NYC: Lunching at Jean-Georges

Yes, that is a chocolate bow on my head. Read on.

For this last post about New York, I'm not going to let too many words get in the way. I might save them for something else, like having a conversation with a friend, or dreaming about euromoon '15 with the husband, or reading a book.

We'll let the photos do the talking, and merely say that by the end of our trip, we more or less really enjoyed being spoiled at fancy restaurants, and having servers in penguin suits pull out chairs for both of us and wipe our mouths.

On our second Friday in the city, we treated ourselves to a Thai massage, a stroll around Central Park, and a leisurely, sophisticated lunch at Jean-Georges (3 Michelin Star status).

(Before you start feeling envious of our lives, or judge us for how decadent we were on our honeymoon, I would like to tell you that I am currently sitting on my lumpy couch, eating cashews that are resting on my chest (I don't like doing unnecessary dishes). Also, the nearest grocery store with fresh nutrients is 2 hours away.)

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NYC: Tocqueville & Magic Show

    

Sometimes, I fantasize that one day I will have a blog recognizable enough that restaurants will invite me to gorge my face for free, in exchange for some pretty photos and a review. My momma does this, you know. I can't read a lick of it, as it is in Chinese, but she has gone to places like Tojo's a zillion times, never paying the $$$$$ price point for the fanciest sushi in town. (Gourmet Vancouver : I would highly recommend taking up google's offer of 'translating' the page into English. Always good for a head scratcher.)

But then, I reflect on my dim photos and my severe LACK OF MEMORY at what any of the food consisted of, and I realize that it is a good thing that I am actually a really good school counsellor and English teacher. 

In this second last post on New York (are you sick of these yet? I find it slightly amusing that it is starting to be icicle season here in the Yukon, and I'm posting pictures of bare arms), you will get a glimpse of what might be a great date night idea: dinner & a magic show.

NYC: Escape

   

We went to New York to escape from a coming Northern Winter.

The philosophy was, let's get so much stimuli from graffitied walls, colourful people, hot dog stands, intense theatre, fashion, architecture, depravity, sewage stink, fastfastfast... that gratitude for the land, the quiet, the solace, just falls into our laps when we come home to the Yukon.

Well, it worked. It worked a little too quickly.

One week into our trip, I was extremely relieved that I had had the foresight in the planning of the mielmoon, to make a reservation to Blue Hill at Stone Barn. Far away from the bustle of anything metropolitan, it is the epitome of a farm-to-table experience, in that the majority of the bounty and harvest served at dinner, are from just steps outside their kitchen door. It would mean taking a train ride away from the high rises of Manhattan proper, towards the greener things of Pocantico Hills.

(Don't get me wrong-- I was loving my urban getaway. It's just that I've turned into a bit of a rural mouse that feels a bit sideways in her heart, when she has to crane her neck for a view of the sky. )

NYC: My New York Burger Review

Note: This is not a burger burger.

After inundating you with posts about my wedding, and therefore, my feelings-- you will now be rewarded with several posts that centre on my other husband: food. 

Now. Please note that, before we proceed, the title of this post is misleading in that it seems to imply that I consider myself a food critic. That I researched online forums, or Top 10 Burgers in NYC! articles, and narrowed down my selection to the five that you will read about below. That I took notes on the kind of bun; the part of the cow that went into making the patty; the secret recipe sauces used.

Nope.

I pretty much a) love burgers b) went to NYC for my honeymoon partly because there are lots of burgers there (and pizza!) c) and ate some burgers.

The following choices are a mish-mash of recommendations from friends, from the internet, and mostly, from stumbling into restaurants, blind hungry, and thinking that the burger option was the best one on the menu (which is usually my line of thinking--except for that little part where I have tried to avoid wheat for the last two years, oh yeah that.)

#1: The Burger from Five Leaves 

Five Leaves

18 Bedford Ave, Greenpoint, Brooklyn

This triangular-shaped restaurant had been recommended to us by our AirBnB hosts, and was a 10 minute stroll from our Greenpoint apartment. Before he passed away, Heath Ledger had intended to open a restaurant/ bar in Brooklyn, where American/ Australian, organic fare would be served. His plans were followed through by two of his friends, and now Five Leaves frequently has a long waitlist at the busiest times of the day. Bonus: they seriously have the kindest servers we met while in NYC.

NYC: Life in Pictures

You know I'm not the most prolific blogger in the world. I average about one post a month, if I'm lucky. So between the most recent spree of entries on the wedding, and this published submission over here on A Practical Wedding, I am S-P-E-N-T. Word spent. I really don't understand how some people are able to post daily. For me, each post is like nurturing and then squeezing out a baby, every single time.

So I'm going to take a rest and maybe use these fingers to make and knead a pumpkin pie, instead of typing out another thousand words on What Happened Next in our story.

Instead: you will get some pictures. Here is a photo diary of what came after Sooke-- our real Mielmoon: fifteen and a half days in New York City, one of our favourite metropolis' of all time. 

(Don't worry; there will be some words next week about 1) burgers 2) pigs on a farm and 3) magic shows. Bye!)

Fire escape deck, on our third floor apartment rental in Greenpoint. 

Decompression

Even love takes a toll on your body, did you know?

The day after the wedding, I collapsed on a lawn chair while everyone else went swimming. There had been so many goodbyes already that morning, so much sorting of wildflowers to be given away, little golden animals gone missing, gone hiding, some peeking their little heads out of unexpected places.  The groom was fairly hungover, and was dragged out of our tent by my mom to record a thank you video message to my Great Aunt, who doesn't speak any English (and I don't have to tell you that he doesn't speak much Cantonese). I think even my eyeballs were tired.

We had more goodbyes, surreal hugs with people that hinged on denial (we won't lay eyes on most of them again for another year), jumped on a motorcycle (almost got squashed/pinned TWICE; oh the threat of Death on Day 1 of your marriage), sailed on two ferries, and then.......