The Bistro- Off topic and fun posts!

[KenzSailing]

 

OK, so we're about to be off for four nights in the countryside celebrating OLoPP's birthday(not a round number or anything, but we don't need that excuse for a good time.)  I'm billing it:

 

A Weekend in the Country (AKA OLoPP's Big Birthday Bash)

 

Some mood music:

 

 

 

Four nights in the fall in the Virginia countryside at the base of Sky Line Drive.  First, two nights at the sumptuous Blue Rock Inn, with dinner the first night at the well regarded Three Blacksmiths followed the next night by dinner at the Inn restaurant, helmed by the former head chef at Pineapple and Pearls.  Then two nights at THE Inn at Little Washington, with the second night sitting at a kitchen table(big finish!)

 

OLoPP is doing her part in the planning.  She has already iterated thru about 48 ensemble combinations, with I'm sure another 78 to go.  Today got a little dodgy when, after two trips to the attic, she could not locate the one piece she HAD to have to complete her look for one evening. Fortunately, the wayward piece turned up and quiet has descended on the home front.

 

I know my role: get out the luggage and stay out of the way.     

[Texas Tillie]

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from a 2010 Crystal Serenity Holy Land Cruise.  On October 24 we visited Alexandria:

 

 

Roy

[KenzSailing]

On 10/6/2022 at 9:25 PM, KenzSailing said:

Trip Report: Nuu Yawk City!

 

Subhead: we conquer Manhattan.  Ok, we pleasantly coexist with it for about 48 hours.  How's that?

 

Part One:

 

Thirteen days ago we grabbed a rideshare to Union Station in DC on a bee-ooo-ti-ful fall morning.  Boarded the 9:50 Acela to NYC(original marketing slogan "two hours and fifty-five civilized minutes.")  And they're right, it's a lovely way to travel.

 

We splurged on first class.  Pro-tip: this is totally unnecessary on Acela.  All the other cars are labeled business class, and that is a fair branding.  Think United biz class from 15 years ago, before they started their Polaris class slight-of-hand, and you'll get the point.  Biz class is 2x2 seating(wide seats) and most comfy.  But we indulged.  Anyway, in 1F you get a meal thrown in and included booze(no need to ask if the Prosecco is Champagne.)  It was the AM, we both had the Denver Omelette.  They were...warm and, I think, made with eggs.  Not sure. (FYI, 1F is 1x2 seating, seats are identical to biz.)  The trip was quiet and uneventful, thru the majestic sights of the finest industrial areas of the mid-Atlantic/northeast US.

 

So, approximately two hours and fifty-five minutes later, we arrived NY Penn Station.  Now here's where I must add detail.  Penn Station has recently undergone, and is currently undergoing, a massive renovation.  If you've ever been thru the prior version of PS, you will know it was like arriving to one of Dante's circles of hell.  I'm not exaggerating.  It was a bunker beneath Madison Square Garden that solely functioned as a way to get masses of humanity from point A to point B. It was soul crushing.  One endured it only for the reward of emerging up and into the special super charged energy of that place called Nuu Yawk City.  (Side note: like cities?  Want to have your hear broken?  Search on the original Penn Station.  It rivaled, some say surpassed, Grand Central in its magnificence.  Its demolition for the abomination that is MSG is a blight on the history of US urban planning.)

 

Anyway, thanks to some funding from people who want government to actually work,  the folks at Amtrak opened this thing called the Moynihan train hall, in the former post office building right across the street from the old terminal.  It's where Amtrak now transits.  And it is magnificent. Grand, spacious, tons of glass and light; to call it night and day from the former experience doesn't come close to doing it justice.  Go to New York. Take the train.  Transit the Moynihan.  It will lift your spirits.

 

And then we walked out into the bright sunshine of a crisp autumn day in busy, boisterous, noisy Manhattan.  Buckle up city, we have arrived.

 

In part two: I write some words about actually being in NYC.

 

    

 

Part Two: Nuu Yawk City!

