Our second day in The Big Apple was primarily spent exploring. We started the day with breakfast at City Hall in Tribeca with Jeff. Once again this was just a short walk from his apartment. It was a good breakfast but probably our most lackluster meal of the trip. A lackluster meal on this trip was still top notch though. We didn’t suffer at any meal.
From breakfast it was up to former World Trade Center site or “ground zero” (NYCers hate this term by the way). There’s not much I can really say about it. It’s more or less a construction site now but it is still primarily just a big hole in the ground. I still wanted to see it though and I’m still glad I did. It was just something I felt I needed to do.
After the WTC we took a walk on the Brooklyn Bridge and experienced some amazing views of the city. There is a nice walking/bike path right up the center of the bridge that made it an easy walk. We walked the entire length and back. I had my feet in Brooklyn for a few moments and then back to the safety of Manhattan. It is interested to note that the section of Brooklyn under the bridge is a hip little area referred to as “DUMBO” or “Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass”. It’s full of lofts and other hip, overpriced living quarters.
After the bridge we ventured out into the Village with Jeff, Maki, and Billy. We stuck to the West Village primarily and after trying to get tea in “Little Britain” at a place called Tea and Sympathy, we made our way over to a tea room called Atrium in the Meat Packing district. Afternoon tea was a new experience for me but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I especially liked the scones and clotted cream. Sandy and I enjoyed it so that we had tea and scones our last day in NYC and I’ve since gotten her a small teapot. I’m waiting on her to supply the scones.
The night was spent with a couple of Sandy’s friends from the Jersey days. We saw a comedy show that wasn’t really worth mentioning but had a pleasant evening out afterwards. We walked a bunch, had classic NYC cheesecake at Junior’s near Times Square, drinks at a BBQ joint in the Village, I learned the term “gayborhood”, and we found ourselves at a hole in the wall, prohibition style watering hole.
It was called The Rabbit Club and it was located down off the street in the West Village. There was no sign and any other indication that the establishment was a bar. There was just a black door and a buzzer. Ring the buzzer for entrance and you were greeted with a gritty little bar, worn exposed brick/stone walls, an impossibly narrow walk way past the bar, and minimal seating. The noise level was manageable for such a small place though and the beer list was impressively European. The Rabbit Club just clicked with me. It was exclusive but not elite. You had to know someone who had been before to find it and ringing the bell took some nerves but once inside the atmosphere was friendly and welcoming. The bartender was courteous and helpful. The entire mood was jovial. It’s the kind of bar I’d like to spend a lot of time at.
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Tags: 2 Comments
Great pictures and even better narration of your 2nd day. That rabbit hole place sounds pretty cool. It would be even cooler to have your own bar like that. Unfortunately its hard enough to get people to come into the well-advertised out-in-the-open bars around ncsu so the concept may not work as well here.
Nice write up. I liked your description of The Rabbit Hole and this part especially:
“It was exclusive but not elite.”
and Mark, no amount of advertising can save Hilsborough street…gonna take bulldozers and dirt to make an impact.