I do. (It makes me want to buy school supplies.)
J and I spent a long weekend in NYC recently with our friends Allison and Duncan, who hosted us in their wee apartment (though the air mattress took up most of their living room). Three days is only long enough to taste the glories of New York, but we savored every moment (and several delicious meals).
Saturday was summer-warm, so we strolled through Central Park:
After lunch, we spent the afternoon wandering the West Village, browsing funky shops with adorable window displays:
We sniffed and browsed teas at DavidsTea (I bought a tin of delicious pumpkin chai), tried on cloches at a gorgeous hatmaker’s shop (I felt like Maisie), listened to jazz in Washington Square Park, and finally headed to Victory Garden for goat’s milk ice cream:
(Allison had chocolate and salted caramel, swirled. I had salted caramel, with “choco-crunch” topping. Heavenly.)
We ate dinner that night at Arriba Arriba – the first good Mexican restaurant I’ve been to in New England. It wasn’t quite like home, but it was pretty darn close (and delicious). And then we saw The Fantasticks, which is a delightful, magical little piece of musical theatre. So much fun.
Sunday was rainy, but J and I braved the weather for another Central Park walk:
We visited the Frick Collection and then met our friends for chai at a hip little cafe on the Upper East Side:
That afternoon, we visited the Lower East Side Tenement Museum – a fascinating, well-researched museum detailing the lives of immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries. If you’re interested in NYC’s history and/or the history of immigrants in this country, I highly recommend it.
I can’t go to NYC (or really anywhere) without visiting a few bookstores, and the group let me stop at Shakespeare & Co. on Lexington as we headed for Thai food and the Tenement Museum. And later on Sunday afternoon, Allison took me to Books of Wonder:
It is truly wonderful – a bookstore dedicated to children’s literature, with a gorgeous section of old and rare books at the back. I bought a copy of a story I loved as a child, The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes.
We ate a cozy dinner at Quaint that night, followed by Scattergories, ice cream (Ben & Jerry’s, of course) and tea in the cozy apartment. And the next day, we played Ping-Pong in midtown before catching the bus back to Boston.
New York is where I go to do things I can’t do anywhere else – often several of them in the same weekend – and also to do the New York versions of things I love to do all the time, like browsing bookshops and drinking tea. It can be gritty and overwhelming, but it’s also dazzling, and exciting, and fun.
I’ve been to New York four times now, and my trips there are always chock-full of magical moments, which make me believe again in the New York I know from so many books and films. Mostly, I keep going back for a taste of that magic. And the city always delivers.
If you’ve been to New York, what are your favorite things to do there?
Books of Wonder sounds like a great place to visit. Fortunately I don’t have to worry about finding good Mexican restaurants. :-). Glad that you found one there.
I love “Little Italy” and attending a theater production. I also love eating in the diners.
So much here to agree with! Having lived in NYC for nine years, I miss it most in the fall. Glad to know Books of Wonder is still there, and how much fun to find a reference to the Country Bunny & the gold shoes–one of my favorites too. As soon as I read your reference, I saw the illustrations, especially the spooky-at-night one, when the bunny slips on the ice. Sounds like you spent the perfect 2 days — only thing I’d add: cider donuts at the Union Square farmers’ market.
Oh, yum. I did sample those donuts last fall, and I agree – delicious.
Ahhhh, I love NYC! I always have to go to the Strand (which I know you love too!) and I also really enjoy visiting the Cloisters. Such a beautiful, contemplative space.
I’d love to visit the Cloisters next time. And oh, the Strand! We couldn’t squeeze it in this time – but there’s always next time!
Beautiful photos! The stripe theme is also awesome and I think you should keep it up. If I get around to visiting New York, I’ll make sure it’s in the fall. 🙂 Great post.
NYC in the winter is even more magical! The window displays at Macy’s, the ginormous tree at Rockerfeller center, and the hustle and bustle. I loved visting NYC during my favorite time of the year. If you can brave the cold, it’s worth the trip!
I love that line from “You’ve Got Mail.” And although I’ve never been fortunate to be in New York during the fall, I’m sure I’d love it and would buy myself a bouquet of freshly-sharpened pencils. 🙂 By the way, I LOVE The Country Bunny and the Little Golden Shoes as a kid. I have my childhood copy and now it’s in my daughter’s room.
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This is a great post! I just moved to the NY/NJ area and am going to look up some of those places to go try!
I have been blogging about my adventures in New York here: http://classiccosmopolite.wordpress.com/category/new-york-2/
Hopefully they can give you some ideas for when you next take a trip to the City!