NYC Vacation Recap

We arrived home from our New York vacation on Sunday, June 6th. Marie-Helene was the grand prize winner of the LA Times Holiday sweepstakes, on her 40th birthday no less and we finally got to enjoy the spoils of her victory, and spoil them we did, in style. Our travelling party also included Melody Guzman since the trip Marie-Helene won was for 4 people.

The four of us began our trip Sunday morning, May 30th. We flew out of Burbank, a luxury we'd rarely afforded ourselves in the past, and it was so easy we may never go back. We also flew Jet Blue, another treat considering each seat has a television for the passenger's viewing pleasure.

My cousin, Andy Gandolfo, picked us up at JFK and took us to our hotel, the Midtown Holiday Inn. He pulled an Olga when the security guard insisted he do another loop around the airport since we didn't have our bags yet. Instead of complying with the law, Andrew pulled ahead about 75 yards and waited for us. Once we'd checked into our room, we piled back into Andy's Dodge Neon and drove down 9th Ave to Abingdon Square where Marie-Helene's eagle eye helped Andy find a recently vacated parking spot.

The purpose of our trip into the village was pizza. We walked down Bleecker St looking for Bleecker St Pizza, a pizzeria Andy's brother in law, John Hughes, had recommended. From the outside it looked more like a stand, and it was, with some people walking up and buying slices but we needed a large Nona Maria, the signature pie and an old family recipe. We grabbed some ice cold beers out of the fridge and had barely chosen a table, one of maybe four in the restaurant, when the guy said our pizza was ready. "What? I ordered about a minute ago", I said in mock Brooklyn surprise. I guess they had been making a pie for slices but with no one waiting, it was all ours. It was fantastic, probably my new favorite, unseating Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge. We all agreed it was easily among the best pizza we'd ever had. For those of you who don't believe in love at first sight, I saw the light in Melody's eyes when she looked longingly at the oceans of tomato red sauce with large flat islands of buffalo mozzarella cheese speckled with foliage of basil. Like Michael Corleone upon seeing the beautiful Sicilian girl Apollonia while hiding out in Italy, Mel had been struck by the thunderbolt. A quiet Burbank girl had fallen and fallen hard for New York Pizza.

Not even close to satisfied we continued our journey down Bleecker St and went to John's on Bleecker, another highly rated famous pizzeria in Manhattan. Marie-Helene, Callie and I had been there before and like the previous time, I bypassed a long line of people waiting for a table, and ordered a large cheese pizza to go as well as a couple of beers for Mel and I while we waited. On the way in, one brash New Yorker I bustled past snorted, "there's a line" while another chipped in with "who does HE know?” I looked the closest dissenter in the eye and said "I'm ordering (pause) to go". Before Mel and I finished our beers, the pizza was ready. We took it outside to the others, sat on a bench and the five of us devoured it.

The girls quickly picked a gelato place for dessert and a long sight seeing walk was soon needed. We walked south to Canal St and turned left where a myriad of vendors descended upon us while we walked eastward. At Mulberry St, we turned left, straight into the heart of Little Italy. The place was jumping .We walked along entranced by the crowd. We pointed out Ferrara's Bakery where my grandfather had worked soon after getting off the boat and then happened upon a street fair in honor of St Antonio, complete with carnival booths and stands selling every Italian delicacy imaginable and some (deep fried Oreos) not so Italian delicacies.

We said our good bye to Andrew and introduced Mel to the NYC subway system. We bought metro cards good for 7 days of unlimited travel and took the train to Columbus Circle. We stocked up on some supplies at the Whole Foods Market in the Time Warner Center and went back to our room for the evening.

The next day was an early start, at least for us, given the 3 hour time difference between the coasts. We had tickets to the Yankees' Memorial Day tilt with the Cleveland Indians but before the game we were due to meet my cousins for a little tailgate party. Anna Hughes, Andy's sister, and her husband John were also going to the game along with another cousin, Craig Steeneck, and his wife Sally. Before the tailgate, our mini group of 4 had tried to get in to view Monument Park at Yankee Stadium but we were shut out. Apparently, they don't let you in, back out again and then back in again for the game and that's precisely what we needed to do. I might have been able to make it happen but an announcement had just been made that there would be no more visitors to Monument Park that day due to the overflow Memorial Day crowd. It always closes 45 minutes before the game and I guess I wasn't the only one who wanted to see it.

The tailgate was awesome; cold beer, hot dogs, and some Rose and Joe's pizza I'd asked Anna to bring from under the train station in Astoria. It was hot and humid as it would prove to be all week long but our seats were in the shade and the Yankees broke open the game when the Indians intentionally walked Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez made them pay with the 20th grand slam of his career. Robinson Cano followed with another homer and the Yanks cruised the rest of the way. A funny moment occurred when Craig called us in the 9th inning to tell us to head to the parking lot but he didn't realize we had already walked down to the section where their seats were, so I quickly took a seat directly behind him and had a brief phone conversation with him without his realizing I was close enough to touch him.

