Grand Central Station

One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years.

                                                            —Thomas Wolfe

Harrison Street and Greenwich Street

A nice array of rieslings by the glass can be had this summer over at new wine bar Terroir Tribeca. And along with the wine, they’re handing out cheeky cards of riesling “safety tips,” with such advice as “Do not drink and drive or accept a ride from someone who claims that they ‘don’t like Riesling.’ ” Made me chuckle. (Even more riesling information can be found over at Jancis Robinson’s wine course video.)

Murray Street and West Broadway (the view from)

Back in New York and feeling that the city is a smudged watercolor about to dissolve in the heat and humidity.

Bleecker Street and Carmine Street

I’m off for vacation. Back in a couple of weeks.

Spring Street and Crosby Street

Is it worth standing in line in that cramped, Parisian-seeming space that is Balthazar Bakery to buy a loaf of overpriced ($9) Valrhona chocolate bread? (Yes.)
      Also, happy Bastille Day.

Bowery and Prince Street

View of the Blue building from the Sky Room of the New Museum (currently showing the Brion Gysin exhibit, whose calligraffiti paintings are rather mesmerizing).

Greenwich Street and North Moore Street

The “riffs on Italian cooking” at Locanda Verde (in the form of crab bruschetta, grilled octopus, and orecchiette with duck sausage, for example) were wonderful recently, but the place is so popular that it’s hard to get a reservation. (And I waited for more than an hour for a walk-in table on a holiday weekend when the city was empty). So maybe it’s not worth the hassle at this point (there seems to be similar excellent Italian-style food all over town). Or maybe the thing to do is check into the adjoining Greenwich Hotel and show up for breakfast. (Or buy the Urban Italian cookbook. Here are a few recipes from the chef that appeared in Food and Wine.)

Grove Street and Seventh Avenue

Outside of Arthur's Tavern, waiting to hear Eri Yamamoto on the piano inside. (She was wonderful—and plays there regularly, including tonight.)

Broadway and 19th Street

Walking into ABC Carpet and Home is like entering a fairy tale (my version of one, that is). Those towering, shimmering stacks of silk and velvet pillows! The cases of dainty, gem-encrusted jewelry. The ceramics, the chandeliers, the stationery. Nothing is affordable; everything is beautiful.

Murray Street and Greenwich Street

The Bogardus Mansion is one of the earliest extant buildings in the city with a cast-iron façade (according to Wikipedia). And the architect, James Bogardus, was a cast-iron pioneer, apparently. Lit up, at night, it is a stunning sliver of architecture.

Cornelia Street and Bleecker Street

Fried oysters and a lobster roll: I can’t resist this combo in the summertime at Pearl Oyster Bar, which always feels like a bit of New England to me in the middle of Cornelia Street. (Add a bottle of cold Txakolina and the evening is complete.)

Hudson River

14th Street and Third Avenue

A mass of patriotic bags of red, white, and blue tortilla chips at Trader Joe’s. (Here are my two favorite guacamole recipes to go with: one from Rick Bayless and one from Floyd Cardoz.)

Happy Fourth of July!

World Financial Center

Summer afternoon with the sailboat school outside of the World Financial Center.