Lately it has seemed like I was constantly answering New York questions…what to see, what to avoid, where to go…when I see posts in groups that say ridiculous things like “The M&M store is a must do” it makes me twitchy. That isn’t New York. That is Disney. If you want an endless shopping experience, of overpriced, tourist junk, go to Disney or an outlet mall at the beach. Seriously, why go to all the trouble and expense to visit a great city to just do that??
Some friends were in my favorite city this week and were doing what we do, getting off the beaten path, seeking out great little hole in the wall restaurants, and absorbing into the fabric of Manhattan. I succumbed to my Manhattan fever and booked a trip yesterday, for week after next. It isn’t hot yet, and will be just past frigid, so late May seems like a perfect time to go!
This is a grownups only trip, and my focus is on seeking out the truly old New York spots that are likely to disappear. I have an ice cream factory in Chinatown on the list, as well as a knish bakery in the lower east side. Tea at the Russian Tearoom is booked, which is a lavish, over the top experience, in a truly remarkable place. Where else would you get caviar and blini with afternoon tea? We have a drag show crawl booked in the West Village, that will keep us out until the small hours of the morning, and a walking tour of Chinatown and Little Italy, and area with so much history that I’ve never really dived into. We will seek out old luncheonettes and sketchy diners, maybe find some good jazz in Harlem, and will be trekking way to the south of Brooklyn for a homemade Italian meal in a private home, with a group of what will likely become new friends.
Stepping out of the car in the midst of the chaos of the city is always like coming home for me. I’m not a tourist when I’m in New York, I am a New Yorker. There will be a bakery box tied up in twine from the Hungarian Pastry shop, and dosa from a street cart will be procured. I look forward to some familiar favorites, and some new surprises!
Vagabond.Belle 