by Wendy
A few notes on how to get to, from and around New York City.
After last summer’s NYC trip, when an Amtrak delay resulted in our arrival home around 3am on Monday instead of 9pm on Sunday, Jack and I switched up the travel route. All credit goes to Jack for researching this option, which worked brilliantly. On Friday morning, we drove to New Jersey’s Metropark Station in Iselin. We parked the car ($10 a day) and caught the train to Penn Station (about $45 round trip for the two of us). Trains leave frequently and the approximately one hour journey whisks you into the city without the hassle of sluggish traffic and expensive parking. We took an early train back to NJ Metropark on Sunday morning, allowing time to drive to Jack’s parents for a quick visit before heading back to DC.
During this trip, we stayed at the Sheraton Tribeca – clean, comfortable rooms, a rooftop bar with excellent views, and very importantly, an ideal location for starting your walks. Jack and I met up with friends who love to walk around the city as much as we do, and weekend plans always allow time for wandering.
Friday evening we met at the hotel bar for drinks before setting off on foot. Later we had an amazing dinner at the Korean restaurant On (after a moment of panic when we checked in for our reservation at the restaurant No instead of On – a block or so away). Before and afterwards, we bar hopped, mostly walking but with a taxi ride or two, which never seem to be in short supply. Among the destinations was the eclectic Ear Inn, one of the city’s oldest bars, and 1am slice from a tiny pizza place near the hotel.
Saturday was blue sky, sun, cool but not cold fall weather: AKA perfect walking weather. After opting to pass on a 2 hour wait for food at the famous Russ and Daughters, we decided on a whim to walk across the Williamsburg Bridge. This was a fantastic walk for the senses, plenty of people watching, busy city noise, cars and buses rumbling by on the expressway, fresh air tinged with diesel and the East River – all generally therapeutic for clearing the head. We ate brunch at Barano in Brooklyn, which fueled us for the walk back over the bridge and wandering through more colorful scenes the rest of the afternoon.
While we generally alternate between taxis and walking, we did use the subway to get to the Hudson Theatre near Times Square, where we had tickets for David Byrne’s Utopia. The clerk at the subway station could not have been more helpful in explaining the most straightforward route, which was easy and unlike DC, enabled us to share one travel card. And the show was incredible – Byrne performed some of his most beloved songs between a running narrative about alienation and connection, backed by an international band with mobile instruments and singers dancing with almost non-stop choreography.
We took a taxi back to the hotel but set off walking again in search of a place to have a late dinner. You never know what you’ll have to settle for when you leave things like this to chance, but there was Lucky Strike, a perfect French-style bistro with brusque yet warm and efficient service and crowded tables and really delicious food and perfectly mixed cocktails.
By the end of the trip, as usual, I was feeling wistful that I never lived in NYC. It’s busy, messy, expensive, sometimes difficult to navigate – but all it takes is a few blocks of walking without a specific destination and I feel revived imagination. It’s part homecoming for a kid who obsessed over novels set in New York, part re-ignited fascination and energy from proximity to all the unknown stories and streets. I love my home in DC, but will always be smitten with the city that never sits still.