New York City, Chapter III: A Walk Through Central Park and Barhopping

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Note: All the events mentioned in this entry occurred back in March 2011. For more updated trips and entries, please refer back to this blog at a later date. An updated trip or blog will NOT include a note like this. Thanks and enjoy!



We ended getting up late the next day because we stayed up talking to Bineta and playing with her daughter, Jaada. However, we decide to head out in order to finish our visit to Central Park, find Rockafellar Center and then meet up with my friend Bianca, whom I had met five years ago while I was studying abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France (for more information on my relationship with Bianca, please refer to my blog entries entitled "A Typical Day In My Life in Aix" and "Spring Break Trip to NYC: Introduction.")



Our first site of the day is Central Park. I have never seen such a huge yet natural looking man-made park like this in my life! While walking through Central Park one will encounter rolling hills, rocky cliffs, huge lakes, bridges, statues, fountains and memorials. Despite the ashfault paths, one might forget that they are in the middle of NYC because of the trees, hills and rocky cliffs; well I know I did at least. Before leaving Central Park we went to visit the Imagine Memorial (dedicated to former Beatle John Lennon) which was pretty much a black and white tiled circle found in the middle of one of the ashfault paths in Central Park that had the word "Imagine" on it in reference Lennon's song of the same name. I took a picture of it however I will admit that I was a bit disappointed because I expected there to be more at the Imagine site. Nonetheless, I was still enchanted with Central Park as a whole because I found it to be aesthetically beautiful and to be a unique park in regards to its size and design to look like a piece of the wilderness.



Matt and I then take the subway and head over to Times Square because I am interested in finding Rockafeller Center. We arrive to Avenue of the Americas after receiving some advice from the NYC Information Center, however Matt begins to lose interest in seeing Rockafeller Center because he's not impressed with the local architecture. Instead, we end up buying cupcakes at Magnolias and then eat pizza at a local cafe across the street. We then decide to head towards Brooklyn because I was interested in looking at some of the local art done by the artist community there. Unfortunately, when we get there the museum is closed and even though we find one of the artist communities, only one gallery is open, which is an exhibit on politically themed photographs. However, all was not lost, because we got the chance to get some chocolate at Jacques Torres Chocolate boutique. If you love chocolate, you must visit this boutique created by this very famous French-Spanish chef. I ordered eight of his smaller, filled chocolates, with flavors like peanut butter, cognac, champagne filled, and I think Earl Gray. I know that Matt and I enjoyed them very much; in fact I would travel back to NYC just to buy another box they were so good 😊



We arranged to meet up with Bianca in front of Balthazar at 5 PM, one of the most famous French-style bistros in NYC, located in Soho/Nolita. Matt and I arrive early, so we decide to look in the cooking supply store "Sur La Table." This store had everything, from espresso machines to baking pans to gourmet marinades. Finally we decde to walk over to Balthazar, where Matt and I encounter Bianca sitting at a bench outside of the restaurant. She and I immediately hug each other.

"so good to see you!" We both cheer simultaneously. "Bianca, this is Matt, my boyfriend. Matt this is Bianca, the friend I told you about that I met while studying in Aix-en-Provence."

They both shake hands. "Nice to meet you," he replies.

"Likewise," Bianca responds. The three of us walk into the restaurant and are seated at our table. The three of us look at the menu in order to determine what we will order. The three of us agree to order food big enough to split among us because of Balthazar's ginormous prices (most plates are $30 per person here, it's more expensive than Public). Bianca offers to order the salade au chevre chaud (warmed goat cheese salad), and I order the steak frites , and we each split a bottle of beaujolais villages. For dessert, the three of us split profiteroles (cream puffs that are filled with vanilla ice cream instead and topped with chocolate sauce). The food was the best and the most authentic I had had since my study abroad year in France (please refer to all my blog entries that take place in France written before this entry if you want to learn more about my relationship with food while there). The salade au chevre chaud was served in the French maner, meaning that broiled French style goat cheese was placed on top of toasted bread slices on a bed of romaine lettice with a balsamic vinager/dijon mustard dressing. The steak was cooked medium rare and topped with a bearnaise sauce and served with frites. It was very tender, the sauce creamy and tangy yet sweet and fragrant. The frites were crispy and melted in my mouth. This dish was so authentic, that it reminded me in plate presentation and taste to the first steak et frites dish I ordered with bearnaise sauce at a small brasserie in Dijon! The profiteroles were larger than normal, because there were three to a plate in comparison to the traditional six, however they were filled with ice cream and topped with a hypnotic, velvetee, sweet, moderately thick chocolate sauce.



