Julie and Judy came in on Wednesday night and our plan was to spend the next few days taking in the city, but mostly visiting. Julie is a long-time friend and her friend, Judy, is friend of Julie’s from high school. The summer after graduating high school, the girls traveled the summer through Europe and are truly lifelong friends.
They stayed at The Crosby Street Hotel, about a mile and a half from me- a nice walk, actually. This quaint hotel is located in SoHo is on a cobblestone street. On our first day together we had lunch in Midtown, not far from Central Park, at Amali‘s. Amali is Mediterranean and located on 60th Avenue. It’s unique in that they charge an 18% (probably 25% these days) hospitality fee, so no additional tip is necessary. As a result, the staff, from the back of the house (kitchen) to the front, are paid an above-market wage.
After lunch we went to Bergdorf Goodman for some retail therapy. Well, let’s be honest, I was playing the game, “How much do you think this costs?” This store is clearly out of my league. Although, I must admit I do love the “smell” of money. Herman Bergdorf opened a shop as a tailor in 1899 just above Union Square; Edwin Goodman, an apprentice, raised enough money in two years to purchase an interest in Bergdorf’s shop and so it goes. By 1910 Bergdorf Goodman opened a store in what was known as “Ladies Mile” on 32nd Street just off 5th Avenue. Goodman bought out Bergdorf, and in 1914 Goodman constructed a 5-story building on 5th Avenue, selling “ready to wear” garments as well as offering tailoring services. Is this where the term “rags to riches” comes from? Just to complete this little story, the store moved to its present location in 1928 (5th Avenue & 58th Street). The building was built on the site of Cornelius Vanderbilt II’s house which was demolished in 1926. Upon her husband’s death, Mrs. Vanderbilt could not afford to maintain this home. After all, she was only receiving $250,000 a year from the Vanderbilt Trust. WHO can live on that?
Judy had to join a business meeting, so she went off ahead leaving Julie and I to walk down 5th Avenue. It was cloudy and raining off and on. It was fun to point out some of the things I have found on my own like the New York Public Library (where “Big” and Carrie were to be married), Rockefeller Center, and Cardozo Law School. It is Cardozo where her cousin, Isaac is a third year law student. It is near Union Square Park.
After our walk, we grabbed a cab to meet Judy back at their hotel. From there, we walked to another iconic hotel, Hotel Chelsea. “The Chelsea” was built in 1885 and is a 12-story red brick building. It has been home to many writers, musicians, artists, and actors and is located on 23rd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. Arthur Miller wrote a short story called “The Chelsea Affect” describing what life was like at the Hotel in the early 1960’s after he separated from Marilyn Monroe. Click HERE to read this story.
Judy, Julie, and I walked from The Crosby to Hotel Chelsea and this photo opportunity (below) was either next door or quite close to the Hotel.
Here we met a friend of Judy’s, Tim, for drinks. The story is that Tim’s father worked for the ad agency in New York the television show, “Mad Men” was based upon.
Julie had invited a group of us to dinner at “El Quijote,” a restaurant inside Hotel Chelsea. It opened in 1930, closed in 2019 along with the Hotel, and re-opened in 2022. One by one, Julie’s dinner guests arrived: Pierre and Grant, Issac and Sarah (who recently became engaged), and another friend of Judy’s, Isabel. It was a wonderful dinner; great food, good wine, and interesting conversation.
The next day I met Judy and Julie at Levain’s Bakery. Opened in 1995 by two friends, the bakery initially opened making bread, but now they are more known for their six-ounce cookies. Levain’s uniqueness lies in baking everything fresh on-site each day and then donating the day’s leftovers to charity at night. The cookies are well-known and with good reason; they are absolutely delicious and worth the walk… from wherever you are walking! BTW, there are 6 locations in NYC and several others from Los Angeles to Boston to Washington D.C.
We walked the SoHo neighborhoods making stops here and there. One interesting place was the Botanical Dispensary. This is quite a business. Their mission is to connect everyone to the power of plants. Nicely put! They explain that their elixirs will “…relax your body, heighten your senses and stimulate well-being.” Who could possibly resist this?
After spending some downtime back at their hotel, we walked to the Minneta Tavern where we were meeting another friend of Judy’s, Terry.
Terry grew up with Judy’s husband in Brooklyn, but has lived in New Jersey for years. She is quite entertaining; I found it very easy to talk to her and to listen to her. Her summers on Fire Island are quite different than anything I have ever heard. She rents a room in a house every summer (for the entire summer) and goes one weekend each month. She has had the same roommate through the years, and has developed friendships with folks who go during the summer since they are almost always the same people. It cannot be an easy trek to go from New Jersey to this place since it requires transportation through at least two different bodies of water. Nevertheless she does it. Every month of every summer. BTW, I had my favorite menu item for dinner: mussels, and they were delicious.
On the way back to the hotel, we passed the Peculier Pub. Judy hesitated, walked past, and then turned to us to ask if we should go in. We all followed like lambs. It turns out, this is the pub where Judy and her now husband (both in NYC for work on a business trip) realized their relationship was more than just a friendship. It was fun listening to Judy reminisce. Not only that, this place reminded me of Cheers, where everyone knows your name.
