A Sampling of NYC

WARNING -- WARNING -- This is just the beginning of a rough draft.  It is definitely a work in progress.  I published it for my nephew who is going to NYC tomorrow.  I will continue to make revisions and additions, etc.

New York City now seems like a world away from Mississippi.  I still think about my summer often, and I'm always thrilled when people ask about it.  One of the most asked questions I get is about what to do in New York City.  There are so many choices that you just have to choose the ones you feel that you are most interested in.  I want to share some places I went and tips that I picked up while there.  If you are lucky enough to find yourself in New York City, I hope some of my favorites become your favorites too!

We used two guide books, one was "The Best Things to Do in New York, 1001 Ideas"

First tip:  Get a good map that you can carry around with you.  I highlighted places that I wanted to go on the map and kept it with me.  I might have a destination in mind, and I would go there.  Afterwards, if I had some extra time, I would check my map to see what else might be nearby that I might want to do.  Next, if you have a phone that you can download apps on, download HopStop (it's free).  You can put in your present location and where you want to go, and this app will tell you what subway to take and then how to walk to your destination once you exit the subway station.  You can pick up free subway maps at some subway stations.  If you happen to find one, by all means, get it and also keep it with you.  These maps are also available for purchase at numerous locations.  They are handy for getting an overview, but you can trust HopStop to take you where you are going.  The subway map can help you determine if another train would go to the same place.  Also remember that the subway is colored-coded.  Subway routes that have the same color (for example B, D, F, and M are all orange) can be interchangeable.  Some are express routes that don't stop at all the stops the local routes do, but it is worth checking out if you are having a hard time catching the right subway "train".  New Yorkers call it a "train" rather than a subway.  Also on HopStop, if you look down in the directions, it will tell you alternate trains that you can take, which can be very helpful.

Remember that you have to pay before riding the subway.  I used a MetroCard and bought $20 or so at a time.  There are machines in the subway station that you can purchase and refill MetroCards.  They will take cash or credit/debit card -- just be sure that you pay attention to what form of payment the machine you are using will accept.  I didn't find the subway to be intimidating after the first few rides.  Walking was my main form of transporation and the subway was my second.  I did not like the MTA buses at all, so I tended to avoid them unless absolutely necessary.  The only time it was necessary for me to ride the bus was going to Laguardia because the subway does not go to Laguardia.

Tip 2:  In Manhattan, if you are going north, this is called going "uptown".  If you are going south, this is called going "downtown".  If you can actually stand on the avenues (not the streets) and look up and down them, uphill is uptown and downhill is downtown.  Manhattan is divided into east and west with the main dividing line Fifth Avenue.  So if the street address is, for example, West 34th Street, it will be on the west side of Fifth Avenue.  And if the address is East 34th Street, it will be on the east side of Fifth Avenue.   

I'm going to start as far uptown as I went, which was Harlem.  Harlem is actually located right above (north) of Central Park.  I rode the subway there and back twice, and both times, I felt comfortable.  I walked on Malcolm X Boulevard, which is also known as Lenox Avenue.  The places I went to were located on this street or just a few blocks off this street.  Restaurants of interest are Amy Ruth's, Red Rooster, Lenox Lounge, Sylvia's.  The Apollo Theater is also here.  I found the murals on the hospital very interesting and beautiful. 

