NYC Day 4: Last Long Walk

Our last day, wedding over, guests all leaving, we had a flight out at 4. So, we checked our bags at the hotel and went for our last long Manhattan walk of the trip. The last time I visited, NYC was overwhelming and while I had fun, I was also pretty glad to leave. But this time, walking through the city--from the East Village over to NYU campus, Washington Square and up to the Flat Iron building on Fifth--I could tell I was going to miss it this go around.

Our lovely hotel--the Cooper Square Hotel.

We had breakfast at the Moonstruck Cafe. I like their mugs and their coffee (and sadly, nothing else).

Just liked this sign. So, cute. It was a little Asian bakery and grocery right next to St. Mark's books.

A shop window on Fifth Avenue was filled with robots made out of discarded hardware and industrial parts--made by Bennett Robot Works. I pretty much wanted all of them, but here are my favorites.

New York was magical. I understood this visit why people fall in love with the city. I didn't want to leave. . . but I couldn't afford to stay. Dan and I had a marvelous time and were bone tired by the time we boarded the plane. The last time I felt that level of happy exhaustion was when we spent a week in Acadia National Park in Maine.

headed home again.

NYC Day 3: Mitra Orders the Blizzard to Stop

Right before the wedding, it's as if my buddy Mitra declared that the blizzard and the overcast grey weather in NYC simply had to cease. She's a very powerful woman. She could control such things if she put her mind to it.

And then New York was lit up in gorgeous late day light for everyone's cab rides over to the Foundry in Long Island City.

NYC Day 3: Downtown, Chinatown and the East Village

Our third day in NYC was Mitra's wedding day, but not until later in the evening, so we hopped on the train and took it to the end of the line into Downtown and walked back to our hotel in the East Village via Chinatown.

The last time I was in Chinatown, I think Mitra just took me for a skim through the top of the neighborhood. I had no idea New York's Chinatown was so massive. We walked and walked and walked and thought we would never come to the end of it. But so many great sights in the way.

All crazy cute except that final red-eyed crazed piglet. Why the red eyes?

This picture is for Dan, who loved that we saw "Mr. T" on our travels.

If you know my Dan, this is what he does to make me laugh. I can't explain why I think it's so funny. But he finds the cutest thing he can find and then poses next to it as apathetically as possible. Ridiculous.

So, I feel like I found two dream apartments/homes right next to each other in the East Village. One is on the left--the modern house plunked down on the top of a four flat. The other is on the right and looks French to me--the 4 huge windows running the length of the apartment. I'm hoping inside, it's a loft space filled with mirrors and reflected light.

My handsome husband in the cafe where we took a break from walking to warm up. And before we split up--him to haunt record shops, me to hang out with the bride while she got ready for the big event.

NYC Day 2 Part 3

Friday in New York was a big day. We covered a lot of ground. The last third of the day was spent in Times Square, a quick stop at Magnolia Bakery, Rockefeller Center, eating dinner at a great Japanese Noodle Shop just off of 5th Ave., and then a final walk up 5th to the train at the edge of Central Park that carried us back to the hotel where we ate our Magnolia desserts and then drifted off to a much needed sleep.

This is what we saw on the way.

The Chrysler Building lit up, peaking between buildings in the distance.

This is the first thing I saw at the south end of Times Square. It's a Target ad, but this Red Yeti is super cute and about 25 feet tall.

And then, you know, everyone knows what Times Square is. We've all seen pictures. It's Broadway. It's a million lights. It's hustle and bustle. But nothing can really prepare you for the actual place. Pictures don't do it justice. It's overwhelmingly lit up. It's somehow simultaneously beautiful, deeply American, shocking and kind of appalling. It's a strange and marvelous place.

A steakhouse just off the Square. We didn't eat there. I just really liked their sign.

No flash needed to capture the happy travellers. It was like daylight there in the square.

The 30 Rock Statue was wearing a snow hat!

Thank you, Mitra, for suggesting this place. On 55th between 5th and 6th. Really good food. And if you're exhausted and cold and your feet are wet from walking through snow all day, nothing is more comforting than this place. I've been thinking about it ever since.

Detailed mosaic on 5th Avenue churchfront. They're sermon topic for Sunday: "Can My Avatar Take Communion?" So, curious about where that talk would be headed.

Crazy beautiful shop window.

Dan's NYC Heaven. Such a pretty Apple store. It's all below ground beneath this lit glass box. . . which promted me to say, "It's just like the Louvre." Ridiculous.

The train back to the hotel--clearly we were in the station closest to the zoo. There were little mosaic animals everywhere.