August 20th, 2015
 
Walking the High Line meant that my friend, Cindi, and I would be walking all those “indispensables” New York City has to offer…from Str-eat food to fine dining, and a few cocktails along the way.
The High Line is a New York City Park, maintained and supported by the Friends of the High Line, http://www.thehighline.org.
In 1934 as part of the West Side Improvement Project, the High Line opened to trains. It was designed to go through the center of blocks, rather than over the avenue, carrying goods to and from Manhattan’s largest industrial district.
In 2002-2003 the High Line’s preservation and re-use began.
In 2005-2006, the City accepted ownership of the High Line which was donated by CSX. The groundbreaking was celebrated in April, 2006.
On September 21, 2014 the third and northernmost section of the park, the High Line at the Rail Yards, opened to the public, with a celebration for a successful 15 years of advocacy to preserve the entire structure. For more info., please visit http://www.thehighline.org/visit/#/access.
The High Line is open from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. There are public tours on Tuesday and Saturday from May through September. Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m. The location? Gansevoort St. entrance, on the High Line at Gansevoort St. More info? Please call 212-500-6035.
Along the way you will see the Hudson on one side and the City on the other.
While visiting check the landscaping, and the railroad ties that are still seen and have been preserved on purpose throughout the walk.
It was a little hot last Sunday but you can take your shoes off and cool off.
Plenty of benches to take a break and the trees are now grown, giving shade on hot summer days. You will also find vendors selling cool refreshments….one of my favorites the Shaved Ice or Piraguas as they are called in Puerto Rico
The Mural…Love Is The Answer
You can’t miss it. Portraying Albert Einstein’s literal words. The street art is by Bansky, known for his social and political art commentaries that pop up around NYC.
Come Build With Us…The Collectivity Project will be at the High Line until September 30th from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. This is an installation of 2 tons of white LEGO bricks that features an imaginary cityscape conceived and designed by the public. Visitors are welcomed to play with the installation, building and rebuilding the structures over time. More info? Please visit http://www.art.thehighline.org.
So, if you are visiting the Big Apple, this is a must do activity!!
Have a good one…TTYL
January 6th, 2015
 
Only 24 hours in New York City….raining a bit, cold, damp…..did not matter, out the door to check out what Cindi and I could….with the Holiday Spirit and still feeling the excitement of the city that can decorate like no other, we were playing tourists.
The main plaza at Rockefeller Center found us next to the illuminated angels. The 85 foot tall Norway Spruce was trimmed with 45,000 lights and topped with a massive Swarovski crystal star.
The ice skating rink was filled with skaters.
Off to Bryant Park located at 42nd St. and 6th Avenue. This year’s tree was a 50 foot Norwich Spruce. About 125 Holiday Shops were around the Park. The tree was taken down today, the 6th of January.
The ice skating rink at Bryant Park is another choice the city has for ice skating through the winter.
From Thanksgiving and through New Year’s the store windows in New York City get decorated to the point that you can take tours. Cindi and I stopped at one our favorite windows….Bergdorf Goodman! Its windows featured not only high fashion but also authentic antiques. They were trendy, classical, and mystical.
   
Tiffany looked gorgeous!!
The UNICEF Snowflake is a 28 foot ornament made up of “16,000 hand-cut Baccarat crystal. Every year it is located at the intersection of 57th and 5th Avenue. The ornament is a beacon of HOPE, PEACE, and COMPASSION for children everywhere. It was donated to UNICEF by the Stonbely Family Foundation and its iconic architecture is courtesy of designer Ingo Maurer and Baccarat”. It is awesome!!
 
So, another Holiday Season comes to an end. Same time next year in New York City….I have already marked it on my 2015 Calendar. Best Wishes…..Happy Three King’s Day!!
January 5th, 2015
24 hours in New York City!! Driving from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Saturday, only took us about 4 hours. Easy driving and no traffic. I guess everyone was still waking up from New Year’s. New York City had slight rain but that did not stop Cindi and I from enjoying the City.
