What comes to mind when you think of New York City? Beautiful tall buildings, broadway musicals, and slices of pizza bigger than your head? Well for me I have never been impressed by the idea of New York City or the Northeast in general. I’m not sure when I formed this opinion but it has been a hard one to shake for years now. To me, New York brings to mind images of sewer rats, pretentious and often eccentric residents, and an overall cloud of filth covering the whole city. So when I was given the opportunity to fly out for a conference in March of 2016, I’ll admit I was a little hesitant. New York had never been a city on my radar of places I would like to visit, but I decided that I would keep an open mind and try to choke down my preconceived notions.
I quelled the shouts of the Hunger Monster with Gardetto's and scotch on the three-hour flight. The approach path took us directly over Manhattan and gave me my first glimpse of the bustling city. While the view was pretty, I wasn’t yet impressed. Sure, there was the Empire State Building and One World Trade poking out above the surrounding buildings, but the city as a whole just looked like a brown mass of concrete and steel.
I took a cab from the airport to my hotel in Times Square, dropped my bags and immediately set out on my quest for the only thing I was actually looking forward to in NYC. Located at 171 1st Avenue, Momofuku Noodle Bar is one of the first restaurants opened by now famous restaurateur David Chang. There are many different items on the menu but the Momofuku ramen was all I cared about. I was presented with a massive bowl of ramen, pork belly, pork shoulder, sliced green onions and a poached egg. The broth had an exceptionally smoky flavor from the katsuobushi used as its base and the pork belly was cooked to perfection with a crunchy outer skin and a melt-in-your-mouth layer of fat underneath. Within minutes I found my bowl completely empty and a mental argument raging about whether to order another. I decided to not be a total glutton and instead caught the next subway train back to my hotel.
Momofuku ramen at Momofuku Noodle Bar. iPhone 6+
When dinner rolled around the next day, the Hunger Monster was in full control of my anger levels and I knew just the thing to get him to shut up for a few more hours. After a failed attempt to grab lunch at the Madison Square Park Shake Shack, I decided to try the Times Square location for dinner. I ordered the double SmokeShack and fries and walked a few blocks to Times Square with a to-go bag in hand that was emanating heavenly smells. I think I can safely say that this was hands down the best burger I have ever eaten. The patties were cooked to a perfect medium and the thick-cut bacon on top was smoky and the perfect amount of crispy. The only sub-par part of the meal was the crinkle-cut fries and the limited selection of dipping sauces. Maybe it’s the Midwest personality in me, but I need ranch with my fries, and none was to be found.
Meat and carbs, the Hunger Monster's kryptonite. iPhone 6+
With a food baby in my stomach, I wandered Times Square for a while, fully engulfed by the immense amount of technology shoved into only a few city blocks. I know, it’s one of the more touristy things to do in New York, but Times Square at night is truly impressive and worth an hour or so of your time. The resolution and brightness of the video walls is mind-boggling, casting a glow just shy of daylight on the surrounding blocks even in the middle of the night. I would highly suggest following my strict “no eye contact” rule with the dozens of people handing out flyers (mostly for strip clubs) and playbills. Trust me, it will make your life much easier.
As with most things in New York, there is a huge problem with Times Square. On this night I saw at least 2-dozen NYPD officers with fully automatic weapons and body armor. Nothing says, “Welcome to New York” better than AR-15s and bomb sniffing dogs. I get it, but at the same time it seems a bit overkill.
The next day, after a tour of Google’s satellite office in the Meat Packing District, I made the short subway ride to the World Trade Center site. I can still remember seeing the events of that day unfold on the news, and I have a great amount of respect for all of those who lost their lives that morning and for the families that had to rebuild after. That being said, I was not impressed by the 4 blocks of construction barricades and machinery surrounding the site. Perhaps my perception has been jaded after watching “16 Acres”, a documentary chronicling the political and bureaucratic mess that surrounded the construction, but I still believe that One World Trade Center is one of the most boring skyscrapers I have ever seen. Looking up from directly below it is quite a behemoth to stand in the shadow of, but overall I was not impressed. I did enjoy the design and meaningfulness of the reflecting pool/falls that make up the memorial grounds, but it is quite difficult to be reflective on the past when forklifts are beeping all around you. Sadly, I did not have enough time to tour the 9/11 Memorial Museum, and I have a feeling that my impression of the site would have changed a bit had I made the journey. All things aside, I would still suggest you see the site for yourself. You can feel the energy in the area, even with all of the construction.
One World Trade Center in the rain. iPhone 6+
With one meal remaining before my flight home, I ventured to the Lower East Side to Crif Dogs, home of deep-fried, and often bacon wrapped hot dogs. I had originally heard of this place through one of Anthony Bourdain’s many travel shows but I must say this was the only disappointing meal I ate in New York. The hot dogs were dry, the buns seemed almost stale, and everything tasted like it had been dipped in pure salt. I didn’t think you could go wrong with any type of hot dog with a fried egg and cheese on it, but overall it wasn’t that great. However, the cheese covered tater tots redeemed an otherwise disappointing meal.
Jon-Jon Deragon and the Morning Jersey dog at Crif Dog. iPhone 6+
I tried to keep an open mind the entire time I was in New York, knowing that there were many pre-conceived notions that I would have to fight. Overall, New York doesn’t really do anything for me. There is construction everywhere, the streets are dirty, and the atmosphere just isn’t there. The one redeeming factor is the food, and there are plenty more places that I wasn’t able to make it to, but that doesn’t make up for all of the downsides. Maybe I’ll come back in a few years and give New York another chance, but for now I think I’ll stick to the peace and quiet of the mountains.