NYC - May 20, 2010

Menu - Katz's Deli

Salmon & Whitefish - Russ & Daughters

Russ & Daughters - NYC

Katz's Deli - the Best since 1888

After a day of relaxation and catching up with my emails, I decided to venture down to the Lower East Side again. This time, I was headed straight to the deli and restaurant action that I had missed the other day. I decided to eat breakfast in the LES and headed directly to Russ & Daughters www.russanddaughters.com. Their motto is "Appetizing Since 1914". Their brochure reads the following: "Purveyors of the highest quality smoked fish, caviar, and specialty foods. Since 1914, this NY institution has been run by four generations of the Russ family. The tastes, traditions, and old-world class of this landmark shop are a true NY experience." And what an experience it is. From the moment I entered this small but colorful store, I was in awe of the abundance and variety of the delicacies in front of me. Everything from sturgeon, brook trout, numerous types of herring, homemade salads, cheeses and cream cheeses, not to mention dried fruit, nuts, halvah and homemade sweets were whetting my appetite. I decided to go for the basic bagel, cream cheese and lox followed by a slice of chocolate babka. What can I say except that I was in Russ and Daughters "heaven". The subway ride down from the Upper East Side was worth every moment in order to savor this delicious breakfast. Unfortunately, I would be unable to attend their upcoming once a year event. Russ & Daughters would be celebrating "New Catch Holland Herring Season" beginning on June 8 and running for a four-week season. The event is a "Herring Pairing" with Wylie Dufresne and John Zorn. Walking from 179 Houston Street, I was on my way to NY's most famous deli, Katz's at 205 Houston St. Katz's was founded in 1888 by Russian immigrants. The interior is basic deli but the food is anything but basic. I ordered a corned beef sandwich and seltzer to go. Just being inside the deli, smelling the meats and listening to the heavy NY accents of the counter staff, I knew that I had arrived at Deli Heaven!! This is surely the "Deli Capital of the World"!!

NYC - May 18, 2010

97 Orchard Street

Tenement Museum

tenement building

tenement building

Another beautiful spring day in NYC. After a quick breakfast at a local deli, "Eat Here Now", I decided to take the subway down to the Lower East Side of NYC. Although I decided to explore the area on my own, there are several organized tours sponsored the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy www.nycjewishtours.org. The LESJC will gladly arrange private customized tours for various groups. They can arrange to see where your great grandparents may have lived, walk on historic streets, enter sacred sites, and get a sense of how people actually lived back then. One of their most interesting tours is entitled "Bialystoker the Beautiful, Shteibl Row and Historic East Broadway. The tour includes the magnificently restored Bialystoker Synagogue, the landmarked Yiddish Daily Forward Building and a visit to Congregation Beth Hachasidim De Polen.
On my own, I was able to roam the streets and stumble upon the old tenement houses. I tried to imagine how this past push cart capital of America was teeming with merchants hawking goods to new immigrants. A highlight of the LES is the Tenement Museum www.tenement.org which focuses on America's urban immigrant history. There are several free tours available daily.
As I continued on my way down Orchard Street, I bumped into one of the few hotels in the area, The Blue Moon Hotel www.bluemoon-nyc.com. National Geographic Traveler (April, 2008)
named it one of the 150 best boutique hotels in the Western Hemisphere. The hotel offers Pied-a-Terre rooms at $275 per night as well as Quintessential Rooms at $625 as well as various categories in between those rates. All rooms come standard with the usual amenities as well as complimentary continental breakfast every morning. The hotel is located near the corners of Orchard and Delancey, touted as the 57th and 5th of the Lower East Side.

NYC - May 17, 2010

"NY is Zabar's...Zabar's is NY"

Central Park - NYC

Pas de Rouge Sandals

Another beautiful day in the Big Apple. I spent the weekend wandering through Central Park. The vastness and open, airy feeling is in such contrast to the concrete jungle that is Manhattan. I love meandering through the different paths and I often end up in new places. The sight of children and families strolling, runners and exercisers, elderly people and tourists just enjoying the day can lift the spirits. Truly Central Park is one of the gems of the city. I ended up exiting the park in the Upper West Side in a neighborhood filled with flower shops, delis, movie theaters and shops. One of my favorite shoe stores in this neighborhood is Harry's Shoes www.harrys-shoes.com. It's a store filled with comfort shoes including brands like Mephisto, Ecco, Cordani, and Merrell. I came across some beautiful shoes that reminded me of Thierry Raboutin shoes -- well made, soft leather and very stylish. The brand name is Pas de Rouge. I tried on a few pairs and I was instantly sold. Another shoe purchase in NYC -- I will certainly have alot of packages upon my arrival back to LA! Just a few blocks south of Harry's is the famous Zabar's -- an institution in the Upper West Side www.zabars.com. It is a "gourmet epicurian institution" and it certainly makes for a fun and tasty way to spend some time. The aisles of delicious baked goods including rugelach, babkas, beautiful lox and herring displays and shelves of gourmet foods make Zabar's second to none. I decided to have the Bagel and Nova Lox special of the day....tasty and well-priced. NYC is definitely a food-lovers city!

