New York - March/April 2004

This was our farewell meal, so we went ALL out! I ordered their "famous" babyback ribs which came with cornbread and either fries or baked potato. And I just had to have their Texas-sized Pina Colada special which came with a tube of an extra shot of rum inside of the drink...delish! My friend ordered their Brisket of Beef with a side of corn on the cob and she said it was wonderful!

We were seated in the lower dining room, which wasn't decorated as anything very spectaular, but it was big and had a lot of tables. The place is loud and was full of big groups of people, many of whom were celebrating birthdays.

They have a menu and their locations at their website.

This place is certainly not a quiet spot for a romantic meal because the music is blaring and people are trying to talk over all of the noise. However, it is a fun spot to eat some Tex-Mex food and drink some of their famous Margaritas.

The Margarita special of the day was Cantelope, which was very delicious. It comes in two sizes, a small mug and a large margarita glass. We were not given the option, so we ended up just getting the small size.

I ordered the Chimichanga and Tamale plate which came with beans and rice. My husband got the Chicken Quesadilla which came with a salad. They give you free chips and salsa. It was the best salsa I have ever eaten! It tasted SO fresh! Everyone's food was great and the drinks were tasty.

The French Roast Cafe is a very laid-back cafe on the corner of 6th Avenue and 11th Street. We ate here for a late lunch/early dinner and because of our timing, the menu was quite limited. They serve some distinctly French items, but also American foods like burgers and wraps.

This was really our only encounter with truly terrible service in NY. The waiters and waitresses are very young and very busy with chatting among themselves. They spend little time actually serving their guests. We were waiting for quite some time in order to get our check and then even longer to get change. This was while we were being ignored by some very "snooty" waiters. Needless to say, we didn't leave much of a tip.

The food was fair, though I didn't try any of their more unusual dishes. I ordered a bacon cheeseburger and fries. My friend had the croque monsieur, which was like an omelet with smoked ham and Gruyere cheese. She said it was very good.

Though I have heard that the prices here are much lower than any other restaurant in an otherwise expensive neighborhood, I wasn't impressed.

If you want a truly West Village dining experience, with beautiful people talking into cell phones and typing on laptops while you are ignored by wait staff, then this place is for you! For anyone else, I wouldn't recommend it.

The food was good and it fills you up for not a lot of money. The atmosphere was pretty basic for a college burrito joint, with colorful walls and bright Mexican art on the walls. The service was great and during lunch on a Friday, it wasn't very busy.

The corned beef melts in your mouth. The cheesecake is the best in the land. And they give you free pickles!! The sandwiches are huge! We shared the corned beef (an extra $3 is charged when sharing) and a piece of cheesecake. We were very happily full when we left! The food was excellent!

The walls are decorated with photos of famous deli visitors and old pictures of the deli. It is a small restaurant, but there is usually no problem in getting a table. We were seated immediately and served very quickly.

Every trip to New York needs to include a Carnegie Deli sandwich!

The prices were just right for bagels and they load tons of cream cheese for your money. There is not a lot of seating, but we were able to get a seat by the window which provided great views of the hustle and bustle of 3rd Avenue.

You then wait in line down a long, enclosed corridor which is lined with fans to keep the air moving. Again, I can't even imagine what this would be like in the heat of the summer!

When you reach the 80th floor, they have you leave the elevators and then take your picture in front of a cheesy canvas which you can purchase later. Then you board another elevator where you climb up six more floors to the 86th. You exit through a gift shop out onto the observation level, which is outdoors. Visibility can certainly make or break your visit, so check the weather before you leave the hotel!

You must wait in line again when you leave the observation deck. You can now book your tickets ahead of time on the Empire State Building website.

Address:
350 5th Avenue

Directions:
1, 2, 3 or 9 (Seventh Avenue Lines), A, C or E (Eighth Avenue Subway) to 34th Street/Penn Station.

Phone:
(212) 947-1360

Website:
http://www.esbnyc.com/

The museum provides free tours, one of which is a museum highlights tour. We took this hour-long tour with a guide who was so insightful on the museum and all of its art. Plus, it is a nice introduction to the layout of the buildings and what there is to see.

We have learned our lesson about spending a whole day at a museum. This time we brought our own food instead of paying $3.00 for a bottle of soda alone. This proved to be a little tricky because some of the guards at the entrances didn't like it when people were bringing in backpacks. One of them told us to check our bag, so we went to another entrance and snuck by without any disruption. We pulled out our bread and sandwich fixings in the American wing cafeteria where we did get a couple of strange looks from people. But hey, we saved a bundle!

