My husband retired last year, marking a new transition for us. As we considered how to commemorate this milestone, our thoughts turned back to the early years of our careers, when we had each spent a considerable amount of time with assignments in New York City (he with Colgate-Palmolive and me with Brown & Williamson). It had been love at first sight (with the city!), and so we were inspired to take ourselves back to New York to celebrate.
We booked a stay in a hotel we like near Times Square, and we decided to revisit a few old haunts but mostly explore new-to-us places, relying on the subway and walking to get around. Take a look at where our feet led us, and draw some inspiration for your own next trip!
Day 2
After a breakfast of fruit and classic New York bagels, we got back on the subway to head to the southernmost tip of Brooklyn and Coney Island. Coney Island’s amusement park, hot dogs, vibrant colors, boardwalk, and adjacent Brighton Beach lived up to everything I’d imagined! Fun fact: turns out the “original world famous” Nathan’s Hot Dogs truly did originate in Coney Island. In 1916, Nathan Handwerker, a Polish Jewish immigrant and early entrepreneur, sold nickel hot dogs at his stand that was started with a $300 loan from friends and his wife’s secret spice recipe. Today, Nathan’s is the most famous hot dog in the world, found in restaurants and supermarkets across the globe.
The live music scene in New York is, of course, thriving, but for us it was a special thrill to see our son’s band play their Brooklyn show, a stop on their tour of the northeast. The excited crowd sang along and danced as Miki Fiki played at the stylish venue The Sultan Room. Prior to the show, we explored the charming neighborhood, found a beautiful outdoor garden pub, and were lucky to catch the band for dinner together prior to their sound check.
Days 3 and 4
We filled in the next couple days by seeing The Notebook on Broadway and sightseeing on land and water: a walk on the Chelsea High Line, a ‘Best of NYC’ boat tour with Circle Line, and even a stop at the best photography store, usually only accessible to us out-of-towners online — hello, B & H! There are so many sites to see and things to do in NYC that you will never run out no matter how many visits you make, as we proved to ourselves on this mini-vacation.
Story and photos by Patti Hartog
P.S. If you missed it, check out part 1 of this article here.
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