking the Hudson River. We loved watching the cruise ships come in and out of the harbor all weekend.
After getting settled, we walked up to Lincoln Center and then up to Columbus Circle, down Broadway for our group's first glimpse of Time Square. Attempted to get tickets to a show, knowing that it wasn't likely. The line to the Tkt booth was too long, so we went to the box office of a few shows. I don't think our hearts were really into seeing a show. We hemmed and hawed and ultimately did not purchase. Checked out the lobby of the W hotel. Loved the water in the elevator area. The bar was a little too hip for us so we left without having a drink. Walked over to the Broadway Bar at the Marriott Marquis where we had a birds eye view of all the lights and sights (including the Naked Cowboy).
Had our one and only encounter with a gloating Yankee Fan. A couple at the next table overheard us talking with the waitress (Boston native) and interrupted our conversation to tell us how rude and awful Boston fans are. Its ironic to be categorized as rude by people who eavesdrop and then interrupt a private conversation. The gloating over the Yankees victory may have been kind of fun but it was not good natured in any way shape or form. Fortunately this experience was not repeated.
After our drinks we walked over to Becco's for dinner. We all enjoyed this very much. The food was very good. We particularly enjoyed the antipasti that included grilled veggies, salted cod with potato, wild salmon tartare, a slightly sweet cheese and octopus salad. Really great. The waitress also did a very nice job picking out a wine for us. Not being familiar with their wines, we described what we liked and she matched a wine for us. It was perfect. We had a great time with lots of great conversation.
Saturday morning we walked through Central Park to the Metropolitan. One of our group is a horticultralist and really enjoyed the park. Two of us spent 5 hours at the Met but still didn't see more than 1/2 of it. The depth and breadth of the Met?s collections are astonishing. We kept going to one exhibit after another despite our exhaustion. The other two walked up to the Conservatory garden to explore that part of CP. They loved it.
We hooked back up at the apartment and despite our exhaustion managed to get a second wind. We hopped in a cab and went downtown to the Staten Island Ferry. Got there in time for sunset and saw the Statute of Liberty and the lights of the city. We decided that that Staten Island Ferry is the best thing in the world that?s free. The silhouette of the statute against the fiery red sky was really worth making the effort to see.
After the ferry we cabbed it up to Soho for a lovely dinner at Provence (on MacDougal). I had reserved a table through Open Table but the restaurant did not have the reservation. We had no problem being seated but I wouldn't trust Open Table again.
Dinner was lovely. Appetizers of escargot, pheasant pate and wild salmon tartare. Entrees of shrimp/scallops, duck and rabbit. Desserts of a lemon tart, chocolate terrine and creme brulee. All the food was terric. However service was not the best. Issues with wine and lack of attentiveness overall left us a little cold. It wasn't bad service, just not great.
The following day we visited Battery Park where we were harrassed by watch sales men and pocketbook guys. We wen there in search of the Irish Famine Memorial. We were in the wrong place because we missed the distinction in the guide book between Battery Park and Battery Park City. Entertained ourselves by haggling with the pocketbook guys and eventually succumbed to temptation and bought our ?Pravda? and ?Kate Splade? bags.
Got proper directions for the Famine Memorial which took us right by the World Trade Center. We viewed from the World Finance Center. Very difficult to see and remember but glad to be able to pay respect to the lost lives. Viewing that space without the visual cues that a public memorial gives us allows us to choose between remembering the Day or just seeing a construction site. It was obvious that some around us were remembering and others were choosing to be blind.
We found the Famine Memorial. It was very moving. Glad we made the effort. For those unfamiliar, this is a memorial to the 1.5 million Irish who died or emigrated during the Irish Famine in the 1850s. The memorial brings you through an actual stone cottage from Ireland and up through a hilly field. Your walk culminates at the top of a hill with a view of Ellis Island and the Statute of Liberty. The memorial helps you understand the struggle that the Irish have lived through and points out the successes of immigration. It illustrates just how wonderful a country the United States is and how blessed we are.
Visiting both sights in succession taught me how important public memorials to tragic events are so important to our cultural memories. These memorials help us remember and keep us from being blind to past events. The World Trade Center needs a very special memorial for that purpose so that people will not chose to be blind.
We cabbed it up to Chinatown for dim sum and shopping. Loved walking by the shops with the unfamilar food on display. It all smelled wonderful but we weren't brave enough to actually do any buying.
