Broadway, Not Just for Mama Mia and Cats Anymore

As I was walking around the neighborhood near my office recently, I came across the Broadway plazas - a stretch of Broadway between 35th and 41st where there are extra pedestrian and seating areas.  One thing about New Yorkers is that they're able to make the most out of small spaces.  The city itself is the same - so much art and food and open space, crammed into the medians of one of the city's busiest streets.

Until October 17th, you can enjoy a variety food options, from arepas to cupcakes, that will make you want to turn on your heels away from the long lines and overpriced salads of Chop't. Thanks to UrbanSpace and the Garment District Alliance, you can savor this worldly fare in the shadows of The Sentinels, an imposing art exhibition from Chakaia Booker.  Her dark, almost leather-like sculptures contrast with the bright umbrellas and lush florals that provide an oasis for Midtown workers.

And on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays through the end of the month you can also check out the Broadway French Market for everything from apples, to pickles, and knitted sweaters.  And all these cozy, cultural offerings are available within a few blocks of the glare of Times Square.

Finding the Bagels, At Long Last

Since moving to New York, I've had two totally random run-ins with Vassar alums I sort of know.  Both of whom, upon hearing where we live (Kips Bay), have extolled the virtues of Ess-a-Bagel.  While the Vassar run-ins are commonplace - where do hipsters from a liberal arts college in the Hudson Valley flock?  The two recommendations, among the hundreds of bagel places, struck me as more than mere coincidence.

So we went to check it out.  And what we got was a bagel as big as our heads in a bakery that managed to be, in true New York fashion, both pretentious and no-nonsense.  I was curtly informed that they do not toast their bagels.  I was quickly handed two bagels, meticulously wrapped in origami-like white paper.

When we got home and unwrapped our bounty we saw that the bagels were about one and a half times the thickness of a regular bagel and contained approximately a quarter of a pound of cream cheese.  Jake noted that, even without being toasted, they managed to have the crunchy outside and chewy inside bagel purveyors in Boston seemed unable to achieve.  I noted, at two o'clock that same day, that I still wasn't hungry.

I was so excited to tear into these bagels that I forgot to take a bagel selfie.  Shameful.  So here are some so not as good Google image results to give you a sense of the bagel glory.

Back in the New York Groove

We live in New York again!  And I found the bagels!  More on that later.

I've actually been back in New York City for a little over a month now.  And yes, it's taken me this long to get back on the blog.  It's taken some processing.  Anyone who knows me knows I'm not too good at transitions.

In that month, I've decided that one of New York City's most basic truths is that it's a city of contradictions.  A Gemini like me.

When I got here I told Jake that I felt as though New York was constantly sending me two different messages: "Welcome to the greatest city in the world!  Oh, and fuck you."

Then I was watching Manhattan Love Story on DVR (more on that later, too) and the two central characters were trying to hail cabs while we were treated to their internal monologues - "Thanks, New York!" and "Thanks, New York."  It's a little hard to express their intonations with only punctuation and italics at my disposal, but I think you get the idea.

The truth, which I've kept secret thus far, is that sometimes New York disgusts me.  I wasn't supposed to feel that way.  It was supposed to be a magical homecoming to a city I loved deeply and unconditionally - no matter how much trash there is on the sidewalk.  But if there's another basic truth about New York City, it's that it's constantly changing.  Which means constant construction noise.  The point being, that there was never a chance for this to be a homecoming, because so much has changed.  In the city and in me.

Today I let myself do something that New Yorkers are all too often shamed out of doing - be unabashedly awed by my city.  Like, take out your smartphone and take pictures of the Empire State Building while other people are trying to cross the street unabashedly awed.

Both these feelings live together, and there's room for that here in New York - the greatest city on earth.  It's always struck me how many different worlds can be tucked onto one small island between Jersey and Connecticut.  My world is here now; this is my home.

And for those of you who didn't believe me, blurry photos of three New York City icons, all of which I get to take in every day on my walk to work (yes, I can WALK to work!)  They do literally no justice to the majesty and beauty of these buildings on a blue skied, fall morning, with the sun rising slowly but deliberately behind them.

Boston vs. New York City

Admittedly, this is wildly biased and heavily influenced by the fact that I had the time to get to know New York and Boston is just an acquaintance so far, but here is my highly unscientific early judgment on my first two adult homes. 

Cleanliness – Boston

I can’t say there was no dog poop, but there was significantly less.  And not a single subway station I’ve entered so far has smelled like pee.    That’s a win for you Boston. 

Friendliness – Tie

This one really is too early to tell. The only people on the street who have talked to me in Boston so far are homeless people and I have to say, it hasn’t exactly been pretty.  In New York, people panhandling on the subway will apologize before they start to beg.  Yesterday in Boston a homeless woman called me a bitch because I couldn’t tell her how to get to Copley Square.   New Yorkers may have a bad rap as cold and unfriendly folk, but I wouldn’t count them out in this category just yet. 

