Sunday, July 26, 2015

New York, New York Day 10 - Tenement Museum, Katz's Deli, Greenwich Village and East Village


It was day 10 of our New York adventure and our last full day spent in New York.  We started off with another breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien, where I opted for the lemonade iced tea ($4.50):


and the smoked salmon breakfast with a soft-boiled egg, ricotta, herbs and capers:


It tasted as good as it looks.

We then set off for The Tenement Museum on the lower East Side.  On the way, we passed this building:


which I will always have affection for because I won a travel guide back in the day for knowing where this was.

There are a number of different tours you can do in and around the tenements.  We chose one called "Sweatshop Workers", which gave us an insight into the lives of the early immigrant garment workers.  It was a very sobering experience, and you cannot help but feel for these workers and the daily struggles they faced. 

When we had finished our tour of the Tenement Museum, we saw this cool street art nearby:



For lunch, we went to Katz's Deli, made famous by the movie When Harry Met Sally:


As you can see, although we went for an early lunch, it was busy:

 
At Katz's, the hardest part is negotiating the system.  When you walk in the door, you are given a ticket.  You then proceed to the counter, with separate counters for sandwiches and other food.  There is a kind of chaos in ordering - the "line" is a big clump of people all trying to get to the counter (although if you want to skip this, there are a few tables reserved for service):
 
 
Tim ordered their famous Reuben sandwich (~$18), which was huge:
 
 

 The size of that sandwich made me glad that I went for the chilli instead (~$12), which came with bread and pickles on the side: 

 


The food was very good, and despite the higher than normal price tag, the serves were generous.

To drink, I ordered a New York cream:


Nope, when I ordered it, I didn't know what it was either, but it is, according to Wikipedia, a mixture of milk, soda water and vanilla syrup - thank goodness I didn't order the chocolate version.  It tasted OK, I guess, but is not a repeat.  Also, it did not go particularly well with the chilli.

Here's a close up of the vast serve of pickles which came with the chilli:


There is a sign hanging from the ceiling in Katz's indicating where Harry met Sally for that famous "I'll have what she's having" scene:



We shared a table with a great couple called Spencer and Linda, who were visiting from Boston.  It was fun talking with them, and Linda correctly surmised that we were from Australia (you'd be surprised at how many people place our accents elsewhere).

If you go to Katz's, make sure you do not lose your ticket, even if you don't eat anything, otherwise they will charge you anyway:


Close to the Tenement Museum and Katz's is a glasses shop called Moscot with very cool signage that reminded me of the eyes of TJ Eckleberg from The Great Gatsby:


and a fun window display with old fashioned optometry gear:


With our afternoon free, we decided to go back to Greenwich Village, one of my favourite places in New York.  I remembered to take a photo of the IFC Cinema that Bridget from our walking tour told us hosted the very first screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show:


I also spotted The Blue Note jazz club, which interested me as an intellectual property lawyer because of the trade mark case of Bensusan Restaurant v King - read about it here:

 
When we went on our Greenwich Village walking tour, we had passed The Big Gay Icecream Shop, and I wanted to go back  because I had read about it on The Amateur Gourmet:
 

Unfortunately, when I looked up the address online, I wrote down the address for the Grove branch, so we walked way further than we needed to.  However, we did eventually find The Big Gay Icecream Shop, albeit not the one I was aiming for.

Look at their menu - I just love the names of the icecreams.  Salty Pimp anyone? Or how about a Bea Arthur: 




We ordered a Monday Sundae (~$6.50) to share - twist icecream, Nutella lined cone, dulce de leche, sea salt and whipped cream: 

 
It was a hot day, so both the cool icecream and the drip tray were appreciated.

I then asked Tim what he wanted to do for the rest of the afternoon, and of the options proposed, he decided to go for a drink.  We accordingly wandered the neighbourhood until we found a likely looking place in the form of  San Marzano, a big, open, airy, light-filled establishment: 

 
I ordered a mimosa ($6 - a pitcher for $15):
 

and Tim ordered a Blue Moon wheat beer ($4):

 
I love the mason jar that Tim's drink was served in.  We then whiled away most of the hot afternoon in the cool interior of San Marzano, talking and people watching until it was time to go home.
 
 
205 E Houston St
New York, NY 10002
United States
Ph: +1 212-254-2246 
 
61 Grove St
New York, NY
United States
Ph: +1 212-414-0222
 
117 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003
United States
Ph: +1 212-777-3600


7 comments:

Teresa said...

You really made the most of your time in NYC! In Montreal, there is a place called Schwartz's Deli that reminds me of your description of Katz's. It's famous for Montreal smoked meat sandwiches and has an old school atmosphere.

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

You hit some fun starts! Now I'm really wanting to plan a trip to NYC!

The Caked Crusader said...

I have never seen a beer that green!
Love your photos... and that street art is great

Kari said...

We liked the Tenement Museum so I'm glad you made it there. Your drink of soda water, milk and syrup sounds like an adult spider but a bit odd - like you say, perhaps a once only experience!

Kayte said...

Great post and photos. It is really fun to read about what you choose to visit and why...and the things you read and know about in Australia about NYC and then plan to visit them and do those things while you are there. Interesting on the take that others have on America, NYC, etc. I enjoy that part of your posts very much. You plan the most fun trips! Are you rested up yet? :-)

Cakelaw said...

Sadly, the holiday is but a distant memory. I was rested, now tired again from the daily grind.

Kayte said...

Lol on needing rest from the daily grind...time to plan the next vacation! :-) I just love it when you travel and post all about it so I can't wait to see where you go next!