After dim sum we hopped on the subway to 51st Street and went to St. Patrick?s. There was a Mass being served in Spanish, very crowded and beautiful. I was able to light a candle but quickly left. Outside the front steps were also jam packed with participants in the Mass. I am not sure what occasion was being celebrated but the participants were wearing purple and white cloaks. There were also little girls in angel costumes and a woman in a traditional costume. There was also a procession with a band playing a dirge and carrying a large statute clothed in purple and white. I am Catholic but this was unfamiliar to me. Really interesting to see but the crush of the crowd during the procession was a little frightening.
The skaters were out in Rockefeller Center which was decorated in yellow and orange mums.
We power walked down 5th Ave as we were 2 hours behind in leaving NYC. Cut through the lobby of the Plaza and over to Central Park. After a quick stop at Balducci's we headed back home.
Overall a great trip. Packed a lot in but enjoyed it all tremendously. Loved being able to show novices around the city.
Oct 20th, 2003, 09:32 AM
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Thank you for a fantastic trip report - very concise and even handed. It's nice to see a report that provides some reasonably objective commentaries on the negatives but focuses on the positives and also offers an enlightened commentary on things other than "what we saw and ate".
Your description of the Famine Memorial has me itching to get back down to the city and see it (among other things I've been missing since moving away from that area a few months ago).
Your description of the Famine Memorial has me itching to get back down to the city and see it (among other things I've been missing since moving away from that area a few months ago).
Oct 20th, 2003, 09:48 AM
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Great report, bennie. The Irish Famine Memorial is now on my must-do list, too.
"Its ironic to be categorized as rude by people who eavesdrop and then interrupt a private conversation." LOL, I guess that's why travel and cross-cultural experiences are broadening!
"Its ironic to be categorized as rude by people who eavesdrop and then interrupt a private conversation." LOL, I guess that's why travel and cross-cultural experiences are broadening!
Oct 20th, 2003, 10:10 AM
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Remember or be aware, in public, particularly at a cramped Manhattan restaurant, there's no such thing as a "private" conversation. And we're not even talking about a conversation between diners -- you were talking to the server. No offense, but you should have known you had zero expectations of privacy in that situation. Live & learn.
(I'm certainly not advocating rudeness, mind you. But the Sox-Yankees rivalry often transcends.)
And just a quick friendly reminder: 1918
Oct 20th, 2003, 10:51 AM
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Gekko and LoriNY - Our day will day. And we will enjoy the sweetness of it more so than any others because of its rarity.
Owen - thank you for your comments on my report. I have often read and appreciated your reports and responses to poster questions. I'm sure you'll appreciate the memorial once you get back to the city.
Owen - thank you for your comments on my report. I have often read and appreciated your reports and responses to poster questions. I'm sure you'll appreciate the memorial once you get back to the city.
Oct 20th, 2003, 12:14 PM
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"Remember or be aware, in public, particularly at a cramped Manhattan restaurant, there's no such thing as a "private" conversation. And we're not even talking about a conversation between diners -- you were talking to the server. No offense, but you should have known you had zero expectations of privacy in that situation. Live & learn."
AHA! This is exactly what I meant by cross-cultural differences. Gekko, there are places where it's considered rude to ACKNOWLEDGE that you can hear a conversation in which you are not a participant, even if the entire conversation can be heard without any eavesdropping-type effort on your part. In other words, the eavesdroping consists of acknowledging that you heard, not the actual hearing; in this case "private" means "not including you" rather than "not audible to you". And since you haven't heard it, then of course you're not going to jump in and interrupt it, especially not to insult the original participants . . . Goodness, I'm turning Japanese!
AHA! This is exactly what I meant by cross-cultural differences. Gekko, there are places where it's considered rude to ACKNOWLEDGE that you can hear a conversation in which you are not a participant, even if the entire conversation can be heard without any eavesdropping-type effort on your part. In other words, the eavesdroping consists of acknowledging that you heard, not the actual hearing; in this case "private" means "not including you" rather than "not audible to you". And since you haven't heard it, then of course you're not going to jump in and interrupt it, especially not to insult the original participants . . . Goodness, I'm turning Japanese!
Oct 20th, 2003, 04:45 PM
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Yes, Anonymous, of course you're correct. Hence my previous post. In New York City, people are always listening, and if the Yankees-BoSox are the topic, they won't insult you with the sad pretense of not hearing your conversation.
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