We got up late because of the three-hour time difference between California and New Jersey, and immediately set out in the rent-a-car to brave the mean streets of New York City. Actually, Bill braved the mean streets. You couldn't have paid me enough to drive there.
By the time we'd driven here and there in the city, scoping out the skyscrapers and the tons of people, it was about 2pm, and so we headed for one of the city's most famous eateries - Katz's Deli on the Lower East Side. We queued up with the other folks in line and were given a ticket. As we moved through the line, servers would prepare your order and mark your ticket. I had all my food marked on Bill's ticket so that I could keep mine for the scrapbook. By the time we got to the cashier, I'd put the ticket in my pocket. But apparently they took these tickets pretty seriously, and the brusque cashier made it plain that I would not be going ANYWHERE until I gave up that ticket. I handed it over.
We took our gigantic pastrami sandwiches and headed over to the East River to grab a good place for the fireworks. We parked and ate the best pastrami sandwiches in the galaxy. Literally to die for. And the Kosher dill was heaven, too. (If you ever go to Katz's, don't ask them to put mayonnaise on a pastrami sandwich. I've heard they've had folks arrested for this.)
We got a spot right up front next to the barriers fronting on the river. New York's finest were out in droves, some taking pictures of the crowd. Finally, it got dark, and the Macy's fireworks began. They were the fireworks to end all fireworks - absolutely spectacular. Even the bratty kids screaming, pushing and throwing hot dogs at each other couldn't ruin the show. News photographers were snapping pictures, and one got a great shot of a toddler, accompanied by his Hispanic mother and Asian father. The toddler had on a complete red, white and blue outfit (including tri-color suspenders!) and was waving an American flag. I really felt patriotic. Traffic through the Lincoln Tunnel back to New Jersey was terrible, but I was riding high from the wonderful evening, and besides, Bill was driving.
Venturing into the city again, we visited the Frick Collection , a small, lovely museum just off Central Park. Parking cost more than admission to the museum ($12.00/hr vs. $7.00 admission). The Frick was a mansion owned by Henry Clay Frick, President of Carnegie Steel, and was bequeathed to the city after his death. It houses a wonderful collection of Renaissance paintings, and the intimate, octagonal room featuring the lush, romantic paintings by Jean Fragonard is especially inviting.
After the Frick, we went down to Times Square and spent some time watching the people from the glass walled Times Square Brewery, which had recently opened. The beers were very good, and a full bar was also available. We spoke with one of the owners who revealed that monthly rent for the place was $35,000! That's quite a few beers! When asked where a nice restaurant in the area was, the owner recommended Carmine's, a few blocks away.
When we got to Carmine's, it was packed, so we figured they had to be doing something right. We put our names on the waiting list, and were handed a pager, so we left and wandered around for awhile. We returned and once seated ordered a calamari appetizer and one prime rib dinner (32 oz!) for both of us. I didn't understand why the waitress seemed surprised at our order - until she brought out a humongous plate of lightly breaded calamari which was more than enough for four people. We managed to polish off maybe a third of it, and then the prime rib was delivered. The prime rib was done perfectly and was big enough to take up about half of the table. Delicious! We had a couple drinks with the meal, and the tab came to about $80. Carmine's is highly recommended. After the feeding frenzy, we waddled back to the car for the trip back to New Jersey.
The Mostly Mozart Concert season was starting, and I'd heard that Itzak Perlman would be playing Lincoln Center while we were there. I wasn't surprised when I found out that tickets were completely sold out. So I grabbed a copy of the NY Times and started calling scalpers, none of whom could get me tickets. Finally, I talked with someone at Hot Tickets, who promised me that he would go to the end of the earth to get 2 tickets for me. He said to "stand by" and he'd be calling back. Right.
I got ready to go out, and went clothes shopping in Florham Park. New Jersey does not charge sales tax on clothing, and so I figured I'd take full advantage of that fact. I found a few items, but nothing exciting. I returned to the hotel after lunch, and enjoyed the swimming pool. No message from the Hot Tickets guy which didn't surprise me.
The guy from Hot Tickets called to say that there was a chance that he could get some tickets to the Perlman concert from folks who had season tickets, but wouldn't be able to attend. He was more excited than I was about this - probably because he knew what a huge profit he was going to make. Again, he said he'd be calling back when he had more news. I didn't hold my breath.
I took the bus to the Port Authority Terminal in New York City after someone had told me that the trains weren't running on time. It took about 45 minutes. I'd decided that no way was I going to deal with the NYC subway system, so I got a cab, and went to MOMA - The Museum of Modern Art. I highly recommend a visit to this beautiful museum. The featured program was "Picasso's Portraits", so in addition to its already formidable collection of Picassos, MOMA had an entire wing filled with portraits, too. Really a treat.
I got a wonderful lunch at MOMA's cafeteria (grilled vegetables and cheeses), and took it outdoors to the sculpture garden, which is one of the nicest outdoor places in the city, bar none. The garden includes sculptures by various artists (on a rotating basis), and when I was there, I saw pieces by Henry Moore, Balzak, and Picasso to name a few. Picasso's "She-Goat" was my favorite. The garden also features several pools and fountains, with trees planted for shade. Very lovely.
After lunch, I toured the rest of MOMA, and was amazed at the huge collection. Jackson Pollack, Henry Moore, Paul Klee, Roy Lichtenstein, Warhol, Monet, Manet, Cezanne, etc. My favorite room was the Monet room, which overlooks the sculpture garden. Monet's "Water Lillies" occupy the whole of the room, except for a few benches. It had a quiet, peaceful beauty.
Last stop was the MOMA museum shop which features wonderful gift items, as well as guidebooks to the museum.
