A licensed Associate Real Estate Broker, Julie Brannan loves New York City, and enjoys helping clients navigate the complexities of its unique real estate environment. Julie enjoys travel, the New York theater scene, the arts, her three daughters and walking in Central Park.
In the beginning of the Audrey Hepburn 1961 film, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” Hepburn’s character Holly Golightly stares into the window displays while eating a croissant out of a paper bag (this scene does not occur in the Truman Capote book the film was based on, although she does reveal at one point that whenever she is anxious Tiffany’s is the only thing that can calm her). Since May of 2023, after the flagship Tiffany and Co. store reopened after a gorgeous renovation, star chef Daniel Boulud’s Blue Box Cafe has allowed you to eat a real breakfast – or lunch, or early dinner – at Tiffany’s on the sixth floor. I recently celebrated my daughter’s birthday here and it far surpassed expectations (and my expectations were high!).
The first thing to figure out was how to get a reservation, as they are not easy to acquire. You can find out more about the cafe at its website (Blue Box Cafe) but reservations are only taken online at Resy. If you want a specific date and time, reservations open up 30 days in advance at midnight, and you need to be fast. However, in playing around with the site I noticed that often last minute reservations would show up a day or so before. You can’t order a celebration cake less than 48 hours in advance (more about that later) but otherwise it is a good option if you don’t get a reservation right at the 30 day mark. Also, note that last minute reservations tend to be for later in the day, I suppose because most people want to say they had “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
The space is exquisite – large windows looking west onto Fifth and north to Central Park, an abundance of little Tiffany blue boxes hanging from the ceiling, and an intimate space where regardless of the small size of the space you aren’t crowded right next to other diners. Service was excellent, as well. Immediately upon being seated, two coin-sized discs were placed in a bowl and hot water poured over them so that they would blossom into warm towels to remove the grime of the city from our hands.
Here are the menus – a wine list, cocktails, desserts and nonalcoholic beverages, an afternoon tea prix fixe, a la carte entrees and sides, and the signature “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” prix fixe selection. Everything was tempting but we both ended up getting a gin-based cocktail called “Holly’s Delight” along with “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Between 10am when it opens and noon, there is also a lighter breakfast option you can choose.
All the silverware and china were of course by Tiffany! The cocktail was delicious.
The first thing brought out was “A glass of Golightly,” a fresh fruit and vegetable juice with a touch of ginger. Then the “Breakfast at Tiffany” service came out with six different delicacies, two of each since we had both ordered this.
The “egg in a shell” was ingenious! A hard boiled egg shell had been hollowed out, and a delicious serving of scrambled egg with cream and chives used this shell as a container. This comes with caviar on top but I don’t care for caviar (I know, most people do!) so I asked for mine without and it was very tasty.
There were three pastries, a croissant, a chausson aux pommes (apple turnover) and a madeleine. They were all excellent (and for some reason, I forgot to take a photo of the madeleine, very anti-Proust of me to find they made me forgetful. . .).
There was a lovely pineapple rosace fruit dish with strawberry, vanilla and lime. There was also a yogurt parfait with granola and a layer of mango and passionfruit. Everything served was elevated in some way and made the entire experience feel special.
Since we were celebrating a birthday, I had ordered a “celebration cake” in advance. To do this you first need to have a reservation, then email the restaurant more than 48 hours in advance of the reservation to fill out an order form and have that linked to your reservation. The choices for flavor are either vanilla cake with seasonal fruit, or chocolate with caramel (which is what we had selected). They bring the cake out with a slab of chocolate personalized with the message of your choice with icing. The cake came with a lit candle, and they let us take pictures of the intact cake (which was beautifully detailed in Tiffany blue with chain decorations) before taking it away to cut for us and box the rest to take away. They asked how many slices we wanted but said they usually recommend for two cutting it in half, boxing half to take home and making two slices out of the other half. We did that and in fact the slices were too large for us to finish, but the cake was wonderful.
The box for the leftover cake continued the theme, as did the postcard attached to the bill. The bar, by the way, is created from gorgeous marble with blue veining. I noticed that there is the opportunity to walk in and sit at the bar if there is availability, so if you don’t have a reservation but really want to come in and experience the food, drink, and decor, that is an option.
I am fortunate enough to live in New York City, close enough that I walked there and back from home. There are so many things to do and places to go that I only go back to those that stand out and surpass expectations. Blue Box Cafe fit this description – I will be back!
On June 16th, the 77th annual Tony Awards will be awarded (and televised on CBS). The ceremony this year is at Lincoln Center for the first time and American Express will be holding a live simulcast at Damrosch Park just behind the David H. Koch Theatre where the awards will be given out (see here for more information about how to attend if this interests you). Two years ago I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the 75th annual Tonys in person at Radio City (see how I wrote up the experience here) but this year I will be watching on television as usual. The awards this year seem harder than ever to predict this very crowded season. Needless to say, with so many new productions, not everything could be nominated, and most musicals and plays rely on the publicity and the “stamp of approval” from the Tonys to fuel sales.