Looking forward to seeing The Temptations and The Four Tops at The Palace Theatre on Broadway where they were performing for one week only. It was the first time they would perform together. It was going to be fun!
“Baby Boomers found that their music, most notably Rock & Roll, was another expression of the generational identity. Our transistor radios were personal devices that allowed teenagers to listen to The Beatles and The Motown Sound.”
The Palace Theatre is located at 1564 Broadway. It opened in 1913 with so much history. Performing here meant that a performer had “made it”.
The Palace is beautiful with an art deco feel to it. It is small, seats are so comfortable and the stage can be seen from every seat.
The Temptations and The Four Tops opened the night!! Even though there have been some changes in their groups because of deaths and other circumstances, their concept and soul have been kept. And, their wardrobe still stands out, just as their dance moves have, as well.
Then, each group performed what they do best….and the party began!!
 The Temptations  The Four Tops 3 hours of Motown was just the perfect way to start 2015.
 
And when they asked if we were ready to party…..we did and The Palace was hopping.
This show was awesome!! The guy next to us asked Cindi to read something from the program and then he said “Didn’t they know what audience was attending?” Pass the readers, please!
If you are in South Florida, The Temptations and The Four Tops will be at The Kravis Center on Saturday, April 4th at 8 p.m. You can get tickets through Ticketmaster. Don’t miss it Baby Boomers!
April 10th, 2012
New York City was a little cold and windy when I visited at the end of March. That did not stop us from walking and enjoying some of the many attractions that this international city has to offer.
Eating in New York is an experience and everyone has an opinion to which restaurant to try.
I was visiting New York to catch up with my cousins who were traveling back to Puerto Rico from Spain. The three of us were going to also get together with a childhood friend. I cannot believe we had not seen him in probably 38 to 40 years.
When I was talking to him on the phone and were trying to figure out where to go, I told him I wanted an intimate restaurant, where we could catch up after so many years.
Luigi delivered a neat restaurant called Aroma Kitchen & Wine Bar. It is in the Historic District of NoHo, at 36 East 4th St., between Lafayette & Bowery. Tel. 212-375-0100. Website? http://www.aromanyc.com. Aroma opens 7 days a week.
In the 1970s and 80s artists started to occupy the area’s loft buildings, calling it NoHo to distinguish it from SoHo. NoHo was previously known as “warehouse district”. The Historic District of NoHo extends from north of Houston St. to East 9th St., and east from Broadway and Mercer to Lafayette St., and west of Cooper Square. This district remains intact. If you want to know more, please visit http://www.nohony.org.
Aroma opened in 2005 and already is the recipient of several accolades: Michelin 2012 Bib Gourmand Pick, 2012 Top 10 Wine Bars in NYC, and 2012 Top Value Restaurant in NYC, and New York Sexiest Wine Lists, among others.
The bar was at the front of the restaurant, right as you stepped in. There were different dining areas at Aroma; Main Dining Room, Farmhouse Room and La Tavernetta Room. We were escorted down through very narrow stairs to the Farmhouse Room, which gave me the feel of a wine cellar in a country side home. It was so cozy with a communal table, lit with candles and chandeliers. Very intimate, indeed.
Luigi came in looking “igualito”; just as we remembered him. Same smile. Quickly put us up to date on his life, as we waited for Aroma’s sommelier to come to our table to help us with the wine selections. They do have an extensive wine list.
 
Bread, olives and olive oil were immediately brought to the table. It is worth mentioning most everything is made in-house.
So, we wanted to start with a few appetizers.
An order of Arancini. Arancinis are fried; sometimes baked rice balls coated with breadcrums. Different fillings could be used. To tell you the truth, I had never had them and immediately knew I would like to try making them. It is a very old recipe and the word comes from Arancia which means orange in Italian. It is just the look; nothing to do with oranges.
