eat, sweat and repeat in nyc

Once again, I am blogging from NYC and am here to give you updates on what I am doing and seeing while living as a seasonal resident. This is my fifth long stint living in Manhattan and I continue to be inspired and overwhelmed by all of the things to do. I can easily revert to my suburban routine (tennis, pickleball, errands, catch up with friends, walk the dog) and then I hear about something interesting someone else did and then get re-energized to explore what is happening in the city: music, restaurants, art exhibitions, weekend trips near NYC and everything else. This article gave me a ton of ideas.

For readers who love my travel posts, please forgive me for shoving five weeks of experiences into one blog. Here are some of the recent highlights:

* I have fallen in with a group of men who are regulars at the Central Park Tennis Center. I had written off playing tennis at the park because I had heard that you need to sign up for courts online at midnight or in person at 6 a.m. and then you could only play for an hour. It turns out, neither of those guidelines are true. My new group is incredibly entertaining – an Italian musician with a huge personality, an Irish actor who enunciates perfectly with a classic NY accent and a Jewish, retired Wall Street guy who admitted not being able to clock me as a fellow member of the tribe (maybe because I am Jewish tall!) They are teaching me the ins and outs of getting court time and helping me make the most of my seasonal $100 NY Parks Tennis permit.

* Cue the opening theme to Law & Order because while I was walking my dog Moose in Central Park, I encountered a dead body. Out for a walk earlier than normal, I spotted someone at the far end of one of the tunnels who was shirtless, in child’s pose and incredibly still. As I walked out of the tunnel, I overheard a park maintenance worker on his phone saying that there was a dead body in the tunnel and to please send an ambulance. I scanned the news for a few days but there were no mentions of the incident so I have no idea how often this happens and, when it does, whether it is reported. Every long time NY resident who I have described this incident to seemed to think it was a rare occurrence.

* On the same morning I encountered the dead person in the park, Moose decided to take her morning poop in the crosswalk on Broadway in front of a bus and several honking cabs. I broke out in an immediate sweat, made eye contact with the bus driver, gestured an apology and ran away in shame once she finished.

* Our friend Eli surprised us with a visit to Burp Castle – a bar where only whispering is allowed. Quiet talking is not acceptable – you must speak only in a whisper. Tough concept for someone like me who tends to emphasize a good story with volume. If you walk in and are using your regular voice, you are immediately “shushed” by the other patrons so be prepared.

Fitness Classes

When we first did a long stint here in fall 2022, I thought I would try as many new gyms and classes as possible. I tried LIftonic and Modo Yoga and then settled into a routine with those two gyms plus Barry’s Bootcamp. In a city where I constantly push myself to try new things, I have stalled in this respect. 

The three workouts I am aware of but are currently avoiding are Tracy Anderson, SLT and ID Hot Yoga. I heard about The Tracy Anderson Method from my tennis friends last fall and didn’t even google it because it sounded like my personal nightmare.  My understanding is that it is a completely free form of movements that change with each session and may include/require some level of dance moves. For me, this is a straight line to an injury that would sideline me for at least six months making this a hard no.

My daughter attended ID Hot Yoga on the Lower East Side and successfully scared me away from giving it a try. The website says their rooms are heated to about 105 degrees with 40% humidity. There are two things that disqualify me from attending any yoga class – heat above 100 degrees and a class length longer than 60 minutes. Call me a lightweight but these are my limits. ID Hot Yoga meets the time requirement but the temperature is out of my range. The only possibility of me trying this place – which sounds amazing for you real yoga die-hards – is a restorative class.

I continue to contemplate trying SLT. I talk a lot about doing pilates to work on flexibility and balance but then do very little about it. Here are my excuses: I am lame when using a reformer, the instructor has to give me frequent corrections and I don’t feel like I get a good workout. If you have any recommendations for fitness classes that meet my requirements, please let me know ASAP!

Baked Goods, Pizza and Restaurants

If you followed my previous NY posts, you know I have spent plenty of time searching for the best NY bagels and chocolate chip cookies. I continue to maintain a spreadsheet of the restaurants we try and as well as those recommended to us that we haven’t been to yet. In our first two residencies in NY (fall ‘22 and ‘23), I was trying to eat at as many places as possible and hit places most often recommended. My focus has now switched to finding scones instead of bagels and cookies and casual, neighborhood restaurants (especially where the ambient noise allows us to have a conversation) instead of working the system for reservations at the hot spots.