Heading back downtown is Central Park, which I went on the outskirts and actually into it a few times, but did not explore in depth.  The Metropolitan Museum of Art is on the Fifth Avenue side of Central Park, and the American Museum of Natural History is on the Central Park West side of the park.  The southern end of Central Park is 59th Street.  Going east to 1011 Third Avenue at 60th Street is Dylan's Candy Bar (Mon. - Thurs. 10 am - 10 pm, Friday & Saturday 10am - 11 pm, Sunday 10 am - 9 pm).  Dylan is Ralph Lauren's daughter.  This is a three-story candy store, complete with a bar on the top floor).   A few steps further east on 60th Street is 225 East 60th Street, home of Serendipity 3.  I actually ate at Serendipity three times while in NYC, and each time it was delicious.  Reservations are definitely recommended as this is a small place and hard to get in, but it is open from 11 or 12 until 12 or 1 at night, so you have a big window to get in.  The frozen hot chocolate is their speciality, but is enough for 2 or 3 people.  (We shared one of these all three times we went here).  Moving just a little further east on 60th Street is the 59th Street or Queensboro Bridge.  This is where the tram to Roosevelt Island is located.  It is definitely worth a ride, day or night.  It costs one subway ride, so you can use your MetroCard to ride.   Roosevelt Island is a quiet place and has a very nice walkway around the island.  We walked almost around it, but avoided the end where the public housing projects were located.  You can ride the tram back to Manhattan or take the subway back. 

On the Fifth Avenue side of Central Park, you will find The Plaza.  Located in the basement is a wonderful food court that has all manner of food.  I particularly liked Luke's Lobster.  I had the lobster roll, which was delicious and the best lobster roll I had while in NYC.

Going back to about the midpoint of Manhattan, right below Central Park is the Museum of Modern Art and Rockfeller Center.  Moving on  down Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas), you will come to Times Square and the Theater District.  This is a vibrant and busy area.  Continuing on down Sixth Avenue, you will come to Bryant Park, one of my favorite parks.  I think it is a very beautiful park and there is a wonderful story about its restoration found on the fences surrounding it.  A branch of the New York Public Library is located on the 42nd Street side of Bryant Park.  This is where the famous lions, Patience and Fortitude, guard the entrance to the library.  Going east on 42nd Street, you will come to Grand Central Terminal (Station) and even further east is the United Nations. 

Going back to Sixth Avenue and continuing south to where Broadway and Sixth Avenue meet at 34th Street, you will find Herald Square.  This is where Macy's is located and the Empire State Building.  This is also where we lived -- in Herald Towers.  Continue south on Broadway or Fifth Avenue, and you will come to Madison Square Park.  The original location of the Shake Shack is located here (near Madison Avenue & East 23rd Street).  I would recommend dining here at night as the lights and the setting is beautiful (11 am - 11 pm).  Their speciality is the Shake Stack, which is a burger and a cheese stuffed portebello mushroom.  (There are other locations of the Shake Shack, and I'm sure the food is equally good at any of these locations, I just like the setting of this one.)  Continue south on Broadway to Union Square.  There is a green market located here that operates on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  It is so interesting to explore and look at all the vegetables and foods that are not so common for us.  One block to the west of Union Square, at 102 Fifth Avenue, between 16th and 15th Streets, is Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill.  We ate there.  It was absolutely delicious (but pricey).  

Continuing south on Fifth Avenue will be Greenwich Village and Washington Square Park.  This is a large park, and something is always going on here.  A large part of New York University is in this area.  To the west of Washington Square Park is the area known as the West Village.  I found this to be a particularly quiet area that I very much enjoyed walking around and exploring.  Going south from Washington Square Park is SoHo (South of Houston -- prounounced house/ton).  I also loved this area.  It is a great area to walk and explore.  Moving east and south of Soho is Little Italy and Chinatown.  Chinatown has almost overtaken Little Italy, which has been reduced in size to just a few blocks, mostly the area between Mott and Mulberry Streets. 

Continuing south or downtown, you will eventually get to the Twin Towers area and the Financial District.  Also located in this area is the Staten Island Ferry, which is a free ferry to Staten Island.  You can get a reasonably good view of the Statue of Liberty from the ferry.  When you get to Staten Island, you can disembark and return or explore Staten Island and then return. 

Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge -- Ride the subway to Brooklyn.  Explore the Empire Fulton Ferry State Park and Dumbo (down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass) area.  There are wonderful views of the Manhattan skyline from here.  Also, you have to look for it, but if you go near the Manhattan Bridge in the Empire Fulton Ferry State Park, there is a water tower that has been replaced with reclaimed plexiglass giving it the look of stained glass.  After enjoying the view from here (the ice cream at this park is said to be some of the best in New York), walk back across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan.  This is the preferred way so that you are not having to turn around to look back at Manhattan, but rather you will be walking toward it.  It is quite stunning at night.  Hint:  Stay out of the bike lane, the cyclists will run over you or yell at you. 

Moving back uptown on the Hudson River (west) side of Manhattan, you will find the Meatpacking and Chelsea areas.  This is a nice area with lots of nightclubs.  I particularly enjoyed the Chelsea Market (75 oth Avenue at 15th Street), home of the Food Network.  Inside the marketplace are numerous food places allowing you to try all manner of food.  There are tables in the hallways where you can sit and dine.  Going out the back door of the marketplace turn left on Tenth Avenue and then left on Washington Street to Gansevoort Street.  Enter the High Line Park from here.  There are stairs up or there is an elevator here.  Walk along the High Line all the way to 37th Street (there are places all along that you can exit, but trust me, check out the whole park).  You will get a wonderful view of the Hudson River and New Jersey as well as a view of Manhattan from above it all.  There are places along the park that you can sit and watch the traffic through glass windows.  This is just an all around fantastic place.  Many of the apartments along the High Line have interesting art displayed so keep a lookout for the unexpected. 

Mood, 225 West 37th Street (3rd floor)
Vezzo (paper thin crust pizza), 178 Lexington at East 31st Street
Delicatessen, 54 Prince Street -- good food, not really a deli
Fishs Eddy, 889 Broadway -- great dish store
FAO Schwarz, 767 5th Avenue at 58th Street
Lombardi's, 32 Spring Street (between Mott & Mulberry) -- America's first pizzeria
Pearl Riber Mart, 447 Broadway (between Broome St & Grand St.)
Ford Foundation Building, 320 East 43rd (between Lexington & 3rd Avenue)
Hester Street Fair, intersection of Hester & Essex Street, 10 - 6 every Saturday -- one of our favorite markets (lots of crafts, antiques, vintage, etc.)
Carl's Steaks, 507 3rd Avenue -- great Philly Cheesesteak sandwich (limited seating)
Katz Deli, 205 East Houston -- very old deli, good pastrami, brisket, etc.
Pomodoro Pizza, 51 Spring Street (between Mulverry & Lafayette), slice of pizza and bottled water -- $5.75
Mott Street is restaurant row in Chinatown
Wo Hop, 17 Mott Street -- said to be best Asian restaurant in Chinatown
John's Pizzaria, 260 West 44th Street (in theater district) -- sold in pies only, said to be best pizza in NYC
Soup Nazi (The Original Soupman), 259A West 55th Street (between Broadway & 8th Avenue)
Chobani SoHo, 150 Prince Street
Hotel Metro Rooftop Bar, 45 West 35th Street (between 5th & 6th Avenues) -- closeup view of Empire State Building, drinks are expensive
Vesuvio Bakery (Soho), 160 Prince Street -- GREAT cookies
The Diner, 44 Ninth Avenue -- good hamburger, Katie & Kelsey recommended the mac & cheese