 

In this installment: the Bronx is up and the Battery's down

 

Mood music (note: they had to change "helluva" to "wonderful")

 

 

So, we popped out of our short cab ride from the Moynihan train hall to the sumptuous Hilton mid-town(note, it is not sumptuous, but it is functional.)  Stayed here before, great location for our needs.  Service is surprisingly good, rooms are clean and well maintained.  Low points: no more room service( I understand the economics behind this, but the idea that I have to check into a Four Seasons or similar to get a cheeseburger to the room that isn't from Grubhub chafes me.)  High point: they still have daily housekeeping(yeah, that's now a high point.)   

 

Fast forward a few hours spent just chillin'(old folk talk for stretching out and catching our breath) and we were off a pied(as OLoPP would say) to one of the finest restaurants in the US: Le Bernardin.

Its menus is almost exclusively fish.  It's not sushi, but for you raw fish lovers, the categories of appetizers are "almost raw" and "barely touched."  The main category is "lightly cooked."  It was divine: wonderful food, flawless service in a gorgeous NY setting.  Protip:  if you go here(and you should) dress for it.  Think something chic in black(ladies, grey is considered a bold bit of color with this crowd.)  Also, inflations fears(?) portfolio concerns(?)  Not these folks. Le Bernardin is not a small room, so they need a lot of covers.  We had an 8 PM rez and saw them seating couples at 10:30.  Laissez le bon temps rouler!

 

Next up: a very NY breakfast followed by the theater.

 

 

 

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is the last from a 2019 QM2 crossing leading up to a river cruise on Crystal Bach and return to Miami involving both of Crystal's ocean ships.  On October 25 I disembarked in Southampton for a couple days in London.

 

 

Roy

[KenzSailing]

Part Three: Noo Yawk City!

 

This Episode: Breakfast at (Definitely Not) Tiffany's

 

Mood:

 

 

So the next morning we awoke refreshed and ready for adventure.  After getting presentable, it was off to breakfast.  Two blocks straight up 6th Avenue to our favorite hole in the wall: Astro.  This place is a hoot, a modest little space, absolutely no frills.  It must be featured in Euro budget traveler guide books, because the clientele always sounds like a mini-UN.  It has a counter, everything else is booth space.  And these booths are, shall we say, economical in their square footage.  If you are happy sailing Crystal in a standard cabin, you'll be fine.  Must have PH and above?  Fuggedaboudit.  The staff is all eastern European of indeterminate lineage, friendly but with an economy of time and motion(there's none of that Peter Lugar the-gruffness-is-part-of-the-charm nonsense here.)  Stick to the basics: eggs, a protein, potatoes, toast, coffee.  They have a large menu, but I would not wander too far off the map.  For gosh sakes, don't order the Hollandaise, even on the side.

 

Next up, the heart of the reason for our little adventure: a bit of theater.  We had tix to a matinee of the latest, and perhaps last, work by the greatest living playwright working in the English language, Sir Tom Stoppard(a favorite of mine since high school.)  The play is Leopoldstadt.  It is a drama, and it is both serious and weighty.  I won't go into details here, you can search on it if interested.  It was very well done.  Its subject matter makes it inappropriate to say we enjoyed it, but we did very much appreciate it.  We followed this with a little down time in anticipation of our last night On The Town.

 

Next: the Battery's down, and so are we(downtown, that is.)

 

Edited October 26, 2022 by KenzSailing
Video added

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from yet another string of cruises but did not happen near water.  In 2014 I sailed QM2 to Europe and returned on the Wind Star.  October 26, 2014 was a  Sunday  and I started the day at my fire house which was offering a breakfast, continued to my church, and finally to New York to await QM2.  The sun came up while I was at the fire house.  My office is in the wing at the right of the photo:

 

 

Roy

[KenzSailing]

Prologue: A Weekend in the Country

 

Well, the last bit of necessity arrived from Talbot's yesterday, so the universe is in harmony.

 

We are off tomorrow afternoon.  Let's light this candle.  Hope it doesn't end like this:

 

 

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from the same trip as yesterday's.  On October 27, 2014 I stayed at the Harbor House Bed and Breakfast (site of the NY Harbor Webcam) and walked down to the street for sunrise:

 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2015 Allure of the Seas transatlantic.  On October 28 we had just entered the Atlantic after passing through the Strait of Gibraltar:

 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

I've done a number of Eastbound QM2 crossings paired with return transatlantics on other ships.  This time the other ship was the Wind Star and October 29, 2014 was QM2's first sea day out of New York:

 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2015 Allure of the Seas transatlantic, taken from my Boardwalk balcony:

 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2014 QM2 crossing on the way to Europe to return on the Wind Star.  I was reminded in reviewing my 10/31/14 blog entry is that at this time one of the perks of an Eastbound crossing is that we start out on Daylight savings and arrive on Standard time so we only lose 4 hours instead of the usual 5.

