Autumn in New York: Night Life and Brunch Life (Day 2 and Day 3)

It is amazing how quickly day becomes night when fall rolls into the east coast. Shortly after arriving at Bethesda Terrace, the sun went down in New York city and the moon came out in full swing to alight the city that never sleeps.

We walked from Central Park to Park Avenue to browse in shops such as Kate Spade and Tory Burch before finally taking a cab to Gray's Papaya (2090 Broadway at 72nd St), a famous local eat that has been featured in movies such as The Back-Up Plan.

The hotdogs at Gray's Papaya were ridiculously cheap: Patrice and I ordered the comically named Recession Special, which came with two hotdogs and a small pina colada, for a mere $4.95! It was insane and, more importantly, it was good.

Delicious!

Interestingly, Gray's Papaya was predominantly staffed by Filipinos, which made the famous hotdog place feel like home in the big city. We were still hungry after eating hotdogs so we hopped on the subway for burgers at Shake Shack. Unfortunately, we got lost along the way and ended up at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (10 Lincoln Center Plaza) instead.

The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

The John Robertson Plaza at the Lincoln Center was unexpectedly one of the best places to appreciate the city. In contrast to the rest of New York, New York, the plaza was one of the least crowded and most serene tourist attractions.We spent a good portion of our evening at the plaza where we got the chance to wind down after an enjoyable albeit tiring day of touring.

Alas, it was soon even later than when we first left the upper east side for dinner. We thus decided to make our way back to our hotel by subway. We then freshened up for a taste of New York city night life from a local's perspective.

It is a really long story but, to make it short, my friend's cousin's friend called K offered to take us around the south side of New York city for drinks and dancing. We met him in front of Katz's Delicatessen (205 East Houston St), the famous deli "where Harry met Sally", and were surprised by the amount of people that were out on the streets at 12:30 in the morning. Imagine Little Italy in Toronto multiplied by five: practically every street and intersection was crowded with people.

An image from the Web of Katz's!

Once we met up with K, he took us to a local bar called 2A (25 Ave A). We had a beer each and got acquainted until Patrice's friend Candice arrived in the area from Brooklyn. We thus walked back to Katz's Delicatessen to meet up with her and the rest of K's friends. Candice grabbed a quick bite of empanadas for dinner before we made our way to La Caverna (122-124 Rivington St), which was literally a cave in the east village of New York City. The concept alone was ridiculous and consequently fun--everyone was happily inebriated within no time.

In contrast to the highly regulated Toronto, the bar did not close until it was almost 3:30 in the morning. Normally, I would have been on a cab home by then if not earlier. However, seeing as we were in New York city, I, along with my friend and her friends, continued the evening/morning at The Ugly Kitchen (103 1st Ave). K knew the owner of the restaurant/bar who was kind enough to offer us a free round of drinks and of much appreciated water (haha). Thank you, sir. You are quite the gentleman. :)

Before long, it was close to five in the morning (or six in the morning if you factor in DST) so I bowed out early from the rest of the group for an apple (yes, this is a true story) and for the hotel.

I ran into some of the participants of the New York City Marathon at the lobby so I was either early or late getting into the hotel depending on your perspective. I found this particular experience completely hilarious. In fact, I was smiling and giggling the entire way to my room where I ran into one more runner whom I genuinely wished the best of luck for the run.

Once I arrived at the room, I packed quickly and crashed on the bed until about 9:00. I can tell you that it was difficult getting out of bed and being functional after only a few hours of sleep for the second consecutive day. In any case, we pulled ourselves together and checked out of the Hudson Hotel at half past noon.

The Hotel Lobby

We indulged in the New York city custom of brunch (lunch really) at nearby Kashkaval (856 9th Ave) based on its good reviews. We were seated very quickly after arriving at the restaurant. However, the speed of the service was horrendous for two people who had a flight to catch in a few hours. Thankfully, the portions were at least substantial for a good brunch of coffee, mimosas, chorizo, omelette, and potatoes.

Noms!

Unfortunately, we rushed through our brunch to catch a cab to Newark Liberty International Airport. In spite of the rush and the stress of finding a cab once more, I must say that the ride to New Jersey was bittersweet. It was an eventful forty hours and a great experience of autumn in New York. The third time's clearly the charm: it was my third, shortest, and craziest visit to the big apple but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I am already thinking of going back for a future foodie excursion... in autumn no less. :)