A Visit to the High Line, 2014

Paul and I generally visited the High Line -- a long park set on and around a pair of railroad tracks on Manhattan's west side -- once a year. This year was no different, even if we don't live there anymore.

But since our days to visit were limited to our one week of vacation in New York, we didn't have the luxury of choosing a cool, pleasant day. It was bright and hot. We prepped by first enjoying the air conditioning in the nearby Chelsea Market. Then it was off to the park to see the views.

The question we probably asked when we first moved to NY.

At Chelsea Market, before the park.

Dessert and A/C!!! at Chelsea Market

I was still in New York on my birthday in July, and it was about 200 degrees.

That's an exaggeration, but not by much. It was miserable. And even if it wasn't quite 200 outside, the temperature in the stifling subway elevators couldn't have been too far from that number.

But I couldn't sit home all day on my birthday, even if it was tempting to park myself directly in front of our apartment's lone air conditioner. So as the afternoon wore on, I packed up Edith and we went to Chelsea Market.

Chelsea Market is an indoor restaurant and shopping boutique located in a building that used to house the National Biscuit Company. The building that once churned out Saltines, Mallomars and Oreos is now filled with shops that sell wine, lobster and specialty cupcakes.

On beautiful spring days, Chelsea Market can feel dreary. The shops are all on the ground floor (I believe offices fill the remainder of the building), and there aren't many windows. But in the middle of a heatwave, the air conditioning is a godsend. In six months it will also be a great destination: It's the perfect place when it's freezing cold outside and you need a place that isn't a museum to while away an hour or two.

I like Chelsea Market's desserts, but I also like just looking around the building.

On my birthday, I visited Chelsea Market not only for the air conditioning, but for a specific dessert at Amy's Bread (more about that on Friday). I'm also a fan of the brownies at Fat Witch Bakery and the cupcakes at Eleni's. The range of desserts also make the market a good stop on the way to the High Line.

The takeaway: If you're in Chelsea, stop by the market. The nearby High Line is rightfully a very popular attraction, and Chelsea Market is worthwhile as a slight detour. Get a bite to eat. I've never tried the restaurants there, but they are crowded and look fantastic.

But if you have only a limited amount of time in New York and don't plan on visiting the neighborhood, I think it's not worth a special trip. Unless it's 200 degrees outside.

I visit Chelsea Market for the desserts,
but aren't the spices purty?

Doughnut Plant: Bigger and Better

It's food week here at Pay a Visit! Today: breakfast. Wednesday: The main course. Friday: Dessert. Now let's start eating.

Calling today's topic "breakfast" may be a misnomer. That's because the doughnuts at the Doughnut Plant are just as much a dessert as anything you'd eat with your morning coffee. But it doesn't matter when you eat them as long as you do.

Paul and I went to the original Doughnut Factory on the Lower East Side in 2010, and I had a delicious blackout chocolate cake doughnut. Since then, a second outpost opened in the Chelsea Hotel, and I was eager to try it. A visit to New York by my friend Sarah gave me the perfect opportunity.

The Chelsea location is much better than the Lower East Side one; not only is it more convenient to the subway lines I use the most, but it actually has seating. Sarah and I didn't get seats under the doughnut-shaped wall hangings, but we did snag a pair of bar stools along the wall.

For doughnuts, the offerings are expensive: around $3 apiece. Another reason to think of them as dessert: they're cheap compared to a good bake shop's slices of cake or pie. That way I can justify buying two doughnuts.

This time I tried the rich Valrhona chocolate yeast doughnut, and a tres leches cake doughnut with a ribbon of cream in the middle.

Also consider the cost of your doughnut(s) as admission to the fancy disco-style bathroom with little mirrors covering the entire space. I'm kind of glad I didn't have to actually use it, but I would have liked to see more than just the peak I sneaked when someone else had to use the restroom. Next time. And maybe a separate post.

A Visit to the High Line, Section 2

Section 2 of the High Line opened in June, and Paul and I wasted no time in getting a look.

The High Line -- a park constructed stories about the streets on old train tracks -- opened to much acclaim in 2009. (You can read about our initial visit to the High Line that summer.) Section 2 doubles the length of the park to about 20 blocks.

We visited on a warm Saturday evening , along with hundreds (if not thousands) of others. The crowds made the High Line not as pleasant as I'm sure it normally would be, but it was still as interesting.

The greenery isn't as prevalent as in, say, Central Park. However, the grasses and flowers are woven into interesting architectural details, like benches, frames and hideaways almost -- but not quite -- hidden from view. Here are some of the highlights:

A full curved bench

A reverse billboard that frames the street below

Taking a rest

New age bird feeders ...

... up close

Rainbow City in New York City

One of the best things about living in New York -- and I imagine it's the same in every big city -- is that you never know what's around the corner.

There could, for example, be a playground of giant, muti-colored, striped balloons.

Paul and I were just steps from the entrance to the newest section of the High Line, a New York City park I'll be writing more about on this blog next week. But we stopped in our tracks when we came across Rainbow City.

I had never heard of it and knew even less. I gathered that it was sponsored by AOL, and found out a little more about it's history here.

View from above, on the High Line

It really didn't matter anyway. I was attracted to the bright colors like a moth to a flame. It felt like I was prancing around not just in any cartoon, but in anime.

Rainbow City was just one of those things you can't plan for but you can always count on in New York.