Getting my Fitness in... all around Manhattan during an Epic Weekend!

The weekend in New York was Epic... certainly too much to write about in detail... so, here are the highlights:

I was in town to work this week, officially... so I spoke at a conference Thursday morning. I had a couple of friends in presenting as well. It is always great to meet up with friends and colleagues on the road... one major advantage of being homeless is that it helps make reunions with friends spread out around the world much more frequent!

Hard to beat Good Friends in a
Good Bar!

And it ended up being a pretty adventurous night for a workday: It included a great dinner at Sushi Zen on 44th... probably my favorite sushi spot on the planet. They have 6-8 grades of Toro at all times... ranging in fattiness and price. After that, a couple drinks in the revolving restaurant at the Marriot in Times Square with a few friends and then an impossible-to-refuse invite to crash a Black Crowes concert. Then I hooked up with a college buddy at a GREAT NYC Dive Bar on the upper east: American Trash (actually he picked me up ...almost without stopping his truck... in Time's Square). Finished the night out with the last set at Bemelman's and then a much needed night's rest at the Millenium.

Friday was spent  just walking around central Manhattan.. started and ended at the United Nations Plaza.... Entered Central Park at the southeast corner, took some pics from the top of Belvedere Castle and then came out on the west side at the Museum of Natural History and came through Columbus Circle and down 5th Avenue to get back to the hotel.

It is amazing how quiet some of the spots deep inside the park can be even in the midst of preparation for the NYC Marathon and how even some sections of the upper west side are like peaceful neighborhoods. I almost rented an apartment earlier in the year near city college in a section that reminded me of a couple of the areas we walked through behind the museum (though my rent would've been much cheaper 50+ blocks north!).

Lunch was at a favorite spot of mine across from Lincoln Center, the Cafe Fiorello. They have an amazing antipasto bar and great pizzas. Highly Recommended.

Classic NYC "Dinner and a Show" was the plan... it turned into a show & then dinner. The Show, Jersey Boys, was at the August Wilson Theater and it was Outstanding. This weekend was the 5th Anniversary of this award winning show. If you haven't been to a show at a Broadway Theater, put it on your list of things to do... and wear a tux!  We grabbed drinks at Gallagher's before the show (conveniently across the street), but ran out of time for dinner. Reservations for a table at Birdland provided another great entertainment opportunity and a chance for a great late night meal. Birdland is always an outstanding option for a roll-of-the-dice musical act... this evening provided a mix of talented musicians from around the world playing a variety of instruments including my first exposure to a Jazz Harp!

Never Forget.

Saturday and Sunday brought me to Lower Manhattan. I wanted to check out the new World Center Hotel, which sits overlooking the Ground Zero sight on the south side. Looking out the window of my room at the construction of the Memorial Pools and Freedom Tower was a pretty sobering experience. I have been down to the site a couple of times since 9/11, and had been in the complex a few times before. I never had the perspective looking down over the whole site from an adjacent building before. (Insert your own Moment of Silence here!)

Jean Shop Jeans,
the best on the planet.

The Saturday & Sunday pace was pretty casual and included a walk from Ground Zero through Battery Park, around the corner past South Street Seaport into Little Italy & SoHo and then back home past City Hall. I did take some time to stop in to check out a Tattoo shop near China Town that might be the site of some future work. This morning had some time for shopping in the village & the meat packing district (had to get a new pair of Rockers at The Jean Shop!) . The weekend dining high points were a breakfast at The Diner (14th st & 9th) Lunch with friends at Puglia's (Mulberry & Hester)  and a world class dinner at Hangawi (32nd Ave in Korea Town). Again, some old standbys and a real adventure. Hangawi is very traditional in setting and service and completely vegan. The food was awesome.

Puglia's might be the Best Pizza in the City.
Go to Little Italy and try their Rigatoni Pizza... seriously.

The last adventure for the trip was the taxi ride out to LaGuardia... the driver was really worried about the NYC Marathon screwing up the streets we needed... but we made it without any real delays (other than the cabbie stopping three times to ask other cabbies AND some cops about the best route to take) and I jumped on a plane to Orlando. More from here tomorrow...

-RJP

Hotel:
The World Center Hotel in Lower Manhattan


Events:
Jersey Boys at the August Wilson Theater
Black Crowes' Concert at Best Buy Theater


Restaurants:
Puglia's, Hangawi, Birdland, The Diner, Cafe Fiorello.


Bars:
Gallagher's, American Trash