What would you do if you had just twenty-four hours in Manhattan? I was faced with this difficult question a few months ago when, on a whim, I flew to Manhattan to meet up with my boyfriend, David. When an email offer of a super cheap plane ticket fell into my inbox, and with knowledge that I would not have to pay for a hotel, I quickly made dog-sitting arrangements and off I flew, no plan in hand. I knew two things going out: I wanted to eat a hot dog on the street and I wanted to explore the Eataly market.
I jumped on a flight so early that I was the first person in line for security, TSA wasn’t even open yet. (Tip for travelers: TSA screeners are pretty friendly at 5 a.m.) I landed just in time for brunch at L’Express. Some deliciously strong lattes and eggs Benedict later, and we were ready for a short nap before exploring. Yes, a nap — you try getting up at 3 a.mm for a flight!
After our nap, we headed down to the Museum of Art & Design for the Dead or Alive exhibition. The exhibition was a fascinating exploration of art using death. There were sculptures made of bones, skulls made from spices by Helen Altman, and a motorcycle made from the skeleton of a steer. All this made me suddenly get hungry.
Luckily, reentry was not an issue at the museum, so we left and found the requisite food cart in Columbus Circle. I had a New York style hotmdog: cooked onions and spicy mustard; David had a chicken skewer sandwich. We sat and watched the bicycle tour guides trying to reel in anyone who passed them. We watched the traffic around the square, and the crazy pedestrians jolting out in front of cars. Ahh, this was a New York lunch. We returned to the museum and viewed the rest of the exhibition. I think my favorite piece was a LED light, bronze and dandelion installation by Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta that was beautiful and delicate. Each dandelion seed was hand placed into the piece.
This article appears in Dec 16-22, 2010.