new york v.2, week 4

After four weeks of our second New York experiment, I am finally having to say “Please no more Italian food!” Without question, the Italian food – from slices of pizza to pasta to broccoli rabe – is absolutely amazing in this city. It is plentiful and unbelievable and I have to stop eating it for at least a week. I just counted and we have eaten Italian food 11 times in four weeks. It is painful to say this but I have hit my limit and we are supposed to have pizza tonight.

Last night, we had dinner with a friend from San Carlos, CA and he wanted to hear about my restaurant list. He is a wine guy more than a foodie but he wanted to know if I take notes on the menus, dishes and service. I explained to him that my restaurant list is more of a collection of recommendations from people I know and, because I am not an adventurous eater, I am more interested in the restaurants for the experience. He reflected back to me that this is a really interesting way to work your way through approximately 50 restaurants in six weeks (more than 65 restaurants last fall) and may be just as valuable as someone who is focused on the food. I kinda love that perspective. So, keep in mind when you work off my restaurant list that I likely ordered an appetizer and a salad and had nothing to do with a tasting menu, seafood or wine. 

We had a bunch of other friends visit us last week from Scarsdale, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, Philadelphia, and the Jersey Shore. Of those friends, the ones that saw our apartment last year were unanimous in their belief that we have significantly improved our living situation. Scott from Philadelphia who is a trust and estate attorney and always gives his authentic opinion exclaimed, “Well this is a huge improvement! You should lock this in for next time!” The building (including the roof deck, gym and business center) and apartment are much newer and nicer (especially the kitchen and bathrooms) and the view is outstanding. We absolutely agree with Scott about the north east view that includes the Empire State Building, 1 Penn Plaza and all of Hudson Yards. 

The two things we are struggling with in this space is our mattress (the new king mattress provided by our landlord was an improvement in size but a huge drop in quality) and an overwhelming amount of shedding by our black dog that is everywhere and easy to see on the light floors and white tile. We cannot figure out if our dog is shedding more than normal because of her heightened anxiety or she normally sheds this much and we just didn’t realize it. Prior to living in this apartment, I had never seen my husband compulsively vacuum as well as ask about the whereabouts of the Swiffer or use the Chom Chom Roller on the sofa. 

When I am not enjoying our outstanding view, I am walking an average of 14,000 steps a day (my average daily steps in California are under 5,000). While walking all of the city and taking the subway, my absolute favorite thing to do is observe and absorb everything I see around me. This stimulation is what I miss the most when I am back in the suburbs. I like to think about who I would be today if I had moved to New York in my 20’s. I watch parents carrying strollers down flights of stairs into the subway and I think about getting my kids in and out of the car in the suburbs. In the mornings when I see kids at the fenced in playground on our block, I question whether I could have raised kids here. In the afternoons, I have seen kids walking back from sports practices at the piers on the Hudson carrying large bags of equipment and coming home from school on the subway and I wonder if my kids would be better or worse of  if they grew up in this city. I am having “Sliding Doors” moments over and over again ruminating over what it would have been like to live here in the past and if we should live here full or part time in the future. 

As we wrapped up a full month on version 2 of the New York experiment, we are regularly being asked about our favorite restaurants and experiences. Our answers definitely change based on the weather but some of our favorite things to do from this fall and last are:

* Go to the Village Underground at the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village on Thursday, Friday or Saturday night (you need a reservation).

* Workout at Liftonic at their only location in the Meatpacking District. It is a great way to lift heavy weights and not feel like you are going to permanently injure yourself.

* Play pickleball for FREE at the North Meadow Rec Center at 96th Street in Central Park.

* See at speaker at the 92nd St Y (we are pumped to be seeing Michelle Obama next week!)

* Get a one hour foot massage at Shen Fa 68 on 6th Ave, grab a oatmeal chocolate chip cookie at St. George on 7th Ave and walk through Washington Square Park.

* See at show at Cafe Carlyle or have drinks at Bemelmans bar – both in the Carlyle Hotel on the Upper East Side. 

* Walk, ride Citibikes and take the subway!