| New York is an impossible place - an overbuilt island | | | | talked out of a local fish - cod - and talked into Chilean |
| with a nasty climate, horrendous traffic and . . .magic. | | | | sea bass, which is unavoidable in L.A. restaurants The |
| What's not to love? Our day trip to Manhattan was | | | | waiter had obviously spent his childhood pushing cod |
| typical John and Laura - last minute. It was post | | | | around his plate and pretending he'd finished it. John's |
| Christmas and very cold after a snowstorm. The sky | | | | ravioli was phenomenal and led to him to keep |
| was bright blue and the wind was piercing as we | | | | perfecting his pasta and ravioli from scratch. |
| stood at the bus stop in John's New Jersey | | | | We rolled to the Grand with no bags to check in - I |
| hometown - Kearny. I, weak and pathetic after years | | | | didn't even have a purse. I don't lug purses around as |
| of mild L.A. weather, huddled in a nearby store while | | | | they are a drag to carry and a magnet for muggers. |
| John, the native, stood in the cold without gloves or | | | | We stopped at a bodega and bought a toothbrush, |
| scarf. He deigned to wear a hat, at least. I had in my | | | | toothpaste and contact lens solution for me - $9, not a |
| pocket $40, an American Express card and a lipstick. | | | | bargain but who cared? We then hit the hotel and |
| Oh yes, and a one use camera. Little did I know we | | | | noted the hopping scene at the bar - and walked right |
| wouldn't be back in Kearny for almost two days. | | | | past it. We fell into bed and slept blissfully - though by |
| We took the excellent DeCamp Buslines bus over, | | | | morning's light we discovered the room was tiny. Didn't |
| warm and comfy. I watched the gritty landscape pass | | | | this used to be an old SRO hotel? They certainly didn't |
| by, crumbling and winter-cracked overpasses, plenty of | | | | increase the room size when it was converted to a |
| graffiti, salt-beaten cars. This is not a romantic way to | | | | profit center. John pointed out the view from our |
| get to NYC but a warm one. My dad the Scottish | | | | window and what it was missing - the World Trade |
| immigrant actually arrived via ocean liner and his first | | | | Center. Solemn moment. |
| sight of America was of the Statue of Liberty. He | | | | We got a late check out and debated what to do. |
| even passed through immigration at Ellis Island. Now | | | | Well, eating was going to happen, but first some great |
| that's an arrival in New York. We got off at the grungy | | | | walking and a truly wonderful cup of coffee at a place |
| Port Authority where a taste of the winter wind had | | | | we ducked into. Don't ask me the name. New York is |
| even John admitting he needed a scarf. He bought a | | | | teeming with picturesque side streets with tiny cafes, |
| post Christmas bargain for $6. One thing you can do | | | | shops, galleries and what not. We ended up at |
| and want to do in New York is walk and we were | | | | Veselka around 2 p.m. This is a classic Eastern |
| soon warm enough as we marched out into the late | | | | European restaurant at 10th and 2nd Avenue. I got |
| morning and headed to the Metropolitan Museum. The | | | | stuffed cabbage and borscht and even went for |
| place was thronged with families off school and work, | | | | dessert. We read the NY Times at our window table |
| plenty of art students and a well-organized staff. I was | | | | and watched the world go by. But the break was |
| finally warm and very reluctant to get into the long | | | | over. One of the people we were to meet at last |
| coat check line and surrender my security blanket, but | | | | returned a cell call. Okay, I admit it, we turned the |
| the line moved fast and we soon had our coat tags | | | | phone off for hours so as to be unreachable. I mean, |
| and dove into the crowds. John knows his modern art | | | | ahem, conserve the battery. We arranged to meet |
| and we visited a lot of his favorites after an elegant | | | | him in midtown and walked all the way (40 blocks or |
| snack in the café. The American Express card | | | | so, but John the native assured me they were the |
| got its first of many uses there. We then traded off | | | | short blocks, not the crosstown blocks). The walk took |
