The New York Weekend Part 2 - Saturday and Sunday (aka "Food, a Pink Bus and More Food")
Well, I was going to write a post for each day. Then I decided it would be best to write everything up in one big post. But I also realized I had waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much to write about. I didn't want to make anyone (including myself) fall asleep. So Saturday and Sunday...
Saturday
I felt like I had been hit by a truck when I woke up on Saturday. It wasn't because of an uncomfortable couch or anything. I slept hard and comfy on Friday night. It was because I did a huge amount of walking. And god bless the huge amount of walking, cause I was also doing a huge amount of eating.
We started off Day 2 of eating by heading to the Grey Dog. It was a cute little place that looked a little granola-ish (in a good way) and where you knew the food was going to be good. When Paula and Liz steered me away from the oatmeal (sigh...I love oatmeal), Liz and I decided to split a Breakfast Quesadilla and Blueberry Pancakes. Good stuff, both of them. While we were eating, Jodi was on a mission of her own. She was in line at TKTS to see about getting us show tickets for a Saturday Matinee. The only show we could all agree on was Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. As we left the restaurant, Jodi called. We had tickets. I was going to see my first Broadway show!!
We met Jodi at Union Square Park, just down the street from Paula's place. As we walked (and stopped for cupcakes), we decided on a plan. Off to 30 Rockefeller, Radio City Music Hall, NBC Studios and the Today Show area. I wanted to get my picture taken in front of the 30 Rock sign (in my continuing belief that I am Liz Lemon) and I wanted to see where things happened. I knew early on that I wasn't going to see everything in NY, so I wasn't even interested in trying. I wanted to see a few things and then I could come back later to see more.
So away we went. We saw all of those things. I was surprised by the Today Show area. SO much smaller than it looks on TV. There are always so many people milling around outside, but really, there wasn't a ton of space. Huh. Who would have thunk it?? We went to the NBC Store. I really could have spent a ton of money there, but looking at T-Shirts with the Community logo or mugs with quotes from Parks and Rec, I thought...this is just one more step towards hoarding. Looking around my office right now, I see 10 logo mugs and 5 other water containers. I will only wear the T-Shirts to bed. And the iPhone cover I picked up was so flimsy that I thought it would be better to just hand someone my $15. But I wasn't sad about any of this. I ended up with two magnets (one for me, one for a gift). Perfect.
And we did find the 30 Rock sign. I did my "Colbert Move" (thumbs up with a silly grin) and it was exactly what I wanted.
On our way to Times Square (where the theatre lived and where apparently every tourist goes to mill about), we found a pizza place. Adele had been on me since I said I was going to New York, "You HAVE to get NY style pizza!!" I knew our (original) plan for Saturday wasn't going to lend itself to NY style pizza, so I was coming up with ways to explain how I wasn't able to try any. But it turns out the Pizza Gods were in our favor. We kind of knew this would be our last food until after the show, so Jodi and I got the pizza. It was pretty good. I especially liked the price ($3 for a big slice), but Jodi said this was actually more expensive than it should be. The tomato sauce was nice. A bit of sweet to it. Lord knows I like sugar in my food.
After lunch, we made it to Times Square. What can I say about Times Square?? It is what you expect it to be. Crowded. Loud. Overstimulating. This was the only place in New York that overwhelmed me. I could probably live my life without ever going back there. But if that's where some of the shows are, I'm sure I'll have to go back one day. And it was an experience I think I had to have. But I can't imagine trying to go down to Times Square for New Year's Eve. Ugh...
And I need to digress for a moment or two. I'm not sure in what world most of these people live in that makes them think it's perfectly ok to stop in the middle of a sidewalk, street or crosswalk while they take a picture or look at a map or have a conversation with someone. I mean, I kind of get it when you're at Disney (not that I LIKE it, but I kind of get it). But you're in a major metropolitan city. You don't stop in the middle of the freaking street!! Or the woman who literally stopped in the middle of a crosswalk. Seriously?? I wished a car would mow her down just to teach her (and the other idiots) a lesson. You need to stop for any reason?? Move your ass to the side of the sidewalk.
