May 24, 2007
Parks, Outdoor dining, Mojitos and more…
Can you believe Memorial Day Weekend is almost here? Before you
know it will be Christmas again! Okay, okay, deep breaths… let’s all get into chill back summer
mode. Let’s assume you’re not spending your entire summer in the Hampton's, or cruising the
Mediterranean on a yacht, and like The
Three Tomatoes you will actually be spending some of your time in New York City.
And some of that time may be spent entertaining friends and relatives. Which got us to thinking about
summer in New York City and some of the really fun stuff to do with or without visitors. So here are a few ideas
to make summer more fun in NYC and you less envious of those friends on the beach and other exotic locales.
The Movies at Bryant Park Every Monday evening, starting June 18th
through August 20th, you can bring a blanket, pack a picnic dinner and sit outside, under the stars and watch some great old movies, FREE,
on the giant screen that is set up at Bryant Park. The season starts off with one of our favorites,
Annie Hall, and includes classics like The Thing, Casablanca, and Psycho. What a great way to
start out the week, and it sure beats Law and Order re-runs (not that there’s anything wrong with that.)
Shakespeare in Central Park Another great experience.
This year you can see Romeo and Juliet,
June 5 - July 8, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, August 7 - September
9. These performances are free, and donations will help keep them free. Make a
$150 tax-deductible donation to The
Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park and you’ll receive one reserved seat to either Romeo & Juliet or A Midsummer
Night’s Dream. And you’ll help keep Shakespeare alive in the park.
Tour Grand Central Yes, most of us are usually too busy rushing through there on the way to a subway or train, to actually stop and
take in the splendor of it all. But did you know that every Friday afternoon at 12:30, there is a free 90 minute tour of
Grand Central lead by veteran tour guide Jason Ferate?
The tour leaves from the front of the Whitney Museum on 42nd Street. The history of Grand Central
is fascinating and all the stations secret little nooks and crannies are great fun to discover. And of course there are always
really great exhibits too, like the upcoming Turner Classic Movies – Architecture in Film: Celluloid Skyline: New York & Movies exhibit which will be
on display from May 25 - June 22.
The event will feature many of the original long lost but now found and restored original backdrops from
movies filmed in New York City over the past seven decades. Accompanying this event will be an all new Grand Central Tour that will
feature locations and sites of famous New York movies filmed in Grand Central.
Outdoor dining and drinks
As soon as weather warms up, every little bistro, pastry shop, and restaurant with a sidewalk, sets up a
few tables and chairs where you can sit and watch the NYC world go by. Now let us say upfront, that The Three Tomatoes are not big fans of sitting on a crowded sidewalk, on a main City street, with
horns honking, dogs doing what dogs do, and the smell of taxi fumes in the air. (Although in Paris, or Rome, or London that
works.) But in New York, we’d much prefer a restaurant with a back garden for dining, or at least a some what “quiet
street”. Here are three favorites.
Home in the heart of
Greenwich Village has a wonderful outdoor dining area where you’re surrounded by large trees, and flowers. The food
is terrific, the wines are from the vineyards on the North Fork of Long Island, and even if it’s raining, the large market umbrellas will keep
you dry.
L’Imperio, one of very favorite anytime restaurants, is tucked away in quiet Tudor City, and in the summer time they
have a few wonderful outdoor tables facing the delightful little park in Tudor City. And try the sea-salt crusted King
Salmon for two…honestly, it’s the best salmon we’ve ever eaten.
Barbetta, right in the heart of the theater district, has a garden that is a gem. This old world
Italian restaurant is over 100 years old and is the oldest restaurant in New York City still owned by the same family. The
food is good, although pricey, but the garden is a spectacular delight.
Let us know about your favorites. Just drop a note to tomato@thethreetomatoes.com.
Here’s to the start of summer. Wishing you all a fun
and safe Memorial Day weekend.
‘til next week,
The Three Tomatoes
Copyright©2007. The Three Tomatoes. All rights reserved.
