Totally forgot that we saw another play on Saturday - The 39 Steps. It was a comical take on a classic Alfred Hitchcock film. It had rave reviews but I'd only give it three out of five stars. I liked In The Heights better and there was a bonus with that one - an overly enthusiastic audience member sitting in front of us. Dude knew every line, every song and was quite animated.
After the food tour, we headed just a few short blocks over to Greenwich Village. We were on a mission to find Oliviers & C0. from last year's food tour. I thought it odd to have a food tasting in an olive oil store, but the oil and balsamic vinegar were unlike anything I'd ever tasted. Last year I ended up shipping home a small crate full of goodies and saved some for my mom's birthday gift in October. She thought it odd at first, but she too was soon hooked and asked that I replenish her stock as a Mother's Day gift this year. Remember what I dislike most about NYC? Well, O&Co no longer resides in The Village. So disappointing. I did find out once I returned home and logged online to place the order for my mom they have a store in Grand Central Station. Figures, the one time I didn't make it there on my annual trip. The only way to recover from our disappointment was to head next door to Rocco's Pastry Shop for cannoli. After our treat we were on our way to the annual "Ye Olde Village Fair" on Bedford Street. Music, food and shopping in Greenwich Village We were tempted by many things, from t-shirts to fine jewelry, but we ended up just walking from one end to another. I think we walked from 10am to 6pm that day with only a few short breaks in between.
Sunday was adventure day. We wanted someplace "interesting" for breakfast/brunch. We were on our own while the rest of our party headed to Carnegie Deli. We asked the hotel concierge for advice and her first suggestion was Sbarro's. Really?! We're in NYC and you're telling people to go there?! She quickly offered another suggestion - The Stardust Diner in Times Square. She said it was a 1950's throwback with waitstaff on rollerskates. Now that's more like it. Well she was half right - the diner is set in the 1950's but no rollerskates. Better! They take take turns singing. Turns out it's kind of a start-up place for Broadway wannabes. This was a great place -unique, good food and friendly staff. Two cons: loud and crammed. We had a prime table though - most of the crooners wound up perched right behind our table. I dared Mrs M to lean back and make it a duet!
After our fabulous breakfast, we were off to the American Museum of Natural History. It was okay - the highlight was the dinosaur hall complete with T rex from the movie Night at the Museum. I've got to say once you've seen the Smithsonian in DC everything else pales in comparison. We left in search of more adventures and wound our way through a portion of Central Park - just in time to collide with the annual AIDS walk. Only a few people participated, like 45,000! We navigated through the crowd and decided to turn west at 69th to see what we could find. God was shining down upon us as we ended up in front of Magnolia Bakery. Hello cupcake! We purchased coffee drinks, two cupcakes and found a spot on a townhouse stoop. It made for interesting people watching. A couple (mother and son?) were walking their dog and the dog stopped for a... relief. Beside a car in front of us on the sidewalk. Very appetizing. Another couple drove by and stopped to ask if the dogwalkers were leaving (assuming it was their parked car they were standing beside). The lady dogwalker was picking up doggy doody and the man just stood there shrugging his shoulders and telling the lady dogwalker that someone wanted to speak with her. When she finally clued in to the people in the car, she said "I'm walking my dog" in a very annoyed tone. You gotta love New Yorkers.
We walked another hundred miles (seriously I have to bring my pedometer next time), checking out shops and architecture. We have no idea what building this is, but it is spectacular. I didn't get a good look at the address on the awning (across Broadway which is a very wide and busy at 74th). We asked others on the street and no one knew. What a shame.
Our next mission was to find Fishs Eddy (or what we call "Ed, Edd n Eddy" after the Cartoon Network show 'cause that's how we roll). They have an eclectic mix of vintage tableware, glassware and silverware, as well as their own modern designs. I collect business cards from shops and restaurants we've found memorable over the years and my Fishs Eddy card said there should be a store on the upper west side; alas it had been replaced by a restaurant. We hopped a subway to the Flatiron District hoping to find the original store and we were rewarded.
We needed a break from our own walking tour and decided to find a place for a mid-afternoon cocktail. Again, God was shining on us as we stumbled upon Rosa Mexicano. We ordered guacamole and drinks (sangria for me). As Rach would say, yumm-o. We decided to head back to the hotel to catch up with the rest of our party and freshen up before dinner. We found the Love, Peace and Marriage Equality rally happening two blocks from our hotel at Avenue of the Americas and 46th. Evidently Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon announced her engagement at the event. We figured a politician must also be in attendance as the place was teeming with security.
We finished our day and the trip with a visit to the legendary Tavern on the Green. It was a lovely evening.
Until next year NYC - don't move anything!
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