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The 5 Ingredients for a Perfect WeekendNew Yorker for a Day.By Jorge A. Cordova
Not all of us are lucky enough to live in New York City -- and not everybody would want to -- but few can deny New York’s allure, many visitors are often heard thinking out loud, “I wonder what it would be like to live here …” Well, I do not need to wonder any longer. I recently had the opportunity to pretend to be a New Yorker thanks to a growing trend – affordable, short-term corporate housing being offered to leisure travelers. We all know that New York offers the best big city attractions like great museums, the best theatres and concert halls, high end shopping and fine dining. But lost to many visitors is the small town feel of New York’s neighborhoods -- small town shops and neighborhood bakeries from all over the world for example, which most real small towns don’t have anymore. It is my favorite city because I feel whatever my heart desires, however obscure it may be, I can find it in New York. A real Greek bakery or an authentic Tibetan prayer bowl, it can be found. Of course I don’t need either one on a regular basis and life is probably much more convenient in Dallas, where I live. But for a weekend it is as good as it gets – forget about the cake, just give me the icing.
The apartment was modern, clean, and very functional with a bedroom, separate living room, full kitchen and a decent sized bath. It made me feel as if I lived in the city and wasn’t just another tourist. The kitchen was nicely stocked with most kitchen essentials as well as fresh milk and juice, fruits, cereal and coffee. Cable television and free wireless internet access were a nice plus. After setting up at my new home away from home, I was free to do what none of the locals I know ever do: go to a museum.
Penang stopped me in my tracks because they have a large
front of windows with tables right up to the window. The cutlery caught my eye
first. Very industrial looking forks and spoons, oversized and the best way to
describe would be a long metal straw with the bottom of a fork or spoon welded
to it.
I went in and discovered, that they have a special lunch menu even on Saturdays, which includes a soup and a salad. My chicken dish with fresh green asparagus was delicious, so were soup and salad. The service was fast, friendly and efficient and the prices for all lunch specials were under $10. Amazing. I am fascinated by Middle Eastern and Asian art from
prehistoric to the Middle Ages and the Metropolitan Museum in New York has
plenty of it, and then some. The “Met” (as we locals, even if only for the
weekend, call it) seems overwhelming at first because it is so big. I recommend
you just concentrate on an area or two and it can be done in one afternoon. I have been to many of the famous museums in Europe like the Louvre, the Prado and the Uffizi and I think no other museum has so much variety with so much depth. Are there any Rodin sculptures left outside New York? On my way out, I stopped at the American Paintings which some of them are remarkable and some are not, but what I thought was the best thing I had ever experienced in a museum, was the concise 100 word explanations of each painting instead of just giving name, artist and year.
Kitchenette came highly recommended and with a staunch warning to go early. I am glad I listened. When I arrived with some friends, the place was packed, but the line was mercifully short and the wait was only about 10 minutes. Kitchenette is extremely popular for weekend brunch, it
only has about 10 tables. I had Cherry pancakes, which are made out of a secret
four grain mixture with plenty of black cherries. This was a simple but very
tasty dish.
Kitchenette was a great choice because it reinforced my home away from home theme. The food was the the kind you wished your mother would make and it was a place extremely popular with “real” New Yorkers. I enjoyed my whirlwind weekend—mostly because I had all the joys of New York—a plethora of restaurants, great museums and more. And I didn’t have to worry about taking out the trash or rent increases. Where to stay: The Hudson Building/ Archstone 101 West End, 101 West End Ave., New York, NY 10023. Reservations: Metro Home rents apartments for weeks or weekends at The Hudson Building and many other great locations in New York City. You can call them at (800) 987-1235 or make all arrangements on their website www.metro-home.com. Prices at The Hudson Building range from $1350 for a studio and $2050 for a 1-bedroom per week. Where to Eat: Penang Malaysian Restaurant, 240 Columbus Ave, New York, 10023 - (212) 769-3988. Check their website for more locations www.penangusa.com . Lunch specials under $10 including a soup or a salad. Kitchenette Uptown 1272 Amsterdam Ave at 123rd St, Harlem
NY. (212) 531-7600 Where to go: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street, New York, NY 10028-0198, (212) 535-7710 and www.metmuseum.org Images by Jorge A. Cordova, Metro Home and Penang Malaysian Cuisine S.M. |
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TM
To feel like a New Yorker, I opted to stay in a real
apartment building on the Upper West Side. Metro Home offers corporate housing
and rents apartments for the weekend and set me up in The Hudson Building.
On the way to the museum I stopped for lunch at Penang
Malaysian Restaurant on Columbus. I had not bothered to look in any guide or ask
for lunch recommendations, which seemed kind of foolish as I was passing one
restaurant after the other and trying to decide which one was best.
The plates were big and square with the food arranged in a very elegant
way.
I
love Chinese pottery and the Met has a very sizable collection, even though most
of it is out in the hallways and in the gallery because of renovations.
After a long evening with old friends and a short night in
“my” apartment, I went for brunch to Kitchenette in Harlem, right down the
street from Columbia University.
The true winners of the brunch menu were a famous pair of siblings –
Hansel & Gretel. Hansel is a baked gingerbread French toast and Gretel is French
toast made out of delicious pound cake baked on the premises.