Best New Musical
This was an unusually busy season for new musicals on Broadway, which is great for musical lovers – but very tough on producers as there was a lot of competition for the ticket-buying public. Six new musicals have already opened and closed this season: Once Upon a One More Time, Here Lies Love, How to Dance in Ohio, Harmony, Lempicka, and Days of Wine and Roses. From earlier this season, only Back to The Future (which opened last July) is still running, with most new musicals on Broadway having opened in a very busy spring season. So the eligible original musicals were Back to the Future, Days of Wine and Roses, Harmony, Hell’s Kitchen, Here Lies Love, How to Dance in Ohio, Illinoise, Lempicka, Once Upon a One More Time, Suffs, The Great Gatsby, The Heart of Rock and Roll, The Notebook, The Outsiders, and Water for Elephants. I saw all of them, and correctly predicted which five would be nominated (which is not the same as saying I agreed with the result). The five are:
“Hell’s Kitchen”
“Illinoise”
“The Outsiders”
“Suffs”
“Water for Elephants”
I have to say, this is a year where any one of these could win. The best reviewed by the New York Times were Illinoise, Hell’s Kitchen, and Water for Elephants (all “Critic’s Picks”) but Suffs and The Outsiders are both nominated for best original score as well as best new musical. Illinoise has had perhaps the most rave reviews across the board, but since it is a very unique Broadway musical (the story being told entirely through Justin Peck’s dance and a group of instrumentalists and singers, all based on Sufjan Stevens’ 2005 album) it may be hard for Tony voters to award it best in this category (although I expect it will get best choreography) when it is not nominated for Book or Score. However, Hell’s Kitchen had the most nominations (13; tied with the new play Stereophonic in number of nominations this year).
Best Musical Revival
The eligible musical revivals were Cabaret, Gutenberg, Merrily We Roll Along, Spamalot, The Who’s Tommy, and The Wiz. Only four were nominated:
“Cabaret”
“Gutenberg! The Musical!”
“Merrily We Roll Along”
“The Who’s Tommy”
This category definitely comes down to two productions, the transfer from the West End of Rebecca Frecknall’s Cabaret, starring Eddie Redmayne, and the smash hit revival of Merrily We Roll Along, a musical once felt to be Sondheim’s great flop, but transformed by the direction of Maria Friedman and the performances by Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez. The Cabaret revival has not been received as well on Broadway as it was on the West End, so I would expect Merrily to take this award. The same goes for Leading Actor in a Musical – I would be surprised (and very very disappointed) if Jonathan Groff does not win this category over Eddie Redmayne. I love The Who’s Tommy, by the way, but don’t expect it to win.
Best New Play
The nominees for best new play are:
“Jaja’s African Hair Braiding”
“Mary Jane”
“Mother Play”
“Prayer for the French Republic”
“Stereophonic”
I will be very surprised if Stereophonic doesn’t win this category. It’s a “play with music” (and in fact, it is nominated for best original score, which is unusual but not without precedent) by David Adjmi, about a rock band in the 1970s recording an album. It’s over three hours long, takes place entirely in a recording studio with no change of sets, and yet is completely riveting.
Best Play Revival
All three of the nominees for best revival of a play are excellent. They are:
“Appropriate”
“An Enemy of the People”
“Purlie Victorious”
Despite the strength of all three of these revivals, I would be surprised if Appropriate did not win this category (and I think Sarah Paulsen is a lock for Best Lead Actress in a Play despite being up against Jessica Lange in Mother Play).
Other thoughts
This season not only had a great number and variety of new productions, there were many extremely innovative sets. The category of best scenic design of a musical had seven nominees (for The Outsiders, Hell’s Kitchen, Back to the Future, Lempicka, Water for Elephants, Here Lies Love, and Cabaret) and I was dazzled by all of them. I think the immersive quality of Here Lies Love, which has closed but I absolutely adored, was a stand out in a great field for me – but it is very unusual for shows that have closed to win even if nominated (Here Lies Love is also up for best original score, best choreography, and best sound design).
A shout out to the Director categories this year, with four out of the five musical directors and three out of the five play directors being women.
After the Tonys, I expect many shows with disappointing results will post closing notices, either right away or as the summer ends. Tony awards do not guarantee a long run (look at A Strange Loop from 2022) but the lack of awards can be the difference between enough ticket sales to keep going and a decision to close the show. What will keep Broadway alive is not only a wealth of plays and musicals in the pipeline but also the ticket-buying public out there to support them. Go see a Broadway show (or a ton of them!) and keep this very special art form thriving here in New York City.
Walking around Manhattan’s East Side near the United Nations, there has always been a huge empty undeveloped (more about that later!) lot between E 38th and 41st Streets, from First Avenue to the East River. Beginning earlier this year, an enormous light installation has filled that space, Field of Light. I have been there twice and it is an unusual and charming experience.
The installation is free to enter, but you need to either have timed tickets or wait in a standby line. All of the procedures are pretty clear on their website. I have not seen long lines for standby, so even if you don’t have tickets I think your wait would be relatively short. You go through airport-style security, and then a few posters to set up the idea behind the installation and give information about the artist.
The artist, Bruce Munro, is drawn to creating large light installations, and this one in NYC is his largest to date. He notes that with buildings on three sides and the East River (and FDR Drive) on the other, the field is almost like a box filled with light.
From inside the installation, you can see the Chrysler Building, while the apartment buildings and the United Nations building surround the field, adding their own element of light.
Each bulb and stalk of light is interconnected to others in complicated tangles. The lights slowly change color over time as well.
There is a spider-web quality to the way the lighted strands snake around the bulbs on stalks.
This installation is sponsored by the Bjarke Ingels Group, which upon a little investigation, has plans for a megadevelopment in this space along the East River. A lot of it sounds good – affordable housing, a public park roughly the size of Bryant Park (the park behind the main branch of the New York Public Library), a museum (no idea what its focus would be), a dog run, play areas for children – but also a hotel … and an underground casino. See here for more details about the proposed development, which has to receive approval and licensing and hopes to by next year. The idea for the area shows a few tall buildings which would definitely impact views (and values) in Tudor City. Along with the proposed Times Square Caesar’s Palace Casino (see more about this here), and the question of whether a casino will be allowed in Hudson Yards, this casino raise the question of what NYC wants to be going forward. Proponents note the possibility of increased tourism and tax revenue, while opponents note that tourism based on gambling in places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City potentially creates a different atmosphere and clientele in those neighborhoods with a casino.
