I wrote this the day I left for New York. At this point, I had not even laid eyes on the City That Never Sleeps. But let me just tell you that I had the trip of a lifetime and I can’t wait to tell you all about it – Health Nut style. I am gathering together pictures and writing reviews as we speak. But until then…
Map of Chinatown, West Village, Greenwich Village and more
I am sitting in the airport terminal waiting to leave for New York. Always one to ask for others’ advice, I have my Fodor’s guide to New York and a stack of papers with bulleted restaurant suggestions from all of the people I know who are from, or who have ever been to New York. I am so excited, but so overwhelmed.
As much as New York has never been top of my list for a place to live, it in fact embodies everything that I love about city living. Long-run businesses, run by locals, serving food, drink and gifts you can’t get ANYWHERE else. As much as I’d like to think that Chicago could wear the same badge; it doesn’t even begin to compare (don’t hate me Chicagoans; I’m not a traitor, just a lover of shiny things).
Lately in fact, I’ve noticed an onset of big box stores and restaurants popping up all over downtown Chicago – retailers that usually belong in the suburbs. Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Target, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Applebees, Chili’s, PF Changs, and boatloads of Starbucks. These places have their benefits, but what I want in a city is an original.
So now I’m off to the birthplace of “the Original.” Coffee shops that double as small concert venues, tiny cafes with incredibly fresh ingredients, food stands and taco trucks, local artists and subway musicians, boutiques filled with sample sizes from fashion houses, cocktail bars where the bartender is pseudo famous, and the world’s most fantastical dining opportunities that are just as much exhibitions, as they are restaurants.
I have four days, but really more like three since I am leaving so early on Saturday morning. I don’t know how I am going to possibly squeeze everything I want to see in to my memory, and everything I want to eat into my stomach. But I figured my best bet is just to take a leap of faith – no real plan, just a stack of suggestions and a desire to explore.
Reviews and pictures to come…