NYC - May 16, 2010

my pedometer reading

music and dance on Madison Ave.

The Pump - quick, healthy food

The J.P. Morgan Library

Awoke to another beautiful sunny day in NYC. After having coffee in my room and reading the headlines of the NYTimes, I ventured out to start my day. Someone had told me about their recent visit to the JP Morgan Library and Museum (www.themorgan.org) so I decided to head down to Madison Avenue and 36th Street to visit the museum. Even though the weather was beautiful I decided to take the bus down Madison Avenue. It wasn't a bad decision, because I reached my destination in no time at all. A visit to the Morgan Library is indeed an unforgettable experience. The museum has wonderful drawings by Rembrandt and Rubens, unmatched medieval and Renaissance texts, Gutenberg Bibles and Near Eastern carvings more than two thousand years old. Two current exhibitions were spectacular. "Written In Stone" is the title of an exhibit portraying rare inscribed tablets from the Middle Assyrian period of Mesopotamia. The second exhibit entitled "Palladio and His Legacy" features thirty-one original Palladio drawings from the Royal Institute of British Architects. These drawings were on view to the public for the first time in over thirty years. The show also traces the story of Palladio's influence on numerous architectural models including the Pantheon, villa Rotonda, and Jefferson's unrealized design for the White House.

During the exhibit, we were able to enjoy a concert in Gilder Lehrman Hall of the museum. The concert showcased young musicians from the Juilliard School's Pre-College Division. Several amazingly talented young students played various pieces of music composed by musicians whose scores are in the Morgan's collection of musical manuscripts.

After the exhibit, I was quite hungry for a late lunch. I walked up Madison Ave. to 40th Street and decided to check out The Pump. This is definitely a unique spot for lunch. All foods are made from scratch, every day. It serves healthy, unprocessed foods, and the menu is basically built around either a plate, a salad, or a low-carb whole wheat "twist" or wrap. You can select your lean protein from a number of selections including lean beef, turkey, grass-fed bison, chicken breast or organic tofu. You can check out their menu at www.pumpenergyfood.com/order.

I continued my walk up Madison Avenue and around 49th Street I noticed a small crowd gathering around a street scene. I heard the loud music of a boombox and watched the crowd view several young men and a few children performing dance routines on the sidewalk. The loud music and the applause from the viewers drew even more people to the scene. You just never know what you'll run into when you're taking a walk in the city.

By the time I returned to the Affinia, I checked my pedometer for the day. I knew that I had walked alot, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a number over 17,000!! This is a number that I certainly never reach while walking in Los Angeles. And my legs and feet were ready for a long, warm bath.

NYC - May 15, 2010

Hampton Jitney

Apple Store - Upper West Side NYC

Signs at Gray's Papaya Broadway & 72nd Street

Gray's Papaya

Aroma Espresso Bar NYC

There's nothing like spring in NYC and that's where I decided to spend some time now that May is in full swing. After a short 4 hour and 45 minute flight from LA, I arrived in the Big Apple. I am staying in a spacious one-bedroom suite in the Affinia Gardens http://www.affinia.com/. It's in a fabulous location -- on 64th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue on the Upper East Side. I love walking and exploring this ever-changing city. My suite is simply furnished, with a large living area, bedroom, bath and a small kitchen. After a good night's sleep, I awoke to a beautiful spring day with the temperature in the low 70's. I walked over to 2nd Avenue to the Health Nut -- what an amazing selection of all things healthy. In my basket were my staples -- Fage Yogurt 0% fat, two boxes of Z bars, cereal, milk and seven grain bread. Also, they have the most amazing home made salt-free soup prepared daily. After stocking my fridge, I walked up to 72nd Avenue, caught the cross-town bus and was on my way to one of my favorite shoe stores-

Tip Top shoes http://www.tiptopshoes.com/. It's a haven for comfortable yet stylish shoes and sandals, just the type that you can wear for hours in the city. Ended up getting a pair of Original Kork-Ease sandals and a pair of stylish yet super comfy Finn Comfort sneakers. Little did I realize that one of my favorite Israeli coffee bars was located just a few doors down -- Aroma Coffee Bar http://www.aroma.us/. I stopped in for a delicious iced decaf coffee and a pastry. It really brought back memories of Israel... the place was full of families, children, tourists and locals. They also have two other locations -- in Midtown on 42nd Street between 2nd and 3d and in Soho on Greene Street at Houston. I didn't have lunch but their menu included fresh sandwiches, salads, soups and breakfast. I'll have to plan to eat there at least once during my stay in NYC.

