Best Friends and Great Food in NYC

While there isn't a blow out international trip this summer, we did manage an excursion to NYC.  Luis and Jack dropped Maya and I off at the Amtrak station in Philly.  They spent the afternoon in Philly eating cheese steak and visiting museums before going to Monmouth, NJ to participate in a reenactment..

 They hauled a cannon over the hills and through the woods....

 Jack is now considered a musician in the North Carolina 6th, thanks to excellent training by his middle school band teacher!

 Luis is the company commander and this is his rag tag crew, fighting the British.

So while they slept under a tarp and ate corn cakes off of a shovel, Maya and I spent a fabulous weekend in NYC visiting a very dear friend of mine that I have known since high school.  Anytime I can ride a train or a subway I feel happy.

 First night's dinner was at Momofuku where the specialty is a bun.  Like a Japanese taco I suppose.

 First thing in the morning we got on the F train to take in the view from the top of 30 Rockefeller Center   was amazing and so worth the money!  The subway has a stop right under the building so its very easy to find.  Its better than the Empire State Building because you can SEE the Empire State Building.  There it is in the background.

 

 Since the Lego store is right there we couldn't resist going in.

 Prince Street Pizza was recommended by my friend, and it was indeed the best square we ever had. 

 Walking around Chinatown looked and smelled like I was walking in any country in Asia. 

We ate Vietnamese pho soup, which was super good.

We played in Union Square Park, which,  like everywhere we went in the city, was absolutely packed with people. 

 We took a little quiet reading break in the bookstore.

 The Chelsea Market  was all hip and trendy like a magazine.  It did look like a nice gourmet and pricy place to get your picnic snacks for a walk on the Highline.

We spent a lovely afternoon walking on The Highline  with our friends.  An old elevated train track converted into a beautiful public space.

Because she loves to read, we took a reading break.

Dinner at  The Park was just perfect, with this artisan cheese board as an appetizer.

 Another ambitious walk, this time over the Brooklyn Bridge to the DUMBO  area. 

 A ride on Jane's Carousel was just $2.  That's pretty incredible for New York.

Dinner at Tacombi was quite good.  There's an old VW bus taco truck in the middle of the dining room that whips up the tacos.

 A highlight was a trip to the Big Gay Ice Creap Shop where the best thing on the menu is called a salty pimp.  Its fun to order a dessert called a salty pimp.  There's a unicorn mural painted on the wall that has been bedazzled with rhinestones.



It was so yummy we went there twice!

So when the boys arrived we stayed another day and brought them to 30 Rockefeller Center and Prince Street Pizza.

Really the best part was catching up with my old friend and getting to know his wife and son better.  They were generous to put us up for the weekend and show us around to all these cool places.  We are hoping to show them some southern hospitality in the near future!