New York City is constantly changing, and there is a casino near JFK airport. I do wonder though what allowing casinos in Manhattan will change about the city. At this point New York State as announced that it will grant three licenses for NYC and/or it’s suburbs, and there is significant pushback against having a casino in a residential neighberhood. But . . . stay tuned! I enjoyed Field of Light but feel we need a little illumination (haha) about whether Manhattan wants casinos.
Some beloved family members – and their pets, two dogs and two cats – moved to Porto, Portugal about six months ago, and last month I went to visit them for the first of what I expect to be many trips to Portugal (as long as I don’t ruin things by being a terrible guest!). This trip was mainly about seeing them and where/how they are living now, but I can tell you about a few fun things I experienced this time and recommend if you plan to visit Porto.
My first day there, while staying up to fight jet lag and get adjusted to the time change, we went to a tour of the Pinhais sardine factory (more information and tickets here). In addition to seeing the factory itself, we learned about the history of sardines in Portugal, saw a staircase designed to look like a sardine when viewed from the correct angle ( see above – the light is its eye), practiced wrapping a tin of sardines (which the professionals can do perfectly in mere seconds but I definitely could not), and finally had a sardine/wine tasting.
The next day, feeling fresh and ready to go, we enjoyed a fantastic tile painting class at Gazettes Azulejos (more information here). The tiles that are so beautiful covering the exteriors of buildings in Porto also serve practical purposes, keeping moisture from seeping into the facade, insulating from excess heat or cold, and strengthening the structures. Gazettes Azulejos is working to catalogue all the Porto facade tiles, and you can use a pattern from an actual address to recreate your own tile to take home as a souvenir. They admonish that “too much perfection is a mistake” and I would say that keeping that in mind is key to enjoying the workshop, as it is harder than it appears at first. The tiles I painted are definitely not perfect (the second one was better than the first, so practice helps), but I enjoyed making them, learning about the process, and bringing them home as a memento. One thing that surprised me is that Cobalt Blue looks light lavender before firing! You leave the painted tiles and come back to pick them up the next day after they are fired. I made a reel about the class that you can see on Instagram here.
One of my favorite things to do in any city (including my own New York City) is to simply walk around and experience it. Porto was a beautiful walking city, with plenty of hills and staircases to keep things interesting and muscles fully engaged!
The rooster is the symbol of Portugal, and they roam many of the public parks. At the park next to the Crystal Palace, there were also peacocks. You can see a video of the peacock showing off on Instagram here.
Porto is – not surprisingly – known for its port wine, and a port wine tour and tasting at Grahams – across the river in Gaia -was fantastic. This particular tasting paired food (a pastel de nata pastry, aged cheese, and chocolate) with three different ports. Grahams has some bottles still aging from the 1860s! A reel about Grahams can be seen here.
Speaking of pastel de nata, I tried several at different places. You can get these cups filled with sweet custard either plain or with cinnamon, and I liked mine with cinnamon. And the official cocktail of Porto, the porto tonico, was enjoyed several times! The porto tonico is white port and tonic water, garnished with orange peel, a cinnamon stick, and a mint leaf. Really, really good . . .
Livraria Lello proudly states itself to be “the most beautiful bookstore in the world” and I would dare not disagree. It is very hard to get into – you need timed tickets that you pay for, but the ticket cost can go toward a purchase. We went just before closing and managed to get a few photos without dozens of other people in the picture as well. To find out more about the bookstore or purchase a timed ticket, click here.
My final day before returning to NYC, we did a guided tour of the Douro Valley including wine tastings and a boat ride. The Douro Wine Region Valley is the oldest demarcated wine growing region in the world, and a World Heritage Site. The Douro (which ends up dividing Porto from Gaia just before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean) carved out this rich and beautiful landscape. I have written before about wine tasting in Napa and this day was just as special (see a reel about the day here on Instagram).
Of course the best part of this trip to Porto was spending time with family and experiencing a bit of the new life they have made there. They threw an amazing dinner one night where a private chef came in with all the ingredients and then we, the dinner party, made the meal under his guidance – so much fun, see a video reel here. And I look forward to exploring much more in Portugal as I visit them over the next many years.
The Hudson River Greenway along the Hudson River on Manhattan’s West Side is accessible for walking and biking from Battery Park all the way north to Inwood Hill Park at the top of the island. It keeps being expanded and is a destination for residents and visitors alike with recent additions like Little Island Park, Pier 26, and Pier 57. On the other hand, while the riverfront area along the East River has some lovely patches (like the John Finlay Walk next to Carl Schurz Park in Yorkville), there are also stretches where there is no waterfront access. There is a new plan to connect all of the East River waterfront, similarly to that seen on the Hudson River, and a new section of this was recently opened, beginning at East 54th Street and continuing up to connect an existing path at East 61st Street.
Entering the new stretch at East 54th Street, the views are instantly gorgeous. You can see south along the East River, as well as east to Long Island City.
The tiling on the walkway is inspired by diatoms, single-celled microscopic algae. They are the base of the food chain in the river, and convert sunlight into energy. There can be hundreds or even thousands of diatoms in one spoonful of East River water. For more details about the use of these diatom-patterned pavers, check out the description from the artist who was involved, Stacy Levy.
As you start to connect to Andrew Haswell Green Park at East 61st, you can’t help but notice the thing that looks like an abandoned steel roller coaster track. In fact, it is an artwork by artist Alice Aycock, called The Roundabout. A little more about that as we exit the new walkway next to it!
You get some thrilling views of the Ed Koch/Queensboro/59th Street Bridge, especially as you walk under it.
If you choose to exit at East 61st rather than continuing north to the existing Andrew Haswell Green park, you get an up close look at Roundabout. It covers the roof of a defunct Department of Sanitation Building, and was inspired by the weightlessness of Fred Astaire’s dancing! You can read more about this artwork here.
