New York – May, 2015

I have been travelling to New York City for years but have never ventured out of the city!!!  This year I spent only a few days in the city and almost a week out in the beautiful Hudson Valley filled with charm and history.

In New York City I stayed at Park79 hotel as it is so close to everything, i.e. central park, metro lines, metropolitan art museum, etc.  I like to start each day with a nice walk around the Jackie Kennedy Onassis Reservoir starting at 79^th street, breakfast at some little café, i.e. Birdcage, on Columbus Avenue and then take in a museum or two.  There was a fantastic exhibit at the Met which I spent two days viewing, i.e. “China: Through the looking Glass”, an exhibit about how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries through its shawls, porcelain, flowers, movies, etc.  A fascinating show.  Lunch at the Little Owl was a creative quinoa salad with arugula, shaved artichokes and chickpeas finished by a warm chocolate cake – divine!!!

After a nice walk around the little streets nearby and a quick rest at the hotel I took the metro to Brooklyn where I had a delightfully delicious dinner at Battersby (www.battersbybrooklyn.com)  where I had dined a couple years ago.  I opted for the 5 course tasting menu, sat at the bar and so enjoyed each little bite, especially the wide noodles with fava beans and bread crumbs, duck with potatoes, artichokes and olives, mango granite and little rhubarb crumb tart – all excellent!!!

I spent the next morning at the Met visiting the remainder of the China exhibit and then took in the “Sultans of Deccan India:  Opulence and Fantasy” exhibit which explored the paintings, metal works and textiles of India’s Deccan courts during the rule of its sultans in the 16^th and 17^th centuries.  I walked down Fifth Avenue to Eataly on 23^rd Street which is a fun market filled with everything Italian, i.e. cafes, wine bars, markets, bakeries, etc.  I sat at the counter and had a pea sprout salad with radishes and parmesan which came out quickly so I easily caught the 4 p.m. train from Grand Central to Tarrytown en route to an awesome dinner at Blue Hills at Stone Barnes, a food mecca to be sure!!!  The “menu” is whatever is in season so in May it was fiddlehead ferns, stinging nettles, baby beets, pea shoots, etc. etc.  I spent 3 hours eating my way through, among other things, kohlrabi with a spicy dip, fiddlehead fern crostini, chicken pate w/chocolate tuiles, barley soup with fresh flowers, grilled asparagus with beet vinaigrette, soft shell crab burrito, farm raised chicken w/parsnips, grass fed beef with rhubarb, s’more on a stick, chocolate mousse with crunchy grains and honey candies – WOW!!

After my walk and breakfast in the morning, I took the bus to LGA and got off at the Dollar rent a car stop to pick up my little Chevrolet Spark.  Drove to Tarrytown to visit Sunnyside, the cottage like estate along the Hudson River where the famous author of “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip van Winkle”, Washington Irving, lived.  Most of the rooms are open to the public and contain much of their original furnishings.  A guided tour told all about his life which was very interesting.

Down the road a few miles is Lyndhurst, one of America’s finest gothic revival mansions which sits beside the Hudson river within a park.  Unlike later mansions along the Hudson, Lyndhurst’s hallways are narrow, windows small and sharply arched and ceilings peaked, vaulted and ornamented.  With a guided tour, it is always interesting to hear about the residents of such lofty estates!!!  Back to Tarrytown for dinner at the Twisted Oak, i.e. asparagus and nettle soup topped with crispy soft shell crab and angel lemon pudding with meringue on top.  I stayed the night in Hyde Park at a very cut little “inn” called Costello’s (www.costellosguesthouse.com) right off highway 9.

In the morning I walked the grounds of the nearby Vanderbilt Mansion down to the Hudson River – a glorious walk.  Stopped at Cranberry Bakery for a scone and coffee before heading back to Sleepy Hollow for a tour of Kykuit, Dutch for “lockout”, the Rockefeller Estate built in 1908 by J. D. Rockefeller, situated on the highest point in the Pocantico Hills overlooking the Hudson River.  I had about 20 minutes before the tour started so walked around the nearby Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where Washington Irving is buried.