After that, Bianca offers to show Matt and I Little Italy and Chinatown on our way to West Village for some barhopping. Unfortunately all the shops and restaurants were closed in Little Italy and Chinatown at this time, so all Bianca really showed us was the location of both of these neighborhoods. We finally make it to our first bar, which was a tapas bar. We spent two hours here, sipping our cocktails and talking to the Columbian bartender. Matt ordered a traditional caprihenia (a cocktail from Brazil which features cacasa, lime juice and sugar) while Bianca ordered a caprihenia wth passion fruit. I ordered a cocktail called el corazon however unfortunately I don't remember the ingredients, however it was delightful. Shortly after our drinks arrived, a traditional Spanish band performing flaminco music begn to play. The bartender begins to ask after us.

"So, where are you from?"

"My boyfriend and I are currently living in Boston."

"I'm a NYC native," replies Bianca proudly, "born and raised right here!"

"Oh, really? What do you do?"

"I'm studying Francophone Studies at Columbia," answeres Bianca.

"I'm a masters student at Suffolk University, studying international relations," I reply.

"I'm a software developer," replied Matt.

He then asks us how we know each other and why Matt and I were in NYC. We tell him we're on vacation, and I begin to tell him about how Bianca and I met in Aix-en-Provence (for more details on our meeting, please refer to my blog entry entitled "A Typical Day in My Life While in Aix"). Bianca, myself and the bartender begin to talk about Europe, and what it was like living there (the bartender I think had lived in Spain for a while.) We order a second round of cocktails-I believe that I try the sangria, while Matt and Bianca reorder their caprihenias. After our second round, Bianca then asks where we'd like to go next. Apparently, Bianca knew of this lovely brasserie (French style bar) called Tabac owned by a French ex-pat. She and I had been talking about this bar for weeks now, and I reaffirmed to her at the tapas bar that I was eager to visit Tabac while in NYC.



Stumbling out of the bar, Bianca begins to tell us about some of the changes that West Village has experienced over the years. Apparently there are a lot of new businesses in this part of town. "Did you also know that CBGB used to be located around here?" My jaw dropped-"The CBGB, where the Ramones got their start?" I asked bewildered. She nodded and replied with a firm "uh huh. I never got to go in it though, because I was too young and I'm the eldest in my family. I know it's famous because of the Ramones and other bands like them, but I know very little about what it was like." She then pointed out to us where it used to be.



We then make a right and walk down a few side streets until we reach Tabac's iconic sign, which is basically the same as a French style Tabac, or smoke shop/mini mart. The bar is very open, with couches and a lot of small tables in addition to an actual bar. I order a kir and then a pastis, while Bianca I think orders a cocktail with some champagne and something else in it. Matt just orders water because he is starting to feel drunk. I will admit, I don't really remember what Bianca ordered because I too was inebriated by this time. Nonetheless, I remember that she and I were talking about France and how Tabac was so much like French brasseries. The bartender, who was also the proprietor, took notice and began to chat with us in French. Matt just kind of sat and listened, smiling. Bianca shared stories with Matt about her life and experiences in France. Finally, the three of us catch a cab to head home. Bianca, Matt and I then make arrangements on where and what time to meet tomorrow for the performance I booked for us at the Metropolitan Opera and of what to do in Little Korea, another NYC neighborhood. We then part ways, and Matt and I immediately go to sleep once we arrive back at Bineta's apartment.

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