There's No Leaving New York (Part 1)
I found myself in New York City four times in the past five years. Each time, I've done something different and was always left wanting. There's something about NYC that makes me feel like I'm smack dab in the middle of the American dream, surrounded by trash and opportunity.
A whirlwind weekend in September 2018
There's no leaving New York, Matt Berninger sang, or rather, yelled, into the microphone at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens. That was the whole reason for this weekend trip - to see The National in New York City. Completely tired, but completely worth it. The National put on a two-day music festival, curated by them in a tennis stadium, over an hour away from Manhattan via subway.
I flew in early on Saturday morning, barely caught a wink of sleep. Took the Long Island Rail Road into Manhattan. Got a metro pass. Took the subway to Brooklyn. Got to my cousin's place. Crashed. Met up with my friend, and we all went to brunch at this place called Le Barricou, home of the fluffiest pancake I've ever laid eyes upon, topped with strawberry butter. It was wonderful. Hung out in Williamsburg for a bit, then headed over to the stadium. It was a trek and a half. Despite having an extensive public transportation system, it still took forever to get to from Brooklyn to Queens.
Needless to say, the festival was wonderful. The National played two nights in a row and brought supporting acts that were all amazing performers - the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Cat Power, US Girls, the list goes on. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit played, and I never really listened to them before. A combination of country and rock, I really enjoyed the energy of the band and their set. I teared up a bit when they played "If We Were Vampires". We made it back to Manhattan after the first night and grabbed some pizza from Joe's Pizza, near Times Square. I think it's a relatively new location (there are four), but the pizza was on par with the original in Greenwich Village. In my opinion, the best and most consistent slice in NYC!
Sunday morning, I took a stroll around Bed-Stuy, and came across a lovely cafe called BKG Coffee Roasters. Had an Americano - it was so good, I left with a bag of coffee beans (Dragoon blend, $14 for 12oz). Then I went to Dough Doughnuts to grab a couple doughnuts, and they were really good (albeit, quite sweet at times). The shop is cute and quite small, there was a long line outside. The doughnuts were yeasty brioche-y goodness. Made our way, again to Queens and enjoyed another day full of great music, what I especially enjoyed was the fact that The National played some songs they don't usually play at their shows these days, songs like So Far Around the Bend (below) and covers of songs, like Maybe Not by Cat Power. But they also made sure to keep it familiar, like having a singalong of Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks with the audience.
After the festival, we decided to get some hot dogs, because there's nothing like street meat late in the night. We got some hot dogs from Crif Dogs because Anthony Bourdain went there (I thought it was overpriced and overrated), and Papaya Dog (also recommended by Tony but this place was cheaper).
Before the crack of dawn on Monday, I headed out to the airport to catch my flight home. I was exhausted but definitely a worthwhile trip full of wonderful music and food!
A whirlwind weekend in September 2018
There's no leaving New York, Matt Berninger sang, or rather, yelled, into the microphone at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens. That was the whole reason for this weekend trip - to see The National in New York City. Completely tired, but completely worth it. The National put on a two-day music festival, curated by them in a tennis stadium, over an hour away from Manhattan via subway.
I flew in early on Saturday morning, barely caught a wink of sleep. Took the Long Island Rail Road into Manhattan. Got a metro pass. Took the subway to Brooklyn. Got to my cousin's place. Crashed. Met up with my friend, and we all went to brunch at this place called Le Barricou, home of the fluffiest pancake I've ever laid eyes upon, topped with strawberry butter. It was wonderful. Hung out in Williamsburg for a bit, then headed over to the stadium. It was a trek and a half. Despite having an extensive public transportation system, it still took forever to get to from Brooklyn to Queens.
Needless to say, the festival was wonderful. The National played two nights in a row and brought supporting acts that were all amazing performers - the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Cat Power, US Girls, the list goes on. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit played, and I never really listened to them before. A combination of country and rock, I really enjoyed the energy of the band and their set. I teared up a bit when they played "If We Were Vampires". We made it back to Manhattan after the first night and grabbed some pizza from Joe's Pizza, near Times Square. I think it's a relatively new location (there are four), but the pizza was on par with the original in Greenwich Village. In my opinion, the best and most consistent slice in NYC!
Sunday morning, I took a stroll around Bed-Stuy, and came across a lovely cafe called BKG Coffee Roasters. Had an Americano - it was so good, I left with a bag of coffee beans (Dragoon blend, $14 for 12oz). Then I went to Dough Doughnuts to grab a couple doughnuts, and they were really good (albeit, quite sweet at times). The shop is cute and quite small, there was a long line outside. The doughnuts were yeasty brioche-y goodness. Made our way, again to Queens and enjoyed another day full of great music, what I especially enjoyed was the fact that The National played some songs they don't usually play at their shows these days, songs like So Far Around the Bend (below) and covers of songs, like Maybe Not by Cat Power. But they also made sure to keep it familiar, like having a singalong of Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks with the audience.
After the festival, we decided to get some hot dogs, because there's nothing like street meat late in the night. We got some hot dogs from Crif Dogs because Anthony Bourdain went there (I thought it was overpriced and overrated), and Papaya Dog (also recommended by Tony but this place was cheaper).
Before the crack of dawn on Monday, I headed out to the airport to catch my flight home. I was exhausted but definitely a worthwhile trip full of wonderful music and food!
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