The eventual goal of the East River Waterfront project is to have a continuous loop around all of Manhattan next to the waterfront. It will likely help the livability (and hence the value) of the far east side of midtown Manhattan to have a waterfront park, and one that connects all waterfront areas in Manhattan will be even more appreciated. I look forward to seeing the East River waterway in Manhattan continue to develop and enrich the experience of New Yorkers and visitors to the city alike.
Winter in New York City has its challenges – while not incessantly freezing cold or snowy like some other cities (hey, I lived in Chicago), it certainly can be. The wind amplifies as it whips around our skyscrapers, making wind chill a real trial some days. The days are shorter, and once the festive lights of the holiday season are over, a gloomy grey day can make you feel that you are enduring rather than exuberantly enjoying walking around the city bundled in your warmest parka, hat, and gloves (I recommend mittens!). However, when my sister lived in Vermont, she told me that there you just have to figure out a way to make your peace with winter, and people would take up cross-country skiing or other outdoor sports to get out and find a way to enjoy the season. I think that is true of NYC as well, and one thing that is fun to do – and with few exceptions, only available during the winter – is to go ice skating. While the iconic Rockefeller Center rink immediately comes to mind, there are many places to go ice skating in NYC. Let’s look into our options . . .
Rockefeller Center
When the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is up, it’s impossible to resist skating under it – at least once (the rink has capacity limitations, is small, and when the tree is up everyone has the same idea!). But keep in mind that the rink is open much longer than the tree is up (it opened October 21st in 2023 for this season, and will stay open until late March or early April, depending on weather). Cost for an adult to skate ranges from $21-79 (pricing is flexible and based on demand) without skate rental and for only 40-60 minutes (your time could be shorter than an hour if the Zamboni is used during your hour), so it’s not inexpensive. If you wanted to skate a lot, there is a season pass, starting at $250. It’s hard to beat this skating rink for photo opportunities (see a video I took here), but it’s not most locals’ first choice. You can find out more about the Rockefeller Center skating rink here.
Bryant Park
Not too far from Rockefeller Center, behind the iconic main branch of the New York Public Library, you can find the Bryant Park Winter Village. Skating here is FREE (this is not a misprint!), and you can reserve tickets (the reservations open up a week in advance). If you need to rent skates, they are available – if you have your own skates, there is no charge at all to skate here. See here for a video I took at the rink once when a skating performance surprised me. The Holiday Market here was recently voted the world’s best, and there are other fun things to do (rent a private igloo for dining, eat at the Lodge, have a drink at the L’OR Porch, even go curling!). Perhaps the most fun is BUMPER CARS ON ICE, where you sit in a big tube and basically slide around and bounce into others. Trust me, it is crazy fun. Bumper cars on ice is not free, but I think well worth it. Find out more about skating and other things to do at Bryant Park in the winter here.
Wollman Rink
I will put my own bias out right away – I think ice skating at Wollman Rink, surrounded by Central Park and looking at the skyscrapers ringing the park is the most beautiful and enjoyable skating experience in NYC (see a video I took while walking past on Christmas Eve in 2023 here). Tickets can be reserved in advance (around $15) and they also have skate rentals available. Tip to New Yorkers with a library card: Culture Pass, with which you can get free admission to museums and such, often has a pass for four available during the week at no charge. Wollman Rink is more exposed than many of the other urban skating rinks, so check the weather before you go. Find out more about skating at Wollman Rink here.
The Rink at Brookfield Place
Brookfield Place, near One World Trade and Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan, has a nice rink that I find usually not too crowded. You have distant views of the Statue of Liberty and you are skating right next to the Hudson River. Pricing is reasonable – $15 weekdays and $17 weekends, with skate rentals only $5-7. Find out more about skating at Brookfield Place here.
Manhattan West
Manhattan West is a hidden gem – if you haven’t been to this area in Midtown near Hudson Yards, check it out. They have skating sessions mid-November through March, and the cost is about $20 (plus $5 for skate rental). Find out more about skating at Manhattan West here.
Glide at Brooklyn Bridge Park
There’s a new skating rink in NYC, and I really want to try it but haven’t yet! It’s called Glide, at Brooklyn Bridge Park right under the Brooklyn Bridge (one of my favorite pics from walking over the Brooklyn bridge is above), and is open until March 1. A skating session starts at $15, with skate rental at $5, and from what I can tell the views are incredible. Find out more about skating at Glide here.
Chelsea Piers Sky Rink
I mentioned before that most but not all ice skating rinks in NYC are outdoors, and the Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers is the big exception. Completely indoors, enormous (there are two full-sized rinks), and open year-round, this is where I took my daughters to learn to skate. Find out more about Chelsea Piers skating here.
One thing I was definitely reminded of when I summited Mount Kilimanjaro this summer in freezing cold and wind: there is no bad weather, only weather for which you have not dressed properly. (OK, not entirely true, it was still cold on Kili, and certainly at times my face has become completely numb by the cold and wind here in the city during a frigid snap – but still, proper gear makes all the difference!). So let’s get out and appreciate winter here in NYC . . . for after all, would we appreciate spring and cherry blossoms quite so much if we hadn’t just lived through our austere and challenging winter?
This time of the year, New York City is filled with holiday decor, the lights driving back the darkness a bit as we head into winter’s solstice. Not all the lights are specifically about Christmas, but images of Santa are plentiful. What if you are interested in seeing – or even meeting – Santa in the city? There are many opportunities, and I will describe a few, leading up to the “Miracle on 34th Street” pinnacle of seeing the “real” Santa at Macy’s Santaland (not for the faint of heart). I will also let you in on a few experiences where Santa is there but not necessarily the main event.
