NYC, November 2010, Day 3

Today the agenda is simple.  Visit the City Clerk's Office that will be open today, hit the Crosby Street Hotel to look at some suites, switch from Denise's to a swanky hotel, and then head over to Craft Bar to meet friends for dinner.

New York City Clerk's Office, Candid, November 2010.

I failed you.  Inside the City Clerk's Office were several couples getting their marriage licenses.  Better yet, there were brides and grooms and even bridal parties.  Clearly, people come here to get married without the expense of a traditional wedding.  I failed you because I did not get pictures of any of these brides.  It felt wrong to try to shoot a candid of them on their special day.  Also, I was keenly aware that if I was spotted taking an unwanted picture of a Bride, it would be unlikely that I would be able to outrun everyone in the bridal party.

Time to walk to SoHo.

Self explanatory.

But can you explain this one?  You might be able to if you right-click-open-in-new-window.  Then again, every picture deserves to been in its largest form.

Close up!  Of course I walked out of my way to shoot this sign for the Waste.  Could I not?

When we got to SoHo, we had to pick a place to eat and fast.  When we arrived on Spring Street, one of our favorite streets in the world because it features Vosges and Balthazar, right in front of our noses sat Spring Natural.  Would you not eat at a restaurant called Spring natural?

Apparently today is the day for questions that do not need an answer.

I got the Grilled All Natural Chicken Breast; with miso jalapeno sauce, apple-sweet potato puree, steamed asparagus.  Tragically not in focus, but delicious.

Barbie got the BLT.  And as you can see, that is a healthy amount of T.

We sat at the bar to eat, which made it fast and efficient.  I did not bother telling you that we had barely thirty minutes for lunch before Barbie's meeting at the Crosby Street Hotel.

If you are a loyal Waster, you will remember this colossal bust made of letters from March.  Right on time we had our meeting at the Crosby, saw some fantastic suites, and were soon on our way.  We have to get back to Denise's and pack up.

Oreo is clearly sad that we are moving out today.  Watching him turn in circles a few times to get his tail just right over his face was completely adorable.

We tried calling for a taxi, but it turned out to be more difficult that you would expect.  Unlike Los Angeles, taxi companies expect you to walk outside and hail that cab.  Since we really do like the idea of someone pulling up to the door and picking us up, we found a great car service to take us where we needed to go for just about the same price as a taxi.

Not a bad shot, considering it is from a moving car.  Taking pictures is a slight obsession, I know.  I almost constantly pull my iPhone out of my pocket.  Madness.  But at least it is madness with results.

The Chrysler Building does not get all the attention that it deserves.  It is a beautiful building.  Now...  the above shot is framed perfectly for when you look at that picture in full-size.  However, I can see that the thumbnail above robs you of much of the detail.  Let us compromise for the lazy people who do not bother looking at the larger version of each pic.

There.  Admire the Chrysler Building's art deco magnificence.  And if you want to hear an interesting little fact, get this.  Walter P. Chrysler was so rich... (how rich was he?)... that even though this building was the headquarters of the Chrysler Corporation from 1930 until the mid 1950's and designed specifically to house that corporation, Walter P. Chrysler chose to pay for the building with his own money.  He wanted his family to own it, and his children to inherit it.  It only made sense, then, to build it with his own money instead of having the Chrysler Corporation pay for it.

Let that percolate in your head for a moment.  An individual opting to use his own money to build a skyscraper.  That, my friends, is unimaginable wealth.

Some public signs you must photograph.  For example, signs that read, THE DEPARTMENT OF BUILDINGS HAS DETERMINED THAT CONDITIONS IN THIS PREMISES ARE IMMINENTLY PERILOUS TO LIFE.  When was the last time you read the words, "imminently perilous to life"?  Never?  Me either.  For the record, this is not our hotel.  This is a hotel we walked by and the color red caught my eye.  By the way, there were people inside.  People inside the hotel with this sign on the door.    I..... love New York...

Soon enough we arrived at the Andaz Hotel, a brand new hotel a block from Grand Central by Hyatt.

This is the Andaz lobby.  Fashionable much?  By the way, the check-in process impressed both Barbie and I.  As you enter, an attractive young person with a netbook (like mine!) approaches you and asks if you are there to check in.  And right then and there, with no standing in line and no counter to create an us vs. them dynamic, this pleasant person checks you in on their netbook and creates your keys in front of you.  I believe Barbie's exact words were, "This is amazing."

Now we have to rush twenty blocks South for dinner, where we meet up with Barbie's life-long friend Kelly, and my friend Jesse with his girlfriend, Jessica.  Sadly, with the rush I did not take any pictures in front of Craft Bar Restaurant.  The place is fantastically stylish.  Instead, you only just get to see the food.  This makes me sad, because as Jesse saw me taking pictures of the too-dark-for pictures restaurant, he knew what I was up to and said, "You're going to block the s--- out of this restaurant."

Barbie started with the Baby Beet, Goat Cheese, Pistachio, Candied Citrus, and Endive Salad.

I started with this remarkable Duck Prosciutto Bruschetta, with Duck Egg, Mizuna, and Orange Puree.  Seriously.  If you are in New York city, go to 900 Broadway, and order this.  Feel free to walk out immediately after.  It is only fourteen bucks, and you will not soon forget it.  I am not joking.

I broke my policy regarding taking pictures of what friends order, because Jesse and Jessica got this remarkable skillet of pork.  Specifically, Berkshire Pork Belly, Fried Farm Egg, Collard Greens. and Anson Mills Polenta. 

Barbie and I both ordered the Branzino, with sweet potato puree, brussels sprout, and apple cider-bacon vinaigrette.  It is like a plate with everything I love piled together.  The world needs more brussels sprout.

I was too full for dessert.  Until I heard the words, "Freshly made peanut butter ice cream."

Since you asked, what made this peanut butter ice cream amazing is that it was a little salty.  Never doubt the power of salty.

And with that, we hugged Jesse and Jessica before they hopped into a taxi and headed to the Andaz Hotel, where Kelly joined us for another in a long line great conversations that the three of us have had into the wee hours of the night.