New York City - Day 5

It is Friday, this meant I had to get up early and move my car to the other side of the street to avoid getting a ticket; remember that they clean the north side of the street on Tuesday and Friday between 9:00 am and 10:30 am. It was not easy finding another place to park, I ended up parking close to a fire hydrant, about 5 feet away and hoping that I won't get a ticket. I went down at 10:15 to move my car but the north side of the street was already filled up. I haven't been ticketed yet so am thinking perhaps I am okay.

After our usual slow morning we took the bus first and then the subway to downtown Manhattan. There is a Trader Joe's at Union Square, the first in New York City. We needed to get a few things for our 4th of July picnic. If you think the lines at your Trader Joe's are long, you need to come to New York City! There are 2 lines that wrap around the isles and at the end of each line is a person holding a sign. One sign says 12 items or less, the other says any number of items, this is there way of somewhat controlling the lines. Raven said that the lines are usually so long that you get your cart, get in line, and shop the isle as the line moves. It wasn't quite that bad today. Another feature in that this Trader Joe's delivers! We scheduled our groceries to be delivered between 8:00 and 10:00 tonight. Off to MoMA!

We walked near Central Park and passed the Plaza Hotel on our way to MoMA. Sharissa Iqbal had arranged for free passes to the museum for the three of us. We decided to start downstairs in the Theatre Gallery, where a very special exhibition of Maya Deren's experimental short films were streaming.

After the lower level, we decided to move to the 6th level and work our way down, unfortunately they were between special exhibits and the Matisse show doesn't start until mid July, so we started with the contemporary paintings and sculptures on the 5th level. Picasso, Gauguin, Manet, Matisse, Van Gogh, Mondrian, Diego Rivera, Freida Khalo, and many more artists were represented in this exhibit. Did you know that Salvidor Dali's painting, "Persistence of Memory" (draping clocks) is tiny?! It is only about 10" x 16"! Raven was fascinated with the detail Freida Khalo portrayed in her self portrait with a monkey. Julie was exited to see Meret Oppenheim's sculpture of a cup, saucer, and spoon covered with gazelle fur. Rainy was absorbed in the paintings by Max Beckman. We spent the most time on level 5 because these were the paintings and sculptures which fascinated the three of us the most.

We moved on to level 4 which houses more contemporary paintings and sculptures. This level held more 20th century pieces by artists such as Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, and Mark Rothko. Overall, the artwork on this level did not hold us as long as the 19th century artwork did, though there were some very fascinating paintings and sculptures.

The third level had one section that featured Drawings, surveying the years from 1880 to the present. There were works in pencil, ink, and charcoal as well as watercolors , collages, and works in mixed media. Because Julie often works in mixed media, she enjoyed seeing a lot of the pieces on display, many by artists that she was unfamiliar with. There was a large Rauchenberg mixed media piece that Julie was really happy to see on display. Also on the third level was a section on Photography which surveyed the history of photography from the 1840's onward, representing both its creative figures as well as applications in journalism, science, and commerce. For the first time ever, Julie saw photographs by a photographer that she has admired since high school, Dorthea Lang. The third level also featured a display on Architecture and Design, ranging from large-scale design objects to works on paper and architectural models. The collection surveyed major figures and movements from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. The mid-century furniture made Julie think of her good friend Rhonda Woodward, whoose house is filled with examples similar to what was featured at the museum.

On down to level 2 where one section was filled with Prints and Illustrated Books. The collection surveyed works from the 1880's to the present, with installations that highlighted individual artists and key movements. Julie was fascinated with the collection of woodcut prints by her favorite printmaker; Kathe Kollwitz. Also on level 2 was a collection focused on Media, reflecting ever-evolving artistic practices, new technologies, and today's visual world. Surveyed are works dating from the late 1960's to the present.

By now we were somewhat tired and ready for just a little bite to eat. We walked a few blocks to a small Japanese tea shop called "Radiance". Julie ordered an Iced black tea and steamed pork with vegetable dumplings. Rainy had an iced green mach tea and a salmon spring roll. Raven ordered a Silver Needle Premium light tea that was served hot and Wellness soup with goji berries, mushrooms, red beans, and barley. It was just enough to refresh us for the subway ride home. For dessert Rainy got an array of mochi: strawberry, red bean, mango, honeydew, sweet milk...

Believe it or not, we were still hungry and decided to make a quick stop at Crif Dogs. Julie and Rainy ordered the Chihauhau Dog, served with bacon, avocado, and sour cream. Raven ordered the Jon-Jon Deragon Dog, served with cream cheese, scallions, and everything bagel seeds. We each ordered a Dale's Pale Ale to wash the dogs down. Next was a walk around the corner, back to Raven's apartment, to await the Trader Joe's delivery!

