If April was the month I felt like I did everything in New York, May was the month where it seemed I barely saw New York at all. What with spending the first two weekends of the month in Norway and Finland, and then jaunting off to Atlanta over Memorial Day weekend, I did not have much time in the city during the fine month of May. Here’s what I did do, however.
The first thing I noticed after returning from Scandinavia was that the city seemed to have transformed during my absence: suddenly, everything looked so green. I always love my neighborhood, but seeing the trees come alive in such vivid lush of green was a particular kind of joy.
It seems like there are a million shows on Broadway right now that I want to see, but I can never quite find the time. One show I did manage to check out was An American in Paris, and it wasn’t difficult to understand why it has gotten such acclaim. Normally I go to a musical for, well, the music, but in this case the standouts for me were the dancing (the climactic ballet scene is flawless and so breathtaking) and the costumes (all those France-in-the-1940s dresses – swoon!)
I have always enjoyed Chelsea Market, but after poking around there on a few different occasions this month, I’m realizing just how much of a short shrift I’ve given it before – there’s a lot to discover and enjoy and eat there. When it comes to shopping, I love the Artists & Fleas outpost and the flowers at Mrs. Blooms (where I scooped up a succulent for my office).
As for food at Chelsea Market, I tried two spots this month that I’m now sort of obsessed with. At Num Pang, a Cambodian sandwich shop, I ate the coconut tiger shrimp sandwich – so flavorful!
And at Liddabit Sweets, I satisfied my chocolate craving with some gourmet treats. While they have a whole range of sweet treats, my favorite was the chocolate covered honeycomb. Decadent and delightful.
(And, yep, that’s my new succulent just hanging out in the above photo).
Closer to home, I wandered through the Tucker Square Greenmarket. Wedged into a triangular shaped space between Broadway and Columbus, this is a tiny space – but it has a few treasures, like these super fresh strawberries from Stokes Farm.
On a mission that included sunglasses shopping at Warby Parker and brunch at Buvette (more on that in a moment), I found myself wandering through some of my favorite areas: From Chelsea down the High Line to Meatpacking, then over to West Village. I love my neighborhood, but West Village, man. It always gets me.
In terms of May culinary exploits, the name of the game – as it almost always is – was brunch. I went with a friend to Colicchio & Sons, where I got a pizza with ramp, creme fraiche, and asiago, with a flight of Rieslings to drink.
While Colicchio & Sons was good, the best pizza I ate this month was at Rubirosa in Nolita. This place came recommended from multiple sources, and I agreed: their sauce, in particular, was top notch.
My favorite brunch experience this month, however, had to be Buvette, a European gastrothèque in the West Village. Buvette doesn’t take reservations and there’s always a long wait, so we went on Memorial Day weekend, hoping everyone else would be out of town – and while we still had to wait for a bit, that theory largely worked. My Pimm’s Cup was great, my chicken, waffle, and egg sandwich was perfection on a plate, and the Nutella crepes my sister and I shared for dessert were just right for the finish. I can definitely see this place getting added to my regular brunch rotation.
Closer to home, I tried a few places I had long been meaning to pop into. At Crepes & Delices – a spot I cannot believe it took me seven months to venture into – I nabbed a Nutella and strawberry crepe. I know I’ll be back to try a few of their savory varieties, too.
And I also found what well may be my new favorite neighborhood coffee spot – Box Kite. It’s teeny tiny, and not so much a café as a hallway, but it serves up really great coffee. I’m already finding it borderline unbearably humid in New York, so their cold brew has been a godsend on these first few sticky days of summer.
And despite said humidity, I’m really, really looking forward to summer in the city. I made my very own Summer Bucket List, and there are oh so many places I want to check off – hopefully I’ll have plenty more to report for June!
Even in the month where you said you did little, you still did so much! NYC rocks!
Hah, you are right – I guess I take it for granted sometimes!