Sunday, October 29, 2017

Museum of Natural History

This visit was on our list as well last year....

but we were so tired from walking 25,000 steps the day before....that it did not happen!

This year I was prepared! The website states that for a first visit you need to spend the entire day there....

No way! After 27 years of blissful cohabitation I know how we are...after 2 hours BH starts limping and I just get tired and bored......

And we didn't want to pay the full $36 since we were going to be there for 2 hours max.

So we choose the general admission pay as you want option. That means that you don't have to pay full price! SWEET!
But let's face it we were here for one reason only....DINOSAURS!!!!



How can you not be in awe of this?

 This is mind boggling. This creature was vegetarian????

 The shear size of the specimens is so impressive and the work
to excavate and preserve and this.

The dioramas from Africa are also quite impressive.

 The animals seem so lifelike you think they are about
to run.


 Maybe the picture doesn't do this one justice but you could
feel the depth of the scenery.




The dioramas from Asia on the other hand need to be refurbished.
they were sad and dusty hence no pictures.

After this fantastic visit we took a long walk in Central Park
at 59th street we took the subway and got off at 42nd street Port Authority.

and we got lunch...

but that is for another post

Smell you later!

Eataly and Gato

On last year visit we only walked, we walked so much that we could't walk anymore.

I wasn't ready for NYC public transit...Maybe it is because the first time I took the subway I was 21 and let's face it NY subway had a really bad reputation!
You took the subway only if you really needed or if you wanted to die.....

Anyways this year I decide to grow a pair and master the NYC public transit. The minute we arrived
at Laguardia I asked where I could buy a transit card and off we went!

Armed with our cards, we took the bus and the subway everywhere! If you go get a subway map!

It is so useful!

I had made reservation to Gato Bobby Flay's Mediterranean restaurant in the Village and on the way there we wanted to stop at Eataly Mario Batali's and Lidia Bastianich mega Italian food emporium.

Before going to NYC I asked my BF where he wanted to go. I then make a list and then plan the transit.

yeah I am crazy like that!

Italy did not disappoint! It is huge, there is so much stuff you don't know where to look and there is tons of produce I have never seen in my grocery store (Shishito peppers anyone?).

I didn't take as many pics as I wanted because there was a lot of people as well!

Eataly is a destination for tourists, a mega food emporium for neighborhood folks, a huge food court and a restaurant too!

Did I mention you can take classes there too?

 Walls of cheese people!

 Cheeses you never imagined existed!

 Those are actual wheels of Parmegianno Regianno
not styrofoam mock ups!

  More cheese!

We bought some Italian chocolates that were delicious and 
24 months aged Prosciutto and some weird paper thin cracker that Dad would've loved.

Dad was a huge weird cracker lover!

so we spent less than $20 and were happy. The Prosciutto was melt in our
mouths good ($6)

Then we hopped on the bus for our 6:15 pm reservation at Gato.

We met a fantastic little oldish lady who had lived all her life in NYC.
She heard us talking and told us to stick with her because she was getting off at the same stop.

along the way she pointed buildings where famous people live (Mario Batali we know where you live..... )
and assorted landmarks....

On to Gato.

of course we expected great things since Bobby Flay beats nearly everyone on Beat Bobby Flay....
Now I think this show is rigged!

The place looks great. It is in an old factory.
You can't take pictures because it is too dark. the lady next to me had her phone out with the light on to look at the menu.
we repeatedly tried to take pictures but it looked like crap!

We took 3 bar side amuse bouche (a better term than appetizers because of their micro size)

Seared ahi tuna, eggplant and manchego and pork belly .

Tuna good, eggplant amazing I could eat that every day, pork belly beautifully cooked but 
with a weird sauce.

for our mains we ordered lemon and clam risotto.

it was way too salty, not enough lemon rind or white wine and parsley would have 
been nice for freshness.

we skipped dessert because at $14 a pop we were afraid to be disappointed.

I think Bobby is in love with chili oil because there was some in every dish we ordered.

yes it was thrilling to be in a celebrity chef restaurant but for the price we need actual magic not 
someone going through the motions.....

since I loved the eggplant and manchego dish I looked it up on the internet and there's a version of it
on Food Network by Bobby Flay!

I did toy with the idea of visiting a Mario Batali or Lidia Bastianich restaurant in future
visits but after reading the reviews....I will abstain

The lesson learned here? When you are too famous and too big you can"t quality check the way 
you should!

Thank you all for reading through this looooong post with nearly no pics!

See you soon!

Friday, October 27, 2017

NYC OH How I love you

This will be the start of an NYC series.

We visited last weekend , October 20th-October 23rd 2017.

I planned this trip on my Dad's dime.....

After  his passing in January 2016, 
I learned that I could transfer his frequent flyer miles
and use them...

He had 900,000

In May 2017 I gifted hotel stays to my daughter.
She went to Atlantic City and NYC.

Now it is our time!


Being the crazy planner/vintage lover 
that I am...I needed to visit 
The Salvation Army!

 This SA is on 46th street near 11th avenue.
this is one of the smelliest SA
I've ever visited...
the stairs are so worned and old. The threads are all slick
and you can see the damage generations of thrifter have
done to the stairs....


Great big space and not much to thrift


 

That is the only interesting i found,
I left it there for others to cherish....


This was my 6th visit to NYC in 40 years.
I find that each visit has a theme and for me NYC is so
much more than attractions to visit.
SA was a let down but not NYC!

Have a great night night