In its classical revival Georgian form, Kykuit is considered rather modest compared to other estates nearby as the Rockefellers are Baptist.  Nelson, former governor of New York, was an avid art collector and his exceptional collection of paintings, sculptures, etc. spill out of the house into the beautiful gardens below. 

Afterwards I drove up to the Union Church known for its famous stained glass windows created by Marc Chagall and the rose window created by Henri Matisse.  The tour explained the story behind each window and enhanced the knowledge of the Rockefeller legacy.

Later in the afternoon I took a tour of the Philipsburg Manor, which, in 1750, was a thriving milling, trading center owned by the Philipses, a family of Anglo-Dutch merchants.  The tour of the 300 year old manor house and quarters where 23 enslaved Africans lived was very enlightening.  Some hands on activities for kids as well, making it a nice family tour.

Dinner at Equus in the Castle Hotel on the Hudson was delicious.  I had a beet salad with goat cheese and nuts and hamachi with asparagus and ponzu before driving back to Hyde Park.  I had brought my TomTom GPS with me and finally figured out how to direct it to New York so the rest of the trip was easy going as I didn’t have to worry about getting lost!!!

After walking down to the Hudson River and breakfasting at Cranberries, I drove to Springwood, birthplace, lifelong home and burial place of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32^nd President of the United States. The estate remained the center of Roosevelt’s life in all stages of his career and he hosted many famous people there, including King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1939.  After a tour of the home, I spent almost 3 hours in the FDR Memorial Library ajacent, whose permanent exhibits tell the story of the Roosevelt presidency beginning in the depth of the great depression and continuing through the new deal and World War II until his death in 1945.

I took a break for lunch at Cranberries and then visited Val Kill, “valley-stream” in Dutch, the only residence Eleanor Roosevelt personally owned.  After FDR’s death, she became an important Democratic party leader and humanitarian in her own right.  She hosted many world dignitaries such as Winston Churchill, Marshal Tito and Jawaharlal Nehru in her Val Kill cottage until her death in 1975.

I drove up to Hudson, stopping in Rhinebeck to have a look around.  It’s a very cute little town filled with many antique shops and great restaurants where I will return someday!!!

I stayed in Hudson at the Hudson City Bed and Breakfast on Allen Street and, after checking in, wandered down the main street of Warren to Crimson Sparrow (www.thecrimsonsparrow.com)  where I had an outstanding dinner.  The food was very creative and I enjoyed sitting on the patio dining on mackerel sushi, hamachi with watercress and salmon roe, duck breast with crisp cornbread, corn puree and pickled red onions and buckwheat cake with gelato and fresh strawberries – all small plates, exquisitely prepared and beautifully presented!!!

In the morning, I took a walk around town and stopped at Cafe de la Perche for an almond croissant and delicious strong coffee.  Drove to Kinderhook to visit Lindenwald, the estate of Martin Van Buren, eighth president of the United States.  He purchased this estate in 1839 during his one term as president and it became his home and farm after retirement.  On over the Rip Van winkle bridge to Catskill to visit the home and studio of Thomas Cole, a famous Hudson valley landscape artist but had to return the next day as it was closed.  Lastly I visited the Omi outside sculpture gardens with its nearly 80 works of art by internationally recognized contemporary and modern artists set over 60 acres of land. 

Back to Hudson for a quick tuna sandwich and then a leisurely walk along Warren Street, visiting the antique shops and art galleries.  Swoon Kitchenbar (www.swoonkitchenbar.com)  for dinner, i.e. beet and goat cheese salad with arugula and crispy onions and chocolate crème brulee for dessert before returning to the hotel for the night.

Took a walk to the river and then had a scone at Café de le Perche before visiting Olana, named for a fortress-treasure house in ancient Persia, about 10 minutes away.  An eclectic castle, Olana was built in 1870 by the famous landscape artist Frederic Church with the help of Calvert Vaux.  Frederic and his wife Isabel were impressed by the architecture they saw on their travels to the Middle East and upon their return created a villa with gilt stencilling, Eastern motifs, ceramic tile, etc.  It is so magnificent that it must be seen to be believed!