Here are some of my recent highlights:

* My husband grabbed a to-go French dip at Salt Hanks in the West Village and it lived up to the hype.

* We happened upon the new UES location of Tompkins Square Bagels and I am a big fan, especially of the French toast bagel. I honestly can’t say at this point which NYC bagel is the best. 

* My current favorite scone is from Butterfield Market in the UES with a very solid #2 going to Mary O’s in the LES which is an amazing, buttery Irish soda bread scone served with jam and butter. Butterfields is more of an everyday, casual choice. Mary O’s is for special occasions.

* My friend Anne and I managed (without waiting in line for an hour) to get a slice of pepperoni pizza at L’industrie at their new location in Little Italy. It was VERY good. I would absolutely go back. Anne, who lives in SoHo, tells me that her and her husband’s favorite pizza is at Ceres. I will report back as soon as I try it.

* Of the new restaurants we have been to this spring, I recommend Twin Tails (Asian, Lincoln Center), American Hamburger (order at the counter, SoHo), Emmett’s West Village (chicken parm sliders are amazing but the space is tight and very loud), Frena (casual Mediterranean on 10th Ave & 52nd – not too far from theater district), and an old favorite that doesn’t disappoint Marea (Lincoln Center, high end coastal Italian). 

* We had a birthday dinner at the Faena Hotel in the Meatpacking District and liked it. I think the best move is to go to The Living Room on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday for the live music and very light bites. Be aware that there is a dress code (lightly enforced) and spend minimum on certain days and times. (Thanks to Mindy for this rec!)

Entertainment

Similar to my new discerning attitude towards overly hyped restaurants, I am also being more selective about seeing plays, musicals, concerts and comedy shows. Not only am I gathering opinions from friends and acquaintances, I am also taking the time to read reviews before grabbing any tickets.  I locked in this policy last spring after dragging myself to “Waiting for Godot” that I knew I would hate. 

Here are the performances that I seen so far this spring:

* On the incessant urging of my friend Bryan, we went to see Raye at Radio City Music Hall. She is a huge talent and it felt like the entire theater of 20 and 30 somethings was completely in love with her and every song she sang. Gen X friends: add her to your Spotify playlists and let me know what you think. 

* We enjoyed Daniel Radcliffe’s energetic, participatory one man show, Every Brilliant Thing. I would have liked it slightly better if I got to play one of the roles offered to audience members but regardless, I recommend this show! It had a plot that revealed itself in an engaging way, dealt with tough issues and found a way to end with a feel good moment.

* Last week, we went to see Modi – a Jewish, gay comedian who happened to go to high school with my friend Randi from Long Island. I knew right away that his material was going to be more Jewish heavy than an average comedian who happens to be Jewish. His set was peppered with Hebrew and Yiddish sayings and there were more yarmulkes in the audience than I have seen since I was on the Bar Mitzvah circuit in 1983. I recommend him to my Jewish light crowd in CA but prep any goys who you include with a few YouTube videos of his past performances.

* The night after we saw Modi, we saw Giant which is a play about Roald Dahl and his antisemitic beliefs. I feel very ambivalent about this show and whether I can successfully separate the art from the artist.

* Quick shout out to the the show Titanique that I saw off Broadway last spring with my friend Carolyn. It’s super funny – especially if you are a fan of Celine Dion, the movie Titanic, or both. It’s been a ten year ride to Broadway and this week they got four Tony award nominations. 

* When my bestie CJ was in town, she coordinated a visit to Baby Grand – a karaoke spot with a live band in the LES. I gotta say – a live band does energize the karaoke experience! 

* I continue to be highly loyal to the Comedy Cellar – one of NY’s cheapest nights out and always a good laugh. 

I am here for another month and would love any suggestions you have for small to medium venues to see live music (other than jazz – which I have found), recommendations for places to get chocolate chip scones, cute fashion boutiques (not single brand stores) and any exercise classes that you love.