As a midwesterner – this is what I love about the east coast. Within four hours we went from rural Vermont to the beach in the Hamptons. I woke up this morning in an 19th century inn in Grafton Vermont, with a few streets lined with pristine white wood houses, a white church with a huge white steeple and red dahlias abloom, a country pond lined with field stones. Now, at sunset, I am looking out across a lush green lawn rimmed with flora and fauna, beyond it the blue still waters of Mecox Bay. Beyond that a spit of land with big homes and then the Atlantic Ocean.
Category Archives: 2) Frequent Destinations
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. )
Filed under New York City
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.
Filed under New York City
Leo’s/Royal Oak and Lou Malnati’s in Chicago
Made it home without a hitch yesterday after a 5.5 hour drive from Chicago which started with some very stormy weather. Didn’t have much time to explore the city since we were just passing through but did get a take out pizza from Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria – an outpost of which recently opened in my aunt’s Gold Coast neighborhood in the old Anthropologie building. Looked like a fun place to eat – especially the outdoor patio. We opted for takeout and thin crust, not Chicago thick. It was good – especially the unusual crust that I believe is made with cornmeal – but wasn’t that bowled over. Certainly will try again. Another place to remember – the original Heaven on Seven, a Cajun restaurant downtown near the old Marshall Field’s and near my stepdaughter’s new place of employment. Comes well recommended by several.
Before leaving Michigan, we had to cram in a trip to Leo’s Coney Island in Royal Oak for my son who happily and quickly devoured two Coneys. And I do need to add – for one blog reader who protested – that Lafayette Coney Island was much more crowded when we tried to go there Saturday night than when we passed by midday Saturday. Unfortunately it was so busy that we couldn’t find a place to park and had to forego our visit.
Filed under Chicago, Detroit, DINING, Uncategorized
Cranbrook, Royal Oak, Greektown
My dad noted yesterday that he’s been to Detroit more in the two days I’ve visited than he has for days or months prior. Good sport! We tried to go to Slows BBQ, the trendy place rising from the ashes in the Corktown neighborhood across from the haunting hulk that was once Detroit’s train station. The place looked great – but the wait was one and a half hours. No thanks. We drove onto Greektown where we had a nice meal (after a five minute wait) at Pegasus Taverna. (I was surprised to see that the place we used to go – the name escapes me – is now a hole in the ground. Literally.)
In the morning we rode bikes through Huntington Woods, Berkeley and Royal Oak on a pretty Sunday morning – I forgot how easy riding a bike is here, the streets so flat and wide, lined with pretty well-tended homes and long flat green lawns. Later, we stopped at Sanders’ Ice Cream shop where I had the first hot fudge cream puff I’ve had since I was about 8 years old and went to the old Sanders in Royal Oak. The original Sanders ice cream fountains closed eons ago but someone bought the name (and maybe the secret recipe) and is opening fountains all over the burbs (but not in Royal Oak.) The fudge is as good as ever (and has been available even after the fountains closed.) We had a groupon that for $9 got us up to $18 of food stuffs. Later we drove and walked around the spectacular grounds of Cranbrook, where I went to high school – and even bumped into a former favorite math teacher of mine.
Filed under Detroit
Home just in time for the Woodward Dream Cruise!
We made it home to suburban Detroit just in time for the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise, which did not disappoint – cram-packed with old cars dragging up and down Woodward. The traffic and crowds were thickest around 12 mile road – it was almost as fun to watch the spectators as the cars. Earlier in the day, during our drive from Chicago, we found a good place to eat in the small Michigan town of Coloma (ex: 39 on I-94). My son thought it looked like a nightclub, because of the name “The Hot Spot Cafe”but it was a small town cafe with breakfast all day – great crispy (as requested) hash browns, poached eggs (soft) and sausages. The place seemed to have a way with potatoes – they made their own potato chips. That exit also has a well-known popular fruit stand – Fruit Acres – where we picked up great raspberries, blueberries, red haven peaches and we didn’t get but tried some really strange looking doughnut peaches.
Collegebound road trip
We’re off to the University of Iowa tomorrow to move my daughter into the dorm and with any luck we’ll fit all her stuff in the car AND be able to see somewhat out of the rear view mirror…
Rick Perry, lamb kebobs, dairy barn ice cream et al at the Iowa State Fair
If you want to see new presidential candidate Rick Perry up close and personal, a good opportunity awaits at the Iowa State Fair today where he will be speaking at 11:15 or so at the Des Moines Register’s “soapbox” at the Iowa State Fair. The fair was blissfully free of Republican presidential candidates last night but packed with people thanks to the recent arrival of perfect summer weather – low 80s, a light breeze, flawless blue skies. Annual fairgoers are used to much hotter muggier weather – so this nice stuff was a real treat.
I’d also recommend the lamb kebob, one of several lamb entrees offered at the Iowa Sheep Industry Association’s stand, located in a relatively out-of-the-way spot amidst the livestock barns (east of the sheep barn, across the street from the always popular Big Boar who this year was a 1,700-plus pound boar named Tiny). The pork producers outpost is much closer to the action – near the midway and along the grand concourse – and much busier than the lamb folks’ operation. But I found the pork chop rather dry and unflavorful, especially compared to the juicy well-spiced lamb. As always, a chocolate ice cream cone at the Dairy Barn was the perfect treat. And I gladly skipped the newest entry to the fried food on a stick category – fried butter on a stick.
One other tip – hitch a free ride on one of the tractor-drawn open-air shuttle wagons that winds through the fair. It’s very handy when your legs are suddenly getting worn out from so much walking and a good way to people watch as the shuttle moves slowly around the fairgrounds.
Filed under Iowa, Uncategorized
TakeBetsywithyou 