After the deliveries arrived, we continued drinking craft beers from Raven's small collection, and realized we were much more tired than we realized! We decided to relax and get to sleep early. In bed by midnight, we noticed how loud the noises from the street are (on a friday night) compared to other nights, and it goes on until about 5 am. But Saturday mornings are divine. The streets are coated in a silence.

New York City - Day 4

It is a lot of work, keeping up with this blog, remembering all that we did yesterday, trying to write to make it interesting to read.

We slept in (as usual) and all woke up hungry! Raven led us to a cafe that served food with a middle eastern flair. We sipped lattes, worked on our blog together and proceeded to order some delicious food! Julie had over easy eggs served with Israeli salad and cheese, Rainy ordered pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon yogurt and Raven had an omelet with salmon and cucumbers. Once we were again full and satisfied, we returned to the apartment to regroup and head out for the day.

Our adventure began with walking the streets of the Lower East Side. We ducked into shops when the mood struck us, and I discovered that the prices for everything, from clothing to mid-century furniture, were much more than I could ever afford. Regardless, the window shopping was fun and interesting! Raven and Julie took lots of pictures as the streets were narrow and the buildings interesting.

The first scheduled stop for the day was Lady Mendl's Tea Salon at The Inn at Irving Place for a pre-fix five course tea. The brownstone inn was built in 1839, lovingly restored and furnished with antiques reflecting the Victorian era. For tea selections; Julie ordered the Marbury Rose, a black tea with delicate pink rose buds. Rainy ordered the Scarlet Glow, a lively fruity blend of hibiscus and elder flowers, naturally sweetened with sweet leaf. Raven selected the Kuanyin Oolong which is known for its richness of flavor with notes of peach and other stone fruits. The first course of food was a warm, miniature tart filled with an unidentified yet satisfyingly rich mixture. Next came a selection of small sandwiches. There was turkey salad in a whole grain bread, egg salad on white bread, cream cheese and cucumber also on white bread, and salmon on dark rye toast. All of the special sandwiches were yummy, especially the egg salad. Our next course consisted of a plain and a blueberry scone served with raspberry jam and clotted cream. The fourth course was a cake made with layers of crepes and vanilla cream. It was quite rich, different from anything I have had, which made me think that I should try duplicating the cake using our family recipe for Eiukes as the crepes and perhaps filled with a green tea cream. I will have to try this when I get home! The meal ended with a chocolate dipped strawberry and a sugar cookie. We drank more tea, visited, and admired the tea salon. It was almost 6 p.m. when we left Lady Mendl's to walk to The Raines Law Room.

The Raines Law Room is a speakeasy. This time the doorway was obvious but unmarked, you wouldn't know what the establishment was unless you had been there before. Rainy rang the doorbell, and we were allowed to enter. The room was very dark, set up like a lounge with overstuffed sofas, chairs and a few booths. The bar was at the back of the room and set up more like a kitchen which welcomed guests to watch as their cocktails were mixed.

Tonight we looked at the drink menu to decide what to order; when ready to place our order, there was a pull string that let the waitress know you were ready. Julie ordered a South Side Rickey, a gin based drink with mint and lime. Rainy had the Viva Verde, a tequila and mezcal cocktail with muddled cucumbers and lime and laced with salt and pepper.

Raven requested Julio's Cup, a spicy tequila drink similar to Rainy's but with Tabasco included. We enjoyed our cocktails and admired the wallpaper which, when closely observed, revealed silhouetted figures of men and women in coitus. It was subtle and elegant all at the same time.
 

On our way to The High Line (an elevated park made from a restored subway line) we stopped in for a wine tasting at a favorite wine shop of Raven's. We sampled six different wines and each preferred the white wines over the rose and the reds. On to the High Line, as planned, we were arriving at the park close to sunset. Again, Raven and Julie took many pictures of the river, the buildings, and the sun setting beyond. There was a section with wooden lounge chairs where we sat and relaxed as the sun finally sank over the horizon.

Our final stop for the day was a restaurant in the Dumbo (down under manhattan bridge overlook) District in Brooklyn. We arrived at 9:30 and had an hour wait for our table. As we waited, we sat at the bar to enjoy a beverage. Like the other restaurants we have visited in NYC, this one was small and the kitchen even smaller! The walls, floor, tables, and chairs were all made from a rich, dark wood. There were a few stained glass pieces and interesting lamps hanging from the ceiling. For our appetizers we shared a market salad with grated sugar snap peas and radishes tossed in a vinaigrette dressing plus a dish which featured octopus. For the main course, Rainy ordered ravioli stuffed with english peas, Raven had the lamb, and Julie ordered tilefish served with fava beans. For dessert we shared a plate of cheese and a blueberry topped custard. With full tummies, we took the F train home from Brooklyn. It was 12:30 am and we were calling it an early night!