A Monday in NYC

Home Depot -- NYC style

          Monday, it was back to work for Kelsey and back to my explorations of NYC.  Since this is my last full week here, I had some places in mind that I wanted to return to as well as a list of some places that I wanted to go for the first time.  So it was out the back door and up and down the streets running behind 33rd and between 5th and 6th Avenues.  I had read in Kelsey's book that Home Depot was an early morning place to go, but this was not something I even considered doing.  I just happened to run upon it and found the outside so unique that I had to snap a picture or two.
          I had the smoked beef brisket lunch at Hill Country Barbecue, which had been recommended by one of the chefs on my new app Chefs Feed.  It was delicious -- almost as good as Son-In-Law's.  And come to find out, Son-In-Law's is quite a bargain.  This place sells smoked brisket  by the pound for $20.50 per pound for the lean and $23 per pound for the moist (fatty).
          I ended up going on down beyond Union Square and happened into to Dean & Deluca, a grocery store/market.  I ended up spending so much time just looking at all the ingredients that we don't have at home that they finally asked me if they could help me find something.  I assured them that I was just exploring and they told me to have fun.  I even found the gold flakes and the gold dust that I see sometimes in Southern Living, and what a bargain :) at only $110 for the gold flakes and just $100 for the gold dust.  I guess that's why we don't often seen gold flakes on our cakes!  I bought some four-color bow-tie pasta that looks like ribbon candy.  I can't wait to try it -- hope the dish turns out as beautiful as the dry pasta is.
          On Monday night, Kelsey and I went over one street to 35th to the rooftop of the Hotel Metro, which has excellent views of the Empire State Building as well as the building that we live in.  We were able to get up close and personal with the upper levels of the Empire State and the roofline of our building.  This was the perfect place to watch the sunset.

Just looked up and saw this -- must be a storage room now

I liked this wall art

A view of the Empire State Building from the Hotel Metro rooftop

The colorful building behind the chimney is where we live and this is the wing we actually live in

The beautiful details near the top of our building 

This is our building as viewed from 34th Street.  We live exactly across the hall from the bottom left double set of windows.