Back over the bridge to visit Thomas Cole’s house which made more sense now that I had seen the home of his brilliant student.  Cole was not as successful as Church or perhaps he didn’t know how to sell himself as well.  Born in England, Cole emigrated to the U.S. in 1818.  He was the founder of the Hudson River School and known for his realistic and detailed portrayal of American landscape and wilderness.  The “voyage of Life” is one of his outstanding achievements.  It is a series of paintings that represent an allegory of the four stages of human life:  childhood, youth, manhood and old age.  He created two sets of these paintings, one of which is at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.  Stopped in Hyde Park at Cranberries for lunch and then to Poughkeepsie to walk across the Hudson; however, a storm was brewing and they closed the bridge so I didn’t get to walk across.  I had read mixed reviews about the experience so wasn’t all that disappointed…

Headed on to West Point and the Thayer Hotel where I stayed the night.  I got a really good deal on Groupon and the hotel and my room were gorgeous!!!  Drove to Cold Spring, a cute little town nearby, for dinner at Le Bouchon, a little French restaurant on main street.  I sat on the patio and had a nicoise salad with fresh tuna and vanilla crème brulee after wandering around town a bit.  Back to the Thayer to relax and plan my last day in the Hudson valley… 

In the morning, I took a walk down to the river with a view of West Point.  After breakfast, I drove to the Storm King Art Center,

a 500-acre outdoor art museum filled with more than 100 pieces of sculpture and land art by contemporary artists such as David Smith, Roy Lichtenstein (Mermaid), Zhang Huan (threeleggedbuddha), Maya Lin (Storm King wavefield), etc.  After walking around for about 2 hours, I took the 30 minute tram to view some of the art I couldn’t get to on my own.  Absolutely superb!!!  Had a quick little cookie at the café and then on to Croton on Hudson to visit the Van Constadt house but it was being updated and wouldn’t open until July…. So, nothing for it but to check into the Alexander Hamilton House B&B and walk into town.  

Croton on Hudson is a small but cute little town on the Hudson with a lot of charm.  It started to rain later in the afternoon which cleared away some of the humidity so it was very pleasant when I walked to Hopscotch for dinner later that evening.  A very innovative restaurant with delicious food, Hopscotch didn’t disappoint.  I enjoyed a half glass of wine with the shredded pork shank topped with small lukewarm radicchio cups drizzled with blue cheese foam, pappadella with carrot marinara sprinkled with crunchy pumpkin seed granola, little cheese course and chocolate mousse with strawberries and rhubarb for dessert.  Courses were all small enough to be thoroughly enjoyed and the waiter was great fun!

In the morning after a nice walk to the church, I drove back to LGA and returned the car.  Bus into the city, checked back into Park79 and took the metro to the Spotted Pig where I had an outstanding grilled 4 cheese sandwich with arugula (YES!!!) and a lemon/lime tart.  The new Whitney was just a couple blocks away so viewed the American Art exhibit on four floors.  They had taken the museum’s art and arranged it by time periods, i.e. depression, industrial revolution, Vietnam war, etc.  Really quite interesting.  Afterward I walked the high line, a 1.45 mile long linear park built on an elevated section of a railroad spur complete with trees, benches, cafes, etc.  Quite elegant. 

Wandered through Chelsea Market and then returned to the hotel to regroup.  Dinner at Buddakan on Ninth Avenue, a very popular Asian restaurant with a long menu of small and large plates.  I sat upstairs where the action seemed to be and had spicy tuna spring rolls, pancakes with short ribs and apples and an outrageous “crying chocolate” dessert composed of a warm chocolate tart, ganache, espresso ice cream and caramel.

