Happy Monday everyone! Don’t all groan with displeasure at once. I know after this weekend in New York City I could have used an extra day off (or two) myself. With work, me being in grad school, our wedding, and then being broke after buying a house, it has been years since our last weekend away in New York City. We might not have even thought of this trip had Steve and his friends from high school not decided to go to special Oktoberfest Mets game. Since it was going to be a guys night, I decided to work most of the day on Friday and head up on a late afternoon train. When all is running smoothly the train ride from D.C. to NYC is an enjoyable one.
My train put me in the city just around dinner time so my friend Jess from college, who works in the City, met up with me and after some drinks at our hotel took me and another friend, Stephanie, to an Italian restaurant called Gemma. Oh. My. God. it was amazing! After filling up on snacks on the train and in the bar I wasn’t super hungry so I skipped out on an appetizer and went with the Pappardelle Bolognese. The pasta was so fresh and the sauce was really flavorful. All three of us loved our meals, and for dessert we split the Calzone di Nutella, a calzone filled with nutella and ricotta cheese. Again out of this world and it was a perfect size for sharing. Oh and John C. Riley was sitting at the table behind us!!! I was trying to be slick and take a “selfie” and really just get him, but it didn’t turn out so well. He is the blurry shape in the bottom left hand corner.
After getting back to the hotel at 3:30 am, Steve and I dragged ourselves out of bed on Saturday for our 10:30 reservations at the World Trade Center Memorial. Luckily I just happened to be on their website and saw that yes, you need reservations to get on to the memorial site. For anyone planning a visit be sure to do this before you go to skip the long lines. After seeing the memorial so many times in magazines and on T.V. I didn’t think it would have as much of an impact on me as it did. Just standing there and remembering the horror of that day it really hit me that you and your loved ones can leave for a normal day of work and never come back, and especially all those first responders who ran into the burning buildings. It just breaks my heart thinking of it.
Well nothing can put me back in a good meal like a good meal with friends. Steve and I took advantage of the beautiful weather to walk to Little Italy where we were meeting up with four of his friends for lunch, and what turned into a full day of eating and drinking! After another amazing Italian meal, Steve’s friend Brandon and his girlfriend Julie lead us on a food tour of some of their favorite places. I got a non Starbucks latte that puts that coffee giants to shame. Who knew you didn’t have to add a couple of packets of sugar to a small latte to get rid of the bitterness! Then it was off to sample tea at Harney & Sons . I know coffee and tea, but again keep in mind I was up until a time of night I haven’t seen since college. Next stop was a hole in the wall cheesecake bakery. Only in New York City can you find places dedicated to selling only one thing. For example we passed a shop that only sold rice pudding. I didn’t realize there was such a cult following for rice pudding. It’s not really my thing, but hey good for those people who found their niche market and are able to make a living from it.
We said good by to Steve’s friends Pete and Stephanie after that and continued on to the Lower East Side where we went to a place called Tiny Fork. Where Steve got a REALLY spicy Bloody Mary and we all split some fresh oysters on the half shell. The people watching there is amazing. We even saw a guy skateboarding down the street with a little Frenchie tagging along side! After all that I was feeling really full so Steve and I went back to the hotel to lay and digest before we met even more friends for dinner! Brandon and Julie made reservations for the group at one of their local favorites, Ponty Bistro. No joke the place only had about 20 tables and our group of nine took up half of the dining space. Again the food was amazing. I went with the mussels, and Steve, along with two of the other guys, got a lamb dish that looked like something out of the Flinstones. Just when you thought we couldn’t have shoved any other food in our mouths, our last stop of the night was Big Gay Ice Cream. I had seen this on T.V. and was really excited to try it. Steve, not being the dessert eater was less excited, so he went with a boring chocolate milkshake, and I got the “Salty Pimp.” It was really good, and standing outside while the “bouncer” tried to keep the crowd under control only added to the experience.
Sunday we keep the food intake to the minimum, and had brunch with even more friends (who knew we were so popular, and in NYC to boot) before we hopped on the train home. Now after reading all of that you can see why I might need a couple of extra days to recuperate. It was so much fun to see so many of our friends, and explore so many new neighborhoods, and dining establishments. I feel like New York City is a place that is easy to get overwhelmed by when it comes to dining options, so having locals point you the best places that as a tourist you would normally walk by was a great experience for us. I can’t wait to go back!
fh2home 