NYC Trip III The Grande Finale

Saturday in NYC was our Exploring day. We had no museums or shows on the schedule and instead roamed around. Now we did however have a rough sort of plan. We began the day with The Lower West Side. I had drawn up a little itinerary which took us North of the World Trade Center site, west towards the river front which is lined by parks. We took the Chambers street stop on the Subway and walked towards the waterfront past Washington Market Park and the new Stuyvesant High School which is specialized high school for mathematics, science and technology. The Tribeca Bridge for pedestrians took us over a major roadway towards the waterfront parks. The first park is called "River Terrace Park" and one of the first attractions is the Irish Hunger memorial which is nestled amongst the high rises just off the side of the park facing the city. It was quite creative and far exceeded my expectations. From the water side it appears to be nothing more than a structure of dark stone and marble with various quotes engraved on it. There is a tunnel leading into it, and it appears modern and foreboding. As you head into the tunnel it eventually rises up into the center of the structure and empties out into what looks like an old Irish stone farm house. The path curves around back towards the water outside of the old stone structure. If you look straight towards the Hudson up the grassy bluff which forms the top of the monument, you could forget that you are in the middle of Manhattan. Of course there is noise and high rises on either side of you. I took this great picture of Kate on the monument.
Further south we walked past the Commodities and Mercantile exchange and a sheltered Marina area called the North Cove link. Eventually as we journeyed down the esplanade we crossed south cove park, then Robert F. Wagner park where the Jewish Heritage Museum is located. It was a very modern looking structure that had some interesting looking sculptures outside it. One of the better of these is a cat and a monkey together as though they are a couple. It was so strange I just felt inspired to snap a picture of it.

Back on the water is Pier A, location of the fire boat house. Castle Clinton is further South. We walked into Castle Clinton and took a quick glance around. Some of the Ellis Island/ Statue of Liberty tours are purchased there so it was mobbed with people. While being very old (originally built to protect us from the British in the War of 1812) it did not seem as impressive as some of the Forts that dot the New England Coast, including Fort Independence on Castle Island in Southie, or Fort Popham up in Maine. At the end of Battery park is the U.S. Coast Guard building and a small shipyard. Further on is the Staten Island Ferry. Kate and I would be heading there eventually to get a close glimpse at the Statue of Liberty... but first things first. LUNCH!! We reluctantly decided to go to the South Street Seaport. We had initially wanted to find a deli or sandwich shop, however we didn't want to deviate too far from our objective. South Street Seaport seemed like a good compromise, although I was a little concerned it was too far away from the Staten Island Ferry. We needed to cross around the southern tip of Manhattan towards the East side. Additionally some reviews of the market called it a touristy chain filled location. When we did arrive we were pleasantly surprised. I imagine the reviewers that write in Lonely Planet were a little more high brow than Kate or I. However, we appreciated a food court that was dominated primarily by non-chain ethnic food establishments. The dining area had stunning views of the water, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the adjacent tall ships which are docked at the Seaport. Kate and I settled on some Mexican food which hit the spot.

Determined to milk our day and get as much out of it as we could, we got moving again as soon as I licked the remaining vestiges of salsa out of a plastic cup.

Onward to the Staten Island Ferry which is FREE! Yes free, imagine that right? And...get this, they even serve beer on the ferry... so if you lived on Staten Island, you could have a nice lager on the way home after a tough day at the office. Sounds sort of romantic to me. Honestly I might need a beer at the end of the day if that was my routine. The boat ride was nice, but I imagine if the water was rough, or if it was mid-winter it may have been less pleasant. I enjoyed looking at the cityscape, and getting some close up shots of the statue of Liberty. There was something comforting about these big old boats. I can't explain it really. I suppose it was the idea that generations of New Yorkers have experienced this, and that it is an integral part of their life. The enormity of the ferries makes them an icon of the city. They seem to have the presence of an old familiar building that a community looks to for a sense of identity.

After we returned to Manhattan we decided to head over to Roosevelt Island and take the tramway. I wish I had snapped a picture but they were so crowded it seemed somehow difficult to do. I have to say they were a bit intimidating. I couldn't believe how much the cables sagged down as the tramway passed over them.

