Da Big Apple

Wednesday - the day of the long march. I head down to 23rd St and Park Ave and phone Mike who meets me (he is staying at a relative's apartment). We walk to Chelsea Markets where we inspect all the fare, the fish market and all of the other delights located there. Through Chelsea with a few purchases from the boutiques (not me) we continue our walk down to the World Trade Centre, Century 21 (Liza only) and J&R Electronics for the men. We then subway up to the Rockefeller Centre but the crowds are massive. I have been to New York quite a few times but have never seen so many people by a factor. I excuse myself while Mike tries to make it to the Lego Shop.

We have a dinner arrangement at 18:45 with three guys who play Soccer for Hakoah New York and who tracked down Michael Evans. Ron is a marketing manager for El Al North America, David works for a Hedge Fund and Marat (Turkish and yes you don't have to be Jewish to play for Hakoah in New York) works for UBS. We meet at the Olympia Pita restaurant Glatt Kosher. The meal was fine but Mediterranean food isn't my thing. Very nice guys and it was remarkable how much Ron knew about Australian sport, soccer, politics and culture. All in all very entertaining. After dinner back to the hotel. I am quite exhausted having walked a minimum of 10kms and been on my feet all day and it shows as.......

Thursday morning and I shock myself at waking up 09:45. I ready myself and head to Macy's where I have to return a faulty suitcase which the manufacturer would not return without a receipt. Who keeps a receipt for a suitcase? Anyway the manager of the Macy's store where I bought the case arranged for me to return it in new York. I head up to Columbus Circle where I have arranged to meet Daniel Grynberg's good friend James Hookes for lunch with Mike Evans. Very interesting lunch at Bouchon Cafe discussing job markets, economies and everything else business. He is the CEO of three Mac Bank Infrastructure Funds so was very stimulating.

I then headed back to the hotel while Mike went to meet Liza and Ollie who had been ice skating most of the day to that point.

Back to Manhattan on the 18:00 shuttle to meet the Evans gang for Nobu dinner. There are three in New York and we chose the 57th Street location. The usual sensational fare Miso Cod, Lobster Tacos, a new dish home made silk tofu with scallops, mushroom salad, cucumber sesame salad, crispy salmon skin hand rolls and more. All up to the usual 10/10 standard for me and the Evans' loved it as well. Down to Macys which is open till 23:00 to pick up some things the Evanses wanted and then back to the hotel for me.

Friday morning up at 08:45 showered and dressed and off to drop my luggage at my new hotel, the Shoreham on 55th between 5th and 6th Ave. Quite a good find. The rooms, although compact but not small are beautifully appointed and extremely functional. Usual shit the hotel (owned by the same person as the limousine company) tells me the limo will cost $10-$15 to Manhattan and the driver says $25 - I refused and paid $15 but hate this sort of situation.

Then off to Chambers Street to meet Evans gang this time with Greg Sirtis, his girlfriend and son Jonah (Carol/Barry Pryer's grandson) where we looked at Wall Street before taking a return trip on the Staten Island ferry. The weather has been truly magnificent so far while I have been here ranging from 8 to 10 degrees with no wind or rain after Tuesday Night. While on the Ferry two 'bockers' ask are we Jewish and
we say yes and they ask if they can put Tefillin on u. Mike and I as one say "no no we have already laid Tefillin today but (pointing to Greg Sirtis) he hasn't". They gave him a hard time for a few minutes before moving on. They were very respectful and actually quite sweet.

I head back to to the Shoreham to get my room, unpack and then head to Zabar's to meet Evans/Sirtis for afternoon nosh. I had never been to Zabar's before. It is a truly amazing experience. First we had blintzes and other Jewish fare but the supermarket was awesome. While we were there a very under dressed and bedraggles looking Philip Seymour-Hoffman shuffled in bought some food and sat there eating it facing
the corner. Selection, quality and variety in the supermarket - it simply had everything. Without selling everyday groceries but being a totally devoted full service delicatessen. http://www.zabars.com/

We then part ways as I head back to my hotel where I eat some Lobster Bisque and raspberries I bought from Wholefoods on the way.

