Category Archives: New York City

March 17, 2012 · 11:02 pm

getting to manhattan from Newark airport

There are he low-cost, low-stress, low-impact way to Newark Liberty.

There are now direct flights from Des Moines to Newark Airport and it doesn’t look too taxing (or expensive – if you skip the cab) to get to Manhattan from Newark. Haven’t been to that airport since the 1980s when I used to fly – okay this will date me – People’s Express.

Here’s the scoop on the AirTrain:

Operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, AirTrain provides easy connections to NJ Transit and the rail lines that run on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line. AirTrain also offers a simple way for passengers to get to and from Manhattan and points north, or Philadelphia and points south. It also connects passengers to airline terminals, rental car facilities, hotel shuttles and central parking lots. Best of all, you never have to worry about traffic conditions.

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February 11, 2012 · 4:51 pm

A NYC restaurant that warms my Azkenazi heart!

When I used to work in a newsroom, once a year – right around Passover – I’d issue a blanket warning to my non-Jewish podmates: I will be eating something that looks really disgusting. But I like it – in small portions and only this time of year – so deal with it. It’s called (you guessed it) gefilte fish.

So news of a new restaurant in NYC, Kutsher’s, that makes its own gefilte fish automatically caught my attention (especially since I eat the non-homemade fish that’s packed in a jar, entombed in a grey-yellowish  jellied consume.) The NYTimes reviewer didn’t particularly like the restaurant’s gefilte fish but he gave a thumbs up to other eastern European Jewish favorites of mine like Kreplach soup and matzoh ball soup…so next time I’m in Tribeca (I was there last in September) I’ll try to find the restaurant – Kutsher’s (the owner is connected to the  famous faded Kutsher’s resort in the Catskills.) To see what I”m talking about check out:


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December 2, 2011 · 2:26 am

Japanese restaurants in New York City

Tying up some loose ends from our trip last week to New York City, here are two Japanese restaurants for future reference:

– Menchanko 55 on W. 55th street – an inexpensive Japanese noodle house with good soup, vegetable appetizers, rice balls. No sushi.  I had the soup with brown broth, pork slices, veggies, noodles. Yum.

– IchiUmi – a Japanese seafood restaurant my friend Merida recommends, located at 6 E. 32nd street. It’s website promises: “The best sushi and seafood buffet in NYC at a very affordable price.”

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November 29, 2011 · 3:15 am

Bad luck with Delta Airlines but good corned beef with dad in Detroit

arrgh…On both my departing and return flights between Des Moines and NYC, there were mechanical problems that caused delays and/or heart palpitations. En route, during the Detroit to LaGuardia leg, as we were trying to land in a cloudy rainy New York City, the pilot suddenly reversed course and went back up into the clouds. “You may have noticed we tried to land,” he explained over the intercom. “But we decided not to as a result of an anomaly in the braking system.”

WHAT???

He then told us he’d be trying to land again in 10 minutes and there shouldn’t be any further problems.

GULP.

After what seemed like a very long 20 minutes, he did successfully land the plane on what appeared to be an exceedingly long runway. (good idea) and as the wheels touched down and the pilot pumped the brakes, we passengers clapped. And eagerly deplaned.

Then today, we get in the plane at LaGuardia on a beautiful sunny day, taxi out to the runway for an ON TIME departure, only to return to the gate because some water is leaking in the bathroom. An hour and a half later, we are airborne and our chances of making our connecting flights (having lost our original one-hour layover) are slim. I did call from the stalled plane and was told my daughter – who was going onto Cedar Rapids – wouldn’t be able to go on the 4 p.m. flight to CR if she missed the 12:20 one – but there was one seat left on the 7:51 p.m. flight. Feeling like a contestant on Lets Make a Deal, I had to choose between door #1 or #2. And decided to book the 7:51 and try to go standby on the 12:20 should we arrive in time. So we arrive in Detroit at 12 and of course the connecting flight is miles away in another concourse but I run and run and get to the gate just as the door is closing and I BEG the already harried-looking desk person to let Lily get on standby. She balks at first but I look pathetic enough that she gives me the ONE SEAT left on the whole damn plane. And away Lily goes. And of course I’ve now missed my 12:24 p.m. flight to Des Moines (in yet another concourse) and the 4:35 p.m.  is unavailable but, earlier, when the plane was stalled at LaGuardia, I grabbed a seat on  the 7:30 p.m. flight.

Best of all, I call my dad in suburban Detroit and he picks me up and we have a very nice unexpected afternoon together starting with a delicious corned beef sandwich at a little deli on Woodward Avenue (Deli Unique in the Ramada hotel of all places.) So all ends well….and I’m finally home in Des Moines.

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November 26, 2011 · 2:52 pm

New York City – Japanese noodles, a Fireside chat, drink at doc’s

During our annual whirlwind tour of NYC during thanksgiving we have:

– eaten very good japanese noodle soup at a restaurant that begins with an M on West 55th Street. (I’ll dig up that name when I can.)

– Strolled past the cool Lady Gaga holiday windows at Barney’s on Madison Avenue

– Had a long leisurely lunch with an old friend from London in the “casual elegant” Fireside restaurant of the Omni Berkshire hotel in midtown

– Met an old college friend for a beer at Doc Watson’s on 2nd Avenue between E. 77th and 78th

– Dodged the crowds watching the parade balloons being inflated on the upper west side by ducking into Scaletta for dinner (good bolognese!)

– Dodged the crowds watching the parade on Thanksgiving Day (at one point, I simply joined the tail end of the parade after the crowds along the sidewalks got to large and scary). I was the irritated looking woman in civilian clothes walking along side cheerful yellow and red costumed paraders holding up the Macy’s inflated stars. My expression: don’t dare to stop me.

