A Vacation in the City

For the past week, I’ve been on vacation. Typically, when I take time off work, I do so to travel out of the city. But this week, rather than jetting off to a warm, tropical climate, a European hotspot, or my parents’ house across the Hudson, I spent my vacation right here in New York. With a friend from out of town visiting for the week, I had the perfect excuse to take time off yet stay here in the city – something I’ve never done before but highly recommend.

Wanting to show my friend the best of the city while also getting to visit some of the destinations I’ve been eager to try but just haven’t found time to get to, I had plenty of ideas for things to do before he even arrived. Museums, restaurants, shows, wine bars…my list was very full and very exciting, and, over the past few days, we were able to check off quite a few items. But we also let ourselves stray a bit from our plans, stopping into places we stumbled upon and spontaneously deciding to explore spots that weren’t on our list. Here are just a few of the highlights.

Feist: The Canadian singer/songwriter/guitarist made an appearance at Hammerstein Ballroom last Tuesday evening, where she gave a dreamy, vocal-driven performance to a packed and very pleased house. If you haven’t seen her live, you definitely should. She’ll be playing the Prospect Park Bandshell in July. Click here for tickets.

The Cloisters: On Wednesday, the only day on which the sun made an appearance, we took the cross-town bus over to the A train and headed up to the Met’s medieval outpost overlooking Fort Tryon Park. The museum was serene, the grounds scenic, and we were able to stroll through the cloistered gardens, take in the unicorn tapestries, and examine the illuminated manuscripts at our leisure.

Public: We happily stumbled upon this trendy Nolita restaurant, which is decorated to look like a public library with its stacks of card catalogs, high corrugated ceiling, and heavy wooden doors. The menu features Australian- and New Zealand-style fusion fare, exquisitely prepared to delight the eye as well as the palate. Especially delicious were the grilled swordfish with Thai eggplant and wild ginger in a green curry sauce, the roast lamb served over a goat cheese polenta, and, for dessert, the sticky toffee pudding.

F.A.O. Schwartz: The magical three-story toy store is both a child’s dream come true and a tourist trap, but one well worth visiting. Especially if you grew up in the eighties watching Big and dreaming about playing the giant piano.

Sunday in the Park with George: The 2008 Broadway revival of Sondheim’s Olivier Award-winning musical is now running at the Roundabout Theatre’s Studio 54 space. This very aesthetically appealing show recreates Seurat’s Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte over a series of Sundays as the artist works on his most well-known piece. The visual effects are simply stunning.

JLNY Spring 2008 House Tour: Put on every fall and spring, the Junior League of New York’s house tour opens up a series of exquisitely decorated apartments and townhouses here in the city. As someone who slows down my pace when walking past a brownstone with its blinds open, I especially appreciated the opportunity to tour some of the city’s most amazing residences, which included a beautifully restored West Village carriage house and the townhouse on East 73rd Street where scenes from “The Devil Wears Prada” were filmed.

The Met: What would a visit to New York be without a visit to the Met? Now on display are Jeff Koons on the Roof, Gustave Courbet, and Poussin and Nature.

When your next vacation rolls around, you may just want to consider staying home. I’m very glad I did.