A Fork And A Suitcase

This wonderful park has been here since 1842.  In the 70's it was a gross and dangerous place, avoided by most New Yorkers.  It went through a transformation in the 80's and now it is a beautiful, safe park surrounded by skyscrapers. The northern and southern sides of the park are bordered by London Plane trees (same species found at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris). You can take a spin on Le Carrousel and listen to Edith Piaf sing "Non, je ne regrette rien". Play ping - pong or ice skate The annual Holiday Fair in Bryant Park (Oct 26th-Jan 6th) is a wonderful activity for the whole family.    There are over 100 boutique-style shops. Where else can you find a syringe filled with milk chocolate? There are places to have lunch or a snack.  I had a cookie, a nutella crepe and a pretzel ( I am a strong believer in healthy eating). There is just something so delicately romantic a

  One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is to stroll through Henri Bendel.  There is just something about the white and brown stripes that is incredibly appealing, all the cute packaging, the  colorful nick nacks, I love it all.  Henri Bendel was a milliner who opened a store in Greenwich Village in 1895.  He was the first to bring Coco Chanel to the United States from Paris and also launched many designers including Diane von Furstenberg.  Bendel's supports upcoming designers through its "open sale", at which vendors can present merchandise to corporate buyers and get a chance to sell in the Fifth  avenue store.  I went to one of these and it was a lot of fun, I got to see some incredibly talented people. These are perfect little gifts.  Some are sweet some salty but all beautifully packaged.                                                                                                                                                      

Name one thing you couldn't, just really could not live without?  For me, it is bread...and tea...and pastries, but mostly bread.  Until a few years ago, we New Yorkers, have been very bread poor.  Sure, we had some fairly decent bakeries, but nothing to really walk 20 blocks for, in the rain, without an umbrella.  Things have changed, my friends.... My 3 favorites are: Pain D'Avignon This is a tiny place at the Essex Street Market Sullivan Street Bakery This is a delicious bread, truccione sare, a rustic sourdough.  I love it with a bit of salted butter, jam or roasted garlic. Their strecci - made with pizza dough, plain or with tomatoes is delicious, my favorite is with garlic. Can't go wrong with the yummy bomboloni, Italian doughnuts with vanilla or jam.  (More on doughnuts next week) Maison Kayser How I love him...... Mr. Kayser opened this bakery-cafe a few months ago and it has been a big success.  He

  I love to wake up early in the morning to catch that perfect sunrise or to stay up way late to see the lights come on.  The Lower East Side is filled with great photo opportunities. Some of my favorite photo spots in NYC are: A great park by the West Side Highway (above) Gantry Plaza State Park, Long Island Queens (above & below) Flushing Meadow Park, World's Fair, in Queens (below) Top of The Rock, Manhattan, $25 per ticket, you can print your tickets online to save time.  Go all the way to the very top.

I will be up and ready 11/15/12 Please come back for good stuff