Days 101 -108: NYC, Baby! Part Two- The Places

11/13/2020-11/21/2020

Welcome back, gang! This week our current location is way down in New Orleans. Any suggestions for places to ogle at or something tasty to gobble up are welcome as always! But let’s take the blog back to our home for several years, New York City (places edition). Are you ready for the journey? Here’s a few tips: have your compass out because that’s the way you’ll be given directions in the city. North=Uptown, South=Downtown. Be sure to grab your coffee to go because you won’t want to stop to drink it. If you’re going to stop and look up, do it standing by a streetlamp or marking meter as a shield for the stampede of people. The West side is the best side. Keep your metro card easy to reach, take your backpack off in the train cars, and cut yourself a break; just get the monthly pass.

Let’s start with what holds the primary ranking in both of our minds: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. This world-class museum is home to some of the most influential and inspiring works of art in the world. Bonus points- if you can prove residency in New York, you can pay “What you want” admission. So yeah, we’re frequent fliers there. The iconic steps are usually full music from a busker and the smell of street food intertwining with tourists and locals alike. Once entering, you’re greeted by a view of yet more steps in the center leading to a labyrinth of enchantment with large floral arrangements on either side. To your left is the entrance to Greek and Roman art, to your right are the Egyptian exhibits, and behind you is the world you’ve already forgotten about. (FYI: Selfie sticks and boosted boards are not allowed inside and there is no coat check during Covid.) When Jackie visited me, we spent three hours walking around the museum and we didn’t see all of it that day. So naturally, even with the intensity of our schedule that week, we made time to visit twice; once on our own and once with my mama. It is our happy place.

Second on our list cuddles close to the first. Central Park is emblematic of The Big Apple, and it’s easy to see why. Spanning 51 blocks, it is a gigantic chunk of nature within the concrete jungle of Manhattan. On an island of 1.6 million people, it can feel suffocating if you can’t get some solace worked into your day. For about 1 ½ years, I worked three blocks away from the park on the west side and often found myself gravitating towards it after my shift. The North Woods section and the sculpture garden in the NE corner are my favorite spots. They aren’t generally as crowded as the lower sections of the park, the North Woods can lead you to spots where you can’t see any part of the skyline anymore, and the sculpture garden is perfect for slowly pondering whatever’s on your mind. Within the depths of the park also lives a giant reservoir, numerous art pieces, benches with plaques that will melt your heart, and the stage for Shakespeare in the Park. Naturally, there were no shows going on but when they come back, they are an absolute must during your stay. The tickets are free but you have to wait in line for a few hours.

Now that you’re gotten a taste for the heart of the city, let’s start with the Northernmost tip of Manhattan and work our way down. Inwood/ Dykeman area is as far as you can get without being in the Bronx. It was my home for a year and currently houses two of our favorite people- Ean and Maria. Fort Tryon park is absolutely stunning and home to a second portion of The Met- The Cloisters. It’s a small castle-looking building that houses gardens and specializes in Medieval art and architecture. Tryon is an amazing place for a run and also the name of my favorite pub in the area. It’s a Latino part of town and is a good place to grab a drink.

Working our way down the 1 line (this is a local train; beware the express stops!), we hit ROKC, which has the best ramen I may ever have in life. I welcome you to prove me wrong, but their curry is my favorite meal in New York so I have my doubts anywhere could top it. They are a very small restaurant, but so good that you should always expect a wait time. 100% worth it. From here we’ll walk a little East to Harlem.

Central Harlem was Xander’s home for several years and an awesome place to be. Especially if you’re headed to Howie and Adrian’s house. Settled on 125th, the heart of Harlem, their place is cozy and bright and feels like home. When you walk in, you’re greeted by mews from my nephew (their cat Artemis) and smiling eyes from the fellas. You’re surrounded by their art in the form of paintings and comic book style drawings from Howie and knitted blankets and geometric walls from Adrian. Their rooftop provided a gorgeous view of the skyline and a perfect Covid-safe meeting spot. Down the street from them sits Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem Shake, Red Rooster, gentrification in the form of shiny apartments and Whole Foods, and the historic Apollo Theater. I know Central Harlem gets a good amount of flack but personally, I never felt in much danger when walking around. You might do well to cross the street sometimes if you’re alone and it’s night time but the people there are generally nice. They’re just louder than most and the slowest walkers ever.

