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New York day 2 – Lady Liberty and Katz’s Deli

by Jeanne Horak on December 5, 2006 7 Comments in New York restaurants, USA

And I dreamed I was flying
And high up above eyes could clearly see
The Statue of Liberty,
Sailing away to sea
     –    Simon & Garfunkel

As is always the case when I fly to America, I was up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at about 07h00 the next morning, raring to go! (I think this uncharacteristic early rising is a combination of my body not being sure which time zone it’s in, and going to bed at the ridiculously early hour of 10pm!).  But this time we were prepared – we simply scheduled an early morning activity for our first full day in New York.  The Cosmopolitan Hotel doesn’t serve breakfast (or, indeed, any meals), but there is a Starbucks right next door and that’s where we headed, since the one country in the world where I don’t feel bad about patronising Starbucks is the USA 😉  I was thrilled to find that they were once again selling seasonal pumpkin spice lattes (that’s gingerbread lattes to the Brits – all of whom seem to find the aforementioned name a bit scary!) and that’s exactly what I had, topped with gratuitous whipped cream, of course.  Nick also got me a pumpkin scone (you see the theme here?!) which was good but the sweet icing drizzled on top was completely unnecessary in my book…

From our hotel, we walked down to Battery Park, a route which led us directly past Ground Zero.  It was quite startling to come upon it by accident rather than setting out to see it, and I must say that even after five years it is still a somber and moving place.  Also, it was so early on a Sunday morning that there was nobody around, which gave the place a particularly post-apocalyptic feel.  Almost involuntarily, your eyes are drawn upwards, trying to trace the outlines of where the buildings used to be.  But more on Ground Zero in a later post – on this occasion we did not linger and made our way down to Battery Park to brave the icy breeze and join the queue for the 08h45 Circle Line ferry – which turned into the 09h30 ferry because Circle Line had changed to their winter timetable but neglected to mentioned this little change of timetable on their website.  Grrrr.  Anyway, it gave us time to have out breakfast and marvel at how lucky we were with the weather – clear, crisp and sunny.  Before we could board the ferry, there was an airport-style security check and metal detector (even watches had to be removed). But at least we got to keep our shoes on! Got a space on the top deck of the ferry outside so we had a glorious view of lower Manhattan receding from us as we pulled out into the bay.

 

Liberty Island Ferry view New York

 

First stop was Liberty Island for the Statue of Liberty – she may not be that big compared to a skyscraper, but she is still impressive and iconic and very cool, particularly as the ferry draws up underneath her to dock. Everyone piled off the boat and sprinted for the next queue (the joys of travel!). The queue was not so much for the statue as for more security. First you have to lock big bags in a locker, then your small bags & cameras go through an X-ray machine and you go through a machine where you stand inside a cubicle and 3 high-power jets of air are shot at you from both sides – one at calf level, one at waist level and one at shoulder level. No idea how it works – but appealing in a vaguely kinky sort of way… :o). Eventually we arrived in the base of the statue and joined a short tour.  Find out that the original designer of the statue intended it to be a lighthouse with the light coming out of the crown – the torch was solid metal. But… the Americans decided to “improve” the French design and cut holes (!!) in the metal of the torch to create a metal and glass lattice into which they could put a light. Within decades, this cunning plan had caused water to get into the metal interior which caused the metal to rust & weaken, which necessitated a major refurbishment and the replacement of the whole torch. From there we went up to the top of the base of the statue from where you can look up into its lit interior and see the remarkable way it’s put together – but you can no longer enter the statue since the 11 September 2001 attacks.  After a quick walk through the museum describing the statue’s history and a few panoramic views of Manhattan, it was back to the ferry.

