Last week Barry and I took a Tripper bus up to New York City for an event at Planet Hollywood. Nothing notable to eat there, but I had a foodie agenda for the rest of the trip.
After we checked in to our hotel, we set out to visit the food hall at Grand Central Station. On the way we walked through Bryant Park, which has several ‘wichcraft kiosks selling lunch, snacks and very good coffee. These are the brainchild of Tom Colicchio, chef and owner of the Craft family of restaurants and head judge of Bravo’s Top Chef.
Grand Central Food Hall is full of stalls selling just about anything a busy commuter could ask for, to consume at the end (or beginning) of the workday – and some things are more unexpected than others.
The next day, we went to explore the newly opened section of the High Line. This elevated park winding its way through several miles of the west side of Midtown was a railroad right-of-way back when many more things were manufactured in New York than now. It was abandoned and condemned, but then rescued and converted into an extraordinary space. There are food concessions during the summer, but none on a weekday in October, alas – although there is a stairway down to the Chelsea Market.
We were walking along West 20th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues when I spotted a plaque on the wall of one of the old brownstones: The Muffin House, home for years to the Thomas English Muffin bakery. Of course I took a picture.
Our last destination before heading towards the bus stop was Eataly, the amazing Italian food emporium, but it deserves an entry of its own.
