The experience was definitely surreal. The moment I got off my plane, I could feel the energy of the city (and the heat) - the rush was on, I only had four days to take it all in.
My flight got in late evening, so naturally, we started bar hoping. The first night we stayed in Brooklyn, Williamsburg to be exact. It was a very hipster-ish area with many bars to choose from. I started with a place called Public Assembly. You wouldn’t be able to find this place unless you’ve been there before as there was no signage anywhere.
The night ended at what became my favorite bar of the evening, The Luvin’ Cup Café (awesome mini sliders and a hidden dance floor in the back room).
Rachel was a great hostess and tour guide. Thanks to her, I was able to see most of NYC. We traveled to Mid-town, Chelsea, SoHo Park, Time Square, East Village, etc… We ate at places I wouldn’t be able to find here in LA. We had brunch the next day at a wonderful French café called Jacque. BEST BENEDICT IN TOWN!
Another one of my favorite eating places in New York was at Blue Ribbon Sushi. It was so good I can’t even put it into words, so here’s what Zagat had to say about this place,
“This ‘serene’ SoHo Park Slope Japanese twosome from the versatile Bromberg Siblings owes its stellar reputation to ‘exquisite’, ‘like-it-was-caught-that-morning’ fresh fish and appealingly ‘no-fuss’ service.”
Visiting New York would not have been complete without attending a Broadway show. I was fortunate enough to see Chicago at The Ambassador Theater – this was after my martini across the street at Charley O’s of course. Apparently, people don’t dress up for Theater anymore. I felt a bit over-dressed for this event… but it’s ok. The show was AMAZING!!! No wonder it won so many Tony Awards.
The last day of my stay there, we visited the Guggenheim Museum. Currently on view at the museum is a special exhibition, Haunted: Contemporary Photography/ Video/ Performance. The only comment I have for that is if you go see it, you don’t want to miss the “Nail Biter” video. I still have nightmares.
My last night in New York I spent it at a Martini Bar, Rue B – in the East Village. I wanted to make sure I mention this place because they have a huge selection of specialty Martini’s. My favorite is the Lychee Martini. I couldn’t get enough of it…
The people of New York were all so friendly, despite the rumors you hear about New Yorkers. I’m glad I chose New York for my getaway trip. There’s so much culture and history all around. Next time I go back, I will definitely plan to stay longer.
-Chris Ekanha
Sounds like a lot of fun!
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