I’ll start this by saying I’ve been very, very fortunate when it comes to airline travel.  The sum total of my interesting flight/delay stories amounts to:

1. A night spent in a very comfortable Mississauga hotel when I missed a connecting flight due to weather in Toronto

2. A lost bag transiting through Boston which promptly found its way home to me within 12 hours

3. Having to travel with only a plastic Ziploc bag back from Brussels after a terrorist plot was uncovered while we were in Europe – the one that started the whole 3-1-1 garbage we live with today

4. Having to sit in a plane on the tarmac in Toronto due to a storm passing through (but, truth be told, I was in first class, so really, it was like I was at a bar for a couple of hours)

(Interesting note: for all of the crap Air Canada takes, 3 of the above were with our beloved national carrier, and to this day, I still feel better flying AC than any other airline.  They seem to handle the bad stuff better than other airlines.)

My travel karma has been good, and I hope it stays that way.

Our trip home from New York started innocently enough.  While waiting at JFK, we noticed that everything outside stopped moving for about 30 minutes.  A large series of storms were moving up the Atlantic coast and put a stop to airline operations until the danger passed through NYC.  That same storm had played more havoc on flight schedules for other eastern airports.

As departure time approaches, there’s a massive crunch at our gate.  Hundreds and hundreds of people are huddled around a desk trying to figure out what’s going on.  Flights are being cancelled and departures are being pushed back and there’s *NO* communication taking place between the American Airlines agents and anyone looking for information.

Our departure time of 6:55 passes and the departure board keeps updating our boarding time by 10 minutes every 10 minutes.  Around 10:30, we get word our flight is cancelled.  We grab a courtesy phone, rebook for the next day and make off in search of our bags.  While Jodi waits for luggage, I’m on my iPhone booking a hotel for the night and heading back upstairs to pick up tickets for tomorrow (now on Delta).  Back downstairs and no luggage to be found.  We get conflicting news from AA agents but find out that there won’t be anymore bags being put out tonight.  We’re told our luggage will find its way home eventually (um, ok).

At this point, I lose any care for my luggage and seek out a taxi line.  Everyone else who’s been cancelled has done the same so it’s about a 45 minute wait.  Eventually, we get a cab – he’s got no idea how to get to our hotel – but we make it eventually.  We just beat a bus full of cancelled people to the front desk, but they have no record of our reservation.   Some polite encouragement, and we’ve got a room for the night (the gentleman beside me took a different tact and screamed at the hotel clerk – he and his wife ended up in a room with a single bed – we got a reasonable room with two Queen Beds – score one for the good guys).  By now its past 2am, and supper consists of the gluten-free stuff we could find on our way out of the airport – stale carrot/celery sticks, an energy bar, and some cheese and grapes.  The whole night had an “Amazing Race” like quality to it.   Jodi and I handled the curve balls well as a team and won the race to the hotel in my mind 🙂

Fast forward to next day – we’re back at JFK early all fueled up on a Hampton Inn breakfast (well, I am, Jodi is left with yogurt and a banana as the only things not containing wheat).  We kill some time doing some duty free shopping (I actually find a great watch and a couple nice bottles to bring back) and stop for lunch and a drink:

We get on our flight home (somehow my duty free purchases didn’t find their way to the gate so I strike out on a great new watch and tequila) and everything is going well until we’re into our descent into Halifax.  I casually mention that it feels we’re in a steep/fast descent and as we’re approaching the airport there are massive flashes of light out the window.  My first thought was the wing was on fire.  It was lightning – you could feel the plane start to shake.  Luckily, we were only a minute off the ground.  Landing was pretty routine, but within 200 feet of our gate, the plane comes to a dead stop.  The airport had ceased all its ground operations due to the severe weather and electrical storm.  Our flight touched down at 9:30 and we’re not moving again until around 1:15am.  The Delta flight attendant is amazing throughout – there’s coffee, drinks and food for everyone.  After a long wait getting through customs, we wait in line to fill out missing bag forms before they’ll let us out of the secured customs area.  My Dad (bless his soul), was waiting the whole time at the airport for us tonight (and was waiting up the previous night as well). 