A sign on the back of Macy's as seen from the Hotel Metro rooftop

Next-to-the-Last Weekend in NYC

The moon as seen from outside the Delacorte Theater in Central Park

          When I came in Tuesday night, I was so excited over my day that I skipped a few days and wrote about my Tuesday explorations.  Since I am hoping that this will be a sort of journal of my summer, I want to go back and do a weekend catch up.
          As you know, Kelsey is off on Fridays, so she usually joins me for our weekend explorations.  On Friday, we got out noonish and set off for Soho.  With no particular place in mind for lunch, we came upon a restaurant named Lure.  It seemed that they specialized in sushi and this sounded good.  We were seated at the sushi bar, where we enjoyed lunch-time entertainment of four chefs preparing sushi.  It is quite an art in itself, and for me, it was amazing to watch their precision cuts and preparations.  We intentionally avoided dessert so as to go back to Vesuvio Bakery (a cute little bakery we had seen previously) for cookies.  Here we feasted on a sugar-dusted chocolate chunk cookie that melted in your mouth.  I was quite interested in the pictures explaining that underneath the bakery are the original brick coal ovens that remain today, a testament to how long this building has housed a bakery.
          Afterwards, we wandered around Soho, stopping in at some very upscale resale shops, a sample sale, and one of my favorites, Revolution.  If you remember me writing about Obscura previously, this is a "gentrified" version of Obscura -- not dusty and scary, but still quite unusual.  Revolution also sold bats but theirs were of  the freeze-dried variety rather than mounted in resin.  The freeze-dried bats also started at $65.  I'm still lamenting the hundreds of bats we have flushed down the toilet over the years.  For anyone who doesn't know, for about 25 years, we had a colony of bats that lived in our attic, with strays who would, on occasion, join us in the living area of our house.  It could be quite scary and even entertaining at times as we tried to knock them down with a broom as they dove at us.  Revolution is also where the contestants on Project Accessory went to get insects for one of their projects.
          We continued roaming and ended up, for our first time, in Washington Square, where we enjoyed the music, entertainment, and assortment of people.  On our way back toward the apartment, we explored a portion of NYU.
         Our Saturday began by strolling toward Central Park and the Plaza.  This time, we were able to locate Eloise and welcome her back to the Plaza.  The Plaza has been here on Fifth Avenue for more than 100 years.  In 2005, it closed for a three-year renovation.  In 2008, after an extended vacation in a New Jersey storage facility, the famous Eloise portrait returned to its official residence across from the Palm Court.  Then it was downstairs to the Plaza Food Hall where we enjoyed lunch.  I finally got the Luke's Lobster Roll that I had been wanting.  It was delicious -- a slice of buttered bread, grilled and creased in half, heavily filled with lobster drizzled in melted butter.  Kelsey chose quiche and salad.  The man at this counter recommended this particular quiche (which I don't know what they called it), but it contained feta, a little spinach, raisins, and toasted almonds.  It sounds like an unlikely combination, but it turned out to be very tasty!  After lunch, we had to go shopping in the Eloise shop, which we enjoyed as if we were little girls ourselves.  And, of course, it was necessary to get Nora some Eloise books.  As we left the Plaza, it began to rain, so we quickly headed to the subway for the ride back home and a nap.  It was a rainy afternoon -- perfect for napping.
          After the rain ended, we emerged to wet streets but a cooler night.  We walked back to the NYU/Washington Square area and had dinner at Tortaria.  I had the Pescado Taquitos, which was crispy Red Snapper topped with a mango-chipotle slaw and served in house-made white-corn Masa tortillas, while Kelsey had black refried beans with crumbled Queso and quacamole and chips.  This was such a cute little restaurant.  The walls were lined with shelves of old cans, oils, and cooking ingredients.  When you ordered quacamole, it was made right there in front of you.  We sat at community tables and enjoyed the food and scenery.  On the way back, we were able to get some good night-time pictures.
          Sunday dawned -- make that Sunday noon came and there was no rain, so it was off to the West Broadway and Spring Street area for brunch and to look at the street vendors' wares of arts and jewelry.  While enjoying our brunch at The Cupping Room Cafe with a beautiful view of a small courtyard, we got a text message from Rick that I had received an e-mail saying I had been chosen to receive two tickets to Shakespeare in Central Park on Sunday evening.   This bit of news certainly contributed to an even more enjoyable brunch.  The Cupping Room has rotating art displayed on their walls, which just happened to be paintings of antique dress forms -- quite appropriate for Kelsey, don't you think.  It was such a nice cloudy, cool day afterwards that we decided to walk the three miles to the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market and explore along the way.  Before we could get there, the sun came out and the humidity went up, and we were extremely hot upon arriving at this outdoor market.  So we made a quick tour through the booths and headed back to the apartment to cool off before leaving for Central Park.
          We had to claim our tickets by 7, and we arrived at the Delacorte Theater shortly before 7 to pick them up.  We had intended to explore Central Park for the hour before the play started, but we had gotten disoriented in our rush to get there and decided to just have a seat on a bench and watch the people go by rather than risk getting lost.  The Delacorte is an outdoor theater and Into the Woods is set in the woods, so this was the perfect setting for this play.  I thought by the name that only Shakespeare plays would be performed at "Shakespeare in the Park," but that is not always the case.  This summer marks the 50th anniversary of Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte, so As You Like It was coupled with Into the Woods.  And as is the custom for these summer productions, which are presented free of charge to the public, big names generally play some of the roles.  This production featured Donna Murphy as the Witch, Amy Adams as the Baker's Wife, Denis O'Hare as the Baker, Chip Zien, who was the Baker in the original Broadway production, as Mysterious Man, and Glenn Close was the voice of the Giant.  The play was wonderful and did make a point that what we think we want isn't always what we really want.  It was a beautiful night and we enjoyed ourselves so much.  We were not allowed to take any pictures once inside, so we snapped a picture of the moon before entering the theater.
           And so ended the next-to-the-last weekend of our summer in New York City.

The story of  Vesuvio Bakery's original underground coal ovens

Revolution -- another store for anything unusual -- check out the window displays

Washington Square

The Empire State Building as seen through the arch at Washington Square

The fountain at Washington Square

Unusual lanterns on a building.