First, a new experience that I tried this year, Santa’s Winter Wonderland at Pier 15 in the South Street Seaport area. This is a fun experience that could work for a family with kids (there is Santa there for a visit with little or no line waiting, hot chocolate, snacks) or adults out for a fun evening (there are specialty cocktails, terrific views, etc).
This is a ticketed event, with timed entry. There is also an option for a sit-down meal at a specific time in an enclosed see-through hut, but I didn’t try that.
For general admission, you get a hot chocolate or hot cider, and a choice of snack (soft pretzel, chocolate chip cookie, or churro), and you can eat outside or in one inside dining area that has open seating (but was a little crowded when I was there).
For parents hoping for a Santa visit, I saw very little waiting time and plenty of interaction. I am sure adults could see Santa as well if they wanted!
The decor was festive, and the views around lower Manhattan, the South Street Seaport, and the Brooklyn Bridge were all terrific. You could purchase a s’mores kit and roast the marshmallows over a fire.
Interestingly, there is a rival Santa experience right next door at Pier 17, Disney’s The Santa Clauses’ Winter Wonderland! More expensive, but also more elaborate, this experience has a synthetic ice skating rink as one of the possible activities. Santa is also available for a visit and photos, but on specific dates and times, so if that is important be sure to check that out before purchasing timed tickets.
Not all Santa experiences cost money (although many might cost time!). Hudson Yards is decorated fabulously for the holidays and has signs up saying when Santa is available, free of charge. I haven’t been there during those times, but the place where Santa is looks like a lovely photo opportunity. Hudson Yards has also set up “twinkle spots” all over the building for you to set up your phone to get a photo of yourself with all the holiday lights.
Winter Village at Bryant Park has the best holiday market in the world (and I agree with this recent ranking) and Santa is there for free photo opportunities, see his schedule here. Bloomingdale’s also has an opportunity to meet Santa, reservations required, and a $25 booking fee is involved but you get it back in the form of a $25 gift certificate. The time for this has passed this year but if interested in future years the information about booking was here.
Finally the ultimate – visiting the “real” Santa at Santaland at Macy’s. The procedure now is via reservation only, and the reservations open up five days in advance. In my experience, they go very quickly. There is no entering the line without a reservation, but the reservation does not prevent you from waiting on a line. When I went this year, on a Saturday in early December, in the afternoon, we waited 90 minutes to see Santa! Some of the time was spent in the delightfully decorated line inside Santaland, but a fair amount was spent in a line in a hallway that wrapped back behind the entrance to Santaland. When I have gone before on a weekday, the experience has not been this difficult, but of course most people need to work during the week, making the weekends extremely busy.
You have to pack your patience for a wait like that, and it may be difficult to stay off Krampus Court and keep on Nice Street . . . but seeing Santa there is a special experience. Macy’s won’t charge anything unless you choose to purchase their photos (which I recommend, they are terrific photos with very cute digital borders) and you are free to take your own photos too. You will pay with time and effort, but isn’t that often the case with so many things in NYC? I was at Santaland with a child this year, but a few years ago was with another adult (on a weekday, without a huge line! see below for picture) and Santa was just as kind to us as he was around a cute baby. Even as I was walking out this year, having been there mainly to see this baby get first photos with Santa and to take candids, Santa stopped me to ask my name and what I wanted this for Christmas! We are never too old to be reminded of our inner child, in my opinion.
Whether we are going to see Santa this year, or whether we ARE Santa this year, this holiday season reminds us that in the midst of darkness there can be light, that babies and children represent hope, and that opening ourselves up to unlocking our own inner childlike wonder can let a little magic into our everyday experience. Happy holidays to all!
The night before Thanksgiving, a family member and I attended a show that has been a tradition for us going back several decades now – the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. This was my first time going back to Radio City Music Hall since being able to experience a backstage tour earlier this fall, and I feel that I had even more appreciation for this very very special venue. Nicknamed “The Showplace of the Nation,” it certainly is that – but it completely belongs to New York City! Opened in 1932, this magnificent Art Deco masterpiece is entirely unique. Its interior was declared a city landmark by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1978, and the exterior was landmarked in 1985 (along with the rest of the Rockefeller Center complex).
Originally intended to be a venue for stage shows, the opening revue was so long and tedious (and badly reviewed) that within two weeks Radio City had been converted to a movie house (with almost 6000 seats!). The Rockettes (originally the Roxyettes after theatre impresario “Roxy” Rothafel) would perform between shows, and there were also an in-house orchestra and chorus. Many films received their premieres at Radio City, including King Kong (1933), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Mary Poppins (1964) and The Lion King (1994). In the 1970’s, Radio City’s attendance had dropped to the point where there was talk of it being torn down and the area redeveloped (this was before it was landmarked). But a shift toward using the venue as a concert hall improved the financial picture, finally turning a profit again by 1985.
Radio City has also been the venue for numerous award shows, including the MTV Video Awards, the Grammy Awards, and my favorite, the Tony Awards! Attending the ceremony in 2022 was the realization of a life-long dream (you can read more about it here).
Radio City Music Hall has a backstage tour (find out more about it here) but rarely can you go on the actual stage, as I was fortunate enough to do this fall. The reason why it is so unusual to go on stage is that the venue is busy and most days of the year a show is loading in or out, preventing you from being able to go backstage or on the stage itself. Standing on the stage, you really appreciate how enormous the stage is (and the auditorium!). I loved knowing that my feet were standing on the same stage as so many Rockettes had done throughout the years.
It was disconcerting – but also fun! – to see the auditorium with house lights on, and the stage revealing things usually covered by a set or screen.
Going away from the stage in the backstage area, there was always clear signage to show directions – Radio City Music Hall is massive, and covers 50th to 51st Streets, facing Sixth, and a considerable amount of the block heading toward Fifth.