| putting up with exhibits for each other. I examined the | | | | us across the strange diagonal which Broadway |
| vintage baseball card collection for him and he joined | | | | becomes and I started to get a feel for the geography |
| me for the costume exhibit, focusing on the Duke and | | | | of the city, something that's hard to do in a cab, bus or |
| Duchess of Windsor's elaborate clothing. God those | | | | car. We met my friend for drinks at another "guys' |
| two could really dress - but then again maybe that | | | | bar" with an after work crowd culled from Wall Street. |
| was all they really had to do. . . | | | | John had a White Russian that seemed to be made |
| A couple of hours in a museum was plenty for us so | | | | with maple syrup. More of a beer and scotch place I |
| out into the air we went. It was warmer at last. I hadn't | | | | guess. |
| been to New York since a lone high school trip many | | | | Then it was time for a hellish run to the Port Authority, |
| years before, so I had to see some of what I had | | | | both needing to find a bathroom and desperate to |
| seen before just to compare notes with myself. | | | | catch the bus in time to make it back to Jersey and a |
| Central Park was easy since it borders on the Met. | | | | long-arranged night with the family at the |
| Yep, still a big beautiful park. In winter kids were sliding | | | | Scots-American social club. Back in Jersey, Manhattan |
| down the modest hills and dogs romped - well they | | | | was a vision across the water again. John's brother-in- |
| were dogs whose owners lived on the park so | | | | law Joey kept the wine and beer going as it was his |
| maybe they sashayed. The Plaza Hotel was also on | | | | night to tend bar, but after the night before we kept it |
| the list of places to revisit. The lobby was as lavish as I | | | | light. I persuaded my native hosts to go back to |
| remembered but it seemed smaller. Do all things shrink | | | | Manhattan the next day, this time to hit the Natural |
| year by year? Or are they so big in your memory the | | | | History Museum. We drove over with John's Pop at |
| present can never match the past? | | | | the wheel of his car, nice enough to drive to a city he |
| New York is one of those places where the present | | | | hates. He used to have a sidewalk stand in the Village, |
| does exceed the past, because it always has | | | | where John sold his original paintings as well. He |
| something new to show you. Last time I had done | | | | reminisced about those days, and the really old days, |
| three theater shows, had a carriage ride through | | | | when he met John's mom at a Catholic dance in 1949 |
| Central Park, visited the Statue of Liberty and Empire | | | | and by age 18 was married. |
| State Building, watched the St. Patrick's Day parade, all | | | | We tried for close to 25 minutes to find parking near |
| in four days. So this time I could relax, right? Well why | | | | the museum and actually succeeded. Pop and I were |
| relax in New York? We had cellphone numbers for | | | | on the lookout for a spot while John napped, still |
| our respective friends and were secretly grateful | | | | catching up on sleep after another night back on the |
| when we couldn't reach any of them. The night would | | | | lumpy mattress. He woke up just in time to find a spot |
| be ours - the plan was to catch a late bus, train or | | | | for us, claiming we needed his expertise. Okay, but |
| something back before they all stopped running. Rather | | | | who drove up and down ten square blocks until we |
| than the subway, we used our all day transit passes | | | | found an undiscovered street? Now I was feeling the |
| and took the aboveground buses, which may not | | | | real New York. Scour the place for parking or pay the |
| seem hip but run all the time and stop at convenient | | | | astounding rate of $24 for 2 hours. Pleased with our |
| places. Cabs are not the necessity you might think | | | | find, we trudged to the museum where a huge line |
| they are. John wanted to show me the Village, one of | | | | meant we could not possibly get in. What to do? |
| the places where he had lived during his 6 years in the | | | | How about a trip to Hoboken? But first I felt I had to |
| city. Dusk came quick and our first stop was an | | | | see Ground Zero. It was a crisp December Saturday |