Bathrooms are everywhere and so are opportunities to shop for souveniers.

Some highlights of the museum are:
Tiffany's beautiful stained glass
Frank Lloyd Wright room
Rembrant paintings
A large Medieval collection
Temple of Dendur

Address:
1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street

Phone:
212-535-7710

Website:
http://www.metmuseum.org/

There are a few different tours available and we took the "Getting By: Weathering the Great Depressions of 1873 and 1929" tour. The guide was very informative and easy to listen to. The tour takes you through two of the apartments. One is modelled to look like the family apartment in the 1870's and the other in the 1930's. You also get a glimpse of what the building looked like in the 1980's when it was discovered empty and was subsequently made into the museum. The tour and tenement are a great glimpse into the life of New York immigrants over the years. The tour costs $10 per adult.

We were able to get tickets for $55 each, which was for partial view orchestra seats in row J (10th row). We didn't miss any of the show in our seats. They were great!

Website:
http://www.wickedthemusical.com/

During our visit she took us on a little walking tour of Lower Manhattan which included the World Trade Center site. She hadn't been there since a couple of months after the attack and she was very surprised at the memorials and information supplied now around the site.

You can read about the history of the building and the surrounding areas, an account of what happened on 9/11, and lists of the "Heros of September 11." They have selected the winning design for what is going to be built in the spot where the towers once stood. My friend said that the whole area emptied out after the disaster and that the government was giving out grants to people who chose to live or open a business there. The city is looking to replace the business space which was lost when the towers fell, but you really have to wonder how a business could possibly do well in an area with such a horrible history.

It was very sad to see the people who are trying to make money by selling photos and memorial books around the site. How can anyone have so little heart that they can try to cash in on the heartbreak of thousands? I was not directly affected by the attacks, but I definitely take it personally when I see this sort of blatent disregard for the loss of life that happened there on 9/11/01.

Strawberry Fields, the Resevoir, Tavern on the Green, Alice in Wonderland, the fountain and the Conservatory Garden are some of the park's highlights. Horse-drawn carriage rides are a popular way to see the park. Watch out for joggers, as there are MANY running on the paths and trails.

Website:
http://www.centralpark.org/

I think that the most unique thing about the cathedral is that it is located on 5th Avenue among the swanky shops, posh hotels, and tall modern buildings. It looks totally out of place, though it compliments its area. It creates a beautiful contrast of new and old New York.

Entrance is free and photographs are allowed as long as mass is not in progress. There is a small gift store on site.

At least go on a Friday afternoon when you might have a chance to see an SNL rehearsal.

After that we walked down 42nd street towards David Letterman's studio. Down the side street next to the studio we saw a crowd of people and paparazzi, so we decided to check it out. We finally gathered that Janet Jackson and John Mayer were on the show that night and they would be making their exit through the side door. We waited for an hour for Janet to finally come out. When she finally did, everyone was jumping up and down so I couldn't even see her. Mike stuck his camera in the air and snapped a few photos and we managed to get one good one of her. After she drove away everyone left, but John Mayer was still due to leave. Strangely, we had just seen his concert in St. Paul two nights before, so we stuck around to see him. We got right up to the barricades and when he came out we got his autograph and some photos, plus we got to tell him how awesome his concert was!! What a treat.

Address:
Anywhere in the city

Directions:
Celebrity sightings in New York are pretty common. We saw a few other groupings of movie trailers and cameras around during the week as well. Our friends that live there always see celebrities.

Granted, the subway is a great tool for getting around the city, but not necessarily for getting into or out of the city. When we left JFK airport, we had to take the new AirTrain from our terminal to the Howard Beach station where the subway supposedly runs from. However, on the day we were travelling, there was a bus that went from Howard Beach to the Rockaway Blvd stop where you could catch the A-train which we took to Penn Station/34th Street. Because we had no time limitations (we were staying with friends), the trip into the city was very uneventful.

The trip back to the aiport was a different story!

Basically, the trains were running different schedules and to different stops than usual and there was no notification of this. Because of a 1/2 hour delay due to our confusion on these changes, we missed our flight.

One piece of advice... give yourself extra time to get to the airport on time. In fact, plan on leaving at least 2 hours earlier than the time you THINK you need to leave to be there to check-in!!

Trust me, you will THANK ME for that!!!

Good luck....