It has been a long time since I’ve stepped foot in New York City, with my last day trip/weekend in Manhattan and Brooklyn taking place circa 2018/2019. I used to go fairly often – for parties, performances, pop-ups, or to visit with friends that were stopping by the area – but with COVID and my work schedule in recent years, it’s been hard to dedicate the time to catching a train for a mini-excursion. Until now, at least!
This past Saturday, I put together a brief but very specific itinerary for a planned six-to-seven hours I’d put aside for a solo trip into the city by way of the Metro-North express train that left bright and early from Milford, Connecticut. My first stop was, of course, Grand Central Station – not just because it’s where all of the Metro-North railways arrive to and depart from – but because there’s also a temporary exhibit being projected all over the main concourse and terminals from Humans of New York, a photography and storytelling project I have been a big fan of for years.
While I know I didn’t see everything that was on display given how vast and spacious Grand Central Station is, what I was able to see was incredibly poignant and well-done.
The next thing on my list was to make the walk to Madison Avenue to grab a light breakfast from Ralph’s Coffee within the Ralph Lauren store since I’d heard their café was adorable. Although it had started to rain somewhat harder than I had anticipated while I was enroute (and I hadn’t brought an umbrella!) which left me looking a little worse for wear by the time I’d arrived, the staff were so friendly and inviting.
I had a great iced maple latte and a croissant and found a few gifts I plan on ordering/picking up for the holidays before I resumed my to-do list.
While I had planned to take some photos of the foliage in Central Park as we’re now heading into Mid-October, I hadn’t anticipated the trees to still look so, well, green. While there were shimmers and glimpses of golds, oranges and reds here and there – the park is still very much in a Summer state of mind. I didn’t mind, as the fog and the mist rising from the rain made for some pretty cool and eerie photos of the skyline – but I’ve made a mental note to visit later on in the season the next time I attempt a trip like this again!
The last thing on my itinerary required a lot of walking to the East Village to grab lunch at the famous (and maybe haunted) McSorley’s Old Ale House. From their biography:
“McSorley’s Old Ale House is the oldest Irish saloon in New York City. Opened in the mid-19th century at 15 East 7th Street, in what is now the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, it was one of the last of the “Men Only” pubs, admitting women only after legally being forced to do so in 1970. The aged artwork, newspaper articles covering the walls, sawdust floors, and the Irish waiters and bartenders give McSorley’s an atmosphere reminiscent of “Olde New York”. No piece of memorabilia has been removed from the walls since 1910, and there are many items of historical paraphernalia in the bar, such as a pair of Houdini’s handcuffs, which are connected to the bar rail. There are also wishbones hanging above the bar; supposedly they were hung there by boys going off to World War I, to be removed when they returned, so the wishbones that are left are from those who never returned.”
I love some good and spooky lore and knew I wanted to close out my trip with a visit there. Although it was packed to the brim upon my entry, the absolute sweetheart of an owner (who was also serving ale to everyone like a pro!) found me a cozy spot to sit so I could drink, have fish and chips and chat with some of the other patrons. It was hard to take photos given that it was pretty dark in there – but I’d like to think I caught some supernatural stuff with my camera.
After saying goodbye to those seated beside me and around me, it was back to Grand Central Station to grab an afternoon train back to Connecticut and my car so I could head home. Although a lot of the day got rained out, I had such an amazing time – and was so pleased I was able to get to the city, do as much walking as I did and see/visit everything on my to-do list, and still make it home with no delays or complications – especially since it’s been so long since I’ve made a trip like that to NYC on my own!
It gives me a little more motivation and confidence to head back this coming holiday season to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, since it’s been a long time since I’ve done that, too!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 