 

View of Manhattan from Liberty Island

 

Next stop was Ellis Island, immigration gateway to the USA for many years.  Nick was particularly keen to visit as his great grandfather actually came through Ellis Island before ending up in South Africa. I wasn’t expecting much, I must admit, but it turned out to be one of the most evocative museums I have been to. The main reception room (pictured on the left) where immigrants awaited processing has been beautifully restored and you can clearly recognise it in contemporary pictures of immigrants waiting to enter the US. In the luggage room below, there was a display of the luggage they brought with them on the long voyage form Europe as well as a fascinating museum about US immigration. There was a great 3D graphic showing where the most immigrants came from in which decades. There was a definite wave of western Europeans, followed by Eastern Europeans, followed by Asians. But the biggest influx of the past decade by far is from South and Central America. Also scattered all around are a series of astounding black and white photos taken in the early 1900s by Augustus Frederick Sherman, a registry clerk and an amateur photographer, who attempted to document all the immigrants that came through Ellis Island, each dressed in national dress.  The photos are extraordinarily poignant and the faces haunting, reflecting both the hardships of the journey and a resolute determination to find a new life in America. I found myself welling up with tears in front of many of the portraits – what a leap of faith to make. From there we moved to the family research section of the museum and I must say it is a very organised set-up. You pay a flat fee for 30 minutes of computer access and can use this time to search their shipping records database for names of relatives who may have passed through there.  With a bit of patience, Nick quickly found his great-grandfather’s name on a scanned image of the original passenger manifest of the ship that he arrived on.  And of course, he could not resist buying both a copy of the manifest and a photo of the ship!

 

Ellis Island luggage hall

 

 

From there, it was back to Manhattan and a quick subway ride over to the Lower East Side.  We walked for what seemed like an eternity (there are some real dead zones in Manhattan in terms of subway stations!) and FINALLY… arrived on the doorstep of Katz’s Deli. For those of you who don’t know, this is purportedly the oldest New York deli, made famous in When Harry Met Sally – where she fakes an orgasm in the middle of the restaurant – and they mark the actual spot with a little sign that says “I hope you have what she had!” Ho ho ho. Luckily we got there outside of the rush (it was like 3pm by then) as the place was pretty packed and I’d HATE to see it at lunchtime! The room was bigger than I expected, but exactly as I had picured a New York deli in other respects.  There are slightly scuffed tables and a HUGE deli counter where you can order your food either to take away or eat in (the advantage being that you get to taste the meat before they slap it on your sandwich). As you enter, you are handed a ticket which is what you use to order and hand back when you leave in order to be charged the correct amount.  If you are going to order from the counter, hand this ticket to the server behind the counter when asking for your meat and make sure you get it ack once he’s marked it.  However, Nick and I were both tired and hungry and not in the mood to feel ignorant amongst the crowd of jostling New Yorkers at the counter, so we decided to head for the half-dozen tables at the back of the room marked “waiter service only”. Took some time to examine our surroundings – the walls are covered with pictures of famous people eating at Katz or posing with the owner and there are loads of old-fashioned neon signs advertising things like “send a salami to your boy in the army!” – apparently a popular and long-standing Katz service! The waiters were mostly male and mostly middle-aged – not a demographic you usually find in restaurants I’ve visited 😉  Despite the bustle of the room, they all looked unflustered as if they had seen and heard everything and nothing was going to surprise them. The customers seemed to be wall-to-wall New Yorkers – in fact one table near us looked as if they had been meeting here for a late lunch every Sunday since the American Civil War…

 

 

Interior of Katz's Deli, New York


We checked out the menu and decided to go for the classics – fries, pickles and sandwiches (pastrami on rye for N and corned beef on rye for me). The fries were nice but oh, the pickles!!! They were a revelation. Some were the usual dill pickles that taste of vinegar and dill, but some were “new” pickles that had barely spent a few hours in brine – they tasted like fresh, salty cucumbers and I fell instantly in love. Yum yum yum. But… there’s more! The sandwiches. OK, your average slice of bread is like 1cm thick, right? Now picture a sandwich where 2cm of bread (a slice at each end) tries valiantly to enclose at least 5cm of piping hot sliced meat. Dear Lord. I didn’t think a sandwich could ever be an epiphany.  Funny how wrong you can be.  The corned beef literally melted in your mouth.  It was hot and sweet and fatty and salty and melting and meaty all at once.  The bread gave way after about two bites and you were left with meat juices trailing down your chin and arms… and still you’d tear away at the meat with your teeth.  It was everything I would ever have wanted and I’m willing to bet this sandwich is What She Had.  Nick’s pastrami was similarly astounding – not the wafer thin and often dry slices you get at supermarket delis, but thick, meaty slices with a rind of pungent black pepper. All washed down with Dr Brown’s sour cherry soda.  Fabulous.  I don’t think either of us managed to  finish our sandwich but we sure had a good time trying.  There’s much more on offer too – traditional Jewish fare like knishes, chopped liver, potato latkes, and matzo ball soup – but we seriously had no more spare capacity.  Given that the Jewish deli is apparently a slowly dying breed in New York, I would recommend this place to anyone.  Fine dining it ain’t.  But an authentic Noo Yawk experience it certainly is.

