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Enjoying Another Slice
My body was chatting at me after my trek the previous day. Evidently, my 56-year-old, out-of-shape legs did not enjoy the Tip to Tip adventure. No rest for the weary, however: I had a bike to ride!
I started out my day with breakfast at Zucker’s by Bryant Park. My first NYC bagel of the trip (new trip cuisine: Jewish!), but nowhere near my last! Went with one of my standards: an everything with scallions cream cheese. Yum.
Sufficiently fueled, I headed uptown for a Central Park bike tour with Unlimited Biking. I was not the only solo cyclist in my group, but I WAS the only solo traveler. People volunteered throughout the tour to make sure I had pictures of myself, which was just grand. I honestly think I am in more pictures on this trip than in the ones I take with other people!
The tour was fun and quick, and while it had a few tough hills, it was a great break for my tender toes. Again, I would heartily recommend this tour, and this company!
Afterward, I had originally planned to grab a hot dog in the park, but I wasn’t feeling it, so I took off on a wander. I had an afternoon to kill, before some very fun evening plans. I decided to indulge my reality TV inner fan and headed towards the garment district. On the way, I tried my third culture/cuisine of the trip, with stupendous tacos at Los Tacos No. 1, the Times Square location.
Worth the wait!
As an avid Project Runway fan, I have always wanted to go to Mood Fabrics. It was even more amazing than I anticipated!
I am by no means a seamstress, but wandering through the aisles on all the levels of this place made me want to pick up a needle (well, almost). I had decided in advance that this was where I would get my souvenir for the trip: I wanted to pick out fabric for curtains for my office. Since I figured I would be taking them, I needed something lightweight, almost but not quite sheer, that didn’t fray too much on the neds (I will basically be hanging it with clip-on curtain rings, and don’t intend to put any trim or edging on). I settled on a gorgeous, deep red lining material. I haven’t gotten it up yet, but when I do, it will be an everyday, practical reminder of this expedition!
Next up: Kleinfeld! If you’ve ever watched Say Yes to the Dress, you know why I had to visit. I didn’t have an appointment, and they were filming, so I couldn’t go into the salon, but I could peek in, and go downstairs to the accessories and alterations area. Just like Mood, the place was bigger and more breathtaking than I had imagined from the TV shows!
I headed back to my hotel to get ready for a very fun night out. Dinner reservations were at Il Buco Alimentari, a darling little Italian joint.
I was seated near the kitchen at a fun bar where I was served by the amazing Justus. I mentioned in my previous post how eating at the bar is a great call for solo travelers. If you are uneasy about eating alone, the bar is perfect, because you instantly have a dinner companion: the bartender. Justus was so fun and chatty! He told me about how Martha Stewart had eaten in the spot next to me just days prior, and about Taylor Swift’s dinner there a few days before that. Evidently, she arrived with Zore Kravitz and Laura Dern, and a few bodyguards. If you go on the website, you’ll see a picture of a cozy banquette-type table. just down a flight of stairs. That’s where they sat. Taylor told Justus to just order one of everything on the menu. He confessed that, as an avid fangirl, he felt awful suggesting that was too much food. She just let him decide. Then when Laura Dern tried to pick up the tab, the bodyguard shook his head: Taylor had already taken care of it.
My Swiftie friends back home kinda freaked out when I told them this story.
After dinner, I was off to the theater! Everyone knows NYC is the home of Broadway, so seeing a couple of shows was definitely on my docket. First up was the MUST SEE off-Broadway production of Titanique. This hilarious show is a loose retelling of the movie Titanic but from Celine Dion’s over-the-top view point. When I told local New Yorkers that I was going they all lit up and said it was the best thing in town (and seemed frankly surprised that a middle-aged Minnesota mom would be so hip as to go, which I found amusing). I laughed so hard I wept — and the singing was phenomenal. Go. Immediately.
After the show, I headed to Minetta Tavern. The place was jam-packed, which was fine because frankly, I wasn’t really hungry. But this was a place on my list for great burgers and cocktails, so I waited. While I did, I chatted with locals and had a ball. The place seemed chic, vibrant, and old-school classic all at the same time. And the food (and drinks!) did not disappoint.
Saturday was a rainy day, but that was fine. I had planned this to be a museum day, so I was going to be inside anyway. I quickly learned that New Yorkers absolutely throng to museums on rainy days (and especially weekends!).
I was glad I had made my reservations in advance.
I started the day at the Museum of Modern Art, where I had never been before – and was absolutely wowed. My before hours tour with an art expert was done through Get Your Guide tours. Our little group got to wander the vacant museum before the crowds descended, which allowed access to some of the most amazing pieces of art in the world.
After the tour ended, I explored the rest of the museum before it was time to get lunch. I found a great Thai restaurant, Thai @ Lex, thus extending my “new cuisine a day” goal. It was only about 4 tables, which was just lovely on a drizzly gray day.
The scrumptious curried beef and noodles didn’t hurt either!