We also ordered the meatballs. Neapolitan ragu, and smoked mozzarella. They were very good. One order for dinner, as well.
An order of grilled baby octopus with corona beans, potatoes, paprika and mint oil.
For dinner, an order of potato gnocchi gratin, porcini, truffle bechamel and fontina. My cousin commented that they were very good and perfect portion, as well.
I decided to have the strascinati pasta dish. Wild mushroom sofrito, spicy lamb sausage, roasted peppers, moliterno. The strascinati pasta is a simple pasta; only flour, semolina and water. It looks like an orecchiette pasta. It had a nice kick to it and loved it.
Luigi, who comes to Aroma often, ordered Leidy’s pork short ribs with smoked paprika, shiitake, and Anson Mills polenta. They looked beautiful and he said they were delicious, as well.
Even with everything we had eaten so far, we still had room for dessert. Too good to pass.
For me the chamomile panna cotta, moscato, poached figs and mascarpone what the dessert to get. I love figs; I do have my own tree in Rehoboth Beach. The panna cotta is the simmering together of cream, milk and sugar. Then, mixing all of this with gelating and letting it cool.
Some other ones preferred the molten chocolate cake, vanilla gelato and nutella cream.
And, Luigi decided on Di Palo ricotta cheese cake, berries, orange curd and grapefruit.
Coffee and more laughter ended one very nice evening…
 Margie & Sonia (cousins) and the stairs. Note: Aroma has space to hold special events for large parties and private events. Check the website and give them a call.
By the way, how could I forget? Our service was excellent!!
April 3rd, 2012
This time of the year was a little tricky finding a hotel in New York. I remembered a hotel that I had stayed with my friend, Cindi, called The Blakely New York. I was impressed then by their attention to their guests. On this particular trip, they excelled on their service. It is located at 136 West 55th St., New York, NY 10019. Tel. 212-245-1800 Website? www.blakelynewyork.com.
I was able to get a suite for my cousins and I who were traveling from Spain en route to Puerto Rico; New York would be our meeting place after not seeing each other for about 1 1/2 years. And, we wanted to be within walking distance to most everything.
The Blakely has 16 floors with 8 rooms in each floor. It reminds me of a European hotel; understated. The entrance is welcoming and warm; the elevators are small. The hotel has a restaurant called the Abbocato. Our stay included Continental breakfast. The restaurant is also open for lunch and dinner.
For anyone that likes to drive into New York City, right next to the Blakely there is parking; very convenient.
The Blakely is so centrally located; 2 blocks from Central Park, 1 block from Fifth Ave., a block from the MOMA, Rockefeller Center, Columbus Circle, and many others.
Through our stay we got great service. Everyone was so pleasant and ready to help and guide.
Ariel was one of those. For example, after he brought to our room all the luggage my cousins had I thought he would stay away from us. But no. We were looking for some place to eat and it was close to 10 p.m. He suggested La Bonne Soupe.
I had seen La Bonne Soupe on a prior visit and thought it looked really cute. It is a French Bistro located at 48 W 55th St. Tel. 212-586-7650. Website? www.labonnesoupe.com
It was less than a block from The Blakely. Their motto? “Good Life, With Health, Wealth and Happiness”.
When we arrived it was crowded and they asked us if we had just made a reservation for 3. No, we answered, but that the hotel had sent us.
We sat down and really all we wanted was a warm soup and I also wanted a crepe.
That’s exactly what we ordered. In the meantime, the doors opened and there was Ariel, our Concierge from The Blakely. I thought he was coming to have dinner too. Surprise!! He had 3 umbrellas for us. It had started raining and he brought them so we would not get wet.
Everyone around us, including the Manager…and, where are you staying? St. Regis, perhaps? No, The Blakely….the Manager said: “That’s what I call service.”
My cousins enjoyed a delicious tomato soup; creamy and very well seasoned.
I loved my crepe with smoked salmon and cream cheese.
