A Chelsea Afternoon

As I mentioned the other day (click here), Cesar, Daisy, and I ended our walk on The High Line Friday with lunch and browsing at Chelsea Market (a block long and a block wide). Chelsea has been a fun and popular neighborhood for a long time, but it's changed a lot, of course, since the last time I saw it. I had never before seen Chelsea Market, which used to be the traditional public market. It's now that and more. Shops and restaurants galore among the produce stores, butcher shops, fish markets, and bakeries. There's even an "Artists & Fleas" market, because simply fleas wouldn't be enough. Cesar narrowed down our lunch choices for us: Friedman's or The Lobster Place. I opted for Friedman's. Exceptional service and food, and a friendly city vibe. We stuffed ourselves and then moved on to check out the artists... and fleas. Too soon, we headed home through Chelsea where I caught the subway on 14th Street and 6th Avenue.

Don't forget to click any image to "bigger" The Big City.

ENTERING CHELSEA MARKET. CESAR AND DAISY WAITING
FOR ME TO CATCH UP.  I WAS BUSY FINDING MY FOOTING (BOTTOM RIGHT).

AT LEFT:  QUOTH THE RAVEN, "NEVER MORE" ATOP EDGAR ALLEN POE.

THE MAIN HALL.

THAT'S MY REFLECTION IN THE MIRROR WITH A PUMPKIN BEHIND ME.
THE PEOPLE ARE REAL, NOT REFLECTED, AND WE WERE AT SEPARATE TABLES.

DAISY'S MATZO BALL SOUP.  THE BEST!

DAISY AND I BOTH HAD THESE WRAPS, FILLED WITH CHICKEN,
FRESH PESTO SAUCE, AND OTHER STUFF.  THE BEST!

MY SWEET POTATO FRIES. THE BEST!

DAISY'S MAC & CHEESE.  I COULDN'T BELIEVE SHE ORDERED IT.
I WAS SO GRATEFUL SHE SHARED IT.  THE BEST!

A POWERFUL FOUNTAIN...
MADE FROM A FIRE HOSE.

"SPICES AND TEASE"

THE SPICES...

THE TEASE... (TEAS)

THE SHOPPERS.

THE WINE VAULT...

...AND THE TASTING ROOM.

I CALL HIM ARTIE.

REFILL YOUR OIL, VINEGAR, SALT AND BEER AT THE FILLING STATION.

NICE ART. NOT TOO MANY FLEAS.

OLD SKYWALK OVER 14TH STREET.
(CHELSEA MARKET BUILDING AT LEFT.)

CHELSEA BROWNSTONES.

THE SPANISH BENEVOLENT SOCIETY ON 14TH STREET.
CESAR THOUGHT I SHOULD GO INSIDE.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF GRAND OLD NEW YORK AT 14TH STREET AND 7TH AVENUE.

Joni Mitchell woke up and it was a Chelsea Morning.

On Broadway

The original Macy's department store is at the corner of Broadway and 34th Street in New York. Broadway and 6th Avenue, which are generally parallel, converge at 34th Street forming Herald Square, which is why it's also called Macy's Herald Square. Since the last time I visited Macy's (which was probably in the '90s), the stretch of Broadway in front of the store has been closed to traffic. Not knowing that, I was surprised to see café tables sitting in the middle of the street. The store was built around 1902 and was grand and elegant when I was a kid. It grew tired over the years, and a bit ordinary (to me at least). It's had a number of make-overs and is once again grand and elegant — although I miss the woody, warmth of my childhood.

ON BROADWAY... AS VIEWED FROM 34TH STREET.

There's still a huge billboard out front claiming Macy's 34th Street to be the world's largest store. But I've read that a South Korea chain, Shinsegae, took that honor in 2009 (after Macy's had held it since 1924). Either way, at 2.2 million square feet (205,000 square meters), it can keep bragging.

I didn't have time to visit more than the main floor and "The Cellar," a store of its own with cafes, shopping, and a new men's accessories department. I'm sorry I don't have more photos to share. I was too busy shopping.

ENTERING FROM 34TH STREET.

AMID ALL THE CONTEMPORARY, THEY'VE RETAINED
THE ORIGINAL WOODEN ESCALATORS TO AND FROM THE CELLAR.

A TINY SECTION OF "THE CELLAR."
CAFES AND SO MUCH MORE...

SANTA...

WISH...

LOOKING TOWARDS THE 34TH STREET DOORS.

AND BACK TO BROADWAY.

A Little Island On The Hudson

Friday morning, I took the subway to 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan, shopped at the original Macy's, and then met our wonderful old friends Cesar and Daisy (who trained down from Connecticut) for a long walk and lunch. The plan was to walk The High Line, a new park opened in 2009.

Per the official website (click here), The High Line is an elevated freight rail line transformed into a free, public park on Manhattan's Westside. It runs from the Meatpacking District (around West 14th Street) all the way to West 34th Street. In New York, 20 city blocks equals 1 mile (1.6 km). Given that The High Line meanders here and there between 10th and 12th Avenues, the elevated park runs for more than 1 mile.

I have more to share from my day in "The City." It was all exhilarating. But the best part was simply spending time with Cesar and Daisy, and being reminded of how lucky we are to have such incredible friends in our lives.

 ("Metropolize" any image by clicking on it).

LOOKING BACK TOWARD 34TH STREET AFTER ENTERING THE HIGH LINE.

PENN STATION IS BEYOND ALL THOSE TRAIN CARS.
HISTORIC PENN STATION WAS DEMOLISHED IN 1963.

DAISY WAITING FOR ME TO CATCH UP.

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE TRAINS.
A NEW GRAND PENN STATION IS ANTICIPATED IN 10+ YEARS.

THE OLD RAILS TURNED INTO A FOOTPATH.

OUR FRIENDS FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS (SINCE PRE-SCHOOL... UM.. MAYBE NOT).

LOCAL ARTISTS FEATURED ALONG THE WAY.

I DON'T EVEN RECOGNIZE PARTS OF THE CITY ANYMORE.

A MIX OF THE OLD AND NEW... AND ART.

A NOOK.

OLD NEW YORK.

ANOTHER VIEW.

A GRAND OLD NEW YORK BUILDING FRAMED BY THE NEW.

RUSTY RAILWAY ART AND MODERN ARCHITECTURE.

I LOVED THIS BUILDING...

...AND THE DOG WATCHING THE TRAFFIC DOWN BELOW.

ART FRONTING MORE OF THE NEW ... AND THE OLD.

ACCESSIBLE AT INTERVALS ONLY FROM THE STREET BELOW,
AND FLANKED BY OLD AND MOSTLY NEW CONSTRUCTION.

A BIT OF A TRAFFIC JAM...
AND THIS WAS A CHILLY, OVERCAST DAY.

MORE ART... I THINK.  A SET OF EXIT STAIRS TO THE
STREET AT RIGHT (YOU HAVE TO GO UP TO GO DOWN).

A NEW AND EVER-CHANGING SKYLINE.

BUT I KNOW THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING!

MAYBE A 5-BEDROOM APARTMENT FOR $20-MILLION... PLUS?

A NEWLY THRIVING 10TH AVENUE DOWN BELOW.

A BIT SURREAL.

NEARING WEST 14TH STREET...

... AN OUTDOOR CAFE.

LOOKING BACK AT THE CAFE.

ACROSS THE HUDSON RIVER TO HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

AND MAYBE A REST ON A CHAISE LOUNGE.