This archival post was migrated from an old Facebook album, so please excuse the choppy writing and odd formatting.
We stayed at Hotel East Houston (since renamed the Edge Hotel as of 2017) for the first time. This is the view of the hotel from the north side of Houston St. It’s very close to lots of trendy neighbourhoods, but still maintains a bit of grit through its proximity to the Lower East Side, Houston Street and the Bowery.
Houston Street is undergoing massive construction at the moment, possibly related to the long awaited Second Avenue Subway line.
The Hotel East Houston has a rooftop patio and bar. We took some photos but it was too cold up there for us to hang around and drink — when we arrived the last remnants of some rainy weather related to Hurricane Joaquin were still passing through and it was grey and drizzly and windy.
A partial view from our window at Hotel East Houston.
On Saturday evening we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to catch a showing of paintings by artist John Singer Sargent. Even though we went in the evening, the exhibit was extremely busy because it was closing the next day after a 4-month run.
After the Sargent exhibit we wandered randomly through the Met and checked out various impressive historical artworks from around the world. Josie took this photo of marble sculpture called “Perseus with the Head of Medusa” carved by Antonio Canova around 1804.
This will likely be the closest I ever get to Egypt or the Sphynx. Very cool.
Here I am admiring a large arch covered in hieroglyphs. I thought it was Ancient Egyptian but it is actually the Temple of Dendur built in 15 BC by Roman Caesar Augustus when he became the ruler of Egypt (amongst many other places, I’m sure.) The temple was given to the US by Egypt in 1965 and reassembled at the Met in 1978. It looks pretty good for something that’s 2030 years old.
Josie admires the very large Sarcophagus of Horkhebit at the Met. It is from an Egyptian tomb, carved circa 590 BC.
We had a great dinner of “modern” Mexican at the Black Ant on Second Avenue in the East Village. The place was loud and dark but the food was excellent, particularly the ceviche. Nice drinks, too. We didn’t try any of the dishes that are garnished with crickets, though.
A very photogenic and expensive odds-and-ends store in Nolita that I think we probably photographed last time, too.
An interesting view in the Lower East Side area near our hotel.
We had two breakfasts at Black Seed Bagels in Nolita. Some of the best bagels we’ve ever had, and with good toppings. When we arrived just before 10am on Sunday morning the place was quiet; 20 minutes later when we left there was this lineup outside.
This is my first combo from Black Seed Bagels: tobiko (fish roe) cream cheese, smoked salmon and lettuce.
Some nice former warehouse buildings in the East Village.
The statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Union Square, this time decorated by flowers by an unknown person.
We went back up to the High Line for the first time in about five years. Still wonderful but extremely crowded, as is the entire Meatpacking district, which has lost all its remaining grit and is now a very pretty shopping mall without a roof.
Josie on the High Line, next to a cool mural of Einstein.
A new addition to the Meatpacking district is the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has moved into a fancy modern new building from its previous home on the Upper East Side. It includes some great outdoor areas, which you can see here filled with people taking photos of us taking photos of them.
The new Whitney building is located right at the southern end of the High Line, as seen here from the lineup to get in to the Whitney.
My main reason for visiting the Whitney was to see some paintings by one of my favourite artists, Edward Hopper, and I was not disappointed. This is Early Sunday Morning, one of his best. It depicts a row of storefronts (now demolished) in nearby Greenwich Village.
Also at the Whitney was this charcoal prelimary sketch that Edward Hopper did to prepare for his famous Nighthawks painting.
The views from the outdoor areas of the Whitney are excellent.
Looking roughly east from the Whitney.
Looking roughly north from the Whitney, with the Hudson River on the left and the Standard Hotel (where we stayed in 2011) on the right.
A view roughly northeast from the Whitney.
This is some art in the Whitney that was not done by Edward Hopper.
This was my first trip to NYC where I saw car2go cars. This one was in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
I always like these odd NYPD vehicles, though I’m not sure what they use them for.
A baseball game in progress in a park beside Bedford Ave in Brooklyn.
Free samples of Pocky being given out on Broadway and W 27th.
When in the vicinity of the Ace Hotel it is mandatory to return to Stumptown Coffee for a nice espresso.
We came across this mobile cart serving espresso on Broadway near Prince St. Sadly I’d just finished a coffee and couldn’t try it out. Next time.
This year’s artwork in Madison Square Park is very reflective.
And of course the reason to go to Madison Square Park is always Shake Shack. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered burgers that I enjoy more.
Obligatory NYC subway shot. This is the 23rd St stop on the Lexington (green) line.
Washington Square in Greenwich Village, very lively with students from nearby NYU. Here is the famous arch and fountain.
A nice view of a path in Washington Square.
This is Larry the Birdman in Washington Square.
Larry the Birdman convinces other people to let the pigeons sit on them. I am not one of those people.
This is 3 Washington Square North, where painter Edward Hopper and his wife Josephine lived from 1913 until Hopper’s death in 1967. His studio was on the fourth floor and remains intact and is maintained by NYU, but sadly is rarely opened to the public. It looks directly onto the Washington Square park./
We finally visited Tacombi, a Mexican restaurant in Nolita. The restaurant is in a large garage-like space and has this old VW van parked inside where the tacos are assembled.
Delicious tacos and beans and rice and Victoria beer at Tacombi in Nolita.
We walked past this bar in Alphabet City called Josie’s. We didn’t go in but some guy named Dave on Yelp says it’s “out-fucking standing” so that’s good.
We came across the Creative Little Garden in the East Village/Alphabet City by accident. It’s a beautiful little oasis in a small space created when a building burned in the 1970s. It’s maintained by volunteers and is now an official NYC park.
Josie explores the Creative Little Garden.
A giant tree in the Creative Little Garden.
The Creative Little Garden is filled with tiny details and many bird feeders and bird houses, which the birds are happy to take advantage of.
You might recognize Toms as a shoe company. In Nolita they have a store that also sells eyewear and… coffee. Very good coffee, actually.
We revisited the Blue Ribbon Izakaya in the swank Thompson Hotel in Lower East Side. Excellent food and drinks again, and since it serves as the hotel bar, it provided some interesting people watching as well.