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9 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Well, so much for winter for the next day or two.  High of 63 expected in the city today.  Will be nice until the rain sets in this afternoon.  Alas, I actually have to go to the office today.  Then I am going to go see 1776 tonight before it closes.  

 

 

Don’t worry, we’re in town next Friday so expect a snowstorm. It’s clockwork for our January trips. 

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The holidays in the city were pretty cool this year. I worked straight through them, but I got out enough on the weekends to enjoy them. It felt good to see so many people visiting again and seeing the fireworks in Central Park after the ball dropped was pretty cool.

Still I am glad to get a month long break and have time to myself and be left alone on vacation outside of the city. I hope the weather gets colder in NYC though so the kids can have some snow to play in sometime soon. One of the coolest things to see is watching families go out to Central Park when it snows enough because you see them get those plastic sleds and go down the hills and just have a blast.

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22 minutes ago, UpperWestside said:

The holidays in the city were pretty cool this year. I worked straight through them, but I got out enough on the weekends to enjoy them. It felt good to see so many people visiting again and seeing the fireworks in Central Park after the ball dropped was pretty cool.

Still I am glad to get a month long break and have time to myself and be left alone on vacation outside of the city. I hope the weather gets colder in NYC though so the kids can have some snow to play in sometime soon. One of the coolest things to see is watching families go out to Central Park when it snows enough because you see them get those plastic sleds and go down the hills and just have a blast.

NYC in the middle of a big snowstorm is magic. I vividly remember walking from the original Tamarind in the LES or whatever all the way up to Bryant Park in the middle of 5th avenue. 

Two days after a snowstorm in NYC, however …

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  • 2 weeks later...

Was in town over the weekend, stayed at the Mandarin Oriental and had a great view. It’s usually too much for me to pay ($1600/night or so) but we got a decent deal so decided to splurge a bit. Saturday night they had some event that had like 25 Russian 20 or so year olds in tiny black dresses arrive, all trying to not have their boobs pop out outside when it was 35. That was weird but ogliarch gonna ogliarch.

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Dinner Friday was at Tamrind, which is always great. No pics, lighting was low and they serve you directly so it never looks “pretty.”

Saw &Juliet, Kimberly Akimbo and I saw Mike Birbiglia’s show while my wife saw Joey McIntyre at Carnegie Hall.   

&Juliet is great fun. It’s everything Moulin Rouge should’ve been - bright, funny, smart. Betsy Wolfe is so great. 

Kimberly Akimbo should win the Tony for best new musical I think. It’s brilliant - quirky, semi-dark, emotional. I need to see it aga8n - reminds me a bit of Fun Home. 

Im a huge Birbiglia fanboy so loved this performance. They recorded it that night for HBO so it’ll appear eventually (sat behind the camera and had a good talk with the director prior to the performance). 

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On 1/13/2023 at 8:42 AM, Chopper said:

Saw this on View from the Wing. An 8 year study of NYC pizza by 1 man, Liam Quigley. https://elkue.com/nyc-slice/

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I know NYC is known for their pizza, but I am about as far removed as you can be from there right now and I have had pizza twice here and the taste is superior to anything I have had in NYC. Pizza places in the city need to either up their game or just charge more and put better ingredients on the pizza. People will pay for it if it is really good.

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On 1/18/2023 at 5:57 AM, UpperWestside said:

I know NYC is known for their pizza, but I am about as far removed as you can be from there right now and I have had pizza twice here and the taste is superior to anything I have had in NYC. Pizza places in the city need to either up their game or just charge more and put better ingredients on the pizza. People will pay for it if it is really good.

Pizza in New Haven is better

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So Moulin Rouge is Friday night?  Can you let me know specific start times?  Also, is it adults only?  Are there kids?

Right, MR is at 7 on Friday, all adults (3). Hadestown is 8pm on Saturday, and six is 2pm on Sunday. We will have a 4th friend (daughter’s college roommate) meeting us for Hadestown, other than that it’s just my wife, 23 yr old daughter, and me.
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12 hours ago, BearSchlong said:


Right, MR is at 7 on Friday, all adults (3). Hadestown is 8pm on Saturday, and six is 2pm on Sunday. We will have a 4th friend (daughter’s college roommate) meeting us for Hadestown, other than that it’s just my wife, 23 yr old daughter, and me.

