I spent some time in New York this week. I’m a New Yorker. Born. Raised. And, still in love with the city that never sleeps. For years, I always thought I’d eventually want to move back to New York. A few months ago I was in New York and I was stuck by the realization that I have no burning desire to get back to New York. I’ve outgrown it. I think when we’re young we have the energy to live in New York, but not the financial means, and when we’re older we have the financial means, but not the energy. I’m ok with that realization.
I still love the city. It’s the best city in the world for more reasons than I can write. But, the one I want to call out is that the city is never the same. It’s a living, breathing organism that’s constantly changing. The other day, I spent an amazing night out in the Big Apple. I hit up several new places for me: The Ace Hotel, The Breslin, Crif’s, Schiller’s and Please Don’t Tell.
Please Don’t Tell (a place I’ve never been to before, but can’t believe I hadn’t) was the last stop of the night. At roughly 1:30 AM, I stepped out, looked up, saw ACTUAL STARS, and had the realization that I’d become a tourist in my own city…and the person leading me around was the real deal New Yorker. The irony was not only was she a transplant, but had only been living in the city for the last 10 months. Just too damn funny.
One of my new loves is Shake Shack. New York has some of the best food in the world. And every time I visit the city I hit my old standbys of Katz, Scotto’s, Nathans and L&B Spumoni Gardens. I also try to find new places. A few trips back I discovered Shake Shack. This particular one is
As a New Yorker I grew up eating pizza by the slice. You take the pizza, you fold it, put it in some wax paper and then stuff your face while you walk. That’s just how you do it. Every city seems to claim that they have NYC Bagels andNYC Pizza. I laugh at the idea of this concept. It’s just not true.
While on my way to lunch today, I passed by this sign, claiming to offer pizza by the slice.
I had to laugh.
New York City is flat out the best city in the world. The culture, the people, the food; New York has it all. This is Cora’s third trip to the Big Apple, but this is the first time that she was old enough to really enjoy the city.
First stop on the visit into the city was Nathan's Famous in Coney Island. This is the site of the annual hotdog eating contest and has been a New York City fixture for seemingly forever. Cora ate her first "real" hotdog here.
From Nathan's we headed over to Scotto's bakery. Cora can be seen here eating her first tri-color or rainbow cookied. These are insanely hard to find outside of New York City. Minnesota doesn't have them, Nebraska didn't, and only 1 place in Chicago did. They are amazing and Cora agreed.
Cora sat on the stoop at 324 East 7th Street. Adam, his cousins, his mom, his aunts, his uncles, and many more have taken a seat on the stoop outside his grandfather's house. Cora is keeping the tradition alive.
This one could be the best picture from the trip. Cora is striking her presidential pose as she looks off into the distance. Behind her, Adam's grandfather can be seen looking on and approving of the scene.
What would a set of photos be without a photo of Cora running away. Cora played on East 7th Street for about 45 minutes. She ran up and down the block. At this point, it was time to go inside, but Cora wasn't quite finished playing.
Head of Social Media at Walgreens. Interactive marketer, innovator, boat rocker, continuous learner, movie lover, risk taker, dad and all around good guy. I'm always up for a spirited conversation. These are my thoughts and ramblings, not those of my employer.