PS – Two days later, our luggage arrives.  All of our stuff is in tact, but my bag has had it’s frame bent and Delta is claiming no responsibility (boo!).   Final tally: 38 hours to make the trip from our original NY hotel to our front door; 1 broken piece of luggage, 2 missed bottles of duty free liquor, about $400 in extra travel expenses and a reminder of why I will try to travel without checked bags ever again 🙂 

Last (planned) day in the big city.  Jodi found an article in a travel magazine she brought along for airplane reading that pointed us to our breakfast destination: Mario Batali’s Eataly.  We start our day here for what were outstanding cappuccinos.  I had an apple pastry that was heavenly:

We’re off via subway to MoMA to take in the galleries.  It’s really impressive.  There’s a great breadth of exhibits from master works of art to interactive and social media-engaged communications pieces.   Some of my favourite works:

George Maciunas piece collecting all his food packaging from one year of living:

Andy Warhol:

Picasso – Glass of Absinthe:

Leaving MoMA, we head back to have lunch close to our hotel for an afternoon trip to JFK to catch our 7pm flight home.  We pick up our bags at the hotel, hop on the subway and are off to the airport.  We decided to leave a little early to do some duty free shopping and to have a relaxing afternoon at the airport.   I never saw my duty free purchases, and relaxing isn’t the word I’d use to describe the airport experience.

I’ve found that being in Manhattan, especially in the Times Square area, you lose track of the days of the week.   Day 4 of our trip, a Sunday, starts out with me wandering across the street from our hotel into the Port Authority Bus Terminal in search of a breakfast pastry.  It’s 8:00am, it’s loud and busy, there’s an actual fire in one of the restaurants with alarms going off – definitely doesn’t feel like Sunday.

About 2 hrs later, we’re in Central Park, and suddenly it feels like Sunday:

You’ve seen scenes from countless movies centered around the large lake in Central Park.  When we were putting together our itinerary for this trip, we both wanted to take out one of the row boats onto the lake for a spin.  Out on the lake you get amazing views of New York city architecture appearing above the trees of the park:

After a quick lunch, we head to High Line park in the Chelsea neighbourhood.  New York, in its civic wisdom, reclaimed old elevated train tracks along the west side of Manhattan and turned it into an urban park (a great National Geographic article on the park is here – it’s what made us want to visit).  There’s beautiful gardens, views out over the Hudson River and of NYC, public art – it’s a real treat to spend some time walking in this area.

Shot of 10th Ave from the park:

Shot of the Empire State Building from the park:

I go off on a late afternoon walk through the heart of Manhattan on a search for a particular tea to bring back home for my Mom.  I’m unsuccessful (but found what I hope will be a suitable substitute), but manage some pictures along my walk:

Times Square:

Rockefeller Center:

St. Patrick’s Cathedral:

We decided that for our last night in New York we would have dinner at Cuba Restaurant close to Washington Square park.   It was a beautiful evening, so we headed out early and wandered around the neighbourhood, stopping in Washington Square to take in the scene.  The restaurant itself was a cozy place seating perhaps 30 people at most.   Tonight, Jodi actually ordered for me (I had trouble making up my mind) and did a great job.  The appetizer (Tiradito de Pargo: marinated red snapper with lemon, red onions, jalepeno, cilantro, fresh mango) was fresh and light.  My main course was Lechon Asado (Suckling pig with yucca, garlic mojo) – to this day I haven’t had baby pig that wasn’t amazingly delicious. 

The hit of the night for me was a drink (big surprise) – Mojito 23.  A mojito made with Zapaca 23 year old rum.  It was very smooth.  I wrote the restaurant after I got home to get the recipe and preparation so I can try to recreate it.  Their answer provided insight into why this was such a great drink: 4 oz of rum and it’s finished with a splash of champagne rather than soda.  Here I am with my favourite drink of this trip:

The meal was a great end to what was supposed to be our last night in New York.   Little did we know the travel experience we were about to have over the next two days….

Saturday.  34C and not a cloud in the sky.  No humidity.  It was a perfect day for baseball.