MR is early and at the Al Hirschfeld at W 45th and 8th Ave.  I would recommend Kochi for that one.  Get a 5 PM reservation (They are at 10th and 46th) and let them know you have a show at 45th and 8th at 7.  We did this before a 7PM of Hamilton, which is about the same distance away as you are going to have to walk, and it worked perfectly.  Kochi is also easy because it is set menu, so you only have to decide on which one.  https://www.kochinyc.com/  Aaron Tveit is back as Christian, so well done.

Hadestown (which is really good, shame you are missing Patrick Page as Hades) is at the Walter Kerr Theater at 48th and Broadway.  For this one, I recommend Le Rock (in Rockefeller Center at 50th and Rockefeller Plaza).  It is outstanding.  Reservations open 14 days in advance.  You would want a 5PM res, and the people watching here is absolutely magnificent.  https://www.lerocknyc.com/  Just in case, definitely have a backup.  Samovar at 52nd and 8th is a good back up, and an easy walk to this theater.

The Six matinee on Sunday is at the Lena Horne Theater on W47th near 8th Ave and is at 2 PM.  Honestly, go down to either the Village or West Village and grab brunch at Dante or Dante West Village.  The cocktails are great.  They start brunch at 10 AM.  Other recommendations would be Dim Sum brunch at Jing Fong (10:30) or Nom Wah (10, get there early!) in Chinatown, then hitting the show.  

I am planning a similar weekend for the last weekend in Feb when a friend comes to town.  Right now, we have tickets to Some Like it Hot for Friday night (aiming for a Le Rock reservation), then we are debating going to see Bad Cinderella at the matinee the next day.  No idea what else to do, though I am leaning towards Overstory and Crown Shy for Friday night.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Headed next week, Wednesday night to Monday night. Staying at the Hilton in long island city since it is close to the office. Should have a bunch of free time Friday afternoon and over the weekend. Haven't been to NY in about a decade. I'm pumped and want to hit MSG for a game but other than that no real plans. Anything in long island city that I should check out vs just going focusing on things across the river?

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One thing from our Christmas week trip....if you're going to do any touristy thing make sure you include the Summit One Vanderbilt. You get the outstanding, open air skyscraper views including an unparalleled look at the ESB. But a lot more. This is a must see / do.

Not a must do is going the week of Christmas. Avoid at all costs. We had a great time but everything was just packed, and beyond.

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One thing from our Christmas week trip....if you're going to do any touristy thing make sure you include the Summit One Vanderbilt. You get the outstanding, open air skyscraper views including an unparalleled look at the ESB. But a lot more. This is a must see / do.
Not a must do is going the week of Christmas. Avoid at all costs. We had a great time but everything was just packed, and beyond.

We are doing the summit.

And I did NYC Christmas week a while back, culminating at a stay at Castle On The Hudson in Tarrytown, which was very neat.
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9 hours ago, The Ace of Aces said:

This guy needs his own show. I’m sure Pebbles Bar is more scene than flavor for food but I’m going to check out some of his cocktails. 

 

Pebble Bar is ok.  I would rather be at Overstory, Katana Kitten, or Jeremy's than Pebble Bar.  Just my $0.02.

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Well, it is no longer colder than a witch's tit here, though admittedly we went out on Friday night (IT WAS COLD!). A friend who works for the UN is moving to Rome (Jealous!), so we went to her going away.  I met another friend at the Ritz NOMAD.  We tried to go upstairs, but they were booked.  So, if you want to go to that rooftop, make sure to get a res.  The lobby bar is nice and the cocktails quite good, and not as expensive as I expected (i.e. about $20 per and not $30 per that some places charge).

Afterwards we went to Ciao Ciao in Williamsburg.  It was, if possible, colder in Brooklyn than in the city.  It is a cool little bar.  All cocktails are $15, so positively cheap by NYC standards.

Then I was lazy all weekend, which after last week (long hours, lots of stress) and the upcoming week (work colleagues in town, catching up with a friend who just moved back to the city), was needed.

Tuesday, have tickets to see Eddie Izzard in Great Expectations down at Greenwich House Theater.  Then Wednesday, it is a work dinner.  Then Thursday, my friend and I are going to the Chiara Condello Wine Dinner at King.  