 

Pickles at Katz's Deli, New York

 

Katz's Deli corned beef sandwich

 

Katz's Deli pastrami on rye

 

After eating what seemed like an an entire cow, we decided that a long walk would probably be in order.  So from Katz’s we walked down in the general direction of Chinatown. This took us through an area of really lovely buildings unlike anything you will see in Europe.  This is not the 5th Avenue skyskraper Hollywood view of New York – this is a neighbourhood of 4 and 5 storey residential buildings facing each other across the street, all homogenous yet subtly different.  And my favourite part is that each one has an external wrought iron fire escape, making for a dictinctive and handsome New York look.  As we approached Chinatown, you could see that the pedestrians were becoming predominantly more Oriental (see top left) – it was actually noticeable and before long we felt quite conspicuous as the only westerners on a pavement.  This is so different to London’s Chinatown where the tourists vastly outnumber the Chinese!  The whole area had a vibrant feel to it – the crowds doing their shopping, vendors selling their fresh wares outside their tiny shops, no Enlgish signs…  It felt familiar yet wonderfully exotic all at once.  Here was a small old man, fighting valiantly with a pair of barbecue tongs to coerce escaping live crabs back into their buckets; there, a stand full of the first real live durian fruit I have ever seen; or here a tiny signmaker’s stall totally covered in Chinese-lettered signs.  I just wish I’d been hungrier so as to be able to take advantage of the exotic foods on offer…  From there we wandered through to Little Italy (which has a far less noticeably ethnic character than Chinatown – maybe this a reflection of the immigration patterns I mentioned earlier!) and then on to the historic cast iron district with its trendy design stores and beautiful old buildings.  It was such a totally different impression of New York to the one I’d experienced on my previous visit, where I’d spent all my time in midtown, north of Penn Station.  Lower Manhattan is New York on a far more human scale and all the more endearing for it.  Oh, and at some point on our ramble I also had the pleasure of running across the Sur la Table store in SoHo – what a gorgeous place!  The store specialises in beautiful kitchen and tableware and if you can’t find a gadget there, it hasn’t been invented.  Everything looks to be of such tremendously high quality and I was tempted to buy the entire store (hmmm, would this store fall within my airline luggage allowance?).  But as is so often the case, I ended up being somewhat overwhelmed by choice and walked out with… nothing!  Damn!

 

New York Chinatown

 

Durian fruit

 

Next, our meander took us over to River Terrace on the western shore of TriBeCa, where there is a little park overlooking the wooden skeletons of disused piers, a reminder of the days when ships docked along this stretch of the island.  You also have a view over New Jersey and a great photo opportunity for sunsets – so that’s exactly what we did:  sat on a bench, took a couple of photos and watched the river traffic along the Hudson River.  It was a little oasis of calm on a very busy island and the perfect antidote to a day surrounded by crowds.  When I win the lottery, you are sure to find me in my apartment on River Terrace, sipping cocktails and watching the sun go down 😉

**Coming up next: my search for the perfect pizza leads me to Luzzo’s for dinner!

If you enjoyed this post, have a look at my other New York posts:

  • New York day 1: Brooklyn Bridge & Bubby’s Pie Company
  • New York day 2:  Luzzo’s and the quest for the perfect pizza
  • New York day 3: the Empire State Building and beyond
  • New York day 4: John’s of Bleecker and Angelica Kitchen
  • New York day 5: the Bigger Little Place

 

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  1. neil says

    December 6, 2006 at 9:29 pm

    What a wonderful docent you are, it felt like I was right there with you with meat juices dribbling down my chin and sore feet from all the walking. Loved your description of Ellis Island, it reminded me of the moving, then very funny scene in the movie Hitch. Lucky you two, to have had such a great trip.

    Reply
  2. santos. says

    December 7, 2006 at 5:34 am

    oh what a lovely time you must have had! i have not been to nyc in ages; alas, if i do return anytime soon, it won’t be long enough to enjoy it as a “tourist” again. i will have to live vicariously through your posts to enjoy that feeling of discovery in that city again.