Portrait of Eloise in The Plaza

Luke's Lobster Roll

Kelsey's Quiche and Salad

Night-time view of the Clock at the Flatiron Building

NYC has even named a street in honor of the Grove

We just happened upon this Path train entrance and found especially the painting interesting

Kelsey in Chelsea

The Empire State Building as seen from Chelsea

Hell's Kitchen Flea Market

The Empire State Building as seen from Hell's Kitchen

A Tuesday of Exploring

Mary's Fish Camp -- no, that's not the door under the air conditioner

         As the end of my summer in NYC draws nearer, I find myself trying to decide what things I must see again and what things I haven't seen and must see before I leave.  Today, I decided to go to the Chelsea Market once more.  Now, the question was, how was I going?  I looked at my map, and an idea occurred.  Why not start at what is, for the time being anyway, the beginning of the High Line and walk it to the market.   At present, on this end, the High Line begins at West 30th Street and runs to Gansevoort Street (just beyond 14th Street) on the other end.  I was so glad I started at West 30th, because I got to see a part of the High Line that I had not seen before, and because I got to see some really great art and beautiful greenery along the way.  It is amazing how so many of the apartments and buildings that border the High Line have created art of their own.  I thoroughly enjoyed these discoveries and the talent exhibited.  Since you are walking 300 feet above the street, you are up among the upper floors of buildings you would ordinarily only see from street level.  And all along the way, people have created art in their windows, on their porches, and on their walls.  Hope you enjoy seeing some of it as much as I did.  This journey was so enjoyable that I just kept right on going on the High Line when I came to Chelsea Market and continued to the end at Gansevoort Street.  

          Rick had told me about a new app called Chefs Feed, which I had downloaded.  This gives chefs' recommendations of where and what they like to eat.  I had checked out the area and determined that Mary's Fish Camp was going to be my choice for a mid-afternoon lunch/early supper.  A fish camp sounds exciting, right -- at least, Cole's used to be anyway.  Walking to this charming restaurant was almost as fun as eating there.  The streets were old and quiet with trees lining many of the streets.  This was in the West Village area very near the Hudson River.  When I reached the restaurant, if I had not have had the address, I might have missed it, because you have to look very closely to find its name.  It was even hard to find the door, but I located the blue double screen doors that reminded me of the screen doors we used to see so often in the South.  Going inside, I found the cutest restaurant ever.  It had a bar with 9 stools and tables and chairs for about 20 more people.  There were large plate glass windows across the front and on the side.  The interior was blue and it had paintings of Florida postcards and the Wachee Mermaids (I suppose this is from the Weeki Wachee ones in Florida).  The windows were filled with bouquets of black-eyed Susans and Queen Anne's lace.  Since I was alone, they asked me to sit at the bar, which I ended up thoroughly enjoying.  The kitchen was right there, and I got to watch them preparing the food.  I had an oyster po' boy, which was absolutely delicious from the hot toasted bread to the unusual hot sauce to the freshly (lightly) breaded fried oysters.  

          Afterwards, I backtracked to Chelsea Market for a few "must have" items I wanted, and then it was on towards Union Square.  Ever since I have been here, I have wanted to go to Big Gay Ice Cream or their traveling truck for some unusual soft-serve ice cream.  For the past couple of weeks, their ice cream truck has been on hiatus, but returned to service this past weekend.  Today, I asked Rick to follow them on Twitter and let me know where the truck was.  I didn't do it, because I always forget to check.  Of course, Rick didn't fail me, and I got a text telling me it was near Union Square.  When I arrived and found the truck, there was quite an impressive line waiting to get served.  When it was finally my turn, I asked the lady for her recommendation, because I thought both the wasabi pea dust and the toasted curry\ied coconut both sounded delicious.  This is when she told me of an "off the menu" item called "Fusion," which is half of each.  So that's what I got -- soft-serve ice cream in a cone half dusted with toasted curried coconut and the other half dusted with crushed wasabi peas.  I think the wasabi pea dust was my favorite -- but I do like wasabi peas.  And upon getting to the last bite of my cone, I found such a nice surprise -- the bottom of the cone had been filled with the pea dust creating the perfect surprise ending!