Saturday, meeting folks for dinner at Zaab Zaab in Williamsburg.  Then doing a crawl in Flushing on Sunday.  So, big dining out week for me.

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23 hours ago, JCHIL said:

Going to Hadestown tomorrow night and Hamilton on Saturday.  We have dinner planned for tomorrow but still trying to decide on dinner after Hamilton on Sat   - any Recs ?

Hamilton the matinee or evening?  If Matinee, go to Le Rock and wait for seats at the bar.  Food and drinks are great.  Lots of good people watching.

If evening, head over to 9th ave as there are a number of places there that stay open a tad later.  

Or buck the trend and go down to Katana Kitten and drink and eat good bar food.

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Had an amazing weekend in NYC!  Hamilton and Hadestown blew me away! Went to China Town for lunch today and caught the last New Year parade for the year of the Rabbit!  Crazy fun! I recommend Wo Hop - 2022 James Beard award - very unsuspecting dive so authentic with an amazing array of selections on the menu 5F3BF210-72B0-4FA6-AAE4-DC555D935009.thumb.jpeg.1f771e5ddbef2bf52947721ed65f0524.jpeg

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10 minutes ago, BearSchlong said:

Ok dumb question, why do all the restaurants have tables in the street? Is it a restaurant week thing?

Just ate at Jacobs Pickles on Lexington and they are everywhere.

During the dark days of COVID, they dramatically changed/loosened the regs to allow restaurants to secure dining areas on the curb or parking spots immediately in front, so that they could make income while indoor dining was banned. Outdoor dining was really popular with most people under 60, so they’ve stuck around. 

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3 hours ago, BearSchlong said:

Ok dumb question, why do all the restaurants have tables in the street? Is it a restaurant week thing?

Just ate at Jacobs Pickles on Lexington and they are everywhere.

It’s been one of the best things to come out of COVID. The only people upset about this are people who have less places to park. I do not feel sad for any of those people. We have outdoor dining from late April to early November, but it is not in the street. We are the ground floor of a pretty tall building on 57th and they let us use the courtyard area. It doubles the size of the restaurant for half the year. 

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On 1/4/2023 at 6:19 PM, The Ace of Aces said:

Don’t worry, we’re in town next Friday so expect a snowstorm. It’s clockwork for our January trips. 

So we are now near a month left of winter and we have had .4 inches of snow. We are supposed to be around 20 inches at this point I believe. It’s cold today, but this is more like winter in the Hill Country so far.

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1 hour ago, UpperWestside said:

So we are now near a month left of winter and we have had .4 inches of snow. We are supposed to be around 20 inches at this point I believe. It’s cold today, but this is more like winter in the Hill Country so far.

I’m at 5” here in PA, 26” below normal.  It’s a damn shame. It’s been so, so warm this “winter.” 

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I do not recall getting much snow in the winter of 2019-2020 either, but the last two winters were more normal.  

We have had some bitter cold though.  It is going to be very cold again this weekend.  

Nothing planned until this weekend.  Last week, went to the Alexander McQueen sample sale on Tuesday and then on Friday, went and saw Jack Whitehall at the Beacon Theater.  Jack was HYSTERICAL!  If you have an opportunity to go see him, do it.  After, it was cold as hell.  We got some Delta 8 caramels (They were tasty) and hit a wine bar (Vanguard Wine Bar).  

This weekend, one of my closest lifelong friends is visiting for a quick Girl's Weekend.  So Friday, it is dinner at Le Rock, followed by orchestra seats for Some Like It Hot.  Afterwards, want to head down to Overstory and have a few cocktails.  It will be COLD on Friday night, so hoping that keeps a lot of folks at home and away from Overstory.  Saturday during the day, we have no real plans.  It will be cold, so that might color what we do. 

Saturday starts with brunch at Lafayette, followed by a stroll to and visit at the Whitney.  Then, Friday evening, we have an early reservation at Saint Theo's then tickets in the orchestra for Bad Cinderella.  I just put in a request for Nubeluz (Rooftop bar at Ritz Nomad), but I do not hold out much hope that we will get in.  Back up is Jeremy's on the UES or just coming back to mine for a night cap.  With a morning flight from LGA, and us being older than we used to be, too late of a night isn't a good thing, though staying out until midnight shouldn't be too bad.  Fortunately, LGA is very close from my house.

