Eating and running in NYC
For my final empty nest trip, I traveled with a girl friend to NY mostly to eat, but also to run in Central Park. My friend travels to NY a lot , so she had some great food suggestions, and I wanted to check out some bakeries and a running store. We started out with Magnolia Bakery. I have their cookbook so couldn’t wait to see it in person. We stopped in the one in Bloomingdales and I tried a coconut cupcake. It lived up to my expectations! 
Early the next day, I headed out to the Park. We stayed in Times Square which I knew was only a half mile from the park, but I wasn’t sure which street would be the best to take. I asked the hotel attendant, and he took me outside, turned me to the left, and said “see those trees, just run toward them”. I was on seventh and he was right, it could not have been easier. I just have to say, running in Central Park the weekend of the NY marathon was amazing. There were 100’s of runners there at 7 am getting in a last run before the race. You could just feel the energy. It was a beautiful fall day and I was psyched. I just did the outside loop and then repeated part of it to get 10 miles in, but you could easily take some of the internal paths to get longer runs. If you’re in NY, don’t miss this experience. Not only did I have lots of running groups to watch but it was Halloween and I watched kids going to school in their costumes along with dog owners throwing frisbees. I came back ready to tackle the city.
Our first night we went to the best restaurant we tried all weekend, Becco. It was close enough to Times Square that we could walk. It was super crowded and loud, but thankfully we had gotten a reservation months before. We saw everything from tourists, to business groups, to friends and couples. The service was great even though it was packed. You are sitting about 6 inches from the next party, so don’t go if you want an intimate conversation. The food was fabulous and now I understand why my friend has been going there for years.
She had their signature pasta special, which is always three different pastas, served family style. The waiters just come by your table and you choose the ones you want. That night there was one with vegetables, one with lamb and one with tomato sauce. I tried the veal shank which was about 2-3 inches thick, tender, perfectly cooked and so flavorful. They are also known for their extensive $25 wine list. We could not try dessert as much as we wanted to. On our way out, I saw cookbooks for sale and had to pick up a signed copy of Lidia’s Favorite Recipes. As I was paying for it at the bar, I met the manager who was eating dinner. This place will be on my list for any return trips.
While we did a couple of museums and had several great meals, I will share just one more favorite place, Eataly. We went on our last day when it was rainy and cold. It is an enclosed Italian market. This place is huge with several restaurants, and every Italian food or cooking supply you could imagine from olive oil to homemade pasta. It just goes on and on. You could spend hours just browsing. The best part is that you can order online. They even had the green cauliflower we had in Bologna this summer. If you love Italian food, don’t miss this place.
I’ll be home for a while now and hope to share some recipes. I love to travel, but there’s no place like home!
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