We all went from Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to Astoria in Queens where Anna and John live, for a post game party. Anna's potatoes with cheese and plain breadcrumbs were a huge hit and the 8 game attendees were joined by Andy, Andy and Anna's older brother Joey, and Anna and John's son, John and his wife Karen, whose wedding we'd attended in Chicago a few summers back. Anna and John's cousin reunion parties were already legendary and this one did not disappoint. The conversation ranged from sports to television to relatives to memories and back to sports again. Andy took us back into the city and we crawled contentedly into bed after a perfect Memorial Day, unless you count not seeing Monument Park.

Early Tuesday morning Callie and I set out on an adventurous family visit. My Aunt Jean (Gilda), Craig's Mom, lives at the Emeritus in Paramus, New Jersey. To get there we took the 163 from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Times Square, a 45 minute ride. Despite arriving early and buying our tickets, we almost missed the bus. We were waiting at the appointed gate when a bus drove by and stopped at the gate in front of ours, with no one around to ask, I decided to go ask the bus drive to make sure it wasn't the 163. It was. Callie and I ate part of the sandwiches we'd bought at a place we know on 9th Ave between 57th and 58th. Callie's was a caprese sandwich on a French roll with a little pesto. She raved about it and soon we were dropped off a block or so from the Emeritus on Paramus Road.

Aunt Jean greeted us with a large smile, a hug, a kiss, and a few tears but the tears soon gave way to laughs and smiles as we went outside to wait for Aunt Frances, who had been the wife of my late Uncle Armand. Aunt Jean's mind, as always, was sharp as a tack and Aunt Frances is no less amazing. She drove to the Emeritus from her home in nearby Emerson. Aunt Jean's lunch time came around and we all joined her inside and met a 93yr old woman who had been imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp where she had lost her family. Despite that immense hardship, the woman allowed herself to laugh and bond with Callie. Aunt Jean's positive nature won the day as she told the woman in no uncertain terms to stop thinking about sad things and enjoy the day. We talked a while longer after lunch and said our good byes. Callie and I had a little excitement trying to figure out where the bus would pick us up but we eventually hailed the 163 as it was going past us on Paramus Rd. The driver stopped and we got on. Strange but effective.

For dinner that night we took Mel to Grimaldi's and the post meal walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. We continued our walk to Ground Zero and decided to check out Union Square and 14th St. Callie bought a cute t-shirt, the periodic table of texting, and then we went to try the frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity, recommended by none other than Oprah Winfrey. We politely asked the waiter if he would waive the $8.50 per person sitting fee and bring us 2 of them and he did. I wasn't as impressed as the 3 girls. Our next stop was the Le Meridien Hotel Burger Joint where we split 2 cheeseburgers among the 4 of us and eventually made our way back to the hotel, our bellies full and happy.

Wednesday was the day we checked out of the Midtown Holiday Inn but before doing so, MH and Callie enjoyed the pool and Mel did some shopping. We decided to save the cab fare and hoof it to the Westin Times Square on 8th Ave and 43rd St, an easy walk made a bit more challenging with our wheel able luggage. After checking in we took the train to Mott St and Parisi's Italian deli, an internet find, and wow, did it come through. We bought 3 sandwiches, an Italian cold cut, a chicken parmigiana, and a meatball parmigiana and wolfed them down at a park on the corner of Spring and Mulberry. Normal people would have stopped eating but we split a rice pudding for dessert. Marie-Helene then bought a chocolate cupcake and a chocolate croissant at a bookstore and Mel bought some Mac N Cheese at a Mac Bar in Soho.

Wednesday night we had a date with Mary Poppins at the New Amsterdam Theater right across the street from the Westin. Our seats were fantastic, 7th row stage left. We all were hypnotized by the Broadway play. The sets, the costumes, the songs, the sheer talent of all the dancers in perfect step. Tremendous. Afterward we strolled down 7th Ave through the crowd of theater goers walking around Times Square and had a late night snack at the Carnegie Deli.

Thursday we took the Q train to Brighton Beach and walked along the boardwalk to Coney Island. After some hot dogs from Nathans, Callie debated whether or not to take on the famous Cyclone roller coaster. Wisely, she decided against it and we took our leave of Coney Island. The plan for the way home was to exit the train at Ave J and check out Di Fara pizza. We'd learned about Di Fara from an article my sister, Terry, sent me. Sadly, it was closed that day so we headed for Bleecker St Pizza to try and recreate the experience of our first day in the city. Once again, the pizza was excellent and we did some shopping along Bleecker St and hit the same Gelato place. Bleecker St in Greenwich Village is probably our favorite place in the city.

