I’ve become delinquent in my posts, and while there have been several smaller concerts lately including the fantastic Old Man Luedecke, about whom I’ve written before, my recent trip to the Big Apple takes a slight precedent.
Living as close as I have for 5 years now, it’s a bit ridiculous that I hadn’t already made a trip down to New York before now, but at least I made it before I left the northeast! And what a great time to go. Perfect weather and wonderful company. My sister and John flew from their respective corners of the country to NYC and I decided to bus down. Well worth the 11 hour bus ride. Sure, it should have been closer to 8, 8 and a half. But that estimate noticeably leaves out the decent into hell that is the 2-hour-long wait to get into the Lincoln Tunnel, let alone through it. Regardless, I eventually made it in and was not disappointed.
One of my sister’s oldest and closest friends (not to mention one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met), Rachel, lives in NYC and served as an absolutely wonderful and energetic tour guide for us while we were there, starting us off with a bang with a great little place called Great Jones Cafe. Seared mahi-mahi and sweet potato fries were the perfect dishes to forget about the hours stalled in traffic earlier that afternoon. Not to mention the jalepeno cornbread. Yum!
The next day was our adventure day. With a belly full of Rach’s baked french toast (!!), we started off, hitting up Chelsea Market, the Highline park (great concept – it’s an elevated park that used to be an above-ground train line), Hudson River Park, all the while strolling through the East and West Village, Soho, and so many other cute little communities I can’t keep them all straight. But let’s go back to Chelsea Market for a second. It would be a travesty not to mention some of the best grilled cheeses I’ve ever had. Lucy’s Whey is hardly more than a counter, but oh, 
what they can do with the right cheeses and a panini press. Knowing my love of the fromage grillé, I preemptively ordered two, one aged cheddar and pickle and the other, cheddar and fig. Simply irresistible. Saved one for our wandering and it came in quite handy. Loved that little spot! Great take-out that night back at Rach’s place topped off a lovely day.
I could see so many similarities between New York and Montreal during our wandering day. My favorite spot was the iconic Washington Square Park, which immediately felt as comfortable as any park in Montreal. Lots of happy people enjoying a beautiful day, drummers, picnickers, performers of all sorts. Honestly could have stayed there all day, though I am glad I got to experience so many different pockets of the city.
The next day had a tough act to follow, but somehow we managed another brilliant day in the sun on Saturday, as well. Went to a lovely brunch spot in the basement of a museum – tucked away and very tasty. Central Park was the next stop and I couldn’t get there fast enough. What a beautiful place. It’s no wonder it’s such a symbol of New York. Felt like my trip was complete. I could leave happy.
But we weren’t finished! Got to have some tasty sangria with my sister on a cute patio followed by dinner and, dun da da daaaaa, STOMP! Don’t think I’ve ever smiled that much in one sitting. What a great show! Amazing rhythms and unrestrained energy combined with hysterical comedic sketches. By far the highlight of the trip for me. Great way to spend an evening in New York. Let alone a weekend. The only thing I would change if I could would be to add about 5 more days on to my vacation.
TL;DR I had the perfect weekend New York, surrounded by people I love. =)
The Hungry Minstrel 