Chelsea Market & Whitney Museum in NYC Before Long Island

 

I woke up in my room at the Hyatt Place Chelsea. It was my first full day in New York City, and I had a lot planned.

 

I began by finishing the massive chocolate cake from the previous night’s dinner at Hav & Mar. I then got dressed and ready to go to Chelsea Market.

 

When I first started planning my trip, Like A Local Tours* had approached me about taking one of their tours. The Chelsea one caught my eye and the idea of staying in this emerging neighborhood came about.

 

It was rainy so I didn’t want to ride my scooter down to the Chelsea Market. It was nice to be somewhere where there were accessible rides available. I took a Lyft and arrived before my cousin, Marissa.

 

The Like A Local Chelsea Market +Highlands + Yards Food & History Tour* had just started when I arrived. The group was in front of Fat Witch Bakery and the leader, Chris, got me one of the delicious brownies they were eating.

 

That was just the beginning. We continued with a selection of food throughout the Chelsea Market. Among them were unique flavors from Doughnutery, such as Chai Me To The Moon, Pumpkin Pie  Brulee and Paris Time (Lavender, Vanilla & Pistachio); Pasties de Nata (Pastel de nata is a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry, optionally dusted with cinnamon); Takumi Carnitas; and Zach & Zoey Honey (I took home some of the wildflower).

 

Tables and chairs were set up between shops and restaurants, encouraging people to gather with friends, even if they had decided to sample from various places. There were a few places I couldn’t get to because of stairs, but most of it was easy to ride my scooter through.

 

We continued sampling across the street at Market 57, after Chris filled us in on some of the history of the area. In this area of Hudson Yards, we had the James Beard Ultimate Experience and a look at Little Island through the large windows. It was still cloudy so the views of the Hudson River were not as scenic as they could be.

 

From there we headed through the Meat Packing District with more of a history lesson of the area as we passed landmarks, including Diane Von Fürstenberg’s apartment. We were also able to get a look at some of the Highlands. That was to be the next part of the tour, but we were running a bit late for our next stop, so we bid the group goodbye as they headed up there.

 

Marissa and I went to the Whitney Museum of  American Art. I had never been there before, and I was excited to go. The museum was very accessible, and I was able to wheel all over without any problems.

 

The art was all on the modern side of American art. I especially enjoyed the collections of New Yorker Edward Hopper, to which they had they largest selection in the world, and Georgia O’Keefe. The Whitney was getting ready for a collaboration they were doing with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

 

Marissa went back with me to the hotel, where we said goodbye. We would meet up again in few days at the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport. In the meantime, I had arranged to take NYC Wheelchair Transportation to Long Island, where I had spent most of my life before moving to the Midwest.

 

I was spending a few days in Westbury at the Viana Hotel & Spa, visiting with friends and family. I had discovered the hotel online, while searching for something convenient. I had not previously heard of the property. It belongs to the Wyndham family.

 

I loved the property from the moment I walked in, with an open lobby, and my extremely large, accessible room. Then, I became even more impressed when I had dinner at the Marco Polo restaurant. The potstickers were great and presented beautifully. The Korean BBQ Pork Ribs, which were slow roasted in a Korean glaze, were fork tender and tasty.

 

It looked like I was really going to enjoy my stay at Viana Hotel.

 

*To receive a 10% off a Like A Local Tour, click here and enter FROST10 at checkout.

 

I was hosted on this trip by ILoveNY, but opinions are my own.

Arriving in New York for Fun, Family, Friends & Food

 

I am a New Yorker, who didn’t move to the Midwest until my late 40s. I have never regretted the decision. It’s much more affordable here and I prefer the lifestyle. After years of living near the ocean, I’m also more than happy to enjoy beautiful Great Lakes, with no hurricanes, sharks, jellyfish, or Nor’easters. 

What I do miss a lot about New York is family and friends. It’s also nice to check out what there is to offer in the big city and my former home of Long Island. I decided to arrange a trip that would encompass all of this: time with loved ones and discovering some of New York I didn’t know before. For the latter, I worked with the ILoveNY team to create an itinerary.

The trip did not start off well. American Airlines cancelled my flight from Champaign to Chicago. I didn’t want to delay the trip a day so I had someone take me to Chicago so I could still catch my flight to LaGuardia. Unfortunately, he was late picking me up and I missed my flight!

This was made worse by the fact that it was my very first trip alone in a wheelchair. I was unable to go anywhere without hoping someone would come by and hear me call. I managed to accomplish that for one trip to the nearby Starbucks for food, and another to the bathroom. After five hours sitting at the gate, I finally was able to get on the plane.

Things were hectic on the other end too. My scooter had been damaged on my previous trip by the airlines. It had not been fixed yet, so they were renting one for me.( My new power chair hadn’t come in yet.)

