BIG NY Finish! — Patti Part Two

It was a good thing I rested because I had another running friend Tracy coming to enjoy New York with me for a few days. She arrived on time and we were up and out the door. We had tickets for a Broadway show so an early dinner was first on the agenda. I had walked by The Grey Dog so many times and had gotten a good recommendation on it so we decided to give it a try. It’s a casual place and they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. They now have 5 locations in Manhattan and it was good.

Cauliflower rice with veggies and chicken for me and a grilled turkey sandwich with apples and Brie for Tracy.

We jumped on the subway and headed up to Times Square. We had tickets to see The Band’s Visit which won 10 Tony awards including Best Musical this past year. We both enjoyed it and it was totally different then most other shows I have seen. Set in Israel and it’s kind of a two for one - broadway show and a music concert since the band has excellent musicians in it that are a big part of the story.

A walk through Times Square and home to bed. That’s two trips to Times Square in two weeks - enough for the next couple of years!

We had a great day planned so headed out for a substantial breakfast. I love my croissants and scones but knew that today I needed more. I had walked by a restaurant that looked so cute so we decided to try it. Hudson Clearwater right on the corner of Hudson and Morton. I loved the inside and the food and coffee were great. They have a cute outdoor garden you can sit in behind the restaurant but we stayed inside because the temperature and humidity were already high. They also serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Avocado toast with poached egg for me and steel cut oats with berries for Tracy.

They have a wonderful museum on the lower east side called The Tenement Museum, and when I told Tracy about it she was really interested in going so that is where we headed. It’s not like a typical museum that you go in and see exhibits. Depending on which tour you sign up for you go into an actual tenement and they have recreated the lives of different immigrant families, and you learn about what their life was like by actually seeing the space and hearing from an excellent guide. There are many different tours so while I did one a few years ago it was easy to select one I hadn’t heard. The one we did was called “Under One Roof” and we learned about a Russian family, Puerto Rican family and a Chinese family. It was really fantastic and we learned so much. The guide was so knowledgeable and could answer any question posed. The tour groups are fairly small - about 15 people. Our group was made up of about half from the UK and the rest from the US. Our tour lasted an hour and 45 minutes. It is very well done and worthwhile.

Building on Delancey and Orchard where you buy the tickets and the tour begins.

I needed a black and white cookie and we were close to one of the legendary places to get one so headed to Houston St and Russ & Daughters. It has been there since 1914 and I don’t think much has changed. Lox and bagels, cookies and babka. Anyone else remember the Seinfeld episode with babka? So funny! They probably got it here!

I got a cookie but the bagels are great too!

We headed home to take care of Penny, cool off a little and head out for our main event - The US Open!!! This was my third time to attend and Tracy’s first, but the first time for both of us to see Rafael Nadal play. We were pumped! And bonus - we got to see Serena Williams play first! Rafa is both of our favorite player so it was a thrill. The best way to get there is on the subway. Literally let’s you off right outside the gate. Hello 7 train here we come!

Rolex clocks and no beer stands - Grey Goose vodka!

When you get off the train turn left for the Mets and right for the Open!

It is really a great sporting event. Beautiful facility, great food, and lots of courts. The two main courts are Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong but in the first week of the tournament there are qualifying and doubles matches going on constantly. We waited to buy our tickets till the night before as we wanted to be sure to see Rafa, and landed in good seats in the second tier. We could see perfectly and were so happy both Serena and Rafa won.

We got home late so weren’t in a big rush to get up and out in the morning. After a delicious breakfast at Rocco we were on our way uptown to Central Park.

Loved it! We didn’t have cookies for breakfast but they looked great! I had Brioche French toast! Amazing!

The train let us off right in front of the Natural History Museum on the west side of the park. Sorry, no time to stop by today. We were heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the east side of the park, so we got to walk across beautiful Central Park on a lovely hot day. It is well shaded so that was appreciated. We were looking for the Hans Christian Anderson and Alice in Wonderland statues.

Found them! And a pretty lake where you can rent radio controlled sailboats.

We spent the entire afternoon at the Met and saw just the Arts of Africa, Oceania and South America in one gallery and Greek and Roman Art in another. It’s such an incredible enormous place it would take weeks to see it all. I’m not an expert on any art let alone from these areas, but I will say it would be hard to imagine a museum that had a better collection.

New Guinean art. Top left is the roof of a ceremonial house and top right is a close up of the panels that make the roof. Incredible stuff!

Bottom left is made from very hard stone called Porphyry which is very rare and considered royal. This was a support for a water basin.

Don’t miss the roof garden on the 5th floor. An excellent view of the city skyline!

Back to our West Village neighborhood for dinner. We were both in the mood for Italian so decided to try Trattoria Pesce Pasta on Bleeker St. It was probably my favorite meal of the trip. A small authentic Italian restaurant that has been there over 25 years. For a nice restaurant in New York it was reasonably priced and the service and attention from the staff and owner were excellent. They are known for fresh fish along with all the usual Italian dishes, and your entree comes with either pasta or a vegetable.

We both ordered the striped bass with shallots and capers. Came with polenta - bonus! And I chose pasta with red sauce. We shared an appetizer of tons of fresh veggies lightly blanched - Yumm!

Over the past two weeks I have taken too many subway rides to count, and I am pretty proud of myself for only making a few little mistakes, nothing serious. I love the subway. It’s so inexpensive and so efficient. Some of the subway platforms are better than others and here is one of my favorites right by the Natural History Museum.

Here’s another coffee shop Tracy and I tried. They are an Australian coffee shop but outside of having lots of food with pears in it I didn’t notice a big difference between them and an American coffeeshop. But super cute!

Tracy got these amazing steel cut oats with turmeric and pears. Fantastic!

My time here is wrapping up - and I’m a little sad. For one, I am going to really miss Penny. She is so easy and such a sweetheart. I have met so many people in the neighborhood because she is so friendly and adorable, they can’t resist her. Don’t let anyone tell you New Yorkers aren’t nice or friendly. They have been amazing. And living in an apartment makes me feel like a local - and it’s been great! But this won’t be my last trip. Hopefully I’ve done a good job and will be high on the list to take care of Penny again. And thanks Cheryl and Tracy for coming out and having fun with me! You too Mary Kelly😊

I’m heading back to KC soon and will be enjoying that great city for a few weeks, and then off again. This year is flying by and it’s one I’ll never forget. If you’re reading this thanks for coming along!