Where the Umbrella's Beckon

Can you guess where this photo was taken?

Dear Postcard from New York Reader,

These brilliant orange umbrellas on the waterfront beckon from a distance. You can hear the wind as it whips through the flaps of the umbrella aprons as you approach. No, it is not a Caribbean Island beachfront café.

On a hot summer day, a brisk breeze drifts off the East River; Battery Gardens is the ideal spot to enjoy an after the Ferry brunch, or anytime, for lunch, dinner or drinks when you wish to leave the traffic, congestion, and smog of midtown a million miles away.

Ease into a comfortable garden chair; Look out over the speckled shimmer of sunlight reflected off the water and see the familiar Statue of Liberty brandishing her torch in the distance. Take a deep breath, exhale and feel the cool breeze brush your cheeks.

Don’t talk for a couple of minutes...just allow the quiet peace and beauty of the scene to embrace you. Order a tall ice-filled drink as well as a pitcher of water with lemon and limes. My choice, equal parts orange juice, grapefruit juice, seltzer and grenadine. For lunch, I choose the watermelon salad. So light and scrumptious, it is as refreshing as it looks on the plate.

I guarantee you will not feel the need to hurry off; This setting lends itself to whiling away an entire afternoon.

Bon Appetit!

Jacqueline Cable
For Postcards from New York


P.S. Before you leave, peek into the main restaurant area. Cool white walls and billowing curtains frame a panoramic view of the Bay. The minimal interior design accented with dramatic floral arrangements created an ideal venue for the intimate wedding party I observed on my last visit.

Address to Remember: Battery Gardens, Inside Battery Park Opposite 17 State Street and across from the Ferry Terminal, New York, NY 10004, 212-809-5508.

Hours: Monday thru Saturaday 11:30 - 10:00 PM. Sunday Brunch 11:00 - 3:00 PM.

