New York City - Day 1

 

Friday, April 13, 2012 – New York City – Day 1

It's exciting to be staying at Elisa and Christian's apartment on the Lower East Side.  The above photos were taken on their balconette, i.e. tiny balcony.  

I woke up early for a full day in New York!  First stop – Eataly, a creation of celebrity chef Mario Batali.  Eataly is a foodie destination devoted to the cuisine of Italy.  You can buy produce, cheese, meats, fish, breads, pasta to take home, or you can sit down at a table or counter where you can order pizza, paninis, salads, full meals, etc.  In theory, it sounded like a great idea.  The reality was a bit of a disappointment.  We couldn’t handle the crowds, the waits, or the prices, so we decided not to linger.  Since we were ready for lunch, we walked over to Whole Foods on 6^th Avenue and bought an assortment of salads, which we ate under the shady trees in Madison Square Park.  

Next stop – Brooklyn.  I hadn’t set foot in Brooklyn in over 50 years.  The Williamsburg area is right across the river from the Lower East Side.  It has quite a mixture of people, including a well-established Hasidic community, many recent immigrants from Latin America, and a growing population of younger artsy types.  Along Bedford Avenue and the side streets, there were lots of coffee shops, ethnic restaurants, and unique stores.  One of the best ways to enjoy the area is simply to watch the people on the streets.  Within a minute or two, we saw a man with turquoise hair and a woman dressed entirely in orange, from head to toe, including an orange backpack.  Of course, it wasn’t long before we were thirsty and hungry again, so we stopped first for cappuccino and a second time for sushi and miso soup.  Instead of taking the subway back to the Lower East Side, we walked across the Williamsburg Bridge.  Along the way, we had lots of company, both bicyclists and pedestrians, including a number of Hasidic men in tall fur hats, and Hasidic women pushing baby strollers.   From the bridge, we had great views of the Manhattan skyline to right, and the Brooklyn Bridge to the left.  It’s time to rest up now before the three of us go out for a late dinner.  I’m on a New York eating schedule:  last night we went to Arcane, a nearby French-Caribbean restaurant, and didn’t eat until 8:30 p.m.  Tonight, we have a reservation for the same time at a Greek restaurant, Rafina, in Murray Hill.