Thankfully, I have no plans on Sunday because I am going to need to recover.  

 

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Looks like a fun day.

We had a phenomenal time in NYC—a quick rundown for my memories.

The new LGA doesn’t suck. I enjoyed staying on Central Park South; waking up early and taking a stroll around the park was lovely, watching lots of dogs playing, ice skaters, and the iconic skyline. And, of course, the well-heeled in their natural habitat. Essex House was, as expected, a nice JW Marriott. Originally it was my wife, daughter, and me, but my daughter’s friend who just took an investment banking job in NYC got invited somehow, and then when my wife’s BFF and her man found out we were going, they tagged along. Fun traveling couple.

The first night was Jacob’s pickles, 84th, and Amsterdam. Solid southern food and gourmet pickles. Next, gawking in Times Square for the benefit of my wife’s friend, who was in NYC for the first time. My daughter is in digital media campaign enablement, so her comments about the various ads were informative.

The following day was the 9/11 memorial (powerful), Trinity Church, the original St. Patrick’s Cathedral (the Godfather baptism scene location), and the Catacombs. A long lunch at Caffe Napoli in Little Italy, shopping, a daddy-daughter espresso date at Sofia’s, and drinks at Gelso & Grande on Mulberry. Since I don’t drink, I was over espresso’d for most of the trip. Then Moulin-Rouge, such a sexy spectacle.

Saturday began with an hour in the park, brunch at Sarabeth’s on 59th and 6th, a subway ride to Brooklyn Bridge Park, then an Uber to the Hudson side and a boat ride by the Statue of Liberty and around the island.

Over the years, I’ve made NYC trips focused on museums, food, and shopping, but the vibe on this trip was more celebratory (daughter’s 23rd birthday, enjoying friends) and enjoying the city’s for the first time with my 2nd wife).

Dinner at Bond 45 was solid, ending with the best limoncello tart I’ve ever eaten.
Hadestown was great.

Sunday was a walk in Central Park, then a birthday girl champagne brunch at 230 5th Rooftop with a window table next to the Empire State Building, then a matinee of “Six,” which was a fun, short musical, then the Summit at One Vanderbilt. That place is a blast, like a funhouse of mirrors in the sky. We went at 4:30 and saw the sunset; NYC lights coming to life, the perfect cloud cover to make the sky look like a lava lamp. An ideal beginning to the evening.

Dinner in an outside cabin at Quality Meats on 58th and 6th. Great steaks and sides, but in hindsight, it was so massive that I would have gone much lighter on brunch. By now, we had gone full speed for three days, and my wife was wearing down, so we called it a night. My daughter met up with her high school BFF who went to UT and now works for LVMH and they went to her place in Harlem, and she stayed until 3 am.

Woke up, strolled the park, met up with UpperWestside for an enjoyable visit, then rallied the troops to the hotel bar for a Monday afternoon white girl wasted Uber to LGA.

Our next NYC trip will be with my son and new DIL.

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I can highly recommend Some Like it Hot.  It was an absolute blast.  If you haven't seen it, you are missing out.  

Bad Cinderella is so funny, but they are still working out some kinks (we saw it after only a week in previews).  I expect by the time it opens in late March, it will be another ALW hit.  It is really, really camp and funny, so definitely a fun time.  

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1 hour ago, The Ace of Aces said:

Quality Meats (really all their places) is so good - it’s our de facto fallback spot for theater weekends. 

Any brunch recs for a Sunday that aren’t boozy and not Balthazar, Lafayette or The Smith? Have a show at 2, and prob sleeping in that am so really just time for food. 

Tim Ho Wan (Dim Sum in Hell's Kitchen) or All & Sundry (also Hell's Kitchen).  

Spanish Diner is another option.

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Quality Meats (really all their places) is so good - it’s our de facto fallback spot for theater weekends. 
Any brunch recs for a Sunday that aren’t boozy and not Balthazar, Lafayette or The Smith? Have a show at 2, and prob sleeping in that am so really just time for food. 

That truffle butter on steaks

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