          It's been another great day for this country mouse in the city.   I can't wait to get back to Mississippi and make some good homemade vanilla ice cream and sprinkle it with wasabi pea dust.  Who wants to join me?   

On a building at the beginning of the high Line at West 30th Street

A building along the High Line.  I think this is beautiful!

Cute window shade along the High Line

Building art on the High Line

The female version of the window shade.

The High Line Zoo -- someone's porch

A view from the High Line looking down the street across the Hudson River and into New Jersey

The view looking the other way toward Midtown

More building art (above and below)

A view of the Empire State Building from the High Line -- not because I'm particularly fascinated by the Empire State but because that's the block that we live on.

A section of the High Line Park

I just liked these buildings.

Near the Gansevoort end of the High Line where you can still see the actual railroad tracks.

Building art on Gansevoort Street (above and below)

Mary's Fish Camp -- the only signs I saw.

Some of Big Gay Ice Cream's offerings with a real cone to the right.

My "off the menu" Fusion

From Performing Art to Street Art

          Thursday turned out to be a lazy sort of day.  We haven't had too much rain since we've been here, but Thursday began with rain.  Not to worry, I could finish my blog and then go out.  Around noon, I headed out to Bryant Park for their Broadway in the Park series.  For an hour during lunch, performers from different shows are featured on the stage in Bryant Park.  What's not to like about this -- one of my favorite parks and highlights from shows on and off Broadway.  This particular day included performances from Voca People, The Fantasticks, Jersey Boys and Traces.  Voca People are 8 performers dressed in total white, from the white skull caps to the tips of their white shoes.  It is a beatbox/a capella/vocals only show -- and they were outstanding!  Of course, Jersey Boys is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons  -- I think I must know all of these songs.  Traces is a type of circus which mixes the traditions of circus with the energy of street performers to create a new kind of circus.  Those of you who are my age may remember John Davidson, who was the special guest of the day.  He talked about playing the role of Matt in the Hallmark Hall of Fame version of The Fantastiks back in the sixties.  On Monday, he will return to the cast as Henry, the Old Actor.  I'm hoping to work this play in next week as I have never seen it.  (Ms. Gibbs was my English teacher not my drama teacher back in the day -- I know this was an always see play on the drama department's trips to NYC.)
          Afterwards, I headed to the east to Katz's Deli to try their famous pastrami sandwich on rye.  And it was delicious, but a word to the wise, share this sandwich with one or two other people  -- it is HUGE!   The place was absolutely packed and they had a unique way of cutting down on stealing.  When you enter, a man gives you a red ticket.  You order sandwiches at one place, sides at another, and drinks at another.  At each stop, the price is written on your ticket.  And you must present the ticket in order to leave. If you lose your ticket, there is a $50 lost ticket charge.  Obviously, they have had problems or this system wouldn't be in place.  I enjoyed watching the man prepare my sandwich.  They slice the hot meat right in front of you, giving you a small slice to taste.  It was a nice little show.  And the spot is marked where "I'll have what she is having" happened in Harry Met Sally.  As I was leaving, BBC Reality was starting to film in the midst of all the chaos of lunch hour.
          Walking back up Houston, I enjoyed all the public art (both planned and the unplanned graffiti) along the way, so these are most of the pictures I'm sharing today.
           And the perfect ending to the day for Kelsey was the fact that we went to a lottery rush for tickets to Rent.   From 6 to 6:30, you could enter a drawing for $25 front row tickets.  At 6:30, they draw 8 names.  Mine was the last one drawn so we got to see Rent so close that I was a little worried if the actors made a misstep, they might be in my lap.  The raffle and the show was a fun experience and so worth it to see Kelsey so excited!

I know -- it's s sign but I liked it!