The Yankees are at the end of a home-stand and are playing Baltimore over the weekend.   Due to an earlier season rain-out, today’s game is the first of two the teams play, meaning we get to see some of the Yankees reserve players as they rest some guys for the game later that night (no Jeter, no Granderson).

We’re out to the ballpark as the gates open to allow maximum wandering around time inside the stadium.  As it’s hot and the game the previous night started late due to rain, both teams decide against batting practice today.

Yankee Stadium is beautiful.  I never made it to the original park, but this one is clean, spacious and the sightlines are perfect.  Even from the upper reaches of the upper deck in the outfield, you still feel close to the action.  Here are some views from inside the stadium:

The two of us just after walking into the park.  The seats behind us go for $800+/game:

From behind home plate:

View back toward the infield from the outfield bleachers:

View from the upper deck in the outfield:

After walking around, grabbing lunch (Nathan’s hotdog and a Yuengling for me, GF sausage and fresh lemonade for Jodi), we head to our seats.   We were fortunate to have seats in the first row of the 2nd upper deck – affordable (this is an expensive place to watch baseball: I’m more partial to the $14 Jays tickets or the “good old days” buying $7 Expos tickets and sitting wherever you wanted in the Big O), and offering a great view of the action.  Here’s a shot of the action from our seats from the first inning as Baltimore threatened to score:

The game stayed close through 4 innings with the Baltimore pitcher confounding the Yankees hitters the first time through the line-up.  That changed pretty significantly as the Yankees got a second look at the pitcher and they ended up teeing off on him and his bullpen replacements to the tune of an 8-3 win.  A pretty enjoyable game to watch – lots of baserunners, a HR to right by Swisher, a couple of doubles off the wall.  Being here reminded me why I love baseball – it’s a perfect backdrop for an afternoon conversation.   Although I gave up following the game once my Expos packed up and left Montreal, I still enjoy watching the game in person more than the other 3 pro sports.

Back to the hotel to freshen up and then to Rosa Mexicano, one of the top reviewed Mexican restaurants in the city.  We’re heading to the 1st Avenue location (the original one) as they have a dedicated GF menu for Jodi.   Walking in, we can feel this is going to be a special meal.  The place is tiny, there’s a woman at the back making fresh corn tortillas, and there’s a great selection of tequila bottles lining the bar.

First course, table side made guacamole of course (frozen pomegranate margarita and the El Mexcalito – strawberries, tequila, mezcal and lemon):

Second course – pork belly tacos:

Drinks with the second course – La Mandarina (fresh muddled tangerine, fresh basil, El Jimador silver tequila, fresh lemon, organic agave) and La Sandía (fresh muddled watermelon, rosemary simple syrup, El Jimador silver tequila, fresh lemon):

Main course – For me, it’s Mixiote de Cordero (lamb shank coated with 3 chiles and spices and steamed in parchment paper).  For Jodi, it’s Alambre a la Mexicana (skewers of filet mignon, chorizo, onions, tomatoes, serrano peppers with rice and tomatillo and tomato-chipotle sauces).  These are outstanding, Jodi’s dish in particular is one of the best meat dishes I’ve ever had:

Dessert: We decide to have more drinks for dessert.  I get a Mango Tropical (silver tequila, mango puree, organic agave, fresh lime) and Jodi gets La Piñela (silver tequila, pineapple juice, cinnamon simple syrup, fresh lime):

With tequila-induced smiles on our faces, we walk off some of supper and head to Dylan’s Candy Bar, knowing that our full bellies will keep candy purchases in check tonight:

Some days on vacation are smooth with everything going according to your itinerary, and some days start off like this one. 

The plan was simple enough – wake early, subway to the Staten Island Ferry, walk back to a scheduled tour of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, then take a tour of Brooklyn.   We woke early enough, but the timing in my mind wasn’t working well enough.  When we got to the Staten Island Ferry dock, we realized we wouldn’t have enough time to get over and back before our Fed tour.  So we call audible 1 – let’s do a walking tour past the WTC site and then on to Wall Street before our tour:

The “Bull” in lower Manhattan:

WTC site under construction:

Jodi in front of the New York Stock Exchange:

Next it was on to a tour of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.  Some interesting exhibits and coin displays (including a rare 1933 Double Eagle coin worth millions) preceded a tour into their gold vault holding over $335 billion worth of gold bars.  No photography was permitted, but I got to touch a stack of gold bars worth just north of $3b. 

