New York City | The Escapades of Pookie and Allan

New York City! Being a native New Yorker (that’s pronounced New Yawker by the way), I need to get back to the city periodically to get my fix of the hustle and bustle of the city streets, to inhale the fragrances that waft through the air, to marvel at the beauty of the skyline, and then of course to scarf down bagels and pizza, which you can’t get anywhere else in the world! Yes, there’s nothing like New York.

First stop: New York Pizza! If you’re a native New Yorker, you eat your pizza by folding it in half, never by cutting it with a knife and eating with a fork. It’s wonderful when the oil and the tomato sauce drips down your chin while you savor each slice. We went to a place called Carve and had our pizza…Margarita style, making sure that our napkins sopped up the oil and sauce before they threatened to stain our clothes.

Next stop: Broadway! I was able to get tickets to the Broadway production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, at the Lunt-Fontanne theater, starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The musical is based on a book by Hugh Wheeler and based on a 1970 play Sweeney Todd by Christopher Bond. This is the first time since 1980 that the musical was performed as the original production that Sondheim envisioned, with a 26-player orchestration.

It was fabulous! Josh’s voice took Sweeney to new heights and his deep and resonant voice added to the macabre set. Annaleigh was hilarious with her antics, as she fell in love with Sweeney, only to be cast aside literally in the end. They are both up for Tony’s for Best Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical, and the show itself is up for Tony’s in Best Revival of a Musical, Mimi Lien for Best Scenic Design, Natasha Katz, for Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Nevin Steinberg for Best Sound Design of a Musical, and Steven Hoggett for Best Choreography. They all deserve to win!

Third stop: Hotel Scherman! We checked in to this lovely and quaint boutique hotel on Restaurant Row at 346 West 46^th. The staff were so accommodating, and the hotel was immaculate. Our room was spacious – king bed, refrig, and a huge bathroom. Breakfast was included on the mezzanine level patio and offered hardboiled eggs, an assortment of breads, (including of course NY bagels), fruits, yogurts, cereals, and beverages.

Fourth stop: Jean-Georges! We walked from the Hotel Scherman to Columbus Circle, taking in the gorgeous evening and the NYC skyline, on our way to Jean-Georges, a two-star Michelin restaurant (top rating is three-star). We’ve been to French Laundry, in California, which was an amazing three-star restaurant, and Jean-Georges was excellent as well. The menu (below) was diverse, and by the time the last two courses arrived, we were so sated, we couldn’t even finish. (Note to self: Don’t keep eating the savory breads, no matter how heavenly the gourmet butter is.) The least expensive bottle of red wine on the menu was $400 so we purchased two glasses each of a cabernet at $38 a glass. We dined on the 10 course omnivore menu and each bite was bliss to the tastebuds. To enhance many of the courses, a small amount of coulis would appear via a waiter holding a small gravy boat, and the sauce would surround the highlighted offering and add to the savoriness. The waitstaff explained each course to us, and each offering appeared on different and unusual plates – the food atop being artfully arranged. We celebrated our 50th anniversary at the restaurant, since on our actual 50th date last August, we both had COVID. Our waiter presented us with a delicious little anniversary cake. And when we were leaving the restaurant, we were presented with two almond loaves to enjoy for breakfast. It was a romantic and magical evening.

We walked back at our hotel around 11:45 pm and the next day we enjoyed the…

Fifth stop: RiseNY! We had never heard of this museum before, but we were so glad that we found it. It took about 2 hours to go through the exhibits, which (according to a blurb from RiseNY) was a “journey through seven galleries – Finance, Skyline, TV/Radio, Fashion, Music, Broadway, and Film…spot-lighting historic artifacts, and memorabilia from each gallery“. It was a trip down memory lane – reliving famous events in NYC as well as seeing the sets of the famous TV shows like All in the Family, Seinfeld, and at Sesame Street we even met Oscar the Grouch in his garbage can. We watched the Beatles as they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show back in 1964, and I loved seeing the fashion statements in the Fashion gallery, that featured some of the famous outfits performers have worn through the years.

After we toured the museum, we went on a simulated ride over the NYC skyline! THAT WAS AMAZING!!!! According to the blurb of the museum, “Full motion seats let you dip, turn, and soar, while wind, mist, and scents heighten the experience, creating the sensation of flight.” I have a fear of heights, and in the beginning, I did have to close my eyes, but then, wide-eyed, I enjoyed the rest of the show. It began to rain on the screen, and we were sprinkled with water as the ride soared along. We zoomed over Yankee Stadium, the skyscrapers, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, to mention just a few of the sites. And then, we found ourselves at the soon-to-be 2023 New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square, and we were given a blast of cool air while snowflakes flew in our faces as the ride glided to an end. It was so much fun and we enjoyed every minute.

It was a fabulous two days, and we can’t wait for our next visit to the most wonderful city in the world – New York!