NYC- Day 5

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

In case I hadn't mentioned it yet, the weather in New York had been unseasonably warm this week, and today was no exception. We woke up early, and already you could tell it was going to be a hot one. This created a little bit of a problem for Jerome and I because neither of us brought anything besides long pants, shirts and closed-toed boots, so we scrambled to find the "coolest" ensembles possible. I must say, looking back through the pictures I totally hate my outfit. It was not what I had planned in my NYC dream wardrobe, but it was one of the only options I had that didn't have long sleeves. Luckily, the amazing day ahead made up for my (sad) outfit.

On this morning we met our friends Pamela and Dave in the lobby of our hotel. Since they are planning to move to NYC this summer, this trip was partly planned for them to hunt for a place to live. One place they were looking to move is a little neighborhood in Brooklyn known as Park Slope. Since Jerome and I had never been to Brooklyn, and were getting closer to the idea of moving to New York, we decided to accompany them on their day across the water.

From our hotel, we headed to Columbus Circle, and after a about 30 minutes and two trains, we were in Brooklyn. We didn't really know what to expect of the area. Brooklyn has often gotten a bad wrap for being dirty and grimy, but Pamela assured us that where we were going was not that way. Upon exiting the subway, Jerome and I fell in love with the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn! All of the homes were walk up brownstones, similar to the Cosby Show or Sesame Street. It was clean, with lots of moms out walking their strollers. It definitely gave off that "home" vibe, much differently than the neighborhoods on the isle of Manhattan. Our first stop was for breakfast at a little diner called Dizzy's. Considered to be a "finer diner", Dizzy's is a small cafe serving delicious (and cheap) comfort foods. Pamela and Dave had been talking this place up, and boy, were they right! It was so yummy! Jerome had pistachio-crusted, banana-filled french toast, while I enjoyed "The Stan"- an egg and ham sandwich. Both were amazing, and we left the meal with one more reason we would love to live here.

The "Stan"

Jerome's french toast

After breakfast, we decided to walk down the street to Prospect Park. This park was incredible! I know I have said it before, but the parks in New York are so beautiful! Prospect Park was yet another sprawling, woodsy park covered in lush grass and trees. I don't know what I was thinking, but somehow I think I was so in awe of this place that I managed to *forget* to take pictures. I guess my mind was too excited! We walked through the park, then continued walking up and down the neighborhood streets, checking out the sights and looking for any available real estate. This whole neighborhood was so cute! We were convinced that Pamela and Dave just have to move here, and perhaps someday, Jerome and I would join them!

It was starting to get really hot. We were all pretty sweaty and uncomfortable, so we decided to make our way back to the train, since we had seen most of the neighborhood. Not to mention, the train had air conditioning! It wasn't until getting on the train that I realized we did not take any pictures in Park Slope or Prospect Park! I am still so sad about this, but I vow to go back again the next time I'm in NYC and capture it on film. It's too great to be missed!

Our next stop was Dumbo. This is a neighborhood of Brooklyn located right on the East River. At first I wondered why in the world a place would be called Dumbo, but I later found it that it stands for "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass". And it was exactly that. We walked to the little park which was truly under the Manhattan Bridge. It had the most amazing view I had seen in my life. It was the perfect Manhattan skyline I had been dreaming of!! You could see all of iconic buildings, as well as the Brooklyn Bridge (truly beautiful!), Manhattan Bridge, and the Queensboro Bridge. Pictures do not do it justice! The park was full of people sunbathing, since it was blazing hot by NYC standards (it was 90 degrees).

We hung around for a few minutes, snapping pictures and trying to take in the beauty. If it had been cooler, we probably would have hung out longer, but by this point, it was getting a little unbearable. We walked to a nearby market to grab some cold drinks, and then made our way back to the train, for our trip back to Manhattan.

It was nearing lunch time, so Dave insisted we grab lunch at Lombardi's Pizzeria, on Spring Street, in Nolita. Lombardi's claims to be America's first pizzeria. It began as a grocery store in 1897, but began serving pizza in 1905. After over 100 years and one location change, Lombardi's is still going strong. We didn't have to wait for a table, which was awesome, considering this place is somewhat of a tourist attraction. We were seated in a booth next to open windows, which was great considering how warm it was. Ordering was an obvious choice. We had to go with their original Margherita Pizza and a pitcher of Brooklyn Brown Lager (Jerome was becoming addicted to this beer).