Spending time with the Evans Gang was great. I am very fond of all three of them and we seemed (to me anyway) to very compatible travel partners.

Very excited about Daniel Michelin 3 Star tomorrow  night and New Years Eve in Times Square if I can take the crowds. Some bridge friends invited me for their NYE party but I really do want to try and make a go of Times Square so I passed.
If not only 8-10 blocks back to the hotel. Was a bit disappointed with Atelier when they phoned to confirm my booking and say that I should be on time for my 22:15 booking as the kitchen orders close at 22:30 and the restaurant closes at midnight. I was tempted to cancel but a phone call an hour later that they have found a spot at 20:30 - and am I looking forward to that.

My problem du jour is that I leave New York next Tuesday but have no plane or hotel booking or destination. I am thinking London then Miami or Las Vegas Cancun and Miami or well I guess I will figure it out. My plans have been thrown around because my very good friends in Phoenix are having marital problems and even though I have been providing them both with phone counseling and trying to help going there figures to
be a bad scene. So my planned week in Phoenix has gone pffft.

Sure I have missed out lots of things like discovering Godiva Salted Caramel Chocolate ($2.97 Century 21, $3.99 Duane Read and $4.99 Morton Williams Puhlease)

Love and sincere best wishes for a Happy and Healthy 2012 and even a touch of Prosperity
XD

The Pre-Departure Excitement and arriving in New York

Well about three weeks ago Justin, Lindy and I decided to have a dumpling dinner at Bamboo. Little did we know that this dinner would set in motion a chain of events that would see the Stern family's second wedding in seven weeks.

That evening Justin and Lindy decided that they would get married  in a secret and private ceremony on Xmas day disguising it as a picnic for the Sterns to meet Lindy's sister, Lara. Just Parents siblings and unfortunately only one of Justin's gradmothers could attend (sorry Sybil).

Much work - caterer (not easy for Xmas Day and thanks Wayne for a great job), wedding dress, flowers, Rabbi (thanks Ritchie for making it a special day) Chuppah, Mikvah, rings and a million micro things - even down to having to find three males to make up the Minyan (thanks Robert Tom and Tony).

But it all came together in a fantastic surprise that has formalised what has been a beautiful relationship between the two of them.

Justin and Lindy even separated for one week without seeing or speaking to each other using me an intermediary. This wasnt hard as they had to make excuses why the other wasn't there when invited somewhere.

And who said I couldn't keep a secret.

And how proud am I of my two kids and their partners. So much joy in a concentrated period is such a wonderful thing. I can now hopefully look forward to the joys of grandfatherood some time in the future (no pressure kids).

Anyway next day feeling post event excitement and off to New York to face the cold of a USA winter.

A little of the background of the 'secret, wedding'. About three weeks ago Lindy, Justin and I were having dinner and the subject came up as it did has every time we got together "so when is this wedding going to happen". For the first time there seemed little resistance from Justin and Lindy said "I don't need a wedding I just want t marry you Justin Stern".

I went on to say that it wasn't fair to deny Lindy a wedding dress and a wedding and the plot was hatched - Christmas day in Centennial Park. Two days later the rabbi had signed off on it happening, Centennial Park booked as were the photographer and videographer  and finally the next day the caterer was sourced on Gumtree and locked in - thanks Wayne you did a fantastic job couldn't have asked for better.

Justin and Lindy sent out invitations to a picnic for the Stern family to meet her sister Lara and husband Neil who had flown n that day from the USA. People had their suspicions that Lindy and Justin would be announcing their engagement and Gerald even asked in the car on the way whether Rabbi Moss would work on Xmas day and grew most suspicious when he turned up and saw Justin wearing long pants. Robert Grynberg came to make up the Minyan on the pretext that he was taking me to the airport and fortunately he had Kathy n tow to help share the moment. The other two 'rent a Jews' were Tom Moss who forwent a lunch in Castlecrag and Tony Leibowitz who drove down from Pearl Beach - thanks guys.

