We started off by having brunch at Balthazar, in Soho. I'd actually read about this restaurant for their entrees and dinner, not for it's bakery, which it's probably even more well-known for. Their food is outstanding - I had a goat cheese and onion tart and a croissant - the tart was fantastic because the cheese was light and creamy! And how funny is this - we were sitting right next to John Grisham and his wife! We actually saw them on the Today Show earlier in morning - he must have finished the interview and went for breakfast with is wife (Jason recognized he was wearing the same outfit as on TV). Every time he looked our way, I kept thinking "I wonder if he's inspired by the way Jason poured syrup on his waffles, or the way I use a "caveman" grip on my fork when cutting, and maybe he'll write this into his next book!" which is pretty arrogant of a thought, I suppose. Anyway, I digress... go to Balthazar. You'll love it.Balthazar is also just a few blocks away from PurlSoho, one of my favorite knitting stores. We swung by after brunch, before heading up-town. The shop looks like a box of Crayola crayons (the 64 crayon pack), with every nook and cranny of each wall neatly stacking all sorts of yarns in a rainbow of colors. I picked up more Manos yarn. You know... anyone who thinks knitting can't be addictive hasn't been to this store.
After Purl (and a tenuous 30 min where temporarily I mis-placed our theater tickets), we headed uptown to the Music Box Theater to see August: Osage County. This show was fantastic. It had a bit of a slow start, but got better and better every act. I really liked Johanna Day's portrayal of "Barbara Fordham" - Barbara is the pragmatic, sharp-tongued daughter who temporarily steps in as matriarch (out of duty? or personality?) of the family when her father disappears and her mother's drug-addiction becomes incapacitating. The show's set looked like just like a scaled up doll-house! I haven't seen a play or a show in years, and this one has reminded me how talented Broadway actors are and what a great experience seeing a live show can be!After the play and dinner, we retired to our hotel, the Waldorf=Astoria (owned/operated by Hilton, I believe). You know.... for a "luxurious, elegant Hotel" (their words, not mine), we though it was a little bit lacking. The 100 year old hotel itself, is beautiful, and I don
't even like "old stuff". The lobby and concierge area has classic dark-wood walls and a beautiful clock in the center - the lobby actually reminded me of the clock area at Grand Central. But... there were just some amenities that didn't stack up. Like the shower - it took 20 min to run before hot water arrived (or course I realized this AFTER I finished a chilly shower and was about to call the front desk once sensitivity returned to my frozen fingers). And the parking situation - even though we called the garage 30 min before we were heading out per instructions, we still had a 20 minute wait to boot. I'm sure part of this is something that just comes along with a "vintage" hotel - I'm guessing that the old plumbing doesn't support bringing hot water 26 floors up quickly - and it's not like originally the hotel had to deal with parking and jockeying hundreds of cars around the way they do now. So I suppose I understand that. But the continental breakfast kinda felt like a feeding frenzy with lots of people cutting lines to eat egg casserole and cereal from plastic dispersers (like something you'd find at a casino in AC); This kinda stuff has nothing to do with the age of the hotel. And rather than pay $30 for a pint of ice-cream from room service, we just walked across the street to Duane Reed and got the same for $5. Overall, the hotel is nice, but doesn't justify it's price-tag.
't even like "old stuff". The lobby and concierge area has classic dark-wood walls and a beautiful clock in the center - the lobby actually reminded me of the clock area at Grand Central. But... there were just some amenities that didn't stack up. Like the shower - it took 20 min to run before hot water arrived (or course I realized this AFTER I finished a chilly shower and was about to call the front desk once sensitivity returned to my frozen fingers). And the parking situation - even though we called the garage 30 min before we were heading out per instructions, we still had a 20 minute wait to boot. I'm sure part of this is something that just comes along with a "vintage" hotel - I'm guessing that the old plumbing doesn't support bringing hot water 26 floors up quickly - and it's not like originally the hotel had to deal with parking and jockeying hundreds of cars around the way they do now. So I suppose I understand that. But the continental breakfast kinda felt like a feeding frenzy with lots of people cutting lines to eat egg casserole and cereal from plastic dispersers (like something you'd find at a casino in AC); This kinda stuff has nothing to do with the age of the hotel. And rather than pay $30 for a pint of ice-cream from room service, we just walked across the street to Duane Reed and got the same for $5. Overall, the hotel is nice, but doesn't justify it's price-tag. I think just having an entire day together, with no responsibilities other than to relax and enjoy life, was what made Valentine's such a lovely day (cue the music, please).
3 comments:
Sounds like a great day!!!!
Balthazaar, the Waldorf, and a trip to a knitting store? That Jason is one good guy.
I know!!!!!!!!! I am one lucky gal.
Post a Comment