After my walk and breakfast in the morning, I took the subway to the Bronz/New York City Botanical Gardens.  It was a lovely day and the rose garden was beautiful, the azaleas were in bloom, etc.  Gotham Bar & Grill for a simple fixe lunch, i.e. escarole, snow pea salad with grapes and dried cherries, roasted halibut with fingerling potatoes and a warm chocolate cake with crème fraiche before visiting the Cooper-Hewitt Museum on 91^st street where they had a very interesting exhibit on poster art. 

Leisurely walked across central park to my hotel.  Later that evening I had a fun dinner at Beauty and Essez.  There is a jewelry pawnshop as the store front selling jewelry and some of the waitresses also wear jewelry for sale.  At this bustling, lively place with its great vibes,  I had a yummy kale salad with apples, pancetta, candied pecans and grated Parmesan and three spicy tuna wonton tacos – perfect after my hearty lunch.

In the morning I checked out and walked down Columbus, around the park, visited the folk art museum and the McKenzie-Child store.  Lunch nearby at Telepin, i.e. blini with smoked trout, pan roasted fresh trout with spinach salad and chocolate brownie for dessert.  Picked up my luggage and took the metro to the M60 bus which took me to LGA where my flight left at 4:00 p.m. getting me into SNA about 9:30 p.m.  It was a really nice trip, especially the drive up into the Hudson Valley which I will surely do again!!!

New York City – March, 2013

I took the red eye from the Orange County airport to Newark as it was a direct flight.  Upon arriving at Newark airport I took the AirTrain to Newark Penn Station and then the train to NYC Penn Station which takes about one hour and costs $12.50.  I stayed at Park79 hotel (www.park79.com) on the upper west side which is reasonably priced, quiet and 10 minutes from central park and the subway stations.  After checking in and storing my suitcase I walked down Columbus Avenue to Muffins Café.  There are only four tables but by the time your bran muffin and coffee are ready there is a place to sit. 

I took a walk around the Jacqueline Kennedy reservoir in central park amidst snow flurries and rather cold weather and then walked down to the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue/42^nd Street.  Built in 1911 and declared a national monument in 1965, this beautiful Beaux-Arts Building contains a most impressive main reading room.  It has long oak tables lit by elegant bronze lamps with 52 foot tall ceilings filled with murals of vast skies.   A quick walk over to the Morgan Library to view its vast art treasures collected by J. P. Morgan’s father and donated to the public in 1924.

Lunch at the little owl (www.thelittleowlnyc.com), a cute restaurant in Greenwich village.  I had a delicious sunflower sprout salad with golden beets and shaved parmesan ending with a flourless chocolate cake with espresso gelato. 

Later in the afternoon I took the subway to the Brooklyn Museum as it is open late on Thursday nights.   The most impression exhibition was “Gravity and Grace: monumental works by El Anatsui”.  Born in Ghana, Anatsui creates enormous metal wall works using bottle caps.  Dinner nearby at Battersby (www.battersbybrooklyn.com), a small, funky restaurant just recently opened.  Brooklyn has become quite a food mecca.  I dined at the counter as there are very few tables and enjoyed an absolutely delicious 5 course meal.  Celery root chestnut soup was the “amuse” followed by hamachi with green ginger and yuzu, pork tortellini with crisp artichoke chips, kale, lobster and sweetbreads with fingerling potatoes, wild Scottish salmon with artichoke puree, thin slices and hearts, orange sorbet with pomegranate granite to cleanse my palate and little triangles of black forest cake with cherries for dessert.  The food was outstanding, not terribly expensive and the setting was so comfortable and casual – I had a wonderful time!!!

