A Day in NYC

We were up by 6:00,as Mitch popped out of bed, as usual, and into the shower,the first one up, other than Rami. I took Rami to the train a bit before 7:00, Tyler twenty minutes later, and walked Marisa to the bus at 8:00...an easy morning, actually, as Evie made egg bagels, and Beth seems to be feeling a bit better after her gum surgery. We decided to go into the city, since it's supposed to be a nice day, and just walk around, see where we want to go, live spontaneously. If we don't want to go to the MOMA, we won't. There are a few stops that are a must, Etaly among them, perhaps a Turkish restaurant, but it depends on how we feel, where we are walking. Anyways, our train doesn't leave till 10:06, so we have lots of time to get ready and for me to plan.

It cost 24.00 bucks for both of us, non peak, to go into Grand Central. It was a really nice day to visit the city, but the train ride never seems that interesting, as it's hard to see much as you go, though it gets better once you get to the city, especially to Harlem, where there are lots of public housing, and interesting streets. We looked around Grand Central, as I had heard a Turkish restaurant was opening down there, but we could not find it; a myth, I guess. We decided to walk to a Turkish patisserie, Gulloglu's, on 53/2nd Street. It was quite modern, a few what seem to be Turks were inside, but it was authentic Turkish sweets...we had sutlac and a simit, as well as Turkish tea. There were lots of various other sweets, and I wish I had gotten something with kaymak, perhaps some sahlep, but I didn't read the menu carefully until after we ordered. After the simits, we headed to the spice store, Kalyustans', on Lexington and 29th street. It is an amazing store, just about anything you want from most of the world, in terms of spices and sauces. We got some hot bean sauce, chilis, sweet chili sauce,before heading to Eataly.

Eataly is an amazing idea and store, though it was so crowded that i am not sure it's an enjoyable place to eat. If you brose or shop, it seems fine, as all you have to do is wade your way through the various lines, for paninis, things like that, or to get a table at one of the restaurants or bars, where you can sip a glass of wine and order a dinner. It's really lively and filled with delectables, from all over Italy, at a often unpleasant price. It's the kind of place I might shop at seriously once a year, not giving a dam at how much something costs. But for every day shopping, it would break the bank. I remember reading an article, but I don't remember what they were criticizing but it was a bit over the top,with everything at a high end, nothing really practical for the everyday cook like me. If it were more natural, authentic, part of an Italian town, rather than something that is created to look like a market in Italy, it would be nicer. I guess I would prefer an old style Italian deli, run down and beat up, with salamis hanging from the ceiling, like the Greek deli in Cleveland's West Side Market. Not chic, not modern, just lots of good food at a sensible price.