Bagels, Bourbon and Broadway
A New York State-Of-Mind
11th December, 2021
“Some folks like to get away
Take a holiday from the neighbourhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach
Or to Hollywood
But I’m taking a Greyhound
On the Hudson River Line”.
Yup! This song by Billy Joel pretty much sums up my feelings when my Finnair flight landed at JFK airport that warm summer evening in July. Despite the lack of sleep and change of time zone, the adrenaline was coursing through my body like a wild thing. And why ever not? After all, I was in NEW YORK!
Immigration was smooth and uneventful and within half an hour, we were in the car that had been sent by our hotel, speeding toward midtown Manhattan. It was a 55 minute drive from the airport and there’s no way you won’t know it the moment you’re in Manhattan. The sight of the dappled rays of the evening sun on those glittering, sparkling skyscrapers is magnificent to say the least. Combine that with the myriad mix of neon lights, people, hawker stalls and stores that crowd the paved streets of this fascinating borough and it is definitely a sort of sensory overload. Suffice it to say that there isn’t any other sight even remotely similar to this one, anywhere in the world.
I had hardly been able to absorb it all when suddenly the car made a swift, sharp turn and stopped right in front of a stately looking, old hotel. Even as we stepped out and the bellhop greeted us and started unloading the luggage, I glanced up at the warm, glowing sign that was lit with two words in a simple but classy font. The Warwick. I remember thinking that stepping through the old-fashioned revolving doors at the entrance of the hotel was like stepping back into time. The time of The Beetles, Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley. It was difficult to believe that amidst all that chaos and bedlam, stood this charming, old hotel with its 94-year-old history. The thickly carpeted corridors, beautiful artwork and murals on the upholstered walls and general air of elegance were testimony to the fact that this was a place that had quietly catered to the world’s elite ever since it opened its doors back in 1927. The suite that had been reserved for us was as beautiful and spacious as we could have wished for, with sparkling views of Manhattan. A couple of takeaway hot-dogs and a “Tall, Dark and Handsome” (that’s what they call the extra-strong coffee) from the suite’s coffee service and we were ready to hit the sack. We were tired and there was a whole lot of New York to do the next day.
When you’re in a city that is teeming with fascinating, exciting things to do, it is challenging but very important to make an itinerary. Thankfully, our hotel was well located, right in the heart of all the action and after much deliberation, we decided that the first day would be reserved for a bit of Central Park, a touch of Fifth Avenue and a lot of Rockefeller Center. The ocean liner style observation deck at the top of RC cannot be missed of course and trust me, it’s not overrated at all. The day was panning out well and everything was going as planned until we started getting peckish and realized that it was time for lunch. You see, taking a decision to have lunch at Rockefeller Center is a simple decision, yes, but trying to decide which out of the scores of restaurants would be the best option isn’t that simple. Sushi? Sure thing! Plant based burgers? Why ever not? Chipotle? You got it! Needless to say, lunch was a hard pick. Then back to the hotel for a quick change of clothes, a quicker cup of coffee and it was time for something I’d been anticipating for over a decade but never really thought would actually happen to me. But it did! Yup folks, it was finally my chance to make my dream come true. The honest-to-goodness, S.A.T.C. bus tour followed by dinner at a celebrated New York steak house, Carrie and Mr. Big style. Maestros had been featured in a leading food and nightlife magazine and it lived up to every word of praise that it had received in the glowing reviews. Sophisticated, elegant and classy. Our first evening in NYC had been as delightful as we had hoped.
The next 8 days were a whirlwind of culture, nightlife, shopping and food. Most days would begin with breakfast at a diner across the street or even an on-the-go bagel from Starbucks on days when there wasn’t time before we plunged into the day’s activities. Of course, it is difficult to make a list of everything but here are the highlights of our trip, things that you absolutely should not miss. The guided tour at Radio City Music Hall, a couple of bus tours, shopping at Macy’s (you need a day for that), a picnic in Central Park (carry a book if you have the time), a trip to the Zoo and the Museum of Natural Science if you have children are must dos.
Of course, it goes without saying that when in New York, you have to keep a couple of days aside for a few museums, depending on your preference. The MET is practically tradition and you need a full day just for that, but we also managed to sneak in a few hours at the Guggenheim, very enlightening that was. Then you could take in an evening of Jazz at one of the clubs in the theatre district followed by dinner at a proper Southern Style BBQ restaurant. We went to Virgil’s Real BBQ in Times Square where the BBQ Chicken Wings, Hush Puppies and Trash Ribs were the stars on the menu. Teamed with a glass of American Rye Whiskey, this made one of the most indulgent albeit delicious meals we had ever eaten.
The American singer, Vanessa Williams once said that Broadway was her life. Now this is one thing about New York that simply cannot be included in a general list, it deserves very, very, special mention. We were wise enough to set an entire evening aside for “Dinner and a Show”. The show we had booked was The Phantom of the Opera at Majestic Theatre in The Theatre District and our concierge made our life very easy by recommending Sardi’s for dinner. Now Sardi’s is a glamorous old restaurant where the women still wear elaborate hats to dinner and champagne is served the old-fashioned way, in saucers instead of flutes. Need I say more? The fact that it is located bang opposite Majestic Theatre doesn’t hurt either. Anyway, it’s often referred to as “The Toast of Broadway” and is the perfect place to enjoy a delicious dinner before the show. The show of course was…well, words cannot ever adequately describe it. All I can say is that the evening was so spectacular that I can safely say that it had a magical quality to it. You know the kind that will remain firmly etched in the memory forever.
Any trip to NYC is special but what made our trip very memorable indeed was the fact that we were there on the 4th of July. It was wonderful to be a part of the festivities and to make the experience really, really unique, we booked ourselves on a Hudson River Cruise (that covered the Statue of Liberty so that was another essential ticked off), followed by a trip to the MET and then Martinis at the legendary Plaza Hotel. It is sacrilege to be in NYC and not visit the Plaza at least once, I mean there is no other hotel as legendary as The Plaza. Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, Home Alone 2, The Great Gatsby, Sabrina, the Way We Were, even the more recent Bridesmaids, have all featured this iconic New York Landmark and I always wanted to know what the fuss is all about. A couple of hours there and I knew.
Never before had 8 days gone by in a quicker flash than our 8 days in NYC. I always feel a bit blue when a holiday comes to an end. Now multiply that feeling a hundred times and you will get a sense of my mood on that last evening when we finished packing and shut our suitcases with a final thud. Thankfully, my husband, who is always one to make the most of everything, decided to take matters into his own hands and took me down to Randolph’s (The Warwick’s own cocktail bar) for an after-dinner drink. A round of Black Manhattans in the center of Manhattan and we were soon tipsy enough to start planning our next trip to NYC. After all, as Billy Joel rightly said, “We were in a New York state-of-mind.”
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