Digression over...
Priscilla. The show itself seems to follow the two current trends of musicals these days.
Trend #1 - Take songs you know, put them into a show (see: Mamma Mia, Jersey Boys, Rock of Ages).
Trend #2 - Take a movie and add songs (see: Xanadu, Catch Me if You Can, Billy Elliot)
The show was a lot of fun. There were a lot of sparkles, glitter and a giant pink bus. If you've seen the movie, you know the story. If you haven't seen the movie, it's currently streaming on Netflix. Go watch it now. I'll wait. There were Divas suspended in mid-air, Drag Queens with fabulous outfits, and a Transsexual with 1950's style dresses. I loved her outfits most of all. It was thoroughly enjoyable and a great first Broadway experience.
After the show, we went back to the apartment to kill some time and take the dogs out. After a few minutes...dinner time!!
Dinner was at the Stanton Social. I'd been looking forward to this place, because I saw it profiled on Unique Eats on Cooking Channel. I love the Cooking Channel. So if the Cooking Channel says Stanton Social is good, who am I to argue??
The food was really good. Definitely the best I'd had in New York. Again, these were smaller plates for sharing. Since Jodi had been here before, she was mostly in charge of what was good. We had Potato and Goat Cheese Pierogies (with Truffle Sauce!!), and a Duck and Black Bean Empanada (I liked, even with the beans!!). There was a Philly Cheesesteak Slider (Yay!!) and a Aged Cheddar Slider (really spicy...this might have been the only dud). The French Onion Soup Dumplings were highly recommended by many. I'm not a French Onion Soup kind of person, but I did enjoy these a lot. The Chicken and Waffles were surprisingly good. I had them in Nashville (or I had a bite of Elias' food) and they weren't nearly as good as these. Then we had the meatballs. Ohhhhh...the meatballs!! This was the point that I began to fade. And I was so disappointed, because the meatballs were amazing. I would have liked to have had another half of the meatball, but I was nearing the gaggy stage. And we still had the Short Rib Tacos to go. There, I tasted the beans. I could have done without the beans. And we couldn't leave without dessert. Donuts. Donuts that are dipped in Raspberry, Chocolate or Caramel. Love. Just loved it all. I was angry at my stomach for getting full. Stupid stomach.
Friday night, we had talked about going out later, but Liz and I were exhausted. I don't know why I thought Saturday night would be any different. Cause it wasn't. We all knew no one would survive an additional Saturday night stop so we said goodbye. Jodi couldn't hang with us on Sunday, so we had to have the sad moment. Now we just need to get Jodi to come hang out in Chicago this summer!! Liz and I walked back to the apartment where we were both falling asleep to Tina Fey hosting SNL. Seriously, what's with all of the Tina Fey references this weekend??
Sunday
Sunday was pretty low key. It was a gorgeous day and we had brunch plans at 11a, so we meandered towards the ABC Kitchen. But we accidentally stumbled on to a street fair in Union Square Park. Oh, I love a good street fair. And this was a good one. My sign of a good street fair is when I see Kettle Corn. If we weren't getting brunch, I'd have gotten Kettle Corn. Sadly though, I couldn't. I did pout slightly as we walked by the Kettle Corn. I also might have whimpered. Sure hope Liz didn't notice.
My souvenir of choice is the magnet. It's small. It's cheap. You can find it anywhere. But it seems that my new souvenir is not just the magnet (though I am running out of space on my fridge). Nope, my new souvenir is the Street Market Necklace. I found a great necklace in Seattle last year. And I found a great one in Union Square Park. I was doing a little Mother's Day Shopping (shhh...I haven't given the gift yet!!) and I kept picking up a necklace with a seahorse on it. I'm not sure why. Seahorses aren't my thing. But it was just so cute. And when I handed over the cash, I had a new souvenir tradition!!
