The two reasons I love New York
Trip Start
Jun 02, 2010
1
6
46
Trip End
Oct 03, 2010
Brooklyn, New York
Monday, June 14, 2010
I went to Central Park a couple days ago and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it. It is absurdly large and one would struggle to see the whole thing in day if only for the mere fact that your feet would fall off. I don't know why but I always pictured Central Park as rather flat with a bunch of trees and sidewalks. Oh, but it is so much more than that. There is an entire section dedicated to children. There are kid rides, playgrounds (one of which is named after Diana Ross), and an entire chess and checkers house where families can bring there chess sets and play to their hearts content. Then there is the Dairy, originally designed to be a place where children and their caretakers could go and enjoy a nice glass of milk on a hot summers day. Now it's a visitor center and snack shop (meaning kids can enjoy a nice can of soda). There is also quite a few lakes and a boathouse where you can rent a boat. I even saw a gondola shaped boat with a gondolier! AND, that gondolier was singing, which is a lot more than I can say for the one I had in Venice. Humph.
There are fields and meadows all throughout the park where kids can play sports and families can have picnics. There are all kinds of monuments and there's even a frickin castle at the center of it all. Guess where we ended up? Yep, right at the castle. Of course that wasn't my intention. I wanted to go see Strawberry Fields, but somehow I got all turned around and thought we were going west instead of north. Apparently it's common for people to get lost in Central Park. However, it turned out well and I thoroughly enjoyed our walk in Central Park.
And now, it's time to talk about one of my favorite things in life: food. I have come to learn that my love of food borders on an unhealthy obsession, especially when I travel. I just love to try everything, and the great thing about New York, if not the BEST thing about New York, is that because it is such a melting pot of all different races and nationalities it also has an unending supply of food. Let the gluttony begin!
The first place I would like to talk about is right next to where my good friend Lin works: Freeman's. It stands off of Rivington between the Bowery and Chrystie in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The atmosphere is great, the people are friendly and the drinks are strong. Plus, they have the most amazing artichoke dip. No sissy spinach in the dip my friends. You can taste the artichoke and it has just the right consistency of gooeyness. I could bathe in this stuff, it is so good.
Moving on.
Then there is this sandwich place called Saltie in the neighborhood of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. These aren't any ordinary sandwiches, they are sandwiches made by the Gods. The ingredients are untraditional from curried cheddar to aioli, and capers to pickled eggs these sandwiches are a little outside the lines. However, the way they combine the ingredients makes your mouth water. I ordered the Spanish Armada which consists of potato tortilla (a potato, egg mix), pimento, and aioli. Put that all on top of a thick bread that is like sour dough but with more flavor and you have magic. Not that I liked it or anything...
I had another excellent sandwich at this place called Russ and Daughters. This is also in the Lower East Side and has been in operation since 1914. Here you can get anything from traditional lox and bagels to full on caviar. And their sandwiches are to die for. I had the Super Heebster, which was voted number 50 of the 101 best sandwiches in NYC. This sandwich consists of whitefish and baked salmon salad, horseradish dill cream cheese, and wasabi flying fish roe all on bagel. Whoever thought up the concept of wasabi and roe blended together is a genius and deserves a medal because it creates a zing and a pop that tastes oh so good.
The final place I would like to mention is Momofuku. Like its name, this noodle bar's menu is fun and unique. It may be limited but from what I've heard, seen, and tasted, everything is delicious. I had the chilled spicy noodles, which consists of, well, noodles, szechuan spiced sausage, spinach and cashews. While the noodles may be chilled, the sausage and cashew are served hot on top, bringing out the flavor of the noodles and the spinach. The cashews are also candied, which creates a sweet and spicy explosion in your mouth. Have you ever had one of those moments when the food first enters your mouth and you taste all the different flavors at once and all you can think is "this was a great decision"? Well, that's basically the experience I had with this dish.
So there you have it, my two favorite things about New York. I don't know if it's enough to make me ever want to move here, but I definitely don't mind visiting.
Now, I don't know about you, but I be hungry.
Comments
Kia, there is no place like NY. I hope you are enjoying the pizza and bagels :-))
Andie
I have never been to New York. I enjoyed your commentary and for clearing up the whole Brooklyn, lower East Side thing. Pictures were fabulous and I envy you for the wonderful food you have experienced. Thank you so much for sharing. Keep it up.
Don't forget to use your super sticker packet in Europe. Miss you and travel safely please.