Continuing on my walk, I walked past a long line of customers across the street at a famous NY institution -- Gray's Papaya http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray's_Papaya located at Broadway & 72nd. This quick stop hot-dog chain has been featured on Anthyony Bourdain's No Reservations as well as in numerous films. They are famous for their "Recession Special" : 2 hot dogs with everything and papaya juice for $4.75. Now that's a deal for a NYC meal. Their hot dogs were ranked #1 in the city in the June, 2006 issue of Time Out Magazine. The line went quickly and within a few moments I was biting into a delicious hot dog with golden brown mustard and onions. Delicious!!!

After filling up on lunch, a long walk was necessary. Within a few blocks I stumbled upon the new Apple store on NYC's Upper Westside http://www.apple.com/retail/upperwestside/. The store was full of customers, many of whom were trying out the new IPad. I realized the store had a downstairs as well where Apple holds classes. Another huge success for Apple!!

The rest of the afternoon was spent taking the cross town bus back to the east side since my feet deserved a rest at this point. I passed a large bus parked on 69th Street with the words "Hampton Jitney" http://www.hamptonjitney.com/cgi-bin/nav.cgi?page=home.html on it. This luxurious bus line transports New Yorkers to the summer resorts on Long Island. This is something I'll definitely have to check out soon!!

The amazing thing about NYC is that you never know what you'll learn about just around the next corner.

Tel Aviv - Rome March 12, 2010

Via del Babuino - lovely street

peering into windows of Bottega Veneta

rooftops of Rome

typical street scene - Rome

While I ate breakfast this morning, I decided to check airline fares to various cities in Europe. Israel is just a few hours away from most major European cities and I was hoping to find a special last-minute fare to Paris, Rome, or even London. I checked the weather in those cities and decided that Rome would be the most temperate of the three. While checking Alitalia's fares and their schedules (Rome is only a short 3 hour flight away), I decided to take advantage of their $250 roundtrip fare and spend the weekend in Rome. I packed a small carry-on bag with just the basics and within a few hours I was waiting for my flight at Ben Gurion airport. I love the idea of just getting on a plane and landing in a city with no pre-planning. After the very short flight, I landed at Fiumicino and walked to the train station where I boarded a train into the city. While on the train, I checked various hotel sites and found a small, new boutique style hotel located between the Spanish Steps and the Piazza del Populo. I had stayed at the very lovely but expensive Hotel de Russie a few years ago, but I preferred something smaller and less costly but still in the same location. After reaching the center of town, I hailed a cab to take me to my hotel for the next few nights. I was pleasantly surprised when I was dropped off at Babuino 181 (the name of the hotel as well as the address located at 181 via del Babuino http://www.romeluxurysuites.com/babuino/. I walked into a small but very contemporary lobby and was greeted by reception. My double room wasn't inexpensive by any means but it was reasonable given the location and the room size. The room itself was large with a king size bed, flat screen TV, large closet, brand new bathroom with a wonderful shower and tub and lovely Italian amenities. My favorite part of the room was the Nespresso machine and various types of coffee available....what a lovely way to start my mornings. I settled in for a good night's sleep with images of what I would plan for the next few days. When in Rome, do as the Romans do!!

Tel Aviv - March 11, 2010

recycling bin on Rechov Dizengoff

UN vehicle

"Gilad" sign on boulevard

Old and New in Neve Tzedek

I woke up this morning with no special plans. Just had coffee and yogurt in my apartment and decided to take a walk on Dizengoff. It's an especially beautiful day so I'm glad that I have some free time to just roam around and discover. One of the first things that caught my eye along Dizengoff was a huge wire basket filled with empty plastic water bottles. What a simple idea! Just place a container in the middle of a street filled with pedestrians and you've got a wonderful and easy way for people to recycle their empty bottles. I love it! I began to notice them everywhere I walked, even in the middle of neighborhoods filled with apartment buildings. This is one of the reasons it's wonderful to walk the streets -- it's a great way to see things that you wouldn't normally pay attention to if you were in a car or bus. Another interesting sight that caught my eye was the appearance of cars and SUV's with the "UN" emblem. We all know that the UN is involved in the Middle East but it's not often that Americans see UN vehicles on the road. Just another reminder that you are in Israel. As I continued my stroll, I eventually made my way to the Beach Promenade. Somehow, I always end up on this stretch of walking path. The beach is such an integral part of the city that it just feels calming to walk this route. Along the way towards Jaffa, I noticed a colorful display spelling out the words "Gilad". This refers to Gilad Schalit, the young IDF soldier who was kidnapped and is being held by Hamas. Again, another reminder that this is not a country at peace. In spite of the beauty and the seeming normalcy of life, there exists an undercurrent of instability that every once in a while rears it's ugly head. I finally realized that my feet were desperate for a rest. Being near Neveh Tzedek, I took a turn onto a side street to look for a coffee shop where I could sit and have a snack. At one point, I looked upwards and glanced towards the sky. I saw old and new buildings appearing together. This sightdescribes the city of Tel Aviv -- an old city yearning to be contemporary at the same time.