The following morning it was actually snowing!!!  The streets and buildings were covered in a layer of snow and it continued until the early evening.  I had brought enough warm clothes along so it was quite lovely and only 32 degrees – not terribly cold.  After breakfast I walked to MOMA (www.moma.org) to see “Inventing Abstraction, 1910 – 1925” which highlighted some of the works of Vasily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian and Robert Delaunay among others and was very interesting.  New York City is used to the snow and by the time I left, the streets had been salted and walking was easy.  Lunch at Del Posto (www.delposto.com), one of Mario Batali’s restaurants on Tenth Avenue.  In elegant surroundings I chose the prix fixe menu which started with several delicious little “amuse” served on a cake stand, i.e. potato leek soup, lentil croquette in lemon sauce and tuna tartar wrapped in a thin daikon slice.  First course was a beautiful vegetable salad with raw, pickled and cooked miniature vegetables with creamy rubiola cheese.  Second course were porcini mushroom and chestnut filled ravioli with creamy chestnut sauce.  Dessert was huckleberry sorbet, puree and berries on crisp cookies with cream.  A cheese grater box filled with tiny petits fours was the perfect ending. 

Afterwards I visited the Whitney Museum which is open late on Fridays and you can pay whatever you want after 6 p.m. - a great deal.  I viewed some of the Georgia O’keeffe’s and Hopper’s paintings and then went downstairs to watch a video of the Calder Circus, something I have been wanting to see for ages.  He crafted miniature circus lions, seals, trapeze artists, etc. out of wire, cork, string, etc. and in the video pulls strings, activates levers and turn cranks as he manipulates his miniature performers – it is awesome!!

Dinner at Boulud Sud (www.bouludsud.com) near the Lincoln Center.  I chose the Mediterranean Mezze which was composed of herb falafel, Meyer lemon hummus, babaganoush and lavash bread and also ordered the organic farrotto with wild mushrooms – both were delicious.  Dessert was a thin sliver of light chocolate “cake” with tangerine sorbet.  I leisurely walked back to the hotel as the snow melted around my feet…

Saturday morning I walked down Seventh Avenue to the Fashion Institute of Technology (www.fitnyc.edu/museum) to see the “shoe obsession” exhibit.  The exhibition featured over 150 examples of the most extraordinary shoe styles of the twenty-first century, using the new concepts, constructions and materials by top end designers such as Manolo Blahnik and Christian Louboutin.  The heels were at least 5 to 6-inches high and so much fun to see!!  Lunch at the Spotted Pig (www.thespottedpig.com) in West Village.  It is an adorable little two story house filled with pig memorabilia and great food!!  I had a ricotta cheese and prosciutto tart topped with arugula and the flourless chocolate cake and vanilla cream for dessert.  I spent the rest of the afternoon at the Frick Collection on E. 70^th Street where a free audio guide introduces you to some incredible art….

Dinner at Mas la grillade (www.maslagrillade.com) was more casual than Mas Farmhouse where I have eaten in the past.  The flavor of the food comes from the wood it is grilled over.  I ordered a grilled beet and Asian pear salad with goat cheese and candied pecans and followed with grilled scallops with fennel and cauliflower.  The scallops had a rich smoky flavor but were only complimented with some anchovy butter.  Dessert was the star – a luscious lemon tart with huckleberry puree!!!

Sunday morning I spent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the “Impressionism, fashion and modernity” exhibition which presented a revealing look at the role of fashions in the works of the impressionists.  Also on display were period costumes, accessories, etc. shown in the paintings.  Lunch at Tavern (www.gramercytavern.com) , the casual side of Gramercy Tavern, was a warm Brussels sprouts salad with goat cheese, parsnip crisps and pickled red onions and chocolate pudding with salted caramel sauce for dessert. 

