Let’s Hear it for New York!
New Orleans and New York have a strong connection. This link is reinforced by a similar accent - lower Ninth Ward and Brooklyn tongue must have nursed at the same breast - and a melting pot of food and cultures. Both cities have the best of the best of food. But can you really find a better bagel than a Murray’s bagel outside of New York? Mix up all the packaged Cafe du Monde beignets you want, but you can’t recreate the Cafe’s ambience outside of the French Quarter. This is one reason why there are so many people flying between New Orleans and New York. Another reason for the Jet Blue streak between MSY and JFK, is that you can be exactly who you are in both cities. No questions asked. The only people who will stare are the tourists. And this is exactly what we did while we were in New York recently!
For their graduation, Damien and Natalya treated themselves to a New York trip. They invited Tricia and I along as tour guides! It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? College graduate couple invites parents along for New York vacation. Oh yeah – that had to be a hallucination. This will go on my Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are list.
To overcome our bagel deprivation, we hit Murray’s Bagels on Avenue of the Americas several times. Be ready to order when they ask! I would call the staff charmingly and efficiently impatient. This popular spot is well worth the wait – for a bagel and a table.
Shopping for the latest in fashion? Slip on you Minolo Blahniks and watch the Barbie Catwalk at FAO Schwartz. (Did I say that my son is a very patient man?)
How about bargain hunting in St. Mark’s Place:
After a long day of shopping, relax in a bubble gum bath at Dylan’s Candy Bar:
The Apple store in Lakeside Mall is nice, but the mothership in New York is a fantasy land for techies:
The Statue of Liberty has no equal. She is an impressive sight – this symbol of freedom for America’s melting pot:
All that sightseeing made us hungry! Damien took us to a fantastic restaurant in Chinatown called Joe’s Shanghai – home of the soup dumpling. Be sure to check out the online instructions on how to eat these before going – otherwise it could be very humiliating:
http://www.joeshanghairestaurants.com/
For dessert, Natalya and I were on the hunt for the perfect cupcake. Crumbs Bake Shop torches the competition:
We did so many fun and touristy things on our trip. The best of all was seeing New York through Damien and Natalya’s eyes. Life IS good and miracles DO happen y’all!







































![Ghandhi_20Sandwich[1] St. Francis & St. Elmo's Friar also showed up!](http://rita-winters.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Ghandi_20Sandwich11-150x150.jpg)





