Le Bonne Soup also offers a great brunch…that’s what I have been told. Very good lunches, as well. They also have their own cookbook, so check out their website.
So, what a way to start our girls trip in New York!!
You know what? Ariel had made that reservation for 3 upon us walking to La Bonne Soupe. He wanted to make sure they had a table for us. Need I say more?
Note: Later, I will tell you about Abbocato, the restaurant at The Blakely. One thing at a time, don’t you think.
Talk to you later. Back in Delaware!!
March 28th, 2012
I am not even close to “AboutMyBeaches”. Meeting my cousins in New York for a few day will be a treat. I got into the City first; they are traveling from Spain. So, I decided to go for a walk. I am just 2 blocks from Central Park.
Here are a few pictures.
I came to a stop when I saw Ernest Klein & Co., which is an international supermarket. I had been there before. Ready made food, fresh vegetables, soups, sushi and everything you can imagine. It is located at 1366 6th Ave.
I came across the Raw Vegan, New York Naturals, Kale Chips. The Bombay Ranch and the Vegan “Cheese” were delicious. They are handmade in Brooklyn. Gluten Free, Not baked, Not fried.
They are made with the whole kale leaf. Sometimes the stems on the bigger leaves are hard to chew. Most people prefer to eat just the leaf part and discard the stem. I ate the whole thing. You won’t believe how good they are. A little salty and so crispy.
The Kale Factory is located at 925 Bergen St. #102, Brooklyn, NY 11238.
A great find….see you later…
October 19th, 2010
My expectations of our ferry trip to Bear Mountain were that we would be traveling on the Hudson, on a calm sunny day, and from left to right you would be seeing colors; oranges, fiery reds, yellows and purples. You know; autumn at its best.
Well, it was freezing, windy and white caps on the Hudson. Oh, well Cindi and I did not care. That’s what happens when you travel. Take it as it comes, right? We just had to take it for 2 1/2 hours up the Hudson and 2 1/2 hours back.
We lined up at Pier 83 and on the Circle Line we went. The boat was packed with a diverse group of people. The young people were already celebrating; afterall, we were all going to an Oktoberfest celebration on Bear Mountain.
I kept thinking, how could I have forgotten my parka? Everybody was practically wearing one, except Cindi and I. We sat outdoors and for some time everyone was pretty quiet.
I started noticing that besides the Circle Line ferry, the only other boats on the Hudson were container ships.
At one point we had only a long hour to wait and so we decided to go inside and get some coffee. We did not last long; too many people; too stuffy and from the bow of the boat every time someone opened the door water would splash in and out with the mops they went.
Finally at a distance we saw Bear Mountain. Not too imposing, though, but I saw my first tree. All they way there the leaves were greener than in Delaware.
Bear Mountain is the flagship of the Palisades Interstate Park System; 45 miles north of NYC, in the Hudson Highlands.
It is accessible by car and bus, or like we did, this time of the year by ferry. It is used primarily during the day. The Bear Mountain Inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places but at present is under renovation.
All kinds of amenities including hiking trails; the first segment of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and a key segment of the Long Path. For more info. please visit www.palisadesparksconservancy.org/parks/5/. Or, call 845-786-2701.
A hike up the mountain; I did not know how the older people were going to do it; slowly they did. We were warned that we needed to be back on the ferry by 3 p.m. sharp or you were staying at Bear Mountain.
We found an art fair first and Cindi was hoping that there was more to that; and yes there was. A big tent with entertainment; the Continentals. Different stations to get beer. The majority of the people got beer steins and that was a good thing because the lines were very long.
Then we made the line for our German fare. I don’t know if it was the long trip, the cold weather, or what, but we got so much food for just the 2 of us; Bratwurst with Sauerkraut, Sauerbraten with pickled beets, Pierogies with caramelized onions and sour cream, stuffed cabbage and more pickled beet salad. We had enough pickled beets to feed an army. We, actually, gave some away. For dessert there was a plate full of cookies, but enough, please.