Afterwards I walked up to Grand Central Station where I took the train to Tarrytown and a taxi to Blue Hills at Stone Barnes (www.bluehillfarm.com)  where I had the most imaginative and delicious meal of my trip.  I got there early and wandered through the greenhouse and out to the barns where the sheep, pigs and chickens are raised.  Dining is in a large “barn” but it has an elegant feel and you know you are in for a treat.  It would takes pages and pages to describe all the courses I had so I will just mention a few of them, i.e. little “kale” tree in a planter, scissors to cut off the leaves and a warm dip to dip them in; an artist’s “palate” filled with little sauces and topped with crisp chicarones to dip in them; mini “beet” burger; a marrow bone filled with delicious marrow topped with caviar; a large wooden turntable topped with shredded vegetables, micro greens, watermelon molasses and shrimp to put in thin radish “taco” shells; mini brioche with Swiss chard marmalade; enormous piece of slate topped with spinach sprigs, underneath a thick vinaigrette and underneath that a large square composed of bread crumbs, hazelnuts, finely diced egg, parmesan cheese – the idea is the take a spinach leaf and drag it through the vinaigrette into the bread crumb mixture to make a “salad”; whole perfectly cooked codfish head, chopsticks to pull out the delicious cheek “meat” and spinach leaves salted and lightly dressed to eat it with; slow roasted thick cabbage slice topped with prosciutto and served with apple puree; roast large parsnip served on a trolley and sliced as it if were a piece of beef, served with creamed spinach; chocolate brioche and little cookies.  I spent 4 hours dining and it was really fun!!!

In the morning I visited the “Our Global Kitchen” exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History which featured the growing, trading, transporting, cooking and eating of different food from all over the world.  Lunch at Gotham Bar and Grill (www.gothambarandgrill.com) was a roasted cauliflower salad with lentils, golden raisins and grapes, pumpkin ravioli with mushrooms and leeks and warm chocolate cake with chocolate shavings.  The Train from Penn station took me back to the Newark airport where I caught the 6:30 p.m. flight to Orange County which landed instead at LAX because of a fog bank.  After a taxi ride to the Orange County airport where there was not a taxi to be found a wonderful friend picked me up at 12 midnight and brought me home as another great trip came to an end…

New York City in August

August is not the best time to visit NYC but this year it worked for me.  It wasn’t too humid and it even rained one day which cleaned the air nicely.  I stayed at Park79

(www.park79.com) near the natural history museum and took a nice walk around the Jacqueline Kennedy Reservoir nearby in central park once I arrived to stretch my legs.  My first lunch was at Del Posto (www.delposto.com)  – a delicious three course prix fixe menu which started with little tastes of Italian bread soup, miniature lobster sandwich and tiny fritters.  Lunch was a beautiful salad of raw and cooked vegetables, greens, ricotta, etc. - almost too beautiful to eat; ricotta filled dumplings with white and green asparagus; and rich chocolate tortoni for dessert.  Afterwards I walked along the high line, a former abandoned elevated railway turned into a park, 30 feet above the ground.

With my 7 day metro pass I took the subway to the National Museum of the American Indian, a free Smithsonian museum housing some 700 works of native art, i.e. headdresses, robes, jewelry, toys, etc.  Dinner at Sorella (www.sorellanyc.com) , a tiny Italian restaurant near Delancey Street where I enjoyed delicious spinach pasta with corn and mushrooms and chocolate fudge pudding for dessert.

I started day 2 at the Metropolitan Art Museum (www.metmuseum.org).  The special exhibits I wanted to see were “Thinking outside the box”, featuring a selection of 100  examples of important boxes and small chests; “the Andean Tunic” with tunics drawn from the museum’s collection and “Reconfiguring the African Icon” with creative

re-imagings of the iconic form of the African mask and a docent to explain the artists’ intentions.  Lunch in the village at the Little Owl (www.thelittleowlnyc.com) , a very sweet little café.  A simple salad of arugula, sliced peaches and artichokes with shaved parmesan and a warm rhubarb crisp left plenty of room for my upcoming dinner that night at Blue Hill at Stone Barnes (www.bluehillfarm.com) in Tarrytown!!!