Convenience – New York

Hands down.   I waited fifteen minutes for the bus in Boston yesterday, on a weekday.  That’s like the M31 on a Sunday, or something you might find in Queens.  The grocery store doesn’t deliver, so I’m assuming the McDonald’s and the liquor store don’t either.  New York has everything, everywhere, all the time so this one goes to the Big Apple. 

Variety – New York

We walked around Harvard Square yesterday and in one stroll I feel like we saw all there was to see.  I feel like Boston is a city I can wrap my arms around.  It’s really more like fifteen small, quaint New England towns all put down in the same spot, attached by a subway and separated by suburbia.  Every subway stop in New York was a whole new world.  East Harlem was so different from the West Village was so different from the Upper East Side was so different from the Financial District and so on and so on.  For a tiny island in the Northeast, Manhattan is unmatched in this category. 

Aesthetic – Boston

I sat in the Public Gardens yesterday and there is not match.  I love Central Park, but this was so much better.  There are Victorian homes.  With yards.  Made of grass.  So much grass!  And trees!  New York is beautiful in its own way.  I love the Chrysler Building and Grand Central, but nature really takes the cake and come fall, I know Boston is not going to disappoint. 

Food/Culture – New York

Broadway.  The Fashion District. The Met.  Enough Michelin Star restaurants to feed an army.  There really was never a question.  This one goes to New York where the bright lights, the food trucks, the nightlife, and the art scene, like everything else in New York, never sleep.   

Affordability – Boston

So far, I don’t feel like I’m spending less in Boston, but you get more bang for your buck, so everything feels like an upgrade.  For the price of a one bedroom walk up in New York, you can get a two bedroom apartment with an elevator, laundry, a dishwasher, and a garbage disposal (otherwise known as the New York holy grail, and something you might dish out three grand a month for).   

Cocktails!

So I've been told that my last entry was a bit depressing.  And I sort of agree.  So in an attempt to not be a total Debbie Downer (Or alternatively a Negative Nancy, why is there never a male name for whiny, buzzkills?) I've decided to alternate entries about being overeducated and underemployed with entries about fun stuff, like cocktails!  After all, I will eventually find a job and I will need to get used to writing other material. 

Both sets of parents are coming over for a lobster bake tonight and I was in charge of cocktails.  After a less than extensive google search, I settled on "watermelon gin fizz" which I found at http://www.examiner.com/food-in-providence/watermelon-cocktail-recipe-with-bombay-sapphire-gin. It's pretty simple, but takes a bit of time to strain the watermelon.  From what I've tasted so far, it's worth the effort.  You'll need the following:

1 small, seedless watermelon
2 limes
15-20 mint leaves
4 tbs of white sugar
club soda
gin
cheese cloth or a fine strainer

Chop the mint and cut the watermelon into medium sized chunks.  Blend the watermelon, juice of two limes, sugar and mint in a blender.  Strain the juice through a strainer or cheesecloth.  Chill the juice and serve with a shot of gin and a splash of club soda.  Garnish with a lime wedge or sprig of mint. Imbibe!

Some tips:
To chop the mint, first "chiffonade" it by stacking the leaves and rolling them up from the bottom of the leaf to the top.  Then thinly slice from the end of your roll to make strips.  Now that you have thin strips, you can cut them again in the opposite direction to get a fine chop.

To get the most juice out of your limes, microwave each for about thirty seconds.  Be careful; they may be hot when they come out.

I always struggle when ordering cocktails out because I have the taste level of a sorority girl (margaritas and long island iced teas please!) but on occasion I have found some real gems.  For some of the best non-homemade cocktails you'll ever have the pleasure of sipping, check out The Spotted Pig in New York City (http://www.thespottedpig.com/) or Cook and Brown Public House in Providence, Rhode Island (http://cookandbrown.com/). 

Both restaurants have extensive and unique cocktail lists (as well as really delicious food), but I would recommend the Forager's Press at The Spotted Pig and the Bicycle at Cook and Brown.  The details of each of these cocktails are lost in the misty memories of a night when you had really great cocktails, but thanks to menupages.com (http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/the-spotted-pig/menu) I have been able to surmise that the Forager's Press consists of Michter's rye whiskey, chopped apples, honey syrup and lemon juice.  The closest approximation I could find of the Bicycle was a recipe on chow.com for a Yellow Bicycle (http://www.chow.com/recipes/14331-yellow-bicycle), which contains St. Germaine Elderflower liqueur, Yellow Chartreuse, Prosecco and a garnish of lemon zest (I do remember that my particular garnish was lime). 

Whatever your drink of choice always remember that life is better (if not classier) with little paper umbrellas!