This February I spent three unbelievable days on the streets of Manhattan. I escaped into the night to more secluded spots to hang with the locals and took in the more "touristy" destinations, creating a perfectly balanced vacation in the city the never sleeps.
Day 1: Checking in, a French bistro, Times Square and Jekyll and Hyde
We arrived in NYC, ready and rearing to go! Airports being as they are, we were delayed about an hour and a half before finally taking off. This put us at JFK at about 4:00 p.m. - rush hour. It took us a cool 3.5 hours to be shuttled from the gate to the hotel; the only saving grace was that we got to see a lot of Manhattan on the way. However, it goes without saying that we were delighted to finally arrive to our hotel.
The Hotel Pennsylvania is located at 401 7th Avenue, just across from Madison Square Garden. The exterior and lobby are quite impressive, but the rooms are nothing to write home about...
However, the view was quite nice (definitely a step up from the brick wall that was my view during my first trip to NYC). We were just blocks from Times Square and the Empire State building and just a kitty-corner away from Penn Station.
We landed on my birthday, so a special dinner on the first night was in order. We chose Pigalle, a French bistro located at 790 8th Avenue, just between 48th and 49th streets.
A hop skip and a jump through Times Square revved up our appetites.
Times Square is the epitome of tourist spots in Manhattan. It puts your senses into complete overdrive and you just start to feel the city enter your veins; the lights, the people, performers and tacky gift shops litter the streets and sidewalks and give this strip a certain charm. I love walking through here.
I have to admit, I was kind of nervous to go to a French restaurant day one, but it proved to have a very casual atmosphere - definitely inviting. I learned later that Pigalle is certified "Green" by the Green Restaurant Association. I don't yet know what exactly that means, but I do know the food was great; roasted duck with wild rice and a pomegranate sauce was the perfect introduction to the great food adventure that is New York.
I usually go with wine if I'm going to drink while out at dinner, but this was New York and I needed to get more adventurous. This drink was named after Picasso and featured the green fairy - Absinthe - how very very French! This drink was super heavy on the anise flavour and inescapably pungent; it may not have been the hallucinogen drink that Picasso dabbled in, but it was certainly an experience for my taste buds.
Well, this is New York and a night out does not end at dinner. I'm not into the club scene and I wanted something with more character where I could rest my weary feet and chat with my dear friends. We wandered into Greenwich Village and stumbled upon an eerie pub called Jekyll and Hyde - sounds intriguing...
I love it here! The decor is a mishmash of campy props - a stack of skulls, a werewolf head and mummy casket - this is definitely a collection you would expect of Dr. Jekyll.
The best feature, by far, are the washrooms! The staff will direct you into Dr. Jekyll's library, but there is nary a washroom sign to be seen. What you need to do is feel your way along the bookshelves until a doorway gives way to a push, revealing the washroom behind - how great is that?!
Jekyll and Hyde was surprisingly relaxed; they had some great rock playing, old monster flicks on a TV in the back and they offered a menu full of creative (and nerd-friendly) drinks to choose from.
Are you a champion?
Day one in the Big Apple started with a (gentle) bang; a great dinner, a fantastic walk through Times Square and a browse through Dr. Jekyll's library was our remedy to a long day of traveling.
More New York adventures to come...
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