Most people come to New York City for the novelty and excitement; for us, it's a nostalgia trip. We stay at our old apartment, dine at favorite restaurants, walk down familiar streets, and hang out with friends. (That's an observation, not a complaint. And I assume the sitch will change over time.) This visit, only two restaurants we've never been to before made the cut: Crown Shy in FiDi and Joe's Steam Rice Roll at Canal Street Market.
You can't get that in Santa Barbara. Otherwise, however, we've been eating at places we've been pining for: Pasquale Jones, La Mercerie, Café Altro Paradiso, and, pictured below, Upland (that cheeseburger!), I Sodi, Atla (those shrimp tacos!), Court Street Grocers, and Arcade Bakery.
Along with pleasant surprises—we saw Jay-Z at Pasquale Jones—were unpleasant ones. The hosts at Café Altro Paradiso and I Sodi both did that extremely annoying thing of refusing to seat an incomplete party, even though our table was available. At Café Altro Paradiso, after she told us we could wait at the bar, I pointed out that there was no space there, seating or standing. "You can wait outside then," she said. I love so much about that restaurant, but the welcome was one of the least gracious I've experienced in a while. Speaking of poor hospitality, when I looked online to see if Pasquale Jones had any tables, I found that there was indeed one available for 7:30 p.m.—if you have a bank account at Capital One. That kind of promotion alienates far more people than it can ever attract, and it left me with bad feelings toward the restaurant, the bank, and the reservation service. And it made me glad I had moved out of New York.
The least pleasant surprise of all was that Arcade Bakery is closing. I walked in all excited to see the owner, but he quickly broke the news. Arcade Bakery has been a place of such joy for me, and it has been everything I loved about New York. I will miss it dearly.
Other highlights: Rooftop drinks and dinner; a class with my favorite yoga instructor, Jeffrey; stocking up on Li-Lac chocolate bars; Ragnar Kjartansson's "Death Is Elsewhere" installation at the Met; and walking as much as I could in the oppressive July weather (and chancing upon a billboard by Felix Gonzales-Torres, one of my favorite artists).
Last but far from least, it was fun to see so many friends—most we met up with intentionally, but others we just ran into. (Particular thanks go to Claudine, who agreed to let Adam canoodle her year-old pugs, Duck and Goose.) Everyone asks if we've missed the city, and I always say no. But I do miss my people.
P.S. As you may have heard, there was a ticker-tape parade for the U.S. women's World Cup team. Our apartment is on the parade route, which generally sucks. ("How's the parade?" my sister texted. "Loud and slow," I replied.) This was better than most, in that it was fun to see so many girls amped up; also, the spectators didn't get drunk first, the way hockey and baseball fans do. And it's hard not to be proud of Megan Rapinoe for sticking it to the clown.