Goodbye, New York

Oh how I love New York. It is hard to describe the magic of New York City to someone who has never visited. I have close family who have yet to visit me here, and they always seem baffled that I live here. (“Is it dirty?” “Are there a ton of people everywhere?”) I get it.  Parts of the City are dirty.  It can smell pretty horrendous in July.  It’s crowded, especially in the Times Square area. But New York City is so much greater and better than those momentary frustrations (which every place on the planet has in some respect). There is an intersection of cultures and people here that is so rare.  It is amazing how often you turn a corner and spot something completely original, fascinating, or just plain cool.

Piano, in Washington Square Park.

Is that a little apartment built on top of that building? (Chelsea)

Cool, yet spooky, community garden in the East Village.

It’s a clock!  Telling us the time, and the time remaining, in Union Square.

A perfect little house wedged in among buildings, East Village

People always think New Yorkers are stand-offish. They assume they are so accustomed to crazy things happening around them they don’t notice other people.  I have found the exact opposite to be true.  If anything, New Yorkers think everything is their business. They feel that they can comment on anything or interject themselves into any conversation because there is a certain amount of anonymity to living here, but also because it is understood among New Yorkers that we are willing to share our experiences with others. That’s why we live here. To be anonymous, yes, but not to be invisible. I remember when I first moved here my husband and I bought a piece of furniture at Housing Works and as I stood on the sidewalk with it while my husband paid inside, 3 or 4 people stopped to comment on it. (“How are you getting that home?” “You should refinish the bottom part there, it looks like it’s had some water damage.” “Nice Art Deco piece, what did you pay for it?”) I was on the phone with my sister who lives in Wyoming and she said, during the third interruption, “Wow, New Yorkers are bold, aren’t they?” Yes, they are, in such a lovely way.

I have so many moments that flash through my mind when thinking of New York. Like the time I stepped off the subway and saw the little black boy wearing his Jewish friend’s yarmulke and watching them laugh hysterically when people did a double take. The celebrity sightings, which you have to be too cool to acknowledge. The tranquility of the Central Park Zoo in February, or Central Park anytime.   The proximity of poverty to grandeur. The constant reminder that our fellow New Yorkers can be obnoxious, but are just as often fascinating and entertaining.

My oldest, demonstrating her New York City attitude

It is so hard for me to leave this City that I have adopted as my own. When I moved here I was a twenty-something following her boyfriend to the City of his dreams. Over the past ten years I fell in love with the City too, married that boy, and had two children. I have found it to be a great place to have small children. I have never for a moment felt isolated or bored because there is so much to do and so many cool moms and kids to hang with. People wonder how you navigate the City with children.  That part is easy.   My children have loved it too. They have loved the parks, the playgrounds,   Have hung with the local wildlife,

Yes, she’s kissing a worm.  She’s got a little Wyoming in her after all.

Have loved taking every kind of public transportation imaginable,

Metro North Train

Two old ladies waiting for the bus

Amtrak (don’t try this at home)

Old reliable, the subway

Sometimes they even walk. But, let’s face it, they often end up like this: They have tasted some of the best food on the planet Oysters at Fish (West Village) Grom’s Ice Cream (West Village, among other locations) Pommes Frites, East Village 
Baguette from the Silver Moon Bakery-UWS

(It is hard to find a food photo that doesn’t have one of their fat little fists grasping for the food) Cornelia Street Cafe, West Village

And have hung with the coolest cats in town:

Eat your heart out, Williamsburg! (Bohemian Beer Garden, Queens)

But, because of those two rascals, who have done things to my heart I did not know possible, it has become clear that it is time to leave this City. Quite simply, our family needs some things we can’t have here, like affordable preschools and even a backyard! And so I say, with sadness, goodbye-New York for real. But, that doesn’t mean I still won’t love you from afar.

I have never understood al fresco dining in New York City. It is either too hot or too cold. Inevitably you are placed on a busy sidewalk adjacent to a busy street and are assaulted by diesel fumes, people who stare at your food, and the occasional stranger who wants to stop and chat. So, when I strolled into La Lanterna Caffe one freezing January day and was asked if I wanted to sit outside I balked “of course not.” Then I spent the rest of my lunch staring mournfully at those seated outside at the in the glass-covered and heated winter garden. (I know, duh, it says so on the sign.)

The glass ceiling is surrounded by old brick buildings covered in vines and these enormous and colorful (heated) lamps are placed among the tables. The food is also really good.  They have a large Italian menu and know how to lightly dress a green salad.

There are inexpensive wines by the glass and lots of good espresso drinks if you plan to stay awhile. If outdoor dining really isn’t your thing, the inside is also quite charming.

Where It Is and Why I’ll Miss It: Just south of Washington Square Park at 129 MacDougal Street; a nice al fresco dining experience where you might actually want to stay awhile.

After visiting Levain Bakery and Jacques Torres Chocolate, and purchasing an enormous bag of pastilles from the latter, I was inspired to try to create one of those enormous, soft on the inside, yet toasted on the outside cookies from Levaine.  While at Jacques Torres, I noticed a sign next to the pastilles that described a recipe published in the New York Times a few years ago for a  “Jacques Torres” chocolate chip cookie.  When I returned home I looked it up online, anticipating whipping it up that afternoon.  Unfortunately, the recipe calls for cake flour, bread flour, and 24 hours chilling time in the refrigerator.  At the end of the day, I just didn’t have the stamina to leave the house to purchase bread flour and then try to jam trays of cookies in my teeny tiny fridge for the allotted time.  Also, I needed to move fast because the bag of pastilles had been opened and they were disappearing at an alarming rate.  Instead, I decided to rely on my old favorite: Martha Stewart’s chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with walnuts.  I used the pastilles in place of the chocolate chips and was rewarded with gooey cookies that were nonetheless a little too crispy on the bottom of edges.

While eating four or five of those, I contemplated how I might achieve that Levain-like texture, and decided I would form the remaining dough into oversized balls, place them in a freezer-safe ziploc bag, and slide them in the freezer.

A few days later I took a few out, lowered the cooking temperature by 25 degrees while adding about 5 minutes cook time and Eureka!  I had a slightly crispy outer coating and an oozing chocolate core from those large pastilles.

Even better, they were just oozing with chocolate on the inside, as evidenced by the spatula I used to transfer them to the cooling rack.

Now, whenever I make cookie dough, I roll them into balls and place them in the freezer.  That way I can cook a few at a time, or eat a frozen ball at midnight if I crave one.  That’s not weird, is it?  My youngest certainly doesn’t think so…

Oozy Chocolate Chip Cookies:  (Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Oatmeal Cookies)

1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon backing powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup chocolate pastilles (or 12 ounces good quality chocolate, chopped into chunks)
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

(1) Heat oven to 325 degrees.  Combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter in an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Starting with the mixer on low speed and increasing until it is on medium, beat until the mixture is creamy and fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add the eggs and vanilla extract, then scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and mix to combine.

(2) Combine the rolled oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and wheat germ in a large bowl, and stir to combine.  Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture, then mix on low speed just to combine, 10 to 15 seconds.  Remove the bowl from mixer stand and stir in chocolate chunks.

(3) Line the baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.  Use a large ice cream scoop to form balls of dough.  Place the balls of dough about 4 inches apart on baking pans.  Bake until golden and just set, about 18 minutes (or 22 minutes if frozen).  Remove from oven. Let cool on pan 4 to 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.