Seeing the mechanicals that allow the orchestra to rise up from below the stage to stage level, as well as travel from the front of the stage to the back, was amazing. This hydraulic mechanism is original to the building, and is a Mechanical Engineering Landmark (the first I had heard of such).
Heading to the rehearsal room, I passed interesting artifacts and posters.
The rehearsal room for the Rockettes had practice blocks for the number where they have seemingly random letters on blocks that end up spelling a phrase (I won’t spoil it for those yet to go!), a huge full-length mirror, and a way to measure to see if you are tall enough to be a Rockette (you need to be between 5’5″ and 5’10, reduced from 5’6′ before – but I’m still too short!). By the way, the illusion of all the Rockettes being the same height is accomplished by carefully tailoring the costumes so that they line up exactly the same at the waist, and by putting the tallest in the middle and very gradually reducing height as the line continues on each side.
In the private VIP suite, there is a book that everyone who plays Radio City signs.
If you’ve ever wondered, this is the view from the top row of the top mezzanine (there are three of them, all stacked above the rear orchestra). From this distance, you can really see that the design around the stage was intended to look like the setting sun.
Another amazing thing about Radio City Music Hall is that there are two mighty Wurlitzer organs to either side of the stage, the largest instrument built by the company with 58 ranks of pipes and 4,178 pipes. For the Christmas Spectacular, two organists play before the show begins, play as the show ends and people depart, and occasionally during the show. My friend Trent Johnson is one of the organists and was kind enough to let me use these photos showing the organ (and himself!).
The Christmas Spectacular famously features live animals for the living nativity scene, and if you live in the neighborhood you might be lucky enough to catch the animals coming in the morning of a show. I took these photos after seeing the camels out on the street on the way to a morning meeting – proving once again that you never know what you will run into walking in New York City!
The Christmas Spectacular is always enjoyable, and yes – spectacular! For my family, it’s a yearly event, but most attendees seem to be visiting based on the surprised reactions you hear at many parts of the show that are nostalgic for those of us who may be going for our 10th or 25th time.
The last public performance I attended before everything shut down for the Covid-19 pandemic in March of 2020 was seeing Riverdance come back to Radio City for its 25th anniversary performance on March 10th (I still marvel at how we sat there in the crowded orchestra, all unmasked, with no idea of what was about to happen). By March 13 the remaining Riverdance shows had been canceled (Broadway shut down a day earlier, March 12). That pandemic time was tough on me, and on New York City in general (I wrote about it in some detail in this blog post). But as I walked past Radio City during the shutdown, the famous marquee declared “Together Better. Together as One. Together Stronger.” Radio City Music Hall is an icon of New York City, and has had its ups and downs. But it’s still here, rising up again after any setback. How emblematic of this complicated, exciting New York City that I love!
Going through Chelsea Market recently, I tried to remember what my blog post about it had featured. I mean, I had done multiple posts about High Line Park (see here and here), the nearby parks, Little Island and Pier 57, and I love Chelsea Market! So imagine my surprise when I searched my blog only to find that I had never posted anything about it. I generally post in October about the fantastic Halloween decorations in New York City (some previous examples are here specifically about townhouse decorations, here about decor on the Upper East Side, and here about a special Halloween event on Governors Island) and since Chelsea Market goes all out to decorate for Halloween, the time seems ripe for a post about Chelsea Market this time of year.
First, a little history about Chelsea Market. The building that the Market is in, the entire block between Ninth and Tenth Avenues, and between 15th and 16th Streets, was once the factory of the National Biscuit Company – Nabisco – and the iconic Oreo cookie was developed and manufactured here in 1918. If you look, you can find reminders of the building’s history scattered around the current Chelsea Market, including the medallion above and a mural showing Oreos on the lower level. Nabisco moved manufacturing to the suburbs in the 1950s, and in the 1990s the building was repurposed as retail space on the lower floors and office space on the upper floors. Alphabet (Google) now owns the Chelsea Market building (it paid over $2 billion in 2018!) as well as the building across Ninth Avenue.
Chelsea Market is part of a revitalized far west Chelsea neighborhood, with neighbors being the Whitney, the High Line (the section of it between 15th and 16th Streets actually runs through the second floor of the building, one floor above Chelsea Market), and several new innovative public parks along the Hudson River. Because of this, it is often crowded with groups of tourists. Going early in the day is usually the best way to enjoy all the shopping and eating opportunities without being impeded by slow-moving groups.
Chelsea Market has many iconic NYC businesses, like Little Witch Bakery, LiLac Chocolates, Sarabeth’s, Pearl River Mart, and Amy’s Bread, as well as some completely unique to Chelsea Market. I particularly like the Chelsea Market Baskets store near the 10th Avenue entrance. Yes, you can make up a gift basket – and that is fun – but it is also a great place to get and try little food and toiletry treats from around the world at surprisingly reasonable prices. Across from it is the Posman bookstore that has a huge selection of very unique greeting cards. I would say that I go to these two places fairly often for gifts and highly recommend them both.
Neighborhood Goods is a very unique shop, with many items (snacks, toiletries, home goods, clothes, candles, and more) from many different small businesses all in one place. There is also a small bar there (Tiny Feast) there that serves pastries and light bites as well as alcohol.
There are so many terrific places to eat in Chelsea Market that I always have a hard time deciding what to choose when I want to have lunch or dinner there. Saxelby Cheesemongers not only has cheese to buy and the ability to create cheese boards for events, but you can have incredible cheese sandwiches there with excellent cheese – my favorite is a truffle grilled cheese. Friedman’s has elevated American classics from breakfast to dinner, and cocktails as well. Creamline has fantastic milkshakes. Buon Italia is a market for Italian pantry items as well as serving fantastic pasta dishes. If you go to Chelsea Market, don’t forget that there is a downstairs, as that is where you will find Buon Italia, Saxelby, and a wonderful fruit market (as well as the bathrooms).
