Thursday's Child: Carnegie Deli, New York City

The first time Andrew and I travelled to New York, it was with our dear friends, Colleen and Garth Jay. We have many great memories from that trip, including Garth's attempt to win a disagreement with a New York taxi driver. (He didn't.) But one of the longest-lasting memories was of our breakfast at the Carnegie Deli.

I was four months pregnant with my oldest daughter at the time, and it was a great pregnancy. In fact, the only time I experienced morning sickness during the whole nine months was at the Carnegie Deli. I'm not sure what set it off - it certainly wasn't the food, for it hadn't even arrived. Perhaps it was the sight of Garth attempting to win a disagreement with the waitress. (He didn't.) I believe he was in the midst of trying to substitute French fries for hash browns when I felt the sudden urge to visit the ladies' room. Despite my sickness, I had fond memories of the deli with its celebrity photos lining the walls and enormous plates of food.

What a pleasure it was to return to New York over Christmas, and take the young lady who had visited in utero, along with her sister. We waited in line in the rain to get a table for a late lunch after seeing the Rockettes Christmas show. Celebrity photos still lined the walls, and the food was still abundant. People may grow up, but some things - like the Carnegie Deli - never change.

How Sandwiches Imitate Life

We ate great food all weekend, from hotdogs at Yankee stadium to Italian on Restaurant Row.  But two of my favourite meals were casual lunches.

We had Saturday lunch at the Shake Shack, a Danny Meyer restaurant. We knew it was a great choice when we saw the sign saying the table was made from an old bowling lane.  I ordered the cheeseburger, fries and chocolate shake, just because it felt like that’s what I should eat.  The burger was delicious, and not way oversized like most are.  And I’m not always a fan of milkshakes – they’re usually too thick to drink, and so cold they have no flavour – but this one was perfect. 

Our last meal in New York was at the Stage Deli.  The Stage is known for its enormous sandwiches named after celebrities.  For example, if you order a Clint Eastwood, you get a turkey, tongue and corned beef sandwich, while a Stephen Sondheim is chicken salad, bacon, lettuce and tomato.

Andrew ordered the Roger Maris.  For anyone who doesn’t follow baseball, Roger Maris held the single-season major league home run record for 37 years (between Babe Ruth and, ahem, Mark McGwire), and never really received the acknowledgement he deserved. 

So how do sandwiches imitate life?  The Roger Maris is comprised of roast beef, onions – and chopped liver.

Oh, and according to Andrew, the sandwich was a real home run.

Empire State of Mind

Due to a work commitment, Andrew and I visited New York City for a couple of days last month.  We went to a Yankees game, watching A-Rod try for, but ultimately miss, his 600^th home run.  And we scored half-price tickets to two Broadway shows! 

The matinee was In The Heights.  The concierge at our hotel recommended the show and it was wonderful.  The winner of the 2008 Tony Award for Best Musical, In The Heights was full of amazing dancing and infectious Latin music.

Leaving that show, we had to return to Times Square immediately to line up for evening tickets.  I was sure we wouldn’t find anything we enjoyed as much as In The Heights.  I was wrong.  A Little Night Music has been playing since last November, but was recently recast with Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch.  The music was wonderful and the performances outstanding.  And what a thrill to see two legendary actresses in those roles!

One of our favourite surprises came when we ducked into Rockefeller Centre as a respite from the heat.  We stopped in the NBC store and were thrilled to see The Office merchandise for sale.  We picked up two packs of chocolate Stanley Nickels, an “Andy Bernard” coffee mug from Kelly’s theme party, and a Schrute Beet Farm Christmas tree ornament.  (Those of you who watch The Office are probably wondering, “Do they also sell jello-covered staplers?”  And for those of you who don’t watch, I apologize for the digression.)

When we travel, it’s always fun meeting and talking to new people.  At lunch on the first day, we ate next to a Bruce Willis lookalike, who knew we weren’t from New York because “you’s are smilin’ too much”.  At the evening show, I sat next to an aspiring actress.  And on our last day, as we walked through Central Park, we met a woman who volunteers at the Butterfly Conservatory.  Holly introduced us to her dog, Macaroon, and told us some of the 66 languages in which she can say ‘butterfly’!