MH and Mel went on a shopping excursion while Callie and I went back to rest up for that night's Laker game which happened to be Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. Andy happens to be the biggest Laker fan I know even though he lives in Brooklyn so he came to the city for the 9pm tip off and we met up at the ESPN Zone in Times Square. The place was a madhouse. We ended up on the top floor in the arcade, normally a place for kids but on this night, the bar was packed, standing room only, while the game played out on television. I guzzled Corona's while the Laker and Celtics waged war in the first half. Callie and MH played a little wire hockey nearby. Unfortunately, the top floor arcade sent us packing at halftime because it was reserved for a private party. No worries, we went to the Westin and watched the 2nd half with Mel, a little cramped in the room but elated with the Lakers' eventual victory.

Callie developed a slight fever that night and sent me out for throat lozenges at 4am to the 24hr Duane Reade pharmacy across the street. There were still revelers on the street, even at 4am, but this was a seedier crowd. Callie was still slightly under the weather on Friday but the Metropolitan Museum of Art was on the docket. We enjoyed an Egyptian exhibit which made us feel better about not going to see the King Tut exhibit in Times Square, a bamboo structure exhibit on the roof, a statue of Perseus holding Medusa's head, a Picasso exhibit, and many other breathtaking works of art. We might have stayed longer but Callie was tired and we were going to Citifield and the Mets' game that night. But before going back to the Westin we stopped for what else, pizza, at Patsy's on 60th. Patsy's had once been Patsy Grimaldi's but had broken off from Grimaldi's and had to change their name so that now there's a "Patsy's" and a "Grimaldi's". The girls loved Patsy's but I wasn't so thrilled. Maybe it was the amount of pizza I had been eating but the truth is, Mel, she of the full heart, had actually made two other unauthorized pizza purchases at non-researched locales while out shopping.

The 7 train to Citifield in Queens was much easier than the last time we'd taken it to Shea. Andy was waiting for us along with John Hughes and Andy's 2 sons, 16yr old 6'3 Richie and 10yr old Andrew. MH was happy to find poutine (a French fries/gravy/cheese curd concoction) called Disco Frites at Citifield. In the baseball game, the Mets came back to beat the Florida Marlins. Once back in Times Square, we showed Mel the humongous Toys R Us before I ushered Callie up to bed.

Saturday morning we went back to Queens, this time to Astoria and Mojave Restaurant on 31st St where Anna's youngest son, Patrick, a New York City cop in the Bayside precinct joined us with his girlfriend, Beth. The food was delicious and so was the walk around the old neighborhood I had been as smitten with as a young boy. First, to Rosario's, the Italian store where Anna buys her sausage. Who did we see there but Joey, her brother? We walked down Ditmars eastward a bit and then back up Ditmars to Le Guli's where John treated us to the best Italian Ice. Done eating, right? Wrong. The last stop was Rose and Joe's, the little bakery under the El. This time the pizza was fresh and hot. Asking Anna to lug it to Yankee Stadium had been a mistake on my part. This was what I remembered. Right out of the oven it rivals Bleecker St, Johns, Grimaldis, etc and we all shared a couple of slices despite the fact we'd eaten less than an hour before and had just had Italian ice.

The N train took us back to Manhattan and we took Mel on a walk through Central Park. We enjoyed the Pond and went to a playground Callie enjoyed on our first trip to the city a few years ago. Similar to what happened at the Burger Joint in the Le Meridien Hotel, Callie remembered the playground as soon as she saw it. I had fun jogging her memories like that. We watched a bit of a softball game and then escaped the heat in the Time Warner Center. I left the girls so they could shop and walked home down 8th Ave to pack.

Our last night in the city consisted of a walk southward to Madison Square Garden and then to the world's largest department store, Macy's. MH was thrilled by the wooden escalators which jogged a memory from my childhood and one of the rare trips into the city I'd made with my Mom and Aunt Gloria to see the Empire State Building and the store where my Uncle Armand worked, Macy's. Mel bought a Coach purse and we admired the majestic Empire State Building from 34th and Broadway.

I think the girls could have stayed another week in New York City. We were treated wonderfully and ate like kings. What a place! What a city! I can't imagine a bigger, more impressive location. Surely, Manhattan must be at the forefront of great places on Earth. It has the energy and excitement of Las Vegas but spread out over miles and miles. And Las Vegas excites mainly the gambler whereas New York speaks to everyone. She certainly spoke to us. I'll never ever eat more pizza over a 7 day period than the 7 days we just passed on vacation and that's only the beginning; beloved family, 2 baseball games, Central Park, Broadway, Times Square, Ground Zero, Little Italy, Soho, 14th St, 5th Ave, Coney Island, Astoria, Greenwich Village, Serendipity, the Met. What a week! What a vacation!