The scooter that they had waiting at LGA baggage claim was not what we discussed, and it wasn’t easy getting in my cousin Marissa’s van, but she was a trooper and managed to do it.

We were off to Manhattan, aka the most famous borough in New York City. I had decided to check out the Chelsea neighborhood on this trip. I had never been and had a few offers in the area that sounded perfect.

My home for the night was Hyatt Place Chelsea. Marissa dropped me off so she could run some family errands, and I could get some rest.

The Chelsea area is around the Hudson River and is known for its waterfront eateries and walkways, and the Chelsea Market (on my schedule for day two). The hotel was near where I wanted to be and had a spacious accessible room ready for me, with a view that included the Empire State Building.

Although the Hyatt Place Chelsea has a rooftop restaurant, I was invited to a special dinner. Marissa and I were going to Hav & Mar, a Marcus Samuelsson eatery with a James Beard nominated chef.

I soon found out that what the New York tourism group told me was true, there were plenty of options to get around the city in a wheelchair. I used my app for a Lyft and a van with a ramp was there within 10 minutes. The cost was comparable to any other car service ride, about $15.

From my description, you might think Hav & Mar was pretentious, but it definitely is not. It’s modern and friendly, with an open kitchen. Executive Chef Fariyal Abdullahi greeted me and made sure to note my seafood allergy and Marissa’s gluten intolerance.

 

It’s hard to define the food at Hav & Mar. The menu is predominantly seafood, and there are a lot of Mediterranean dishes, there are also hints of other cultures, such as an Indian curry, and a French crème brulee. The only thing in common was that they were all delicious!

 

We wanted to sample as much as possible and, since most items are small plates, it worked out well. I had the cornbread, sweet and savory, with tomato jam and humus , vegetable curry and rice, and a chocolate cake that was so large I had more than enough for breakfast the next day.

Marissa went all out with the fish theme, starting with a spinach salad and continuing with oysters, scallops, a whole grilled fish, and the crème brulee.

 

I can say this was one of the best restaurants I’ve been to, and I’ve certainly had my share around the world. I was disappointed Chef Abdullahi didn’t win the James Beard Award, but she did truly seem to appreciate the nomination.

We easily caught another accessible Lyft back to the Hyatt Place, where Marissa left me for the night. I had been up since four in the morning and was ready for some sleep. I quickly drifted off with the New York City Skyline in the background.

I was hosted on this trip by ILoveNY, but opinions are my own.

Taking in NYC Food, Cocktails, Theater and Zoo

I spent most of my life in New York, but the truth is I spent very little of that in Manhattan. As a teen, I would go in on my school breaks for shopping or theater, and as an adult it was mostly a trip into the city to see a play, have dinner, or meet friends for drinks. I had never spent four days staying there before and I was determined to finish it with as much as possible.

My daughter Sam met me in the morning at my friend Liza’s and we headed over to drop my things at The Library Hotel. I had stayed at two of this brand’s sister hotels previously (Hotel Elysee and Casablanca) and absolutely loved them. This one proved to be just as unique. With an evening social hour (great wine and cheese spread) and a big European breakfast, you can’t possibly get more for your dollar in New York. Plus, there’s also the indiivudality of the hotel. This one – “Library” – has each floor dedicated to a subject and each room to a subdivision.  My room was 20th Century History and was filled with books from that time period

From The Library Hotel we walked down to Central Park where we were having lunch at the Sarabeth’s Kitchen location there. The place was absolutely packed and I was glad we had reservations. The smell of fresh baked goods was everywhere and I gazed over quite an impressive cocktail list for brunch as my stomach growled in anticipation.

It was a tough decision when we finally were seated as everything around us looked amazing. Sam and I decided to share so we could try as much as possible, but first started with one of their many mimosa options. The Four Flowers Mimosa (their signature Four Flowers Juice with champagne) was a perfect brunch companion with Almond Crusted French Toast with strawberry sauce, the Vegetable Frittata and a warm banana muffin.

The brunch was unbelievable and we were stuffed so we decided to walk off some calories in Central Park. It had been years since I had been there and Sam admitted that she never had. We made our way past the horse drawn carriages and the competition in the ice skating rink to the Central Park Zoo.  We spent an hour or so there and I loved forgetting that my little girl is all grown up!

Sam and I walked back to The Library Hotel and enjoyed a latte in the lounge (coffees and cookies are complimentary and available all day here) before she had to go catch her train. I wasn’t alone for alone, though, as my friend Gail was on her way to continue the adventure.

I decided that I needed to do some more walking if I was going to work up an appetite for brunch at DoHYo. Yes, I was going to have another brunch, but this one was different that any I have ever experienced in my life.