    Reply
  3. simonetta says

    December 7, 2006 at 12:51 pm

    I love your blog, do you know that? 🙂 Very entertaining and packed with useful tips!

    Reply
  4. Jeanne says

    December 8, 2006 at 11:04 am

    Hi Neil
    I’m a born docent – can’t fight your instinct… 😉 Glad you were transported by my messy eating description of Katz’s! And I haven’t seen Hitch, but Ellis Island reminded me of one of my favourite low-key movies, Moscow on the Hudson. Absolutely charming.
    Hey Santos
    Glad you are enjoying your viacarious visit – do come back and see days 3 through 9 which will take you through Connecticut and on to Boston!
    Hi Simonetta
    Glad you like it! I will at the end of the series also publish a “Address book and tips” post for future reference…

    Reply
  5. David says

    December 8, 2006 at 1:22 pm

    I lo-o-o-o-o-o-v-v-v-v-v-e-e-e-e-e-e Katz’s deli, and yes, those pickels are amazing.

    Reply
  6. bea at La tartine gourmande says

    December 9, 2006 at 3:25 am

    What a nice walk through NYC with you!

    Reply
  7. JODIE says

    February 7, 2012 at 3:49 am

    wow you make it sound great. Is it just me or does a corned beef sanga (sandwich) need some white/bechemel sauce to really hit the mark. I saw how a Rueben was made on TV once and in my eyes it was just crying for some white sauce…well that’s how we eat our corned beef…boiled till it’s falling apart, throw in some carrots and potatoes to soak in the salty goodness, and then served with a smothering of white sauce….
    thanks for taking us on a gastronomic journey….loving this blog and I’M SO JEALOUS!!!!

    Reply
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Ready for a wine tasting? 🍷 [Press trip] Back Ready for a wine tasting? 🍷

[Press trip] Back before Covid put our lives on hold, I spent a few days in the Languedoc-Rousillon wine region of France learning about (and tasting!) Pays d'Oc IGP wines. 

Want to learn more about the region's wines? Read on, swipe through the images (remember to  bookmark this post to refer back to later) - and click the live link in my bio for the full blog post! 

🍷 The Languedoc-Rousillon region is the largest wine producing region in the world, and produces about a third of all French wine. Pays d'Oc IGP is a classification region within Languedoc-Rousillon, with vineyards that take up over half the total vineyard area in the Languedoc-Rousillon region. Pays d'OC IGP wines account for about 20% of the total of all French wine produced.

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🍷 Most French wines are named for their region (Bordeaux, Chablis, Champagne) but you won't see the name of the grape variety on the label. In response to consumer demand and the New World trend to label wines with grape varieties, rules were changed in Pays d'Oc in the late 1980s and Pays d'Oc wines now account for 92% of French varietal wines (e.g. labelled Chardonnay, Syrah, Viognier etc.).

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🍷 All wines labelled Pays d'Oc IGP are sampled and approved in a blind tasting by a panel of professionals, meaning the label is a guarantee of quality to the consumer. 

🍷 Producers that you should look out for include Gerard Bertrand, Domaine Gayda, Les Jamelles, Les Yeuses, Paul Mas and Domaine Aigues Belles.

First 📸: @everyglassmatters
New year's resolutions: waste of time or the way f New year's resolutions: waste of time or the way forward?

I have mentioned before that I don't really make new year's resolutions. There is always so much pressure to make them BIG lofty goals and this is essentially what dooms them to failure. Instead, for the past few years I have made a list of... affirmations? Mantras? I have yet come up with a word that does not make my toes curl 🤣

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📸 by @tasteofsavoie
If you, like me, are mssing your Pret-a- Manger Bi If you, like me, are mssing your Pret-a- Manger Bircher muesli during lockdown, you will want to bookmark this post right now! 🔖

I have learnt a few things during lockdown. I have learnt that I am more comfortable spending long periods alone than I had ever imagined; that I suffer a lot more from FOMO (fear of missing out!) than I would like to admit; and that pre-Covid I spent rude sums of money on commuting and barista coffee...! 

