Empire State of Mind

From the Empire State of the South to the Empire State… 34 years later

I will not even pretend to tell you that this is a comprehensive guide to visiting New York, but after spending a week, split primarily between Brooklyn and Manhattan, I thought I would share just a few of my thoughts and experiences.

The Food

“If I lived here, I don’t know that I would ever cook” – I’m pretty sure that quote from my lovely bride, who is an excellent cook in her own right, sums up the food scene in New York. The list of places we had interest in eating could have kept us busy for months. If you can’t find something you like, then you are either too picky or you just aren’t looking hard. That being said, I thought I would try to give you some of my favorite items from various restaurants where we ate:

Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar – Onion Rings. Everything we had was excellent and the vibe was right up our alley so we had a great time. Of everything we had, the onion rings stood out as some of the best I’ve had. Ever. They were a little meaty, the breading stayed on perfectly and actually brought flavor, and the sauce was a perfect compliment.

 

The Bread Factory Cafe – Challah French Toast. As we got ready to tour New York we stopped off for breakfast and were not disappointed. The French Toast made with Challah bread was as good as you are thinking it would be.

Marinella Restaurant (West Village) – Tiramisu. The meal was excellent, but the Tiramisu was outstanding and was the most lasting impression of the meal.  Well, that and watching one of my cohorts stuff his own blue cheese olives. But that’s a different story.

Serendipity 3 – Frozen Hot Chocolate (or Peanut Butter Frozen Hot Chocolate) with Humble Pie. Ok, seriously this alone was the reason I was thrilled to have only gained 2 pounds on this trip. Absolutely spectacular dessert. One for the ages, and something you should definitely split with someone. 

L&W Oyster Company – Lobster BLT on Challah. Think of the best Lobster BLT you could envision… it’s not better than this one. A couple other folks were disappointed in their meal here, but I would go back for this dish regularly.

The Oyster Bar (Grand Central) – Catfish Strips in Panko with Wasabi Soy dipping sauce. New England Clam Chowder. Coconut Shrimp. I don’t know that I can put one over the others and they were all quite tasty. And the beauty of Grand Central Station doesn’t hurt your dining experience.

The Sights

There are tons of things to see and do and I probably recommend most of them, but I thought I would highlight the things that had a lasting impression on me from this trip. I will absolutely recommend taking a good guided tour if you want to make sure that you at least get to see a lot of the sights even if you don’t spend a ton of time anywhere in particular. We did an 8 hour tour and really got to see a lot and I’m very glad to have those memories. (Amusingly it makes many TV shows more interesting now as I try to spot things I recognize).

Times Square – It’s simply a sight to behold. You want the chance to take in the visual wonder of it all.

The Architecture – There are so many buildings, from a variety of architectural styles, that are simply beautiful. From the churches & cathedrals to monuments to the individuality of the skyscrapers, there is beautiful design and craftsmanship all over the place.

Rockefeller Plaza – Rockefeller Center is an impressive building, but the highlight of that area is being in Rockefeller Plaza at night, overlooking the ice rink and just taking in the sights and sounds.

The 9/11 Memorial – While I’m sure it’s even nicer in the spring when the grass and trees are green, visiting this was an extremely memorable experience. I think it is one of the quieter locations in Manhattan as there is a sense of calm, respect, and serenity that is palpable on the Memorial grounds. The fountains were a beautiful tribute and the Survivor Tree was very powerful. I also didn’t hide my pride in the fact that it was designed by a Georgia Tech alum.

Madison Square Garden – Certain stadiums and arenas just have an air of being special. This is one of them. As for my experience there…well you can read about it in detail at http://randomthoughtsillustrated.com

Grand Central Terminal – Absolutely beautiful. The marble. The stone. The clock (valued at $10-20 million). So much to just see and take in. It’s simply spectacular. If you really can take your time and take in everything there is to see there, you won’t run out of sights of interest.  

The Statue of Liberty – The effects of hurricane Sandy were clearly visible as all of the ground surrounding the statue was bereft of color and life. Yet, to me it helped reinforce the strength of the symbol that Lady Liberty is to the U.S. and the world. And seeing it from the water taxi nearby is a great way to take it in, with the sounds of Billy Joel and Jay Z playing in the background.

Transportation

Limo – I highly recommend accidentally getting a stretch limo from the airport to Times Square when you only requested a town car. But I will warn you that it’s a little weird if the one you get is playing Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker film. Bizarre.

Cabs – They serve their purpose and NYC cabbies drive like everyone has warned you they do.

Subway – The subway is a great way to travel. The one thing I will say is to download the free NYC Subway App for your mobile device. It makes it much faster to figure out how to get where you need to go.

In summary… if you haven’t gone, I really think you should. It truly did not disappoint.