NY, NY Still the Best City: Bill and Lisa’s Apartment
April 17, 2022
We arrived in NY after a long tarmac delay caused by high winds at Newark. Newark was, because of the stoppage, packed to the gills with people, and the wait times for the (awful) restaurants in Terminal C were over an hour. So we did what any sensible traveller would do and took a seriously skanky NJ cab into town for Tapas at Mompou. The tapas was great, and the vibe was pure NJ.
A quick Uber into the city landed us at our home for a week, Bill and Lisa’s apartment situated on 20th Street between 7th and 8th. You gotta love friends who invite you up when they score a place for a month in the city! Lucky dogs all around.
The city at night is a welcome view. This is the first NPS visit in too many years.
Our first jaunt led us down the High Line to the Whitney.
Checking out the Whitney
See All’s Well at the Whitney Biennial for more.
The Little Island has been added to Manhattan as of late. It’s a quirky little part worth a quick visit. More about our quick visit here.
The Little Island as seen from the Whitney
Spring was everywhere on a blustery gray day.
Wait for it!
The High Line has been completed through Hudson Yards these days. This bridge over 12th (?) avenue yields an interesting and somewhat cinematic view.
Our plan was to check out the Japanese Food Festival situation on closed off 6th avenue, but the hoards of people…and we mean hoards…obviated our plan. So we stopped for ramen and sake in collectible glasses at Oramen Chelsea.
Later we took the subway down for a visit to PDT. On the way we stopped in for a fried ice cream and a cocktail. It’s not clear whether we were lured in to Little Rebel by the fried ice cream or the Bowie mug shot.
CR#2 to start the evening
What is a CR#2? Glad you asked. Click here.
Said fried ice cream
Said Bowie mug shot
Yes, Bowie was arrested in Rochester in 1976.
It rained.
Our intrepid hosts
Next up, a slice at East Village Pizza.
And then some “hot dogs” at Crif.
PDT is still rocking it. We had some special fun with the paper plane.
Naked Paper Plane
Problem corrected by the astute waiter
Finally, a late night visit to the very local Twist was in order. Fernet time!
So that was a day!
Our next adventure started at the MoMA, where in addition to lots of famous art to be shared simultaneously with hundreds of others, lunch was really good.
See more MoMA Where Did All These People Come From?
Some of us had waffles on the street.
The Macy’s Spring flower show
I suppose we are obligated to talk about the showers in the apartment since this is NPS. The shower was very nice indeed. Plenty of hot water and lots of shower nozzles, many way high up there in the stratosphere.
Sunday evening we went to see Sleep No More, which was quirky, fun, and well worth doing. NPS missed the provocative parts. Alas. Experiencing theater by being IN the set is a thing.
Then it was Monday. Breakfast at Banter south of Washington Square was great — best in the city. Then it was time to do a little shopping. Did you know that the Varvatos outlet in NY occupies the old CBGB space? Wild.
There was pastry to be had at Patisserie Claude on the way to the special Chelsea apartment.
Romey visits the shrine
An ill fated “cash only” taxi ride deposited us into midtown to buy some boots and be accosted by a crazy lady. Our walk home happened under a taxi blackout zone.
And then it was off to Chama Mama with Chalmers in tow. Turns out that Georgian food is quite delightful.
Wine from Georgia. No not that one. Yeah that one.
The last day in the city was beautiful and sunny. A perfect day to be sedate and walk the High Line again.
The walk was gorgeous.
So was the lounging.
There was patio time in the sun.
Our intended entertainment target of choice (and the planned high point of the NY run) was to see SJP and Matthew Broderick (I mean Farris Bueller) in Plaza Suite. Covid prevented that from happening when both stars were infected. We’re still planning a reprise. In the meantime we went to see The Hangman while it was still in previews. Though the acting was a bit uneven, the play was good with only a few kinks to work out. As always, Broadway staging is the bomb.
Before the show we stopped in for a cocktail and some caviar at Bar Centrale. Old school, sophisticated and a great place to unwind before a show. Or is that wind up? Martinis and negronis pair well with caviar.
The lights on Broadway were doing their thing.