The bathrooms have a series of very old-fashioned looking sinks in double rows.
Chelsea Market has a very unique appearance overall simply because of its history as a factory and the clever ways the repurposing of the space was accomplished. The building itself is timber and wood, covered in brick. There are vaulted ceilings, exposed pipes and vents.
Something I always particularly enjoy about the Market is the way it decorates for holidays throughout the year, and Halloween is perhaps the most elaborate.
I often wonder if little children get afraid of the decor! They have pretty scary figures hanging from the ceilings, around every corner, and some are even audio-animatronic (see here for an example of one talking).
Paula Guran, author of multiple fantasy books including New Cthulhu, has said “The farther we’ve gotten from the magic and mystery of our past, the more we’ve come to need Halloween.” I do think that New York City, ever-modernizing and looking toward the future, does also give us plenty of magic and mystery when decorating elaborately for the holidays. I believe Chelsea Market is worth visiting for the decor in addition to all the shopping, drinking, and dining opportunities. Maybe I will see you there!
After climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (see details about that experience here), my sore muscles and I were happy that rather than having to journey back immediately to reality, a five-day safari awaited instead (the prospect of recovering while being driven around looking at animals was very exciting!). This was arranged through the same company that organized the climb, Ultimate Kilimanjaro (highly recommended on both parts of the trip). Late afternoon after getting off the mountain, a representative came to the hotel to get feedback about the climb and let me know details about the safari. This would be a private experience with just my family member and myself in a Toyota Land Cruiser and a driver/guide, and included all meals and the lodges as well. The next morning we met our guide, Tony, and headed off.
Day 1: Lake ManyaraNational Park
We started out our safari driving from Moshi to Lake Manyara National Park, near Arusha. One of the smaller wildlife parks in Tanzania, it is known for having lions that climb in trees (see photo op above as I pretend to be under one, haha). We did not see any lions at all in this park, but there was plenty more to see.
Even getting to the entrance of the national park, we were entertained by entire families of baboons next to the road. I really had no opinion about baboons before going on this safari, but became entranced by watching the large family groups. Full of personality, I loved seeing baby baboons ride on the backs of or underneath their mothers, get groomed while trying to wriggle away, tussle and wrestle with each other, and generally act like out-of-control human toddlers.
We were asked right away by Tony what we hoped to see while on safari, and I had been quick to say “elephants!” I ended up being very fortunate on the entire trip, as we saw elephants – lots of them – up close and personal in every single one of the parks we visited. Almost as soon as we entered Lake Manyara, an entire family of elephants emerged from the forest and began walking first toward us, and – after a little warning rumble – right next to our vehicle and then into a different area back behind us. I was thrilled! We saw many more elephant groups over the next few hours, as well as giraffes, impala, and many more baboons. It was a very pleasing first day on safari.
On the way to Lake Manyara and from the park to our lodge that night, we saw many Maasai people herding their cows. While there are over 100 different ethnic groups in Tanzania, the Maasai are the largest, being approximately 16% of the population. The Maasai still live a largely traditional life, with cows as currency, and are semi-nomadic between Kenya and Tanzania. Often over the next few days, we would need to wait for a herd of cows to cross the road before continuing on.
Day 2 and 3: Serengeti National Park
After a night at Farm of Dreams Lodge (where we would also spend our last night) we headed for the Serengeti. It’s a long drive so we had two stops along the way. First was to look at the rim of Ngorongoro Crater (which we would enter in a few days) and later, to visit Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world.
Although we only gazed down into the crater (more about this site later) this day, the area is so rich with animal life that we had close encounters with elephant and giraffe as we circled the crater on the way to Serengeti.
The sign upon entering Olduvai Gorge says “welcome home” – and it is a going home of sorts as it is the site where paleontologists gained great leaps in understanding the development of early hominids. This is the site where Mary and Louis Leakey conducted most of their research, and where “Lucy” was found. I really enjoyed this stop.
Arriving at Serengeti National Park was a thrill. One of Africa’s Seven National Wonders (Kilimanjaro and Ngorongoro Crater are two more!), it encompasses about 12,000 square feet of land, and is the home (along with Kenya’s Maasai Mara, which adjoins it) of the great wildebeest migration. The wildlife photographer Boyd Norton has said,
“Wilderness gave us knowledge. Wilderness made us human. We came from here. Perhaps that is why so many of us feel a strong bond to this land called Serengeti; it is the land of our youth.”
Right away we saw elephants. The acacia trees were lovely as well (above is an umbrella acacia; the flat acacias are also stunning) and are the favorite food of giraffes. This was dry season in the Serengeti, so the grass was yellow and dry, and animals tend to gather around places where they can get water.
The Serengeti, a World Heritage Site, holds one of the largest concentrations of wild lions in the world, with over 4,000 believed to be residents. It wasn’t long before Tony had found lions for us to see – my first time ever seeing them in the wild. A lioness and a bunch of cubs (Tony said he believed she was watching the cubs of others, as well as her own, while the others hunted) were resting just a few feet from our vehicle – I couldn’t believe it!
The Serengeti was a vast plain, and we were able to see several more groups of elephants before heading to our tented camp for the first of two nights sleeping in the middle of the Serengeti.
We were spending two nights at Pure Tented Camp, and unlike the tent I slept in on Kilimanjaro, these large tents on platforms were luxurious (think “glamping”), had a toilet, shower, and sink, and two flaps to close – one just mesh, and the other thick canvas, like the tent itself. We were in Ngiri Tent (“Warthog” tent). Meals were at a larger tent farther away, and after dark a staff member had to escort you back to your tent because, after all, we were in the middle of the Serengeti with wild animals around! We only fastened the mesh closing overnight and could hear animal sounds throughout the night – lions rumbling, hyenas crying, giraffes walking through and munching. It was magical.
