Staten Island

Upon arrival in the states, I purchased a number of "free Manhattan" books. Knowing what to do, for cheap, is never going to hurt around here.

The Staten Island ferry is a pretty good example of this. Unlike the ferrys to Liberty Island (where the statue resides), or Ellis Island (where new immigrants had to go on their passage to the land of the free), this is a regular free ferry service, laid on to serve the guys and galls who live on the Staten Isle. My tax dollars are paying for it, so why not take advantage of the service.

As you can see on the map below, Staten Island is quite a way below Manhattan, much further than Liberty island, etc, but the boat is faster and the trip only takes about half an hour.

The boat trip really is the main draw, as the area of the island around the ferry port is fairly rundown so unless you get a bus deeper in, it isn't really worth a wander.

One attraction that is worth visiting on the island is a huge sculpture of a couple of envelopes, which was built to commemorate 9/11. It's a short walk from the ferry port, and has a nature reserve next to it.

It has the profiles and details of many of the heroes who died serving their country by rescuing people from the twin towers, etc... It's a pretty extraordinary thing.

(So as not to mislead, I should clarify that you pass far closer to the statue of liberty than this, but I just preferred this photo).

Good Statue of Liberty fact, as you probably all know, it was built by the French to commemorate the US independence from their evil british governors. However, you may not know that 

a) It was designed and constructed by the very same Gustave Eiffel who had previously built a fairly well known tower in Paris, and 

b) while it was designed to be unveiled on Independence day in 1876, the construction overran to such a degree that on Independence day all they had to show was a massive arm and a head. The rest of the statue wasn't completed until ten years later. Relations between the US and France haven't been the same since. Probably.

So to conclude. If you want to get a closer look at the statue of liberty without paying to visit the island, then the Staten Island boat is a pretty damned good way of doing that, but the island itself isn't really worth visiting unless you're prepared to spend the day exploring further away from the dock.

Spiritual Guidence

If I'm going to see a Psychic Therapist, I like to have their occupation picked out in pink neon lettering. Nothing says, "Take me seriously" quite like it.

Life Underground

The MTA here is the same as TFL in London. And like TFL they also commission art for the subway.

There are lots of posters and prints around, but these little guys are some of my favourites. They are almost hidden in various places in certain stations around the subway.

They are called Life Underground by Tom Otterness

You can read more about them here:

http://www.mta.info/mta/aft/permanentart/permart.html?agency=n&line=L&station=9&artist=1&img=1&xdev=840

OOF

As seen in MoMA.

Top of the Rock

We wanted to see New York from above. Normally the Empire State Building is the tall structure of choice around these parts, but on the advice of a new friend here, we went to the top of the Rockefeller Building, as it allows you to see the Empire State Building. See, we box clever around here. All the tall buildings here are outrageously expensive, but cheaper than a helicopter tour, so we paid our dues and took to the sky just as it was getting dark.

Stop. Ballet time.

The New York City Ballet is housed in the amazing Lincoln Center. Three beautiful 1970s buildings that comprise the locations of the New York Ballet, Philharmonic and Opera. It's recently been renovated and is amazing inside. Rather than the recently rejuvenation of the London Opera, which has a completely new interior, this feels like being right back in the 1970s when everything was crispy and new (and brown).

So, for those of you who know me (which I'd hope is anyone reading this), you may ask, why did I go to this centre of culture? Well, I answer, because my girlfriend has slightly more refined tastes than myself and I thought she'd enjoy it. Luckily, she loved it. Rather more surprisingly, so did I. I wouldn't have thought I'd have ever enjoyed going to the ballet, but the spectacle was wonderful and sold me completely.

Anyway, some photos of the place:

The outside from the middle of the complex.

The four floor high lobby space

The interior of the theatre.
If it looks like we are far away from the action, it's because we are. Because, well, frankly, I'm poor and these were the best seats we could afford. None the less, they were bang in the middle and were easily close enough to see every detail.

The giant hanging light is astonishing in real life. It's huge and reminds me an artistic version of the giant glitter ball at Koko (in London).

(both me and Anne got told off for taking photos, twice in my case)

Rosa Mexicana Guacamole

Another restaurant review, but this time, just of one dish.

Rosa Mexicana is a small chain of 3 or 4 places in New York that do pretty damned good mexican food. However, the real star of the show is their outstanding guacamole.

This is made freshly in front of you, and is simply a mix of avocados, chopped tomatoes, jalapeños, onions, coriander and salt.

It's then expertly mashed by the man below.

It even comes in a giant stone mashing mortar for effect.

The rest of the meal was very good, but there was part of me that wondered if I shouldn't have just had it again as a main course.

Brooklyn Bridge

I discovered recently that the Brooklyn Bridge is a short hop skip and jump away from my apartment, and on a sunny day I can't think of a better way of getting into Manhattan.

Thank Dog

A wonderfully named daycare centre for your cats and dogs

Good name, good logo. Ridiculous concept.

Shakshuka recipe

There are versions of this wonderful brunch dish in the brilliant Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi and Real Food Fast by Nigel Slater. It's a great "whatever-i-have-in-the-fridge" dish.

The version here is based on the Ottolenghi recipe, with a few tweeks I've made to make it simpler, quicker, and for less people.

Shakshuka
Serves 2 (or 1 very hungry person)


Basic ingredients:

180ml light olive oil or vegetable oil

1 large onions, sliced

2  peppers, cut into 2cm strips

1 tin of tomatoes

4 free-range eggs

salt and pepper

A frying pan with a lid

Ottolenghi also suggests:

½ tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp muscovado sugar

2 bay leaves

3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked and chopped

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 tbsp chopped coriander, plus extra to garnish

½ tsp saffron threads

Cayenne pepper

I also suggest:

Pesto

Hummus

Bacon (or other strongly flavoured meats)

Aubergine 

Mushrooms

Any other veg, spices or herbs you have lying around

At the heart of this dish is a mix of onions, peppers and tomatoes with a few eggs cracked onto it. Everything else just adds more flavour and depends on how you're feeling.

Method:

1. In a very large pan add the oil and onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the peppers and any other vegetables you like that appreciate a bit of colour, and continue cooking on a high heat for 5-10 minutes to get a nice colour. 

 You can also add 

muscovado sugar at this point. If you want to add dry spices like cumin seeds, dry-fry them for 2 minutes before adding the oil and vegetables.

2. Add the tomatoes and some salt and pepper (also the saffron, cayenne, etc).  Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10-15 minutes. During the cooking you can add some water so that the mix has a pasta sauce consistency. At this point you can also throw in pesto, some old hummus or any other saucy things that might add to the mix. Even a bit of hot sauce or lime pickle can be tasty. Taste and adjust the seasoning. (You can prepare this mix well in advance.) 

3. Make four gaps in the pepper mix and carefully break an egg into each gap. Sprinkle with salt and cover the pan with a lid. At this point me and Yotam have different opinions. I suggest cooking on a medium heat for 5 minutes, but he says, cook on a very (!) gentle heat for 10-12 minutes, or until the eggs are just set. I've tried both ways, mine is quicker. Sprinkle with coriander (if you have any) and serve.

4. Eat