Friday, June 21, 2013

NYC 2013: Day 1


Pershing Square Cafe
There is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless. ~ Simone De Beauvoir

It seemed a good idea at the time ... take the first flight out to NYC on Friday morning and have the whole day ahead of you! So we rose at 4am to make a 7am flight - except that we had to leave from Pearson airport, not from Billy Bishop, which is always a bit of an ordeal. But the trip was smooth and uneventful if extremely tiring. Luckily, luckily, although we arrived much before check-in time the hotel, the Grand Hyatt at Grand Central Station, let us have our room early. A perfect location on the subway line - it is close to everything. 

We were awaiting J's girlfriend S who was being dropped off by her parents in the afternoon (they live in a small town on Long Island). While we waited, we nipped across to Pershing Square Cafe (90 E 42nd St.), which is a cafe literally built under a bridge and across from the Grand Central Terminal, for coffee and bagels - exorbitant for what it is but worth seeing at least once. 

When S arrived we made our way down 5th Avenue and then Broadway Ave. to see all our standard NYC haunts: the Flat Iron Building (175 5th Ave.), Union Square Park ( bounded by 14th St. on the south, Union Square W. on the west side, 17th St. on the north, and on the east Union Square E.), The Strand Bookstore (828 Broadway), Shakespeare & Company (716 Broadway), and Yellow Rat Bastard (483 Broadway) for clothing shopping for J and R. 

We ended our first day's sojourn at Caffe Roma at the corner of Mulberry and Broome (385 Broome St.) for not amazing ,but creditable, cannoli and cold drinks (and to think we had them on Mulberry Street!). We probably had walked about 40 or 50 blocks the first day.
From Tataki ...

We never visit NYC without going to our favourite Japanese restaurant in Tribeca called Tataki (3 Lispenard St.), and ordered too much food to eat at one sitting - a tradition popularized by my husband's family. The restaurant is almost always virtually deserted, which I don't understand. Perhaps New Yorkers are spoiled for choices in that area? The food is delicious, fresh and plentiful. It's nice that J is old enough to have memories of the places she wants to return to in NYC (this is one of them).

The young folks were then whisked away to Long Island where J was to spend most of the holiday leaving behind the two boring old people who rarely speak to each other except when they speak of their offspring ... although it is lovely to have time together! 

Grand Central Station by night

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