Last weekend we spent a beautiful, unseasonably warm Sunday in Manhattan. In the morning, Dan, Ben, and I drove in, parked the car in a free "no parking except Sunday" spot, walked to the Intrepid Sea/Air/Space museum (Bank of America cardholders can get in for free during the first weekend of every month), then to Times Square, then took a subway to Greenwich village, and back again. A lovely, full, perfect day. Over the course of the day, I thought of ten NYC things I thought would be fun to share here...1. I would kill for a vegan hot dog from one of those street vendors in Times Square.
2. NYC public works construction guys are the nicest folks ever.
3. Lula's Sweet Apothecary is still as amazing as the day they opened. I don't know which is better, the incredible selection of organic vegan ice cream, or the friendliness of the owners.
4. The playgrounds at Tompkin's Square Park ROCK.
5. Mahmoun's falafel is quite yummy. They offer whole wheat pitas (bonus!). Extra tahini sauce is a must though.
6. Macoun apples are the perfect sweetness and crispness. And they can be found at the Farmer's Market at First & St. Marks.
7. I just don't get all the hype over H&H bagels. I was told I "had" to have a fresh one. So I did. It is the very definition of mediocre. And at over $1 a bagel, I'm awed that they manage to stay in business.
8. I've never seen so many 5-pound dogs in one day in my life.
9. You can get an "I Heart New York" tee shirt for $2.99.
10. As long as I live, I'll never get to try all of the Indian restaurants in Manhattan. But I'm sure going to try.
3 comments:
Most everywhere you go in NYC you're driving on roads or walking in parks built on the labor of an incredibly visionary man, Robert Moses. I'm 1/3 of the way through a bio, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_Broker, which should be recommended reading for anyone who has ever lived within 100 miles of NYC. Fascinating stuff.
I agree, he was a fascinating guy. He was responsible for all the major highways in Long Island (where I'm from). One main vision there was giving the wealthy people a way to get to the beaches and the "country" on the weekends. Unfortunately, from what I've read, he's also remembered as a bigot (especially in his older years): all of his efforts seemed to benefit the white and rich, while further disadvantaging the black/poor.
Here's a nice review of The Power Broker: http://valetreader.com/2009/the-power-broker-robert-moses-and-the-fall-of-new-york-by-robert-car/
I agree with most everything Aaron said (except that while Moses should be held to task for his anti-poor, anti-black, anti-minority views, he didn't have in mind the wealthy when he created his parks). He was a despicable character who managed to achieve more in his lifetime through immoral or illegal means than anyone I know.
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