Today we had a plan… bagels. It was time to get up early, beat the crowds, and get in line for one of New York’s delicacies, and one that people sometimes stand hours in line to get their hands on. We headed straight for H&H Bagels, Jen had met a local on the plane that told us this was the best place to have one, and once there we got in line. On this particular day, we were lucky… the line was right to the door, but the small bakery where the bagels were made was air conditioned and without a line extending out the door it wasn’t too hot inside yet. The lady in front of us was very helpful, telling us we’d come to the right place and that we should just ask for whatever is the freshest bagel (they’re only the best when warm, we were told).
In line at H&H Bagels
By the time we got to the counter, they had just put out a fresh batch of Onion bagels, which just happens to be my favorite, and I ordered one with cream cheese. We waited while they put everything together, Jen getting one too, and realizing there was not going to be any room to sit we walked outside to find a bench. The only problem with this idea was… there aren’t any benches around! I looked on my phone for a park, and five blocks away was Central Park, the only one on the map.
I should take this moment to mention that the past few days had been murder on my feet. Too much walking, not the right socks and equipment, and by this time I was in search of additional band-aids (having borrowed some from Jen) and walking a bit funny from the various blisters. I agreed I could make it to the park, and on our way there Jen very astutely pointed out we were right back by The Met again. We ended up stopping on a bench just outside of it, enjoying the people watching and our newest bird friends who were just waiting for us to drop scraps. We opened our bags, savored the smell, and ate the bagels. By this time, they had cooled a bit, but mine was still very delicious and I enjoyed every bite. We’d discussed on the way over that we also needed some coffee, but barring finding a corner shop we were still on the lookout.
Walking the streets of New York
Being so close to The Met, I was reminded of my last trip to New York, and having an extravagant coffee/dessert at Cafe Sabarsky inside of Neue Galerie. I suggested this place to Jen a few days ago, and while finishing our bagels we could both feel the need for coffee growing and growing. Cafe Sabarsky sounded like a great idea, and after wandering around a bit to find it (you have to enter around the corner, the “galerie” is a converted residence that now houses artwork and the cafe) we went through the metal detector on the way in, had to give up our water bottles as they are not permitted, and found ourselves sitting inside the beautiful cafe enjoying the mix of people around us.
Having both just finished a bagel, I first opted only for a frozen coffee (which ended up being a dessert), but soon after I couldn’t help but ask for a slice of the hazelnut cake. It was precisely how I remember it, edible gold leaf and all.
Reasons I go to Cafe Sabarsky… let me count the ways…
After a bit of relaxing, talking and planning, we finished up our coffees and cake and headed back out with a plan. Neither of us had been to the Museum of Modern Art (M0MA) before, and while I’m not a lover of what is considered Modern Art today… I’m always up for a museum! It had been Jen’s idea, and as it would turn out… it was a great one!
The museum was featuring a variety of artwork I didn’t realize, in addition to a Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit… and the original Starry Night, by Vincent Van Gogh. I had no idea! We walked around, enjoying the various exhibits (and me hating the ones like “white paint on canvas” and complaining very loudly to Jen about it), and I was in awe that I had missed this place previously! For those that don’t know, Frank Lloyd Wright was an architect, designing many famous buildings (The Guggenheim among them), and conceptually I didn’t realize just how much I would agree with a man so many years removed. Wright released all of his designs to the public and to his competitors… all for the purpose of knowledge and the advancement of the science of architecture. I have a great deal of respect for the idea that knowledge should be shared for the betterment of all. That’s actually the philosophy that makes this website possible (well, so easily), it’s what’s driven this blog as a concept and what also makes the media work, like this new slider feature we’re going to be using more and more:
Jackson Pollock!
During MoMA, the Pride parade was taking place down 5th street, and I started keeping an eye on my phone. In the coming evening, I had plans with a friend I was excited to see that I had last seen in Denver. We had to head back to the hotel before I could head out, and we decided to grab some pizza along the way. The only problem with this plan, we’d discover, is that many of the pizza and Italian places we tried were closed! We did end up finding one, and the pizza was authentic not to New York (you know, not New York “Style” pizza), but actually to Italy in general. Having been there, I can say they are very authentic in style to the ones you would find in Italy. The place was called Farinella Bakery, and we went to the back to sit and eat.
What the restaurant had in authenticity of their food, however, it somewhat lacked in the ambiance department… though it definitely left an impression. Music was playing from a Beyonce YouTube shuffle (you could see the tablet and every few songs we’d get a 30-second advertisement), and then… of course… there was this:
I can’t name all of the people in the portrait, but it was as cool as it was weird. There’s a hashtag that goes with this picture… if you’d like to learn more. It’s #thelastpalam. After dinner and drinks, we headed to a pharmacy for some band-aids for my feet, and then Jen and I parted ways in the city… her to explore for the night and me to head back to the hotel, dress the wounds, and meet up with my good friend Sarah.
I met Sarah in a round-about way some years ago, and we’ve always had a great time hanging out together. Originally we met in Colorado, and have met off and on now for a while to say hello and catch up. Much like Rachel (though less than five years ago), Sarah was drawn to New York, and it was great to finally catch up! I lack the pictures to show what a great time I had, but we went to a restaurant called Hearth, and the meal was absolutely stunning. We started out with a potato gnocchi with garlic and butter, and a cauliflower dish that has already disappeared from their menu but was extremely flavorful and something I would eat over and over again. We had wine, which was delicious, and finished this off with a late-harvest wine that tasted like honey (not quite as good as Tokara, but I did like it). For dessert, we also ordered from the “dark chocolate bar”, a first for me and probably too ‘hip’, but it was a lot of fun. They have various chocolates, all from different regions, and you order between 3-5 samples all with varying cacao percentages, to see which one you like best. It was weird, but also very fun, and we got a lot of looks from surrounding tables as we loudly evaluated our chocolate as if it were a fine wine, or cheese.
After Hearth, we wrapped up the night at a wine bar called The Immigrant, which was very much my speed and style. We sat at a candle-lit table near the back as 80’s British pop played, and we relaxed and caught up more on recent events and life in New York. Eventually, I began to feel the past few days, the walking, and the wine catching up with me… and after a few good yawns Sarah suggested we get going and we called it a night after a walk to the subway entry. I headed back to the hotel, but Jen had found her way to an Irish pub two blocks over… so I stopped by for two much-too-quickly consumed tall White Russians, and we headed back to the hotel to sleep it off. Tomorrow was our last full day in New York, with lunch plans at Tavern On The Green with our newlywed friends. We would need our beauty sleep!