– Cut through the crowds of people about ready to Occupy Best Buy on the upper west side after Thanksgiving dinner

– Took a glorious late night walk on Thanksgiving from central park west to central park south and then up Lexington Ave. to E. 69th where we stayed

– Joined 10 other relatives at a chaotic Penn Station to take the train to Southampton.

– Bought some last-minute gifts in Southampton – a novel at Book Hampton, an ice cream b’day cake at Carvel, some knickknacks at Home and Nature

 

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November 22, 2011 · 1:17 pm

NYC here we come

We leave for NYC on this rainy morning in DM and as always, excited to see friends and family but dreading some of the hassle involved in navigating the airports and the city during the Thanksgiving holiday. On tap:

– dinner tonight at Il Corso in midtown with family and friends

– lunch tomorrow with an old friend from London at Fireside in midtown; drink in early eve with old college friend at Doc Watson’s on upper east side; dinner with family at Scaletta’s on upper west side (first I have to figure out if I can get a cross town bus, given the parade set up right – including the balloons that are blown up on 77th, right outside the restaurant.)

– Parade party at my cousin’s apt on Central Park West (I’ll be walking across the park and hope to arrive when the parade has just passed by – so I can cross the street….), Thanksgiving dinner at other relatives down the street.

And so on….Happy holidays!

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September 4, 2011 · 12:11 pm

Zabar’s-Fairway Mkt-Central Park-Upper West Side

We were supposed to be in Connecticut yesterday but because our friends in Trumbull STILL DO NOT HAVE POWER a week after Tropical Storm Irene blew by, they drove down to the Upper West Side to hang out with us. It was still sunny but muggier yesterday – I did a quick tour of Upper West Side foodie havens, picking up bagels at Zabars (since H&H is no longer open) and fruit and veggies at Fairway Market (and coffee at Starbucks since I can’t figure out the cappuccino machine here at my relatives’ apartment). Our friends arrived and we went for lunch at the Shake Shack on 77th and Columbus Ave. At 2 p.m. on a Saturday there was a line out the door and a short ways down 77th but it moved quickly and we even managed to find a table in the basement. My second visit there and I continue to be impressed. My cheeseburger was pink and juicy – impressive for a fast food joint. The chocolate milk shake was rich and the chocolate tasted different, less American and milk chocolate, maybe more European or dark chocolate?

Central Park was the afternoon’s activity – we sat in the Sheep Meadow watching the world go by – a big family who appeared to be from an Eastern European country (Poland?) spread out next to us with their cute funny kids, intense volleyball players grunted and punched behind us, the occasional character passed by – a guy wearing short blue furry shorts and matching boots, a woman in a hoop shirt from another era, etc. For dinner we tried Swagat an Indian restaurant on 79th and Amsterdam. Very good – and almost empty as was much of the Upper West Side at the start of Labor Day weekend which was to be honest very pleasant. We stopped at Pinkberry on Columbus Avenue on the way back to the apartment. On to Connecticut power or no power today.

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September 3, 2011 · 2:19 pm

Brooklyn Bridge – Dumbo – World trade Center site – Tribeca – east Village

The view from the Brooklyn Bridge was partly obscured by construction scaffolding but still stunning and a glorious walk on a sunny September morning. Wished I had more time to wander around Brooklyn Heights, didn’t find that much of interest in Dumbo, so I carried on across the bridge (bit tricky to find the pedestrian entrance) and onto Zucker Bagels for bagel-lox-cream cheese (excellent), then went to the old church by the World Trade Center site which has a touching display to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The church was a refuge for first responders and it’s  hard not to get choked up looking at the photos and remnants from that time. On to Tribeca where  I found the lovely little pocket park on  Duane Street – stopped in at the patisserie (of the same name) for lemonade and some cookies to bring to a friend’s kids (with proceeds of cookies going to 9/11 stuff), cute shop with lots of British stuff  called Working Class, cool furniture store using reclaimed this and than called Lucca. Dropped of fatigue on a very comfortable bench by Battery Park (I think) with great river view and perfect breeze. Dinner at Motorino Pizza on E. 12 near 1st in East Village (best bets: meatball appetizer, any pizzas with red sauce, tiramisu. )

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September 3, 2011 · 2:34 am

New section of the High Line – Central Park – Madison Ave

What a spectacular day in New York City with perfect weather – warm but not hot, sunshine but breezy. I could have walked forever (if my feet would permit.) One upside of all the rain NYC has gotten this summer (and I know there are major downsides) is that everything is so green and lush – which is very refreshing coming from the parched and browning Midwest. Central Park looked like Ireland this morning as I walked across it at around 72nd street. Took a stroll up Madison Avenue to early 80s to check out the latest completely unaffordable fall fashions, then had lunch w/a dear friend at Bella Blue (great artichoke salad!). We took the subway to 14th and 8th avenue then a short walk to the High Line. It was not only longer than my last visit (thanks to the recent opening of the second section) but the vegetation was higher and dense – sometimes blocking views of the river but still one of the great things to do in this city – great views you’d never see otherwise and fun people watching. Not so sure about the Pineapple-Jalapeno ice bar I ate – good at the time but Jalapeno is not sitting that well with me.

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June 24, 2011 · 7:18 pm

Where to wander on the east coast – suggestions please

Looks like we’ll have four days to wonder along the East Coast in early September before flying home from NYC.  Where to go? Vermont? New Hampshire? Western Mass? Boston? Maine? Too many choices. Any suggestions out there. (Perhaps from the Detroit bagel fan?)

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