WW:59 - I LOVE NEW YORK IN SPRING.....how about you.....

Hey y'all! Welcome to my NYC themed Wonderful Wednesday!
Here are 5 things that I LOVED on my recent visit to New York.

1. I had a lot of delicious meals, but my breakfast at 'Good Enough To Eat' was one of the best!

Carrie Levin, the Chef and Owner of Good Enough to Eat, was born in New York City and moved to Belgium at the age of five. She grew up in Brussels and spent a lot of time in the two restaurants her family owned. Carrie completed college in Aix-en-Provence & Pru Leith's School of Food and Wine in London. Returning to New York in October 1979, she worked briefly at the Russian Tea Room and did an apprenticeship under Seppi Renngli, then Head Chef at the Four Seasons. 

In 1981, "Good Enough to Eat" opened. Carrie recognized her desire to create and serve "good, old-fashioned American food." The eatery became a huge success, noted first for its all-day, bountiful breakfasts featuring omelets, pancakes, waffles, and buttermilk biscuits. Further renown came soon with homemade soups, huge sandwiches, and classic Turkey and Meatloaf dinners, establishing Carrie—with her sophisticated European culinary training and palette —as one of the first Chef's in NYC to create and celebrate "traditional" American cuisine. Today, visitors sit side by side with Upper West Side "regulars," enjoying wholesome, mouth-watering (and ample) plates such as Macaroni and Cheese, Lemon Parmesan Chicken, Pecan Trout, Caesar Salad, Sweet Potato Fries, the now legendary Meatloaf and Turkey Dinners, and Peach Pie with homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.  Carrie Levin has made it her mission to satisfy hunger at Good Enough to Eat.

This is what I had! Delicious banana walnut pancakes!

It comes with strawberry butter!

SOOOO GOOOOOOOD!

Delightful atmosphere!

We sat at the bar.......and had cows EVERYWHERE!

This was framed in the bathroom.
It aMOOsed me!

I even like the old floor!!!

 When in NYC make it up to 'Good Enough To Eat'! You will NOT regret it!


2. Flea Markets of NYC. I was fortunate to get to all 3 of these fabulous Flea Markets (www.hellskitchenfleamarket.com)!

There are 3 locations. Each is unique - and each worth visiting. I did all three!!!!

THE ANTIQUES GARAGE - Located at 112 West 25th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues)and open 9AM – 5PM, every Saturday & Sunday, the Antiques Garage has been attracting thousands of shoppers each weekend since 1994 with 100+ vendors on two floors selling eclectic antiques and decorative arts–paintings and prints, vintage items including jewelry, handbags, fabrics, rugs, and furniture, every type of fine silver item imaginable, and more.

WEST 25TH STREET MARKET - Located on West 25th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue and open 9AM – 5PM, every Saturday & Sunday all year long (weather pending), the West 25th Street Market features up to 125 vendors selling antiques, collectibles, and other types of vintage and mid-century modern items.

HELL’S KITCHEN FLEA MARKET - Named one of the Top Ten Shopping Streets in the World by National Geographic, Hell’s Kitchen Flea Marketsets the standard for distinctive vendors, where collectors and top-notch hagglers including the fashion éclat, artists, celebrities, tourists, and residents shop the market for antiques, collectibles, vintage clothing, mid-century modern items–including home decorations and furniture–jewelry, and more. Located on West 39th Street between 9th & 10th Avenues and open 9 AM – 5 PM every Saturday and Sunday all year long (weather pending), Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market includes vendors from The Annex, formerly located in Chelsea.  The market’s Hell’s Kitchen South location is near the Port Authority Bus Terminal and Times Square.

Inflatable lil' devil!

Jewelry-palooza

You could buy this hamster!!

Music to shop by!! 

A teal thing.....that I did NOT buy!

Love this old ad......framed up!

Wanted this teal-y polka-dotty treasure!

Husband is having MORE fun than it looks!

For more photos MUST MUST MUST check out:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fleaspeech/


3. MTA renos. The transit system in NYC is SPECTACULAR! I cannot say enough about it! Seriously,  THIS is how you do transit. More importantly, this is how you do subway renovations and extensions. Check out these videos. It is crazy how well funded the transit system is, and how well run it is!! We can seriously learn from NYC!!!

There is a bunch more information on their website:
http://www.mta.info/capital/index.php

4. As you know, for me, NYC is a lot about food. Some meals were expensive and great events, other meals just need to be fast. But fast is not enough! Why eat crappy-ass McAnything, when you can have something FRESH. That is why I like Prêt a Manger. 

It has delightful fresh items in a "fast food format". Read about them:

Using natural ingredients and avoiding preservatives and obscure chemicals is sacred to Pret. Our sandwiches are freshly made throughout the day in each and every Pret kitchen. This fact is (partly) what makes Pret special. We make them, we sell them!  People in the food business trust Pret. We’ve spent years earning their respect. This is vital to our ongoing success. If you would like to learn more about our menu and ingredients, check out Our Food.

If and when we make too much food, we offer it to charities working with the hungry.  We've been doing this for years. In New York, we partner with City Harvest, in Washington, DC we partner with Thrive DC and in Chicago, we partner with The Greater Chicago Food Depository.

As well as being fanatical about taste, the food team ensure our sandwiches and salads are free from the endless additives that plague modern food. This task is much harder than it sounds. Pret’s suppliers have to go to great lengths to meet our high standards.

Once we chucked out thousands of Fruit and Oat slices on account of a tiny trace of color enhancer in the dried pear. Likewise, our ham is pale (not bright pink) and our dried apricots are brownish (not orange). The list is endless but important.

Do you have a friend or neighbor who makes delicious natural food? Anything from jam to sausages. Please let us know or get them to call us. We are always looking for delicious, ‘out of the ordinary’ ingredients.

LOVE the Balsamic Chicken and Avocado sammy - LOVE LOVE LOVE it:

5. Ok.....now that you are hungry.....I have to leave you with this song. Whilst in NYC we saw a drag show. It was a lot of fun, and this song.....WHICH IS NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN was stuck in my head for the rest of the trip!!!! It is from a singer named Storm Large. 

She is a singer best known as a contestant on the CBS reality television show Rock Star: Supernova. She has a great voice! But this song.......really sticks with you! 

You're WELCOME!!
I hope you enjoyed today's post! 
Let me know your thoughts!!!!