Any foodie would love dining at the farm.  The menu lists the fruits and vegetables you will see creatively executed on your plate as you leisurely enjoy the chef’s creations.  Make sure to arrive early as dinner lasts about 4 – 5 hours!!!  Some of the highlights were tiny roasted tomato burger on a bed of sesame seeds, crisp deep fried kale and sweet potato slices/tempura green beans from the garden, little whole grain brioche topped with house made ricotta and Swiss chard marmalade, slow roasted onion with condiments, pasta with ostrich egg, grass fed beef with spaezle, petite sachertorte and a mint milkshake in a shot glass…

The Brooklyn botanic gardens are free on Saturday mornings and open an hour before the museum.  It is delightful to stroll through 52 acres of Shakespeare, Cranford Rose, Japanese-hill-and pond gardens, etc. before entering the Brooklyn Museum of Art.  On view was Vishnu:  Hinduism’s blue-skinned savior comprising many statutes, paintings, etc. of Vishnu, his life and his ten avatars.  Lunch at ABC Kitchen of beets in yogurt and spinach and goat cheese pizza and a surprise complimentary salad of roasted carrots, avocados, sunflower seeds and crisp croutons!!!  I wandered around the Greenmarket nearby and spent an hour at the Museum of Arts & Design on Columbus Circle.   I was rather disappointed in the exhibits so instead took a walk down Madison Avenue!!  Dinner in the Ink Hotel at Print.  The halibut with corn chowder/roasted peppers/shiitake mushrooms and whipped chocolate flan were delicious, but the restaurant lacked atmosphere so I didn’t linger….

The next day after a nice walk in central park I visited the Whitney Museum.  I was hoping to see the Cirque Calder but it was being repaired…  I did, however, enjoy an exhibit on Lyonel Feininger who started out as a cartoonist and I learned a lot about his works from the docent.  As it was a rainy day, I was happy to sit inside cozy Lupa for a lunch of oil-poached tuna with cannellini beans, deliciously warm focaccia bread and tartufo for dessert.  On to the Jewish Museum on 92^nd street (www.thejewishmuseum.org)  where I had never been before for a great exhibit of the Cone sisters’ eclectic collection of art.  They collected paintings by Matisse (whom they met!!), Van Gogh, Picasso, etc., as well as textiles, jewelry and rugs from their travels all over the world.  When they died they donated this collection to the Baltimore Museum of Art.  You can watch a video showing their home and how their art had been displayed.  Dinner at the elegant and rather expensive Marea (www.marea.nyc.com) on Central Park South of rouget with black farro, tortellini with nettle pesto and a luscious chocolate tart with espresso ice cream.

The Rubin Museum of Art: Art of the Himalayas (www.rmanyc.org)  is open on Mondays and this year the special exhibit was about pilgrimages and faith, i.e. the role of pilgrimage in three of the world’s largest religions – Buddhism, Christianity and Islam.  The museum itself is stunning with its winding staircase and unusual permanent collection.  Lunch at the busy little Spotted Pig (www.thespottedpig.com)  where the tables are tiny and the food is wonderful.  I had gnudi with ricotta and basil pesto and a creamy lemon tart and read my book as the noise bustled all around me.  Later I wandered around Greenwich village and Soho looking in shops and watching the people go by.  I also walked up to Mario Batali’s Eataly, a large Italian artisanal food and wine marketplace on fifth avenue.  It is a food lover’s mecca filled with restaurants and boutiques selling cheeses, bread, homemade pasta, desserts and more.  Dinner at Stanton Social (www.thestantonsocial.com)   with its little plates of potato and goat cheese pierogies, red snapper tacos, hand pulled chicken arepas and peach and almond crisp.

My last morning I spent at the Frick Collection (www.frick.org)  and was amazed at the number of masterpieces which fill this mansion of art.  Highlights for me were Hans Holbein’s portrait of Sir Thomas Moore and Francois Boucher’s little cherubs in the Boucher Room among other things!!!!  An unusual prix fixe lunch at Eleven Madison composed of mini little “amuse”, i.e. goat cheese-beet lollipop, crisp mini goat cheese fritters with lemon dipping sauce, egg shell filled with creamy custard and smoked sturgeon and a 3 course lunch of black bass tartar/sashimi with peaches, very tender chicken breasts with creamy mushrooms/faro/corn and chocolate glazed hazelnut “cake” with express ice cream.  Subway to the airtrain, airtrain to JFK, JFK home…

The Big Apple - NYC

If you plan months ahead you can find a good deal on flights from Orange County to la Guardia, the closest airport to Manhattan.  Then all you need to do when you arrive is purchase a metro card ($27 for a week of unlimited subway and bus transportation), take the bus into town (about 30 minutes) and hop on the metro to your hotel.