All dressed up in the big city
And thus the first visit to NY in three years ended. A whirlwind and a delight. Hopefully travel has returned for good.
Eat, Think, Drink
February 26, 2017
The time has come to turn 51. And so celebration ensues—in the city, with friends.
Last minute plan refactoring required use of a federal style rental vehicle. You see, nobody has any kids left at home, and so cars no longer fit six in one go! (Unless you count the one Eli “borrowed” and took to Wisconsin.)
Das Rental Beast
Special last licks at Le Dip while Baker Bob remains in power (a one week reprise before retirement really kicks in).
Amy strikes her best Vanna pose by the bread at Le Diplomate
Larry Kilbourne is a master (and a philosopher to boot)
Fois gras parfait (huckleberry)
Then a play at Studio Theater. The Hard Problem is written by my friend Tom about the philosophy of my friend Dave. The play is very good if you can ignore the god coincidence nonsense.
Stage set at Studio Theatre for The Hard Problem
And then the crowning glory of the evening, drinks at the venerable Columbia Room in the secret booth. Thanks Dante!
Cocktail time!
Woman themed drink menu
Inspired by many of these incredibly great bartenders
Is that you Audrey?
A cocktail inspired by Becky Harris from Catoctin Creek
Yo! Forty Year Old Calvados
Last delicious licks
A perfect evening.
Philadelphia Freedom Anchored at the Monaco
December 15, 2015
Independence Hall
Wow. Our first visit to the Monaco was so fantastic that it even eclipsed it’s big sister the Palomar. Well done Monaco! Thanks to GM James Adamson for queueing things up perfectly (and Steph Vogel for the intro).
We were in town to see our old friend (and famous philosopher) Dave Chalmers chat on stage with our very favorite playwright of all time Tom Stoppard. The chat was fantastic. Tom wrote a play based on Dave’s catchy “Hard Problem” phrase. Two astounding minds interacting live.
Tom Stoppard and Dave Chalmers Talk Consciousness
But it got better. After the chat, a bunch of us in Dave’s cadre retired to Charlie Was a Sinner for some delicious cocktails, vegan (?!) eats, and some conversation. About which more in a minute.
Charlie Was a Sinner is a great bar. NO TV! Real cocktails. Great eats.
Philly was dressed for the holidays.
Perhaps our Republican politicians should read this. Can they read?
When we arrived in the convertible (with the top down in December) we were greeted in classic Kimpton way with great style and extra brushes (?!).
Monaco Philly has a Flying Glowing Boat
Would You Like a Brush with That?
We checked into gorgeous suite 316 after passing a flying pig.
When Pigs Fly (you go Pink)
316 Sitting Room looks out over Independence Hall
316 Couch
The Bedroom in 316
Of course regular NPS readers know we immediately went to see the shower storage area, er bathroom, which we are happy to report has a shower so big that it has a soaking tub IN it.
Great Shower. NPS Approved.
Now back to Charlie Was a Sinner. Boy were they accommodating to the group of philosophers, psychologists, computer scientists, cognitive scientists and theater people we gathered. The highlight of the evening? Tom Stoppard stopped in too.
Talking about why Searle’s Chinese Room thought experiment is wrong with Tom Stoppard
My companion’s favorite drink was an invention by master barman (and baseball legend) Mathias Bable. The Say What:
5-6 basil leaves (spanked then muddled)
2 oz gin (beefeaters)
.75 simple syrup
.75 cranberry shrub (equal parts demerara, apple cider vinegar, fresh cranberry)
.25 lime
Stir down. Serve in a collins over rocks.
Say What? by Mathias Bable
Sparkling water, a midnight snack and some personal notes.
Breakfast came a bit early, we must admit. But it was off to Green Eggs Cafe for a massive breakfast. Lunch was elided for obvious reasons.
Still wagging our tails over this incredible visit to Philadelphia. Five showerheads and some absolution for Charlie for the Philly Monaco. How will we ever top this visit??
“We cross our bridges when we come to them and burn them behind us, with nothing to show for our progress except a memory of the smell of smoke, and a presumption that once our eyes watered.”
― Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
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