Fortified, I headed to my next tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I have been to the Met before but thought it might be fun to have a guide this time. Once again, I booked a Get Your Guide tour: the best of the Met. I had a little glitch, as I arrived on time for my tour, but did not anticipate the very long line to get inside. I asked if there was a door for pre-paid tours, and was directed to another, far shorter line But that line was for museum members. I frantically called the tour company, hoping to reach someone on a Saturday. Thankfully the person at Get Your Guide was incredibly kind. She wasn’t able to contact the guide but assured me they would wait. I managed to get inside and found a group patiently waiting — and not just for me. They even said I had time to go check my very wet raincoat and umbrella. The guide was interesting, patient, and thoughtful. The Met is enormous, and there is just no way to see it all. But having a guide really helped. I 100% recommend using this company!
When I was planning this trip, I had planned to go upscale barhopping after the museums, catching the sunset and city views while enjoying fancy drinks and apps. But the rain had put a damper on that (pun intended). Instead, when I got off the subway near my hotel, I ran a few errands. First stop: a liquor store for a bottle of red. Second: a neighborhood bodega for a pint of very chocolatey ice cream. Back at the hotel, I asked who they recommended for pizza, and wasn’t surprised when they suggested Joe’s (which was on my list!). My pie arrived quickly, and I hustled it upstairs. After a quick wardrobe change into pjs, I enjoyed my fabulous girl dinner with a side of Netflix. Happy mama!
Stay tuned for the last post on my trip!
On the Van Gogh
The nice thing about a vacation is getting to relax and set your own schedule.
The tough thing about a mini-vaca is that you are pressed for time and you want to fit everything in.
Those warring sentiments hit us in the face like a cold cup of much-needed coffee when we woke up for the first full day of our Amsterdam jaunt — at noon. Dutch time.
We scrambled to focus and get ready for the day, wondering where we ought to be wandering. We had set evening plans, so our focus became quality, not quantity. I laced up my oh-so-appropriate sneakers and we headed off to the Van Gogh museum.
This was actually third on my list of museums to see, and the only one we actually made it to. First was Anne Frank’s house, but a spur of the moment trip sometimes means not getting into sold out things. Evidently you need to reserve months in advance. We were told to stalk the website day of, and tried for both our full days in Amsterdam, but did not get in. One of the many reasons for a return trip!
Second on the list was the Rijksmuseum, which is huge and has Vermeers, Rembrandts and more. Next time (with more time)!
So the Van Gogh museum: we loved it (https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/). Way better than I thought it would be. With the audio headphones on, we wandered and wondered, learned and admired and wondered. Every few rooms we’d ask each other which were our favorite pieces (we both adored his “Almond Blossoms” the most!), but I was fascinated by the variety of his work. So many different styles and subject matters. I would’ve been hard pressed to ID some of them as his. But when it was time to go, I took my fave piece of art with me:
(While learning about Van Gogh’s life, we came up with a great idea: planning a trip around the life of a famous person. For example: for Van Gogh, you would do Paris, Saint Remy, Brussels, London, Amsterdam and more. Not a bad itinerary!)
After the museum we wandered through the rain in search of nourishment — both the food and liquid varieties. Found another great neighborhood bar, Cafe Gruter (http://cafegruter.com/en), and greatly enjoyed the cozy respite from the elements.
That evening we were scheduled to do a boat tour of the canals, focusing on the light show. The entire city is crazy with lights this time of year, and some of the displays are best seen from the water. For more about the festival, go to https://amsterdamlightfestival.com/en.
I had booked a small boat tour, with just 8 of us aboard. We thought we had plenty of time — and we would have, if I hadn’t screwed up the directions.
A word about the transportation system: the trams are the bomb. No worries about if you are on the right train, or how to buy a ticket; unlike most cities, the system is not done without human interaction. Each tram has attendants, and they are there to help. Sadly, this time I thought I knew what I was doing, and didn’t ask for assistance. Instead, I relied on my Google Maps app. It was right: take the tram towards Centraal Station. But Is topped reading; while we were supposed to head that way, we were supposed to get off before we reached the station. We didn’t.
So now we needed to backtrack, and we were going to be late And it was raining. We ran in circles trying to get our bearings. I called the boat — someone actually answered! They said no problem. So stressful, as we new others were waiting on us. We ended up being almost 20 minutes late!
Luckily the other guests were drinking wine and nibbling on snacks, so they were cool. And the company was so gracious, they extended the tour so we all got our money’s worth. I would totally recommend them! If you head to Amsterdam, be sure to book a canal cruise through Pure Boats (https://pureboats.nl/). They were wonderful!
The lights were stunning.
After the tour, we paired up with two cousins who were also from the states, and found dinner at Restaurant Bleu (https://www.restaurantbleu.amsterdam/). The food was as delicious as the restaurant was stunning.
After awhile we realized the staff was waiting for us to leave so they could go home — always a good sign of a good time! We said goodbye to our new friends, and wandered back to the hotel for a night cap and some well needed rest. I warned HWSNBN that the next day, our last full one in Amsterdam, was gonna be busy, so he’d better be ready!
A little Ado About Everything 