I like to stay near the Museum of Natural History as it is close to Central Park and the metro stop which makes it a very convenient location.  After arriving my travel plans, I eagerly plan where I'll eat and suggest you do the same!  There are many great restaurants in NYC that it can be very difficult to choose.  I highly recommend www.opentable.com  where you can access all the restaurants' websites and thus, their menus, as well as being able to make your dining reservation online.

I'm fortunate to be an usher at the PAC center and get to see many plays and ballets at home.  If you're theater goer like myself, check out the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company www.alvinailey.org for a fabulous evening of entertainment.  For myself, I prefer to spend my evenings dining alone at one of the many delicious New York restaurants.

Next, I visit all the museums' websites to see which exhibits I am interested in.  On my most recent trip (August 2010), I visited the Brooklyn Museum of Art, www.brooklynmuseum.com, as well as the botanic garden nearby; the gardens open one hour before the museum.  Patrick Dougherty has put up a woven wood artwork which is very interesting.  The Neue Galerie, www.neuegalerie.org had an exhibit on Otto Dix, a well-known German artist, the American folk Art Museum www.folkartmuseum.org had a women only exibit of folk art by female hands, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), www.metmuseum.org, had an exhibit on fashions of the American Woman from the 1920's to present day with film clips from old classics with the stars wearing some of the outfits on display, the Museum at Fit, www.fit.nyc.edu, has an exhibit on eco-fashion going green with fashions made from natural fibers as well as how fashions were made in the past, the Rubin Museum, www.rmanyc.org, has exhibits on Himalayan and Tibetan art and the museum itself, designed by a woman, is also beautiful.  The Museum of Natural History, the Cloisters, the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, the Guggenheim, the MOMMA, etc. - are all there!!!  Kep in mind that the "suggested" entrance fee for the Met, Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Cloisters, and the Natural History Museum is what is listed buy you can pay whatever you want.

I like to visit the Greenmarket at Union Square which is open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, from 8am to 6pm.  It's filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses, etc.  What I love about this market is that you see what is fresh (and usually local) and then you find it being served to you in the restaurants.  I also like to walk in Central Park.  A nice walk around the Jackie Onassis Reservoir near the 81st Street entrance to the park is highly recommended.  The path takes about an hour to walk around it or you can just cross the park, ride the merry-go-round on your way through, and end up at the Met!

I had great lunches at Little Owl, www.thelittleowl.com, (grilled acallops with corn and fava beans), Jean-George's new ABC Kitchen, www.abckitchennyc.com, (Italian spinach pizza), Alto, altorestaurant.com, (salmon with wild mushrooms and a torrone to dine for), Tavern, www.gramercytavern.com, (chocolate pudding with toasted brioche croutons), the Spotted Pig, www.thespottedpig.com, (creamy corn and mushroom soup), and Eleven Madison, (strawberry gazpacho with shrimp).

Fabulous dinners were eaten at Blue Hill, www.bluehillfarm.com, (organic chicken with vegetables from the farm), Marea, www.marea-nyc.com, (homemade tortellini with creamy pesto), and Mas Farmhouse, www.masfarmhouse.com, (a six course prix fix munu - yummy).

My most memorable meal was my dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barnes, www.bluehillfarm.com in Tarrytown.  You must take a train from Grand Central Station, which takes about 40 minutes, and then a taxi to Stone Barnes, a farmhouse converted to a huge dining room.  It is a working farm and you can walk the grounds and see all sorts of fresh fruits and vegetables growing.  The menu just lists the fresh produce which will comprise the tasting menu.  I spent 3.5 hours eating my way through a very flavorful 8 course dinner.  Next time I would go for lunch which is less expensive and it would enable me to return to Manhattan before dark.