Then a walk where we found the next tree. Great color. We stopped right in front of Hessian Lake and I could not help but take the picture of Cindi looking for the leaves as the wind pounded her face.
 Leaves, anywhere? 
Back to the tent to see what was going on and there was dancing and drinking and music by the Continentals.
Soon it was time to hike down the trails to our ferry and the crowd was a little more rowdy; those lacrosse players and those girls were having a great time.
And so for the next 2 1/2 hours we heard:
The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together, the happier we’ll be
‘Cause your friends are my friends and my friends are your friends
The more we get together the happier we’ll be
We bonded with them, knowing personally, one of them. Another one, Bryan talked to us the whole way; about his girlfriend, his very demanding job in the City, his family, and life in general.
We arrived at the pier as the sun was setting. We did have a lot of laughs and got off that ferrry singing:
The more we get together, together, together
The more we get together, the happier we’ll be…..
Cindi and I walked to The Blakely. We needed to walk off some of those carbs. Then off to have Indian food, with Ryan, at Mint. This Indian restaurant is located at 150 East 50th St., tel. 212-644-8888, website www.mintny.com.
We had chicken samosas, chicken tikka masala, chicken curry and lamb nilgiri. Unfortunately, I could not take pictures; this time it did not seem appropriate, but check the website because it has pictures and it is very self explanatory. I had eaten there before and it was just as good.
A walk checking Rockefeller Center and other places completed the evening.
Sunday was gorgeous; the day we needed on Saturday. People were out and about walking for breast cancer or just enjoying a beautiful day in the City.
And for us, it was, on the road again…
Until next time…..talk to you later…..
October 18th, 2010
Months ago Cindi and I decided we were going to take a road trip to New York City; then take a day cruise up the Hudson River to watch the fall splendor at its best from that advantage point. Bear Mountain was the destination.
The drive from Rehoboth Beach took 4 hours. Not bad and it went so fast; you know, bla, bla, bla the whole way through. We stayed at The Blakely on 136 West 55th St., www.blakelynewyork.com. It was the perfect location; a block and a half from Central Park and walking distance to everywhere else.
We went to explore the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), which is located at 11 West 53rd St. It was the first museum devoted to the modern era; about 150,000 objects offering an unparallel overview of modern and contemporary art.
In one of the rooms, as you entered the museum there was a microphone courtesy of Yoko Ono and visitors could just go up to it and scream. In another room right on the wall there were one liners by her, as well.
I don’t understand the majority of the art at the MOMA, but still enjoyed very much going through every exhibit. Some of them were too far out but others quite interesting; Picasso, Miro, Warhol, Matisse and van Gogh.
By the time we left, the museum was completely full. Early drinks at the W and then to Rue 57 (Brasserie Parisienne et Sushi Bar) for something to eat. This restaurant is located on 60 West 57th Ave., www.rue57.com. It had been a long day so we enjoyed our dinner very much. Rue 57 had a good atmosphere and the service was great. We started with an appetizer of truffle pomme frites.
Cindi and Ryan ordered the salmon. Cindi thought hers should have been cooked less, but liked it very much.
I ordered the steak and I wanted it medium rare. It really was very rare so I would have cooked it a bit more.
If you are visiting New York City, one of the most enjoyable activities is walking, day or night. You never know what is around the corner.
On Friday evening, as we were walking we saw the cameras and lights right at Trump Tower. A filming of next year’s Apprentice was what we encountered. LaToya Jackson, Diane Warwick, Meatloaf and Gary Busey among others.
 Gary Busey A long day was awaiting on Saturday so off to The Blakely we went.
At the beginning of this post I mentioned that the purpose of the trip was to see the changing colors of the leaves at this time of the year. Well, we certainly drove a long way to see 2 gorgeous trees….gale force winds, a ferry ride with 60 plus athletes, most of them lacrosse players, Oktoberfest, beer steins…. and German fare….to be continued tomorrow….
Talk to you later…
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