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For 2 servings you will need:
100g rolled oats
200ml milk or water
1 Tbsp sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds 
1 Tbsp shelled pistachio nuts
1 Tbsp dried cranberries 
2 small apples
175g plain yoghurt
Honey
Pomegranate rails

Mix the oats, seeds, nuts and cranberries together then add the milk/water and a pinch of salt. Mix well, cover and refrigerate overnight. 

When ready to serve, grate the apples and mix them in with the oats and yoghurt (add a little extra milk to loosen if needed). Stir in honey to taste and serve topped with pomegranate arils and pistachios. Full recipe and more photos are available now on the blog - click the live link in my profile.

Did you try any fakeaway recipes over lockdown? Please let me know in the comments - I would love to hear about it!
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For 4 people you need:
* 500g trimmed Brussels sprouts 
* 75g chorizo, chopped
* 15g hazelnuts
* sprig of thyme
* vegetable oil

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Halve each sprout lengthways and toss the sprouts in enough oil to lightly coat. Arrange on a baking sheet, cut side down. Roast for 15 mins or until outer leaves start to brown, then turn over and roast till cut sides just start to colour (about 10 mins). 

2. While the sprouts are roasting,  toast the hazelnuts in a large dry pan over medium heat till light brown, remove and roughly crush.

3. In the same pan, fry the chorizo  till it starts to release its oil, then remove sprouts from the oven and add to pan. Mix well.

4. Tip sprouts into a serving bowl and top with hazelnuts and thyme leaves. Serve hot.
"The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoug "The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts." - Marcus Aurelius

I think we can all agree that 2020 was not the year that we ordered and was a really difficult year for almost everyone (other than maybe Jeff Bezos...).

I could so easily dwell on all the things I have found hard this year - being separated from my family in South Africa and no realistic hope of seeing them anytime soon; no travel since Oct 2019; the social isolation of living alone in a pandemic; having friends fall ill with Covid; and the huge anxiety brought on by the uncertainty of everything and the complete inability to plan anything (hard for a planner and control freak!).

But as the quote says, think dark thoughts and your soul ends up dark. So I have chosen to dye my soul in the bright colours of things I am grateful for instead: a rewarding job that i can do remotely; amazing friends to Zoom or call around the world; a house of my own that I love; a beautiful running route minutes from my door; and a strong, healthy body.

What colour are you dyeing your soul in this Christmas?

🎄🎄🎄
If you've visited London in the last 7 years then If you've visited London in the last 7 years then you cannot have failed to see The Shard - a striking assymetrical architectural "shard of glass" building dominating the skyline south of London Bridge. 

At 800ft and 95 floors, it is the tallest building in the UK and western Europe and houses 26 floors of office space, 3 floors of restaurants, 19 floors of 5-star Shangri-La hotel, 13 floors of residential apartments, and London's highest public viewing gallery, @shardview, comprising the 68th, 69th and 72nd floors.

The viewing gallery has now reopened after the Covid-19 lockdown and here are my 6 top tips for visitors:

🏙 Book in advance via the View From The Shard website. Walk-ins are not currently accepted. Although you can make a same day booking via the website, tickets are up to 35%  cheaper if you book 14 or more days in advance. For example, a standard adult ticket costs an eye-watering £34, but can go down to £22 if booked in advance.

🏙 Entry is timed and you have 30 mins after your allocated time to arrive or risk losing your slot. Security procedures take a while, so arrive 15 mins or so before your allocated slot.

🏙 Once you are at the top there is no time limit so take your time! Savour the views in all directions, as far as 40 miles away on a clear day. Use the enhanced reality interactive telescopes to learn more about London landmarks.

🏙 You can buy a £5 "weather guarantee" per ticket - and then if visibility is so bad you cannot see at least three of: the London Eye the Walkie Talkie, Tower Bridge,  One Canada Square, and St Paul’s Cathedral - then you can come back for free within 3 months.

🏙 No cash payments are accepted, so make sure you have a card to pay for souvenirs and refreshments.

🏙 Make sure you visit the restrooms while you are there - it's the best view from a loo you have ever experienced!
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli
Brussels sprouts with chorizo & hazelnuts
Plum upside down cake
plum flapjack crumble
Sesame ginger Brussels sprouts
Jersey-royals-salmon-salad2 © Jeanne Horak 2019
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