Monday - Brooklyn Bridge and more

After another of our delightful slow mornings we took the A train to Brooklyn and walked back across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was superb. An experience definitely heightened by the documentary on the building of the bridge that we had seen on PBS a while ago. From the bridge we walked to Pier 17 for some sightseeing at some tall ships (the last steel-hulled working sailing ship, the only iron-hulled schooner left in America, etc), and then walked south along the point of Manhattan to the Staten Island Ferry.

The ferry was another excellent experience; good views of the Statue of Liberty, and we got to hang out with some blonde Swedish women. After taking the return trip we walked again - north toward the World Trade Center site. Can't really see much there - just cranes and construction. After this we had some of the best walking of the trip - we walked north along West Broadway, passing through Tribeca and Soho. Wow. Amazing buildings, the details, the architecture. The hip restaurants and bars. The fashion statements. Should have taken more pictures, but didn't want to be overly touristy.

We made our way to the Temple Bar, recommended by the Rough Guide to New York for its serious martinis. What an atmosphere in the place - dark, dark wood and dramatic lighting. Some woman waved vigorously at us as we entered, and then said to the bartender, "I just waved at some total strangers."

Ross said, "It's OK, we're from the Midwest, we wave at everybody."

The bartender said, "We're from New York, we shoot at everybody."

But he made us some excellent martinis. I had a vesper (ala James Bond in Casino Royale) and it was delicious. Noah and Holly joined us here and when we finished our drinks we tried to go to one of Mario Batali's restaurants. It was insanely packed and it started raining, so we went to an unpretentious little Mexican place and devoured some tacos and such.

Noah had said that the Temple Bar reminded him of this place he had gone to once, and in the interests of having a unique New York experience we went to this place - The Pegu Club. If possible, it was even more striking than the Temple. Dark, perhaps even darker, with a supremely polite and courteous staff. We were seated at a table lit only by the light of two small candles, and huddled over the drink menus which we were just able to read. The Pegu Club is modelled after a West Indies bar that Hemingway used to frequent, and the drinks were sophisticated and complex.

I had an Earl Grey martini - Earl Grey infused vodka, lime, and a raw egg white. It was marvelous.

We left and made our way to the train, with stops for ice cream and gelato, and the rain held off. Another delightful day in the big apple.