Mike Caprio and I saw Dark Water a few years ago which is a J-horror film starring Jennifer Connelly. I've been a little fascinated by the island since then. Although far from being as creepy as it is in the movie, there is something unsettling about the place. Apparently it has recently gone through some renewal/ gentrification. Most of the foreboding apartment buildings now house luxury apartments and condos. They are also building several new towers on the island. We walked down the main drag out toward some public gardens and soccer fields on the north end of the island. For an island that supposedly is home to 10,000 people there isn't a ton of commerce. A handful of diners and takeout restaurants stood amongst a couple pharmacies and a small grocery store. We went in the grocery store looking for a restroom and the variety of food available was surprisingly diverse. The views of Manhattan were absolutely stunning. There is an eerie calm on the island despite being in the middle of such hustle and bustle. The grounds are very green and beautifully landscaped with shrubs, vines and small trees. The vines and shrubs seemed almost overgrown while the trees almost appeared stunted. After going for a nice walk on the river way (the dark picture) back towards the tram, we headed back into the Upper East side.

On the spur of the moment I decided it might be neat to go into Bloomingdales and walk around. I wanted to look at their holiday decorations and their Christmas ornament section. I have a tradition of buying my Aunt Gigi a Santa figurine for Christmas and was hoping to find something unique. While nothing in particular caught my eye, Kate and I enjoyed the store. It was hands down one of the most beautiful stores I've been in. The decor had a warmth to it, the white floors gleamed despite the heavy traffic, and it was early enough in the holiday shopping season where people were still in good spirits. We pondered having coffee, however ultimately we moved on.

We decided on Supper next and Kate found a pizza place in her guide book called Arturo's Coal Oven Pizza. Kate said it was inexpensive, considered a original Neapolitan Pizza joint in NYC, and also typically boasted live jazz. This place was amazing, and if I go back to NYC... generally I'm someone who always likes going someplace new... but Arturo's is worth another visit. It was probably the best pizza I've ever had... and if that wasn't enough we were seated right next to a woman playing the jazz piano beautifully. The atmosphere was great, dark, warm, and strangely familiar. It was everything you want out of a pizzeria. Still family run, busy yet relaxed, comforting, man... I could go on and on. We ended up picking Arturo's Specialty which was a sausage pizza with peppers, onions and mushrooms. It couldn't have been much better.

The pizza place was in Soho. After eating we walked around Soho, the meatpacking district and Greenwich Village. It was a blast, I enjoyed being amongst the nightlife, the bookstores, the galleries, and all of the students, hipsters, and intellectuals roaming the streets. Some of the bars had some really amusing themes one called "The Slaughtered Lamb Pub" was decorated with werewolf dolls skeletons and other horrors. It had the general appearance of a classic English pub with the exception of the goth accents.

Our night was coming to a close at this point. Earlier we had tried to go to Serendipity III for some pastries and hot chocolate. As our luck would have it, Serendipity was going through renovations... go figure. Another time.

Below is a cheesy slide show I put together of all of our NYC trips. It is a montage set to Nilsson music... making it even cheesier. Perhaps it will make you laugh. I'm potentially going to work on something like this for my mother so it was a bit of practice really... but I thought I'd post it all the same. Eventually I'll get some movies on youtube now that my digital camera is capable of taking them.

Lastly, Sunday morning we went and got some breakfast suitcases in tow. We went to a place called Chat and Chew. The decor was very similar to "Silly's" in Portland ME. Very bohemian, a lot of mismatched furniture, antiques, and brightly colored retro ads on the wall. The food was good, however it was a little pricey for what you got. I had some blueberry pancakes complete with blueberry infused butter. I believe Kate had a variant of Ham and eggs... but my memory might be failing me. We both enjoyed our food a lot. Chat & Chew was in a basement location in Manhattan between Union square and 5th avenue. Oddly enough when I look at the pictures on their web site it doesn't appear as I remember it. Here is Kate standing out front. Thus concludes our vacation... as we headed to the Port Authority afterward for the bus ride home.