Here’s the story… you go to this funky, ultra modern restaurant in the Yotel just outside of the Times Square between noon and five pm. You then have two hours to eat as many small plates and drink as many cocktails as you want while you listen to the DJ spin. And, to make it even better, it is great food by Chef Richard Sandoval for only $35 per person.

I was a bit limited by a lot of the seafood on the menu, but still managed to try quite a bit while Gail also got to taste the Crab Wontons and Crunchy Shrimp. Some of the other dishes that were great were Yukon Gold Tostones, Chicken Salad (Asian style), Wild Mushroom Omelet, Wok-Seared Cauliflower and House Ground Meatballs.

We had to try some cocktails, of course, and they were both unusual and tasty.  I loved the Sake Sangria, Mango Mimosa and Lychee Bellini, and enjoyed quick tastes of the equally satisfying  Bacon Bloody Mary, Passion Plantation Punch and Peach & Bourbon Tea.

We actually didn’t linger the full two hours because we had somewhere important to go. The Broadway Collection had gotten me tickets to Godspell at Circle in the Square. It was one of the best plays I’ve ever seen and the cast is just spectacular. It’s been updated a bit with references to modern day Facebook, Donald Trump and others and the performances are just magnificent. I was lucky enough to catch Weeds star Hunter Parish in the lead before his limited run ended and was blown away by his voice. He was just replaced by Corbin Bleu of High School Musical.

After the show it was time to bid my friend and New York City goodbye. It was my first real in-depth adventure of the Big Apple and I’m sure it won’t be my last.

A Wine Expo and a New Manhattan Club

It was a perfect warm spring day as I attended the New York City Wine Expo and got to spend some time catching up with a friend at a new Manhattan club.

I had never been to the New York Wine Expo before and was very surprised by the variety of wine regions represented at the Jacob Javits Center.  The nearby Finger Lakes was well represented and proved to many how different Rieslings can be. I stopped by and tasted some unusual Greek wines before spending awhile checking out La Strada del Vino, a region of Tuscany. I sampled some excellent Chianti’s and talked about planning a trip there this coming fall.

Another region I am expecting to get to soon is New Zealand and they had some of their famous sauvignon blanc out. There were also plenty of tastings at the Côtes de Rhône table,  as well as a representation from South Africa that included an unusual sweet Shiraz (Jam Jar).

I found some unusual wines, such as Renee-Hugues Gay Wines, Happy Bitch Wine and Middle Sisters, all of which had some good offerings. Food vendors with everything from olive oil to Finger Lakes Wine Cake were sprinkled throughout the venue. The Dutch cheese was a big hit, as was the Belgian chocolate, but it was the wine everyone left talking about.

After I had made my way around the room, I left the expo and headed downtown to stay at my friend Liza’s. We enjoyed a girls’ night in catching up because we need to rest up for our next night out. We were checking out a great new bar and I was really excited.

The Vault at Pfaff’s is located at the corner of Bleecker and Broadway, although I should say it’s actually below it. It is underneath its sister restaurant, the Corner Shop Café. This former cocktail den was called Pfaff’s Beer Cellar when Charles Pfaff first opened it in 1855. Walt Whitman was among the frequent patrons then and he was often joined by actors and artists.

The space at Pfaff’s has been restored, using some of the original stone and brick. It has a real classic look, a comfortable speakeasy that almost looks like Al Capone may walk in the door any minute! Liza and I had no fear as we tasted some of the many cocktails and small plates on the newspaper –like menu.

I loved the Big Bird (house-infused Two Berry Plymouth Gin, Marie Brizzard Apricot Brandy and fresh sour mix) while Liza sipped on the Leaves of Grass (Zubrowska Bison Grass Vodka, Taylor Fladgate 10 year old Port, house-made honey syrup and fresh lemon juice). Later we tried a great Champagne Charles (Ayala Burt Majeur Champagne, June Liqueur and house-made cranberry bitters) and a creamy, but not too rich Melkor’s Ghost (Delord Armagnac Blanch, crème de cocoa, crème de banana and crème).

You will also find an interesting list of international draught and bottled beer  at The Vault at Pfaff’s, as well as quite a few offerings of wine by the glass and bottle. There’s a similar selection of spirits that include artisanal distillers like Brooklyn Gin.

The Maitake Mushroom Melt was actually a large plate of finger sandwiches that were delicious and the Artisanal Cheese and Charuterie place was a nice grouping of fruits, meats and cheeses. We also sampled the tender Filet Mignon Medallions with blue cheese dressing.

We lounged at The Vault at Pfaff’s for quite a bit and then met some friends upstairs at the Corner Café to share some scrumptious cheesecake for dessert. We also managed to catch some music before heading for a good night’s sleep and another big day in New York City. 