I took a day off from the city and was extremely lazy. Got up late and had breakfast at the hotel, did some laps, read a book, etc. Planned to go back to the city the following day to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
I went out briefly, and when I returned, I found a message from my man at Hot Tickets waiting for me. I called the guy, and he told me that there was a fairly good possibility that he'd be able to get Perlman tickets for me, but was still waiting for final word. Sheesh. This was turning out to be more complicated and clandestine than a drug deal. I told him to keep in touch....
Day Five: July 8th
Got up early and caught the train to NYC. Got a cab driven by Arnold Heifitz, the first time I'd ridden with a cabbie whose first language was English. Arnold was very friendly, and drove past the Dakota (the apartment building where John Lennon was shot), and pointed out where JackieO used to live (she had an entire floor of one of the buildings across from Central Park. I was telling Arnold that I really enjoyed the food at Katz's Deli, and he turned into a Jewish mother, warning me about all the cholesterol in pastrami sandwiches. He told me to go to Ratner's, a deli located on the Lower East Side, if I wanted some good Jewish food.
I spent the majority of the day in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. No way could I see the entire museum in a day. In fact, the Met actually has 17 different curated departments, each of which would qualify as a separate museum in any other city. You'll find every category of art in every known medium from every part of the world during every epoch of recorded time there. If, as I did, you onlyu have one day to visit, you should definitely pick a department or two to visit, otherwise it can easily overwhelm you.
I visited the Egyptian Art Collection, the Arms and Armor Collection, a little of the 19th Century European painting collection, and the Roof Sculpture Garden. In the morning, I managed to see the Egyptian art. I caught a cab to the Lower East Side and went to Ratner's for lunch. Ratner's is an old-fashioned deli featuring great soups and baked goods that are to die for. The youngest waiter had to be at least 60, and they all wore little bow ties. I had a bowl of lentil soup with some fresh rolls for a filling lunch. On my way out, I bought some rugaleh from the bakery counter which turned out to be flaky and absolutely delish.
I walked around the area a bit, checking out the off-price shops. Turning a corner, I found myself practically in the middle of a movie set surrounded by props and associated movie people. I looked closer and saw a director-style chair with "Tommy Lee Jones" on it. Tommy Lee was nowhere in sight though. I asked one of the movie people what the name of the film was, and was told "Men in Black". I stood around for awhile watching them move some large props into place.
Back at the Met, I toured the Arms and Armor Collection, followed by the Met's Museum Store. The Mueseum Store is fabulous. I bought several pair of reproduction earrings from their huge selection, a guidebook to the museum (since I wouldn't be able to see it all on this trip), and some postcards.
By now, it was mid-afternoon and my feet needed a break! I took the elevator up to the Roof Garden, and took advantage of one of the benches there, taking in the magnificent views of Central Park and the city. Then I checked out the large-scale sculpture of the Roof Garden, and noticed several men dressed in black with large caliber weapons and binoculars on the next rooftop over. I got a little nervous until I overheard someone say that they were Secret Service men, who were there because Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was meeting with Bob Dole in the Stanhope Hotel. Never a dull moment in the big city...
With the Netanyahu/Dole meeting at the Stanhope, traffic was at a standstill, I hoofed it toward the shopper's Mecca, Bloomingdale's, on 59th Street. Bloomie's is a large department store, like many others you've been in, with a couple differences. First, the store has many small shops within it, tucked away in alcoves, making them seem like stores of their own. Also, in the Cosmetics Dept, every ten feet or so was a model type wearing the latest fashion, offering to spritz you with the latest scent. I actually found Bloomie's to be fairly pricey, and the merchandise no different than is found elsewhere only cheaper. However, you can get T-shirts, caps, tote bags, etc. with the Bloomingdale's logo on them there.
I took the train back to New Jersey, and found a message from my man at Hot Tickets waiting for me. I called the guy, and he told me that he'd succeeded in getting two tickets to the Perlman concert tomorrow night for me, and that they'd be waiting at Will Call for us. Hallelujah!
I hung around the hotel today and had lunch with Bill. We looked over the New York City restaurant reviews we'd printed off the web, and decided to have a pre-concert dinner at a place called Levana, a Kosher continental place located a few blocks from Lincoln Center.
We drove into the city and actually found parking near to Levana. Entering the restaurant, I noticed a small (but full) bar being tended by a man wearing a yarmulke. Hmmmm. We were seated quickly, and noticed several people arriving who stopped at a sort of a fountain to wash their hands prior to dining. The menu was fairly typical continental (steaks, fish, etc.), and we opted for the $20 price fixe menu that featured beef shish kabob. We also enjoyed their dessert sampler which offered a small portion of each of their desserts. Good food and excellent service at a great price. Recommended!
After dinner, we took a leisurely 3-block stroll to Lincoln Center where crowds of people were milling about, drinking apertifs and nibbling on appetizers, waiting for the concert to begin. We entered Avery Hall and noticed that the concert was going to be televised, so I slipped into a phone booth and called my mother in Michigan to say Hi! from Lincoln Center, and to let her know that the concert would be on TV in a few minutes if she wanted to watch it with us. She was thrilled.
The performance by Itzak Perlman and Pinkas Zuckerman, along with the Mostly Mozart orchestra was nothing short of brilliant. Words fail to describe the technical and emotional virtuosity exhibited by the artists. After the concert was finished, Perlman and Zuckerman were called back to the stage five times, and finally, they did an encore - just the two of them - which wasn't televised. And which was undoubtedly the high point of the evening. Incredible!
We returned to the hotel and packed up to leave, thankful that we'd had this great opportunity to take a small bite out of the Big Apple.