Leaving the Fed, we realized we had only one of our two tour tickets for Brooklyn, so audible 2 was called – a ferry ride to see the Statue of Liberty and the lower Manhattan skyline:

After a quick stop at a gluten free bakery for some mini cupcakes (we’ve tried some of the best GF bakeries in NY and Chicago, and still nothing compares to Halifax’s own Susie’s Shortbreads GF cupcakes), cookies and a surprisingly good gluten-free muffin, we’re on to Les Halles for a late lunch.  The steak frites are outstanding.

On the way back to the hotel to rest our feet, we make a quick stop at Grand Central Station.  It is a remarkable building and the main hall is awe inspiring.  You can imagine the number of people through here in a day and all the greetings and good-byes that have happened here over the years:

The evening sees us taking in a Broadway play – Billy Elliot at the Imperial Theatre.   It’s spectacular – the music, dancing and acting is first rate.  Even if you’re not a fan of the theatre, it’s something you can’t miss here.  A Broadway play is unlike anything else you’ve ever seen.

Times Square at night wraps up our day.  Here we are together taking in the sights:

Two days in, and I’ve got the subway system down (after a bumpy start) and starting to walk like a New Yorker (ignoring traffic signals, elbows up).   Years from now, I know what I hope I remember today for – the day the Philadelphia Eagles signed Nnamdi Asomugha, the missing defensive piece that finally got them a long-awaited Super Bowl:

The travel day routine is pretty straightforward now.  Wake early.  Drive out to Sackville to pick up my Dad who will keep our car (and wash it!) while we’re away.  Head to the airport.  

Today, we’re through security and US customs quickly and settle in until flight time.  As the NFL as opened for business, we’re both scanning Twitter and news feeds for the latest news.   The flight leaves on time and arrives on time in New York. 

We can’t check-in at our lovely boutique hotel, but a quick change of clothes and we’re off to take a tour of upper Manhattan and Harlem.  You can almost feel the disgust of the locals as they look up at you on top of the big red tour buses, but for a first day in a new city, this is a good way to get oriented.

After the tour, we’ve off for lunch at Bar Americain, a Bobby Flay restaurant.  In the middle of a business lunch crowd, we’re very under dressed, but I hardly notice once my burger shows up.  It’s hands down the best burger I’ve ever had.  On the side are the best fries I’ve had since Belgium a few years ago.  Crispy outside, fluffy insides – perfection.   A Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA is the perfect beverage accompaniment.

After much more than the daily recommended serving of red meat, we’re off to check into our hotel.  Spectacular room, modern design and outstanding staff, it’s the perfect home away from home for the next 4 nights.

After a wee bit of wandering around in the late afternoon, dinner is a short subway ride away at Pure Food and Wine close to the Union Square area.   The restaurant serves raw vegan food.  Nothing is heated above 118F in the preparation process.  The meal was an eye opening experience and one of the most uniquely pleasurable meals I’ve ever had.  Jodi and I kept sharing parts of our meal back and forth completely taken with the flavours and textures.  Although a difficult selection from a spectacular menu, here’s what I settled on:

Drinks: I start with a mojito made with sake (very fresh and crisp) and it sets a great tone for the meal.  A glass of Oregon pinot noir went well with the meal.

Starter (see below): Niwa Maki of Avocado, Enoki Mushrooms, Pickled Heirloom Baby Carrots with asparagus, mango, scallions, spicy aioli:

Main: Sweet Corn and Cashew Tamales with Chili Spiced Portabella with salsa verde, cashew coconut sour cream, avocado, raw cacao mole – the mole was outstanding, the tamales had a delicate flavour and I could drink buckets of the cashew coconut sour cream. 

Dessert: Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart with pecan caramel, dark chocolate ganache, maldon sea salt and vanilla cream (split with Jodi as I was well on my way into a food coma by this point in the evening)

Probably among the top all-time meals for me (and there’s some good competition for that list).  It’s a great end to our first day in New York.