 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

I have not exactly a sunrise today from the 2014 QM2 crossing on a stormy day.  On All Saints Day this is the first appearance of the sun:

 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from a 2010 Med itinerary.  I disembarked Crystal Serenity October 31 and walked about 500 feet to the Wind Surf for a cruise to Barcelona.  On November 2 we visited Porto Vecchio, Corsica.

 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from a combination starting with 2013 B2B on Crystal Symphony from New York to Miami.  November 3 was a sea day from New York to our first port, Baltimore:

 

 

By the way I'm about to leave for a cruise, November 9-20 on Eurodam:

 

 

Roy

[wearesiamese]

7 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Today's sunrise is from a combination starting with 2013 B2B on Crystal Symphony from New York to Miami.  November 3 was a sea day from New York to our first port, Baltimore:

 

 

By the way I'm about to leave for a cruise, November 9-20 on Eurodam:

 

 

Roy

Bon Voyage Roy!

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is from my 2012 Crystal Symphony cruise that started as a disaster due to Superstorm Sandy.  November 4 was our first port, Key West;

 

 

Roy

[skybluewaters]

15 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Today's sunrise is from my 2012 Crystal Symphony cruise that started as a disaster due to Superstorm Sandy.  November 4 was our first port, Key West

Roy

 

I was there, too!  But I can guarantee you that I was sound asleep in cabin 9049 when this picture was taken. 🛌

[rafinmd]

Today's sunrise is actually yesterday's sunset, taken from the Auto Train Dining Car south of Petersburg, VA:

 

 

Roy

[KenzSailing]

6 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Today's sunrise is actually yesterday's sunset, taken from the Auto Train Dining Car south of Petersburg, VA:

 

 

Roy

 

Wait a minute, have I missed something?  What are you up to now Phileas? 😁

[Texas Tillie]

22 minutes ago, KenzSailing said:

 

Wait a minute, have I missed something?  What are you up to now Phileas? 😁

 

Think I remember he said that he's taking his car to Florida by train, will be there several days, doing a cruise on Holland America (Eurodam, I think) and then train and car back north.

[rafinmd]

Today;s sunrise is from yesterday, from the Auto Train as we were passing Jacksonville Airport:

 

Roy

[KenzSailing]

Part Something-or-Other:  Nuuuuu Yawk City!

 

This episode: a tavern downtown

 

Mood:

 

 

And not just any tavern: Gramercy Tavern,  a place we've gone to for years and love dearly.

 

After our afternoon at the thee-a-tah, we recharged for a bit and then caught a cab downtown to Gramercy Tavern on 20th street.  It's the same wonderful joint we know and love, rocking away with its usual bustling atmosphere.  OLoPP eyes widened in surprise when a host showed us to a table in the informal tavern(front) room, rather than the slightly more formal dining(back) room.  I patiently explained to her, as I had before when she was clearly in "yes dear" listening mode, that there were two reasons: 1)the Dining Room has switched over to a tasting menu only format(no ala carte) and we didn't want to tackle that and 2) the Tavern Room now took reservations(formerly walk-in only.)  So the TR it was.

 

We had a great table with a view of the open kitchen dedicated to serving the TR.  I had the skate, OLoPP the duck meatloaf.  Both were consumed with gusto and satisfaction.  The TR has a $35 burger on the menu.  Watching the kitchen I learned that they sell a LOT of $35 burgers.  If the Chez could do the same, I'd be booking CP the rest of our lives. 

 

Wanting to extend our NY experience a little bit longer, we ended the evening at the bar for a nightcap before heading back to midtown.  We had avoided dessert, but somehow the TR large chocolate chip cookie with milk made its way to OLoPP.  Fate, I guess.

 

Then it was back to the Hilton and snooze land.

 

Next and final:  we take the A(cela) train   

[ctjon]

Grew up in that area of  Manhattan and Gramercy tavern was a favorite place