The pizza was delicious!!! We ate every last slice and definitely enjoyed it's authentic flavor. I definitely liked the pizza at John's better, but I'm glad we got to try this piece of history too!

After lunch, we shopped around Soho. We checked out a store called Uniqlo, which is a Japanese cross between American Apparel and H&M. I was still not having much luck on the shopping front, but I did manage to get a pair of leggings and a shawl (made out of the softest cotton!). Jerome, of course, made out like a bandit with several shirts and a couple pairs of pants (for under $100!). We also went into Kate's Paperie, which reminded me exactly of Paper Source. I'm a stationary junkie, bit managed to control myself :). We shopped a round a little longer, then headed back to our hotel to cool down, shower, and get prepped for our dinner date.

Pamela and Dave were celebrating their 2nd wedding anniversary on April 11, so we decided a fancy dinner was in order! We all wanted to try something new, so we decided to make reservations at Victor's Cafe, on 52nd Street, for some authentic Cuban cuisine. This restaurant came HIGHLY recommended by my fabulous Principal, Hiacynth. Back in December, I told her that Jerome and I were taking a trip to NYC for Spring Break. That same night, she went home and printed out tons of restaurant suggestions for Jerome and I to try, complete with her own notes about what to order (how sweet is that?). Let me just say, my principal has impeccable taste, and this meal left no room for disappointment! I could write an entire blog just on the meal we ate at Victor's. None of us had ever eaten Cuban food, so we didn't know what to expect, other than the fact that it was "Latin". We started in the bar with a pitcher of White Sangria and some Mojitos (complete with real sugar cane stir-sticks) for the boys, both which were dangerously good. We also had plantain chips and salsa. The salsa was the best salsa I had ever eaten, and the chips were perfectly crisp! I could have been perfectly content ending the meal right there!

Waiting for our table @ Victor's

The most amazing Plantain Chips and Salsa

Once seated in the dining room, we ordered some appetizers (and another pitcher of sangria!). The four of us to my Principal's recommendations, and shared an order of the Tamal de Maiz Tierno (a Cuban corn tamale filled with pork) and the Fritas Cubanas con Papitas a la Juliana (mini Cuban sliders made with ground prime beef and chorizo, topped with onions and julienne potatoes), both of which were out of this world good! For dinner Jerome and Dave both ordered the house specialty (and my Principal's number 1 pick), Ropa Vieja, which is shredded skirt steak simmered in garlic, tomatoes, onions and peppers, and served over mashed plantains. I ordered the Lechon Asado (roasted pork marinated in orange, olive oil, garlic and herbs. served with moros and cristianos (rice and black beans)). Pamela had the traditional Arroz con Pollo (chicken with rice). The boys' meal was definitely the hit of the night (we are still craving it!), but we all thoroughly enjoyed the feast. We repeatedly thanked my principal out loud for directing us to such an unforgettable meal. All I can say is, wow! If you are in NYC, this is MUST! In the words of my principal, "Victor's is the truth!". Yes, it is!

After dinner, we made our way back to the Hudson, and decided to take Pamela and Dave to the Hudson Bar, since Jerome and I couldn't stop talking about how much fun we had there on Saturday night. We got a table and ordered a pitcher of Mojitos (which were delicious, and that says a lot since I usually hate Mojitos). This night also happened to be what we later referred to as the "Tranny Night" because the bar was full of Trannys and LGBTs. There was one lovely "lady" we referred to as "He Gaga" because he was the Tranny version of Gaga, herself. I was totally disappointed in the music selection, but luckily the people watching made up for it.

We ended our night pretty early, especially by Pamela's standards (she has been staying out till 4am). On a final note, when I climbed in to bed that night, and turned on my newly beloved "NY1 News", they said that today's heat was the hottest temp that had EVER been recorded this early in the year (the usually see this kind of heat in the summer). I told you it was HOT!!!

Overall, it was another incredible day!

On deck for Day 6: Lower Manhattan and 5th Avenue Shopping