Giraffes were everywhere, and very close to our tented camp regularly. Note the gorgeous flat acacia in the first photo above. Acacias have huge thorns but the giraffes are able to eat from them with no problems.
As amazing as yesterday had been in terms of seeing lions, this second day in the Serengeti far surpassed this. It was “honeymoon” season and we saw several pairs of lions/lionesses over the course of the day, including seeing them mate. The lions are completely unconcerned about the Land Cruisers, and we could get right next to them without affecting them in the least. Several times they were close enough that I could have reached right out and touched one – but course would never be that foolish!
Over the course of this wonderful day, we saw buffalo, warthogs, leopard, cheetah, ostrich, baboons, gazelle, and many many elephants. We also saw hyenas, which at the beginning of the safari I would have told you I didn’t like. But Tony pointed out that hyenas and vultures are the clean-up crew of the wild, and incredibly necessary. In addition, when we first arrived at our tented camp, a leopard had just killed a Thompson’s gazelle and placed it in the nook of a tree to eat before being scared off by noise. Hyenas later came back to try to get it but couldn’t, and I felt a little sorry for them, seeing this food that could go to waste just outside their reach. The next day, the staff pushed the carcass out of the tree, and by the time we returned from safari there was nothing left.
I just adored staying in the midst of the Serengeti (including enjoying a Serengeti beer as one clearly must) and seeing the sun come up early the next day. But after two nights, it was time to move on.
Day 4: Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater, another World Heritage Site, is actually misnamed – it is a caldera rather than a crater. A crater, like that at the summit of Kilimanjaro, is formed when rocks and lava explode from the top of a volcano (I walked over miles of volcanic rocks that had been spewed from Kili when climbing the mountain – I mean, climbing the volcano!). A caldera is formed when a volcano becomes extinct as it is emptied of magma, and collapses on itself. Ngorongoro collapsed 2 to 3 million years ago, and is the world’s largest intact and unfilled caldera. It is enormous, 2,000 feet deep and covering 100 square miles. The reason so many people explore it however, is that it is a natural ecosystem for plentiful wildlife, with a few exceptions (there are no giraffes, for instance, and Tony said the legend is that they tried to enter the caldera but tripped on the steep walls and broke their necks – a rather gruesome explanation). Being a natural enclosure, it is easy to see a large number of animals in a relatively short time period. The disadvantage to this enclosure is that populations of animals can become inbred (this is believed to be true of the lions in Ngorongoro).
Right away we saw herds of wildebeest. We saw a few in Serengeti, but the great migration in August has the largest number in Maasai Mara.
Interspersed with the wildebeest were large herds of zebra. We had seen a few in Serengeti but here they were everywhere and very close to our vehicle.
We also got quite close to hippos. There are natural water sources in Ngorongoro that are there year-round.
And my friends, the elephants! We had plenty of close encounters with them in Ngorongoro as well. We searched for a while to see a rhino, but there are few left in the park (for that matter, few left in the wild in general) and we were not able to see one. The edges of the caldera are forested and the rather shy rhinos often hide in those areas.
Heading back to Farm of Dreams Lodge, where we had stayed our first night before heading to the Serengeti, we enjoyed the local musicians, dancers, and acrobats who entertain nightly. I also tried a Safari beer to compare to the Kilimanjaro and Serengeti beers I had sampled earlier (I thought the Kili one was the best – but perhaps that was affected by trying it right after a grueling 8 day climb to the summit and back).
Day 5: Tarangire National Park
This was the last day of an incredible adventure in Tanzania. We packed up everything, ready to go to the airport by the evening, but would spend the day in another national park – Tarangire. The big bones in the photo to the left above are from elephants!
Tarangire is perhaps best known for elephants (it is called an “elephant’s paradise”) and baobab trees (the “upside down” trees, some of which are believed to be over 1,000 years old!), but has an abundance of wildlife.
We enjoyed watching vast groups of baboons.
The elephants did not disappoint! I had been so fortunate on this entire safari to have seen elephants, and so many of them, on every single day.
We left Tarangire and headed to the airport. The trip back was the first thing on the entire adventure that had not gone smoothly. We got to Kilimanjaro Airport, waited in line to check our luggage, and were told that one leg of our journey – the one from Amsterdam to JFK, pretty important – had been canceled with no reason given or notice in advance. Eventually we got home by going from Kilimanjaro to Dar-Es-Salaam, then to Amsterdam, from there to Paris, and then on to JFK. If I had it to do over again I would have booked with Delta rather than KLM as there would have been more direct options and (I suspect) better customer service.
The hectic flights back left little room for reflection at the time. I had left New York City exactly two weeks before, and had successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and enjoyed a wonderful safari. I had also learned so much – about Tanzania, about the land/people/flora/fauna, and about myself. I also made friends there, and a commitment to return. Tony convinced me that I need to go back to the Serengeti in February, when everything is green, the wildebeest are migrating through the southern Serengeti, and baby animals are everywhere. I would also love to spend a few days in Zanzibar, but there was not enough time on this trip given how long it took to climb Kilimanjaro. Going on a safari has been something I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember, and everything about the experience exceeded expectations. We saw far more animals – and much closer up- than I had even dreamed, and sleeping in a tented camp in the middle of the Serengeti was magical.
Karen Blixen (author of the book Out of Africa under the pen name Isak Dinesen) said
“There is something about safari life that makes you forget all your sorrows and feel as if you had drunk half a bottle of champagne — bubbling over with heartfelt gratitude for being alive.”
I completely agree with this. After dreaming of such a safari for my entire life, I now know that -if within my powers to do so – I will be back again. But I will try to keep some of that gratitude for being alive, that feeling of “coming home,” with me. Until next time – kwaheri, my beloved Tanzania.
Julie Brannan, NYC residential real estate 