New York
The hotel: previsouly The Milford, the hotel used to be quite tired and somewhat daggy, and the staff not particularly friendly. Now the hotel, as Row NYC, seems to be THE place to hang out in Mid Town. The foyer has had a complete revamp, the staff are friendly and welcoming and it’s a great place to spend time. There is a computer area near reception with free internet and printers, and a bar/restaurant on the other side of the foyer which is always busy, even with people who aren’t staying here. On check in we were given vouchers for two comp drinks and breakfasts.
I dragged myself out of bed well before I wanted to, but I had a breakfast date with a local AFF member. Having chatted for months, but never met before, it was good to finally talk in person, even if it was over some dodgy eggs and what American’s think passes for bacon.
Then I collected mum and we headed off to MoMA, followed by a wander up 5[SUP]th[/SUP] Ave towards Central Park. Of course I needed to make a little detour into Tiffany & Co to make the obligatory purchase for myself. We also stopped at a little Italian restaurant for a quick bite to eat, feeling slightly underdressed. And even more so when we left and mum pointed out that I’d had three Hollywood actresses sitting behind me. It was sunny and warm enough to shed the jumper as we wandered through the park, admiring all the flowers, and mum getting excited about her first squirrel. We popped out of the park on 8[SUP]th[/SUP] Ave and headed south, with a stop at the Time Warner Centre to check out a few stops and stock up on make-up. By this time we were pretty exhausted, so we continued on to our hotel for a bit of a rest. Freshened up, we headed to the hotel bar to enjoy our free drink; I chose a lovely 2009 Cab Sav from California which went down quite well. We also enjoyed some charcuterie and cheese and a “hand stretched” pizza which were as good as any I’ve had at home.
Day two it was even harder to drag myself out of bed. But we had tickets to the 9/11 memorial so we popped onto the subway, and made a Starbucks stop for a drink on the way in. I’d been before, when it first opened, but it was nice to see the progress. I think they’ve done a great job with the site. Finished there, we made a quick stop in Century 21 for some replacement sunnies for mum (we think she left hers on the flight over), then started walking up Broadway. At Washington Sq we turned and walked through the park, taking in all the people and entertainment on offer. Then continued to Chelsea Market. It was packed! I picked up a few things to bring home, along with some ice tea to drink while we walked. It was amazing to see people gorging themselves on lobster, and I can only imagine that it was insanely cheap compared to home. Our last destination was the High Line. I’d visited when the first section opened, but again it was great to see how much it had changed. But talk about busy! We shuffled our way along from 14[SUP]th[/SUP] st right up to 30[SUP]th[/SUP], stopping to admire the flowers, artwork and architecture. Exhausted, we headed back to the hotel, only to be hassled by a fake cop. He kept insisting that mum’s ice tea was beer and flashing a dodgy looking blue card in his wallet. When we insisted it was tea we were called”b…..s” and told to “go back to London”. Not the greatest end to what had been a good day.
After packing so much into the first two days, today was a “go slow” day, for mum’s birthday. We didn’t surface until almost 9, and decided it was a good morning to try the free hotel breakfast. Fresh fruit, yoghurt, croissant, fresh fruit and a hot drink in the hotel foyer restaurant. Then off to Pier 83 to take the Circle Line boat around Manhattan. Due to tides we couldn’t make the full circle, but we saw and learnt a lot about the different neighbourhoods and buildings. After the cruise we went to peruse the Whole Food Market. I love this place! A giant tub of strawberries for $6, and two tubs of raspberries for $5. Then the big event of the day; dinner for mum’s birthday. After quite a bit of internet research, I chose Locanda Verde in Tribeca. Turned out to be a great choice, not too fancy but great Italian food and a good atmosphere. The group at the next table were super-entertaining, especially when their bill came to $1000 for the three of them. Turns out they let the woman choose the wine, and she picked a $200 bottle, of which they ordered two! It also seemed like they ordered everything on the menu. No pics from me, it was two dark and I don’t fancy using a flash in a restaurant like that. But trust me, the ragu was divine.