Viewing NYC from the Palace to the Bulldog

I did a major change in scenery when I headed from Florida to New York City.  I had a lot to get in and decided to stay in Manhattan for a few days for the first time ever. There was no quick in and out this trip. I was going to explore, taste and visit my way around the Big Apple.

There’s almost nothing better than a greeting of fruit, snacks and refreshments after a long day of traveling, but I found the something better next to my bed at the New York Palace. I have traveled to many hotels around the world, from comfortable to luxury.

This one stumped me with something I have never seen before. It was so simple, just a little remote control on my night table that controlled the room lights and temperature.  Without getting out of bed during the night I could turn up the air conditioning, the heat, or turn either off. One of these days I will make a list of my favorite hotel room amenities and this will be toward the top!

The temperature control helped me get a good night’s sleep and I was in for another surprise when I opened my drapes. There right in front of me was St. Patrick’s Cathedral! Regardless of your religion (or if you have one at all), the sight of this beautiful, historical building is something worth seeing. I took some time to luxuriate in my large bathtub before heading downstairs to meet my pal David Kenas.

David and I have known each other for many years as we both covered a lot of the same players at the U.S. Open. He’s known as a tennis photographer, but what many don’t know is that he’s also a part owner in Bulldog Gin. We’d been talking for a while about getting together for a tasting and we were finally able to arrange it.

It was a cool day in Manhattan as we walked around trying to pick a place for lunch. Ironically, we ran into a Bulldog Gin truck along the way before settling into the lounge at Pop Burger. I ordered a gin and tonic then (which happens to be my favorite cocktail), but have since tasted Bulldog straight. While I usually go for the gins heavy in herb, I loved the smoothness of this one and I’m not alone. Wine Enthusiast Magazine gave this gin its highest ranking for the spirit.

Don’t expect the usual juniper jumping out at you when you’re sipping Bulldog. Instead, this London gin shifts the focus to dragon eye, a fruit related to lychee, and poppy. It comes through with a hint of spice rather than herb, and is easy sipping even on its own.

I had some free time to take a long walk back to the New York Palace before my daughter, Sam, met me. We decided to head down to Times Square to one of our favorite places. While many come to New York City in search of that five star restaurant, I was in search of comfort food and for me that’s a bowl of chicken noodle soup, some potato pancakes and a piece of chocolate marble cheesecake at Juniors. I have yet to find a place that does any of those better in my opinion.

We decided to head out for a drink and had some time to make it a relaxing one. We had never been to The View at the Marriott Marquis and I’m glad we decided to do it. We headed for a window seat at the top and enjoyed the view as the lounge rotated with our drinks. It was a Pear Ginger Cocktail for me and a Malibu Breeze for Sam before we called it a night and I got ready for a full day to come in Manhattan.

Salon Millesime Completes the Carlton Experience in New York

When I was in New York City recently I had the pleasure of staying at The Carlton Hotel and visiting the new Salon Millesime.  It was a too short visit, but enough to make me want to come back.

I pulled up to
The Carlton and gave my name to the valet only to get the instant reply, “We’ve been waiting for you Ms. Frost.”  There’s no doubt that The Carlton is that kind of luxury, but it’s transitioned nicely into the 21^st century.  The lobby is has been transformed with a modern flare and the rooms are also contemporary, with the convenience of free high speed internet and the luxury of flat screen televisions and Molton Brown toiletries.  There’s a 24 hour fitness center on the premises so you don’t have to venture out to Madison Avenue unless you want to.

Salon Millesime is downstairs at The Carlton Hotel and it’s one of the most unusual spots to hit Manhattan in awhile.  The earth tones are warm and welcoming and the atmosphere seems to take you back to a neighborhood of long ago, when you could hear the local jazz player, listen to the piano and have a few quiet drinks with friends.  The menu was just getting started with small plates when I was there (Owner/Chef Laurent Manrique has now opened a seafood brasserie up the stairs), but there were more than enough unique and tasty choices to satisfy anyone.

All the food was great, as it should be when supervised by a Michelin Star chef.  Don’t miss the Pork Belly Lollipops,  Meatballs, Tuna Tartare and Flat Bread, but make sure you leave room for dessert.   The Pot De Crème with espresso and caramel was yummy and the Profiteroles with ice cream on the spot.  The drink menu is filled with whisky, cognac  and old standards, but be adventurous and try one of their specialties, like the signature Night & Day.

There is live entertainment at Salon Millesime nightly.  You can check their current schedule on the website.  As for
The Carlton, it may be New York City luxury, but they offer some great packages – especially for the holiday season.  Check them out next time you are in Manhattan.