New York City - Day 3

Every good road trip requires a visit to the laundromat, and today was our day. The laundromat is just around the corner, luckily not too far from Raven's apartment. While the clothes were washing, we all enjoyed a latte at Minibar, a tiny coffee house just 2 doors down from the entrance to the apartment. We also shared a green tea muffin, coffee cake, and yogurt with blueberries & granola. Interesting observation: we were enjoying breakfast at 1 pm. I think we have slipped in to a good New Yorker's schedule.

The plans for today took us to Williamsburg, an artsy burrough in Brooklyn. We road the L train into Brooklyn, getting off at the first stop. From the east village it was actually faster to get to Williamsburg than Uptown. We wandered the streets and shops somewhat aimlessly, simply enjoying being out of Manhattan. At Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers, I did buy a couple of old magazine-like books featuring Kathe Kollwitz for just a couple of dollars while Rainy bought "2012 The Return of Quetzalcoatl". We walked to Grand Ferry Park which put us at the waters edge near the bridge into Manhattan. From this point, we could look across the river and see the Manhattan skyline. We sat for a while enjoying the breeze coming off the water and the beautiful view. We left the park and walked to Radegast Hall & Biergarten to enjoy a nice cold beer. Julie ordered a St. Peters IPA. Rainy had a Fruli, a strawberry beer flavored with coriander and orange peel. Raven drank a refreshing Belgian wheat beer, Weihenstephaner Kristal.

We took the L train back to East Village for an early dinner at Grafitti, a contemporary Indian-fused American restaurant. The restaurant was extremely small, probably 10' wide 30 ft deep and 4 tables. In the city, communal dining with strangers is the norm, so having such an early dinner was great because we didn't have to share our table. We started our meal with the Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint Sorbet; a refreshing start to the wonderful dishes that followed. Next we shared the Green Mango Paneer, an exciting cheese dish with unusual flavors. We ordered the Pickled Ginger Scallops, Candied Red Chili. Julie doesn't eat scallops, but was brave enough to try just one thin slice. Both Raven and Rainy thought the scallops were delicious. Next we shared the Zucchini Hummus Pizza which was hummus and thinly sliced zucchini on pita.....Yummy! We ordered two more plates of food; the Chickpea Crusted Skate with Mint Yogurt Sauce and the Duck Portabello Gratinee with Mustard Onion Confit, both were outstanding. Raven orderd a bottle of Gruner Veltliner German wine for the table, it was smooth and dry with a great acidity that balanced out the spices in the dishes. For desert we shared the Coconut Macaroon with Dulce De Leche and the Warm Truffle Almond Strawberries with Pepper Ice Cream. Overall, it was an Exquisite Meal.

Raven had reserved seats for all of us at a Taxidermy Lecture out in Williamsburg at a place called Third Ward, the second stop off the L into Brooklyn. My knowledge and experiences of taxidermy comes solely from the hunting world. It was really interesting to learn about taxidermy from a young vegetarian contemporary artist's point of view. She had gone to art school and completed a four week course at a taxidermy school, so she was a bit of a novice in the subject but her view was fascinating. She had an impressive fox mount with her that she had made in school. She used slides to navigate throughout the lecture and we discovered some interesting Taxidermy Artists - "Animal Artists." Raven was familiar with one : Polly Morgan.

Our next stop was off the G train to Boerum Hill at Char No. 4, a whiskey and bourbon specialty bar that served BBBQ as well.

Julie hates whiskey but thought she should sample it... Raven and Rainy ordered 3 different kinds all at 1oz each. Two Japanese whiskeys: Nikka 21 yr & Suntory 18 yr. As a recommendation from the bartender we also sampled an American Whiskey, Pappy Van Winkle 20 yr. Rainy's favorite was the American whiskey and Raven's was the Japanese Nikka. Julie boldly sampled each, then disgustedly went back to her sparkling Prosecco. Rainy spotted a specialty cocktail that looked really intriguing: The Spicy Buck- it was made up of spicy ginger beer,whiskey and she said it was a fancy version of her usual drink, but this one was so much more amazing and delicious; definitely a treat. Char No. 4 were having a bbq special that highlighted three different kinds, our favorite was the pork ribs with a mustard barbeque sauce. As an appetizer though, the Lamb Pastrami really impressed us! We finished with a toffee pudding and butter pecan ice cream drizzled in Bourbon! Rich and delicious.