It was soon Brunch Time and ABC Kitchen beckoned. I do love Brunch. And this Brunch was great. The restaurant itself was stellar. The food was fabulous. Unfortunately, there were a few issues. First up...I so wanted some chai with breakfast. Negative on chai at ABC Kitchen. And the waitress...a smidge on the bitchy side. I don't think it was completely her fault. I think some of the rules of the kitchen were completely stupid and the waitress was unfortunately caught up in the stupidness. She did redeem herself at a certain point by providing a small taste of the apple butter (if the side of apple butter we were given was actually $3, it would make me never want to go back. But it was really nice of her to bring it out), but there were a few things that just rubbed me the wrong way. All of that aside...the food was just wonderful. The goat cheese omelette was good. The bacon was nicely crispy. But the french toast...thick, crispy on the outside, nicely soft and eggy on the inside. When I smeared some of the rogue apple butter on the piece of french toast and dipped the piece in the syrup...heavenly.
Post Brunch, we wandered around a bit and worked our way towards the Hudson River. Liz (via Paula) steered us towards the river and the High Line. The High Line was a lovely area in the Meatpacking District that has plenty of greenery and water features and gives a great view of the Hudson River. It was a nice quiet(ish) area to get away from everything.
But every weekend had to eventually end. We made it back to the apartment, picked up the puppy and our luggage and made our way to Newark. The trip was officially over. I don't know about Liz, but again, I had an uneventful flight home. The woman next to me was a bit annoying (she gave me a look/sigh when I asked to get to my WINDOW seat. Really??), but I slept through half of the flight anyway.
Celebrity Spotting -
We definitely met Keith Johnson.
I'm pretty sure I saw Michael Easton.
I'm 50% sure I saw Ina Garten. Now I don't really think I saw her, but I saw someone that looked exactly like her...except Faux Ina was wearing bright red lipstick. I just don't see Ina as being a red lipstick kind of person.
Celebrities We Didn't See -
Anderson Cooper. I'm more than a little disappointed in this.
So the trip was over pretty quick. Then again, I saw enough this time to give me the flavor of New York. But I didn't even scratch the surface of what New York has to offer. I guess that just means I need to go back. Now I just need to find the time. Until next time, New York!!
Saturday
I felt like I had been hit by a truck when I woke up on Saturday. It wasn't because of an uncomfortable couch or anything. I slept hard and comfy on Friday night. It was because I did a huge amount of walking. And god bless the huge amount of walking, cause I was also doing a huge amount of eating.
We started off Day 2 of eating by heading to the Grey Dog. It was a cute little place that looked a little granola-ish (in a good way) and where you knew the food was going to be good. When Paula and Liz steered me away from the oatmeal (sigh...I love oatmeal), Liz and I decided to split a Breakfast Quesadilla and Blueberry Pancakes. Good stuff, both of them. While we were eating, Jodi was on a mission of her own. She was in line at TKTS to see about getting us show tickets for a Saturday Matinee. The only show we could all agree on was Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. As we left the restaurant, Jodi called. We had tickets. I was going to see my first Broadway show!!
We met Jodi at Union Square Park, just down the street from Paula's place. As we walked (and stopped for cupcakes), we decided on a plan. Off to 30 Rockefeller, Radio City Music Hall, NBC Studios and the Today Show area. I wanted to get my picture taken in front of the 30 Rock sign (in my continuing belief that I am Liz Lemon) and I wanted to see where things happened. I knew early on that I wasn't going to see everything in NY, so I wasn't even interested in trying. I wanted to see a few things and then I could come back later to see more.
So away we went. We saw all of those things. I was surprised by the Today Show area. SO much smaller than it looks on TV. There are always so many people milling around outside, but really, there wasn't a ton of space. Huh. Who would have thunk it?? We went to the NBC Store. I really could have spent a ton of money there, but looking at T-Shirts with the Community logo or mugs with quotes from Parks and Rec, I thought...this is just one more step towards hoarding. Looking around my office right now, I see 10 logo mugs and 5 other water containers. I will only wear the T-Shirts to bed. And the iPhone cover I picked up was so flimsy that I thought it would be better to just hand someone my $15. But I wasn't sad about any of this. I ended up with two magnets (one for me, one for a gift). Perfect.
