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July 22, 2005
So many things to do in N.Y.
The city is one of the easiest places to live and vacation Jewishly.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
The line from the song goes, "I love New York in June, how
'bout you?" I've been to the city three times in the last year,
most recently in June, and each visit has been better than the last.
New York is simply a great place to visit, no matter what the month.
But make sure you go well rested and with a generous amount of spending
money.
I am lucky enough to have a dear friend who lives in New York. In
addition to making my trip much more fun and worthwhile, this saves
me about $100 US a night for a hotel, if I bypassed luxury. Otherwise,
I'd be looking at $250/night to more than $500/night if I wanted
to stay, for example, in a swish place in the Times Square area.
The best place to start your search for accommodations – and
for what to see and do in the city – is
www.nycvisit.com, the city's official tourism website, run by
NYC & Co.
My sightseeing has been rather haphazard because I am able to travel
there so often. For my last trip, though, I actually planned a few
outings. One thing not to forget about New York is that it is a
big city. You can fit in a couple of activities a day quite comfortably,
but more than that will make for a stressful holiday.
Expect to spend $10 to $30 on admission to each place you visit,
and about $12/person for lunch at a restaurant – a hot dog
and a soda from a street vendor will cost less than $5. For dinner,
without alcohol, you can easily spend $20/person. A drink in a N.Y
club will cost $6-$10 and you must tip in this city –
many of the staff who are serving you do not actually get paid a
wage and they must survive on tips alone.
Jewish in the city
Outside of Israel, New York has got to be the easiest place to
live and vacation Jewishly. In addition to having more kosher food
and synagogue choices than Vancouverites can dream of, chances are
you'll be able to find an Israeli movie playing somewhere, a musical
with Jewish content or a museum exhibit featuring a Jewish artist
or community.
For example, currently at the Museum of the City of New York (www.mcny.org)
is an exhibit called Tolerance and Identity: Jews in Early New York.
Running until Oct. 2, the exhibition uses original documents, artifacts
and portraits to relate the story of the city's early Jewish community
and how they gained the right to participate fully in the city's
political, economic and social life while maintaining their sense
of identity.
On till Aug. 14 at the Jewish Museum (www.thejewishmuseum.org)
is a fabulous display of the artwork of Maurice Sendak. Best known
for children's books such as Where the Wild Things Are, Sendak has
also created stage sets and costumes for opera and ballet. Visitors
can even take a Sendak drawing home with them – a number of
autographed illustrations are for sale at the museum's store, which
also offers Judaica, a good selection of books and children's toys.
When planning your trip to the museum, note that it closes at 3
p.m. on Friday even through the summer.
One of the most interesting Jewish-related tourist stops in New
York is the Eldrige Street Project (www.eldridgestreet.org).
The nonprofit project, established in 1986, is restoring the Eldridge
Street Synagogue as the focal point of a heritage centre on the
Lower East Side. The 1887 shul is the first great house of worship
built in New York by Eastern European Jews and it was designated
a National Historic Landmark in 1996. To date, about half of an
estimated $15 million needed for the restoration has been raised
and applied to building improvements, which are expected to be completed
by 2007. The synagogue is open to the public and offers tours, lectures,
concerts, readings, festivals and other programs. To donate to the
project, e-mail Eva Bruné, director of institutional advancement,
at [email protected],
or call her at 212-219-0888, ext. 202.
Some unlikely stops
In addition to touring New York by land, I also took time to check
out the city by water. Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises (www.circleline42.com)
offers harbor tours year round; from a 30-minute Beast speedboat
ride ($17/$11) to a three-hour full island cruise ($28/$23/$15),
as well as several other types of packages. My friend and I took
the 75-minute Liberty cruise ($18/$15/ $10) that took us from the
dock at Pier 83 (West 42nd Street and 12th Avenue) past Ellis Island,
to the Statue of Liberty and back. The guide provided just the right
amount of city history and trivia, the sun shone brightly and the
hot pretzel with mustard tasted great.
Other trip highlights included the Studio Museum in Harlem (www.studiomuseum.org),
the Cloisters (located in Manhattan's Fort Tryon Park, the building
incorporates elements from medieval French cloisters and houses
part of the Metropolitan Museum's collection from medieval Europe,
including the Unicorn Tapestries) and the American Museum of Natural
History (www.amnh.org),
at which I saw the intriguing exhibit Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils,
New Discoveries (on till Jan. 6), as well as The Search for Life:
Are We Alone?, narrated by Harrison Ford, and Passport to
the Universe, narrated by Tom Hanks.
My friend and I saw an excellent play – Deep Azure by
Chadwick Boseman –- staged in the sound studio of Harlem's
famed Apollo Theatre (www.apollotheater.com).
Despite its very affordable $10 admission, it was as well done as
any show I've seen on Broadway, and more meaningful than most. We
also checked out several Harlem clubs: the historic Lenox Lounge
(www.lenoxlounge.com),
Perk's Jazz and Supper Club (www.perksrestaurant.com)
and poetry night at the Moca Lounge (119th and Fredrick Douglass
Boulevard). We also had drinks one evening at the Boat Basin Café
on West 79th, from where you get an amazing view of the sunset over
the Hudson River.
In a non-touristy adventure, we got a brief lesson in rifle shooting
at the West Side Rifle and Pistol Range (westsidepistolrange.com)
in downtown Manhattan where, if you're over 18 and have $50 to spare,
you can learn the basics of firing a .22 calibre rifle (a Ruger
1022 semi-automatic) and shoot at targets – lots of fun. The
staff are incredibly friendly and helpful.
Lest I forget one of the most important things in life – food
– I also ate well in New York. Because my friend is a vegetarian,
I tried out Sylvia's Soul Food on Lenox Avenue in Harlem on a solo
expedition – fried chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, black-eyed
peas and other such "delicacies" are on the menu. Another
day, I had a wonderful coffee and a piece of sweet potato pie at
Café Lalo (www.cafelalo.com),
where you can also order a Jewish breakfast, featuring sturgeon,
creamcheese and a bagel, if you so desire.
For the most part, my two-week trip was meatless. I enjoyed food
from the Zen Palate (three locations in Manhattan and one on Long
Island), Josie's Restaurant and Juice Bar (www.josiesnyc.com)
and, most especially, Candle 79 (www.candlecafe.com).
At Candle 79, three friends and I dined heartily on entrées
such as pesto-seared seitan and house-made gnocchi, accompanied
by a delightful organic wine, with sorbet and a coconut pyramid
(with dark chocoate and a mango coulis) that we shared for dessert.
After dinner, we went for drinks at the Auction House (300 East
89th St.), a very pleasant lounge with a couple of rooms, a fireplace,
red velvet drapes, a mahogany bar and several tables.
But one of the best things to do in New York – and one of the
cheapest – is walking the streets. You never know what quaint
shop you'll come across or where there will be a gorgeous community
garden. You also might pass by John Turturro (Secret Passage,
Barton Fink) on West 42nd or Michael Imperioli (Christopher
on The Sopranos) might hold the door to the bank open for
you. So plan for some unplanned time – let yourself wander
... and enjoy.
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