The secret wedding project was then in overdrive. Lindy working on dress, shoes, flowers and a myriad of tiny details while Justin and I deal with the logistics, van to get everything to the park, picking up the Chuppah, furniture, cutlery, crockery, drinks, Eskies etc etc.. And Hashem worked on the weather which apart from the occasional breeze was perfect.

Some family and friends dropped down to the park for drinks to help celebrate and Justin's good friend Michael Gara came with his photography equipment to supplement our photographer and videographer.

So two weddings n seven weeks - how happy am I.

So, after the excitement of yesterday the reality of 26 hours door to door travel Sydney to New York. I arrive at the airport with one full suitcase and one faulty one I am taking for a refund only to find that the former two bag allowance is now one and the second bag, remember empty, costs $65. That reduces the United versus Qantas differential by $130 as I am allowed an extra piece with Qantas as a life member.

The previously empty seat next to me vanishes and the plane is full. Despite This I manage to sleep for ten of the fourteen hours of the flight. I put it down to excitement letdown - hmm maybe a wedding before every overseas trip - no no bad idea won't be able to afford those trips. 

Smooth transfer in San Francisco to my New York flight where the whole economy section is just 72 premium economy seats with lots of business and first class seats. The woman in front of me points out a faulty seat to a cabin steward who shows one of the finest displays of passive resistance I have seen in a long time offering her to be moved to another flight.

Having internet on the flight is worth every penny of the $15 as I “chat” with the kids, friends, catch up on facebook and do a hundred little things and deal with the emails surrounding the wedding.

So my agenda is eight days in New York the first four with Mike Evans and family and New Year’s Eve in Times Square. I then have 11 days with nothing planned and a ten day cruise.

All good to the hotel (Z Hotel Long Island City 3kms from Rockefeller Centre) after the obligatory negotiating with a New York Limousine ($40+tip). The hotel is way cool but located in an industrial area just over the Queensboro bridge. It is funky top to bottom with a nice room. Only minor downside is an external walkway to the room but for $145 including continental breakfast I can wear a jacket.

I have seven hours of broken sleep and speak to Michael and agree to meet at 10:30 as they went to an ice hockey game last night the Ollie is sleeping in.

I catch the dhuttle which drops me next to one of my favourite shops - The Container Shop - ideal for somebody with an orderly mind or even OCD or as Justin says CDO as the letters have to be in the right order for me. Of course I find something I need and must have and of course may never use.

We meet up at Columbus circle with the intent of having brunch at Bouchon Cafe which is closed till 11:30 so we wander down to the Food Emporium on 8th and have a delightful lunch of soups, sushis, tuna tartare and Ollie with meatballs and chips.

We head over towards 5th Avenue buying Ollie some jeans to replace the track pants he is wearing (ah memories) which are not dealing well with the 5 degree temperature which as far as I am concerned was great weather.

Past the Rockerfeller Centre with huge queues waiting for the ice skating rink and to the Moma where the crowd to see an exhibition by Konining is large. Now for a Picasso or similar I would queue for a long time but for somebody we hadnt heard of - pass.

We head to the MOMA shops where we spend about 90 minutes looking at the wonderful array of new and functional designed chachkas that we must have and dont need and of course I still spend a few dollars on a gift for the newly married son and daughter in law.

It is now raining lightly so we head to the Russian Tea Room. It is very expensive so we have a light and cheaper meal while some around us are scoofing down $2,000 of caviar for four people. We cross the road to a deli and top up what proved to be an inadequate lunch with soup cheescake and some fresh raspberries.

Now it is raining REALLY hard and Mike wants to walk the ten blocks to HalfTix to see what's available - I dont do rain walking so we hopped a cab where the driver became grumpy with a short fare in traffic where he couldnt turn - a rather poor advertisment for New York as I told him. But when we get there via visit to the M&M shop, remember we have Ollie with us nothing appeals as we are all a bit tired.

We decided that maybe a movie would be in order but eventually gave up on that idea. catching a subway to where I could get the shuttle back to the hotel and they could change trains to get back to the apartment they are staying at (23rd and 3rd). Here are a couple of pics.

Enough for now. Hope all are well and more later.

XD