And we did find the 30 Rock sign. I did my "Colbert Move" (thumbs up with a silly grin) and it was exactly what I wanted.
On our way to Times Square (where the theatre lived and where apparently every tourist goes to mill about), we found a pizza place. Adele had been on me since I said I was going to New York, "You HAVE to get NY style pizza!!" I knew our (original) plan for Saturday wasn't going to lend itself to NY style pizza, so I was coming up with ways to explain how I wasn't able to try any. But it turns out the Pizza Gods were in our favor. We kind of knew this would be our last food until after the show, so Jodi and I got the pizza. It was pretty good. I especially liked the price ($3 for a big slice), but Jodi said this was actually more expensive than it should be. The tomato sauce was nice. A bit of sweet to it. Lord knows I like sugar in my food.
After lunch, we made it to Times Square. What can I say about Times Square?? It is what you expect it to be. Crowded. Loud. Overstimulating. This was the only place in New York that overwhelmed me. I could probably live my life without ever going back there. But if that's where some of the shows are, I'm sure I'll have to go back one day. And it was an experience I think I had to have. But I can't imagine trying to go down to Times Square for New Year's Eve. Ugh...
And I need to digress for a moment or two. I'm not sure in what world most of these people live in that makes them think it's perfectly ok to stop in the middle of a sidewalk, street or crosswalk while they take a picture or look at a map or have a conversation with someone. I mean, I kind of get it when you're at Disney (not that I LIKE it, but I kind of get it). But you're in a major metropolitan city. You don't stop in the middle of the freaking street!! Or the woman who literally stopped in the middle of a crosswalk. Seriously?? I wished a car would mow her down just to teach her (and the other idiots) a lesson. You need to stop for any reason?? Move your ass to the side of the sidewalk.
Digression over...
Priscilla. The show itself seems to follow the two current trends of musicals these days.
Trend #1 - Take songs you know, put them into a show (see: Mamma Mia, Jersey Boys, Rock of Ages).
Trend #2 - Take a movie and add songs (see: Xanadu, Catch Me if You Can, Billy Elliot)
The show was a lot of fun. There were a lot of sparkles, glitter and a giant pink bus. If you've seen the movie, you know the story. If you haven't seen the movie, it's currently streaming on Netflix. Go watch it now. I'll wait. There were Divas suspended in mid-air, Drag Queens with fabulous outfits, and a Transsexual with 1950's style dresses. I loved her outfits most of all. It was thoroughly enjoyable and a great first Broadway experience.
After the show, we went back to the apartment to kill some time and take the dogs out. After a few minutes...dinner time!!
Dinner was at the Stanton Social. I'd been looking forward to this place, because I saw it profiled on Unique Eats on Cooking Channel. I love the Cooking Channel. So if the Cooking Channel says Stanton Social is good, who am I to argue??
The food was really good. Definitely the best I'd had in New York. Again, these were smaller plates for sharing. Since Jodi had been here before, she was mostly in charge of what was good. We had Potato and Goat Cheese Pierogies (with Truffle Sauce!!), and a Duck and Black Bean Empanada (I liked, even with the beans!!). There was a Philly Cheesesteak Slider (Yay!!) and a Aged Cheddar Slider (really spicy...this might have been the only dud). The French Onion Soup Dumplings were highly recommended by many. I'm not a French Onion Soup kind of person, but I did enjoy these a lot. The Chicken and Waffles were surprisingly good. I had them in Nashville (or I had a bite of Elias' food) and they weren't nearly as good as these. Then we had the meatballs. Ohhhhh...the meatballs!! This was the point that I began to fade. And I was so disappointed, because the meatballs were amazing. I would have liked to have had another half of the meatball, but I was nearing the gaggy stage. And we still had the Short Rib Tacos to go. There, I tasted the beans. I could have done without the beans. And we couldn't leave without dessert. Donuts. Donuts that are dipped in Raspberry, Chocolate or Caramel. Love. Just loved it all. I was angry at my stomach for getting full. Stupid stomach.