| Internet café to check email. That's when the | | | | as we edged through typically hellish traffic down to |
| idea to stay over started brewing. Maybe we could | | | | the tip of Manhattan. Everyone had warned me that it |
| get some kind of online deal for a last minute hotel for | | | | was just a big hole in the ground surrounded by a |
| that night. We mulled it over at venerable McSorley's, a | | | | chain link fence. We couldn't park or get much closer |
| beer-only bar where women were not allowed until | | | | but circled a little. I could see the fence was decorated |
| the '80's. The waiter remembered John and found us | | | | - and perhaps still is - with tattered mementoes of the |
| seats in the raucous holiday crowd. We somehow | | | | dead. Pictures, ribbons, poems, posters. A faded |
| ended up at a table of college friends reuniting after | | | | picture of a young woman stays in my mind. She is |
| stints in Arizona - or were they all headed to Arizona? | | | | smiling in a stiff pose; maybe it's some kind of studio |
| The beers were flowing and the facts got fuzzy. | | | | shot. I glimpsed hawkers selling shirts, flags and buttons |
| They took our picture - recording us for posterity in the | | | | - the post Christmas vacation crowd had a festive |
| kind of winter get-up we'd never be wearing in | | | | feel but I didn't get close enough to feel the other vibe I |
| California. McSorley's serves two kinds of beer - light | | | | knew was there. The sad one. And the angry one. |
| and dark, both their own brews. Snacks consist of | | | | So it was back through the Lincoln Tunnel to Jersey. |
| cheese, onions and hot mustard. And, oh yeah you | | | | We toured Hoboken, where both John's parents were |
| have to order beers in sets of two, no splitting. | | | | born. We drove past Sinatra's birthplace, very well |
| Sawdust on the floor and dark wood complete the | | | | marked and easy to find within the two square miles |
| picture. After the beers it seemed to make sense to | | | | which is Hoboken. We then prepared to double or |
| stay over and spend a great New York night without | | | | maybe even triple park, per tradition, outside Biggie's |
| worrying about catching a bus back to New Jersey. | | | | Clams. It was a 1940's social club/illegal gambling joint |
| We booked the Soho Grand for an okay rate and | | | | that served food so good it had become mostly a |
| knew one thing for sure: at last we would be sleeping | | | | restaurant by the '50's. I had raw clams on the half |
| on a smooth surface after four sleepless nights on a | | | | shell and was very content. East coast seafood is |
| sheet stretched over lumpy rocks - otherwise known | | | | cold water seafood, somehow brinier and crisper than |
| as the ancient family guest room mattress. | | | | the Gulf seafood where I grew up. Maybe there is an |
| Before the Grand was dinner - we decided to walk | | | | argument for cold climates after all. |
| around and look for a likely place. John has no trouble | | | | We were soon back at Pop's, greeted by his cat |
| asking local-looking people where they like to eat and | | | | Duke, standoffish as ever. The guys had managed to |
| they were happy to help. What's this rumor about | | | | find a New York Times for me after three tries at |
| bitter New Yorkers? Of course I was introduced as | | | | local Kearny newsstands. They watched football and I |
| the visitor from L.A. so they had all the more reason to | | | | read the paper. We drank hot tea and ate cake and it |
| be sure I got something besides sprouts, tofu and | | | | was hard to imagine that the high rises of New York |
| sunflower seeds. We stopped in for raw oysters and | | | | were so close to this cozy middle class street. There |
| champagne at a small but packed restaurant. It got to | | | | was more eating that night. Italian food, of course. |
| be around 9 and we figured we had a shot at getting | | | | Huge portions for your average "gavone" - Italian for |
| into Balthazar without a reservation. Sure enough, we | | | | what I had become on the trip -someone who eats |
| only had to wait about 45 minutes at the bar, pacing | | | | everything in sight. But, New York in the winter is made |
| ourselves on the drinking by this point, believe you me. | | | | for eating...when in Rome. |
| Dinner was quite wonderful, though I let myself get | | | | |