Love in the Ruins: New York in December

Each year, my beautiful wife blesses me with a plane ticket to Philadelphia to visit my twin brother, Tucker. I love NYC...

Wednesday

Greeted by the lovely KeeKee.

I left Sioux Center at 8:00 a.m. for for the three hour (plus) drive to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport. The soundtrack for the spectacularly windy drive was Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai. Arriving as MSP at 11:30, I parked and quickly made my way to the appropriate gate for a 1:08 Delta flight to PHL. Lunch at Starbucks. The flight was uneventful and the cabin rather empty. I was able to spread out and read my book, James K.A. Smith's Awaiting the King. The time passed rather quickly, and soon I was making my way through Philadelphia International Airport. Tuck picked me up outside of baggage, and after greetings we made our way to Cascia's Bakery on Philly's south side for strombolis and pizzas. To the house in Wynnewood, thankfully uninterrupted by gang-bangers this time, we had a happy reunion around food and Shaun of the Dead.

Thursday

Bibimbap at U-Town

Up early, Tuck and I drove a colleague to the airport and then headed to the Christian Union office just north of Penn's campus. I settled in for a morning of work while he headed to campus for meetings with students. After a productive morning, I made my way towards campus, stopping for a delightful Korean lunch at U-Town on 40th St. & Sansom. Sated with bibimbap and kimchi, I went to the 1920's Commons on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania to meet with Tuck's colleagues and some students and finish my work in the comfort of the common's Starbucks. By late-afternoon, we were ready to head home, stopping en route for drinks at Distrito. The evening involved Jim Carrey and The Grinch, regrettably, and an early bedtime reading Michel Faber's The Book of Strange New Things.

Friday
Tuck and I left early Friday for NYC (soundtrack--early Suicide...quintessentially New York), stopping for breakfast at Delancey's on the way out of town for coffee and bagels. We arrived on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at around 11:00, parking on Riverside and 106th. We walked to the subway, stopping for coffee at Plowshares on the way. We took the subway to Canal St. and set out walking. While cold, it was not uncomfortable, and the city was buzzing with Christmas consumerism. We made a long stop at Opening Ceremony, where I nearly (not really) dropped $2,800 on a beautiful Dries Van Noten wool coat for me and $75 Toxic Shock tee-shirt for Sophie. Reason prevailed, and we left empty-handed.

Suicide captures the creepy zeitgeist of NYC in the late-1970's.

Continuing on, we made several stops--Bloomingdale's, some thrift stores--before finding Katz's Deli on East Houston for pastrami with mustard on rye. We took it to go, as the deli was a madhouse. We walked north on Houston to a Pret a Manger, stopping for drinks at a newsstand en route, and enjoyed our sandwich along with a couple of PaM cookies. After lunch, we enjoyed Strands Bookstore, albeit briefly.

Back in the City.

Subway from 122nd to Canal.

Plowshares

The City is ready for us.

We continued north and east on Park Ave. to Madison Square Park as the weather deteriorated, and arrived at our destination--Todd Snyder. It was an epiphany. Beautiful clothes and a delightful host--Joe--made for a lovely visit, though as usual the prices were rather prohibitive. I would have a hard time justifying a $285 shirt to Juliana. Joe was gracious, however, and even blessed us with a lovely bottle of scotch. As we left, it was beginning to darken considerably. We hustled to Dover Street Market on Lexington & 30th. After an annoyingly rich cup of coffee (blech), we perused the goods--Commes Des Garcons, Gucci, Vetements, Junya Watanabe for CDG, etc.--and again marveled at the artistry while not succumbing to the irrationality of $350 tee-shirts.

Lunch at Katz's Deli on Houston.

Made famous, of course, by the movie Harry Met Sally.

Checking out the fine threads at Todd Snyder NYC on Madison. Snyder is an Ames native and ISU grad.

Varvotos in the old CBGB.

The NYC bastion of free speech and horrible reporting!

Opening Ceremony

We were greeted outside by snow. It was beautiful. We continued north, stopping in Bryant Park for the winter village, there procuring a pair of earrings for Julie. The lights were brilliant. Up 5th Avenue, we made a quick stop in All Saints (no great sales) and watched the lights at Bloomingdale's. We finally arrived at the Gotham Lounge at the Peninsula Hotel in Midtown. We enjoyed the carolers, people-watching, talking, drinkies, and food. A wonderful, however expensive tradition. Sated, we pressed on to Davidoff for a quick smoke, and finally made our way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was glorious. Truly spectacular. World-class. Snow, lights, the Met, art, Central Park.

After the museum, we walked through a very quiet Central Park and found our way back to 120th on the Upper West Side for a party with a friend of Tuck's--a fellow with Columbia University's Christian Union. Tired, we finally found our way back to the car and returned to Philly no worse for the wear. It was a good day.