Friday night, we had talked about going out later, but Liz and I were exhausted. I don't know why I thought Saturday night would be any different. Cause it wasn't. We all knew no one would survive an additional Saturday night stop so we said goodbye. Jodi couldn't hang with us on Sunday, so we had to have the sad moment. Now we just need to get Jodi to come hang out in Chicago this summer!! Liz and I walked back to the apartment where we were both falling asleep to Tina Fey hosting SNL. Seriously, what's with all of the Tina Fey references this weekend??
Sunday
Sunday was pretty low key. It was a gorgeous day and we had brunch plans at 11a, so we meandered towards the ABC Kitchen. But we accidentally stumbled on to a street fair in Union Square Park. Oh, I love a good street fair. And this was a good one. My sign of a good street fair is when I see Kettle Corn. If we weren't getting brunch, I'd have gotten Kettle Corn. Sadly though, I couldn't. I did pout slightly as we walked by the Kettle Corn. I also might have whimpered. Sure hope Liz didn't notice.
My souvenir of choice is the magnet. It's small. It's cheap. You can find it anywhere. But it seems that my new souvenir is not just the magnet (though I am running out of space on my fridge). Nope, my new souvenir is the Street Market Necklace. I found a great necklace in Seattle last year. And I found a great one in Union Square Park. I was doing a little Mother's Day Shopping (shhh...I haven't given the gift yet!!) and I kept picking up a necklace with a seahorse on it. I'm not sure why. Seahorses aren't my thing. But it was just so cute. And when I handed over the cash, I had a new souvenir tradition!!
It was soon Brunch Time and ABC Kitchen beckoned. I do love Brunch. And this Brunch was great. The restaurant itself was stellar. The food was fabulous. Unfortunately, there were a few issues. First up...I so wanted some chai with breakfast. Negative on chai at ABC Kitchen. And the waitress...a smidge on the bitchy side. I don't think it was completely her fault. I think some of the rules of the kitchen were completely stupid and the waitress was unfortunately caught up in the stupidness. She did redeem herself at a certain point by providing a small taste of the apple butter (if the side of apple butter we were given was actually $3, it would make me never want to go back. But it was really nice of her to bring it out), but there were a few things that just rubbed me the wrong way. All of that aside...the food was just wonderful. The goat cheese omelette was good. The bacon was nicely crispy. But the french toast...thick, crispy on the outside, nicely soft and eggy on the inside. When I smeared some of the rogue apple butter on the piece of french toast and dipped the piece in the syrup...heavenly.
Post Brunch, we wandered around a bit and worked our way towards the Hudson River. Liz (via Paula) steered us towards the river and the High Line. The High Line was a lovely area in the Meatpacking District that has plenty of greenery and water features and gives a great view of the Hudson River. It was a nice quiet(ish) area to get away from everything.
But every weekend had to eventually end. We made it back to the apartment, picked up the puppy and our luggage and made our way to Newark. The trip was officially over. I don't know about Liz, but again, I had an uneventful flight home. The woman next to me was a bit annoying (she gave me a look/sigh when I asked to get to my WINDOW seat. Really??), but I slept through half of the flight anyway.
Celebrity Spotting -
We definitely met Keith Johnson.
I'm pretty sure I saw Michael Easton.
I'm 50% sure I saw Ina Garten. Now I don't really think I saw her, but I saw someone that looked exactly like her...except Faux Ina was wearing bright red lipstick. I just don't see Ina as being a red lipstick kind of person.
Celebrities We Didn't See -
Anderson Cooper. I'm more than a little disappointed in this.
So the trip was over pretty quick. Then again, I saw enough this time to give me the flavor of New York. But I didn't even scratch the surface of what New York has to offer. I guess that just means I need to go back. Now I just need to find the time. Until next time, New York!!
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