Southwest of them is the Upper West Side, which is my mom’s part of town. I lived there the first few months in NYC and loved it! They’ve got so much wonderful stuff packed into their 66 blocks! Demitasse is the home to the best croissants anywhere, and you’ve got to try the lemon cake at The Hungarian Pastry Shop. Columbia University and Barnard are bosom buddies and the campuses are fantastic. Snuggled in a corner is Hex & Co., which is one of (I believe) seven board game cafes on the island. St. John the Divine is the world’s sixth largest church and is technically unfinished! It also houses 3 peacocks which have been known to wander around the neighborhood. Smoke Bar and Lounge is an incredible and intimate jazz club (definitely the best I’ve been to). The Natural History Museum is awesome- don’t miss the Ocean exhibit, butterfly room, or Easter Island head. My favorite Irving Farm coffee shop (79th and Broadway) is right next door and an awesome stop. They make their own spicy/ sweet chai, carry oat milk, and have some of the best espresso in NYC! But I must say the tastiest sweet chai is from Bluestone Lane. Zabar’s grocery store is world famous, having even appeared in Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil, and they’ll let you sample their salmon lox if you ask nicely! So yeah, take a day for the Upper West Side on your visit. #WestSideBestSide

A little more touristy but worthwhile to see once in your life is Midtown. It begins just South of Central Park and houses tons of stop-and-stare-worthy stuff in it. Post-Covid, there’s not much that can lift your spirits faster than a musical on Broadway. Check out standing rush tickets if you’re on a budget- you will have to stand the whole show but they’re also only 40$. We did walk through Times Square while we were there and though there were some crowds, you could always have at least 3 feet to yourself, which is highly unusual. We scurried out of there pretty quick, which is highly usual for us. From there, it’s a 4-minute walk to Brayant Park, home to the most beautiful library I’ve ever been to. Of course the library was closed but we did get a lovely walk in with Bailey around the perimeter. Another ten-minute walk from there is the Morgan Library; it’s another gorgeous trove of knowledge.

As a caffeine indulgence, I went to the Starbucks Roastery downtown. It’s one of six in the world and my second visited on this trip. The barista at the counter’s name was Paul and there was a little Space Needle drawn on his nametag. We started chatting and it turns out he had originally worked at the Seattle Roastery location! I told him my history with the company and about the adventure I was on and this sweetheart comped my drink! Just the week before they took out all dine-in options available so I didn’t linger but thanks again Paul, if you ever read this. You’re a real one.

Just down the street sits Chelsea Market, which is one of many markets in NYC. I am a big, big fan of these foodie centers. I went to a specialty chocolate market there and got a sampler set for a person I somehow missed in my previous post, Andi! Which is doubly absurd because she was our very generous hostess-from-afar that week. Though she had never met me before (and still hasn’t met me), she was willing to allow us to stay at her second home in the city. She’s also a client of Wayne’s and often allows him to use her apartment for shooting films and such. She was visiting her nieces while we were visiting, and wouldn’t even allow us to pay her anything! Thank you again!! This is the sort of kindness that makes the world go ‘round and what we hope to someday be able to pay forward.

All good days end with a sunset, so why shouldn’t our visit to NYC do the same? This was the evening spent in Gantry Plaza State Park in Queens with our Zoom Stage Company. Neither of us had been to this park before but it really is a lovely meeting spot. With ice cream trucks and a ferry nearby, what’s there not to love? The breath of fresh air off the East River did us a world of good to settle down after such a full week.

~There has been a lot of discouragement and disgraceful disrespect to our Democratic system this past week. If anyone needs someone to talk to about this, we’re (virtually) around. But we have a lot to look forward to in just 12 days from now, so don’t give up your hope for this country. Better things are coming. Stay sane, stay creative, and stay safe. Next week, Jan 9th-16th, will be our Texas tour. We’ll be spending it in Houston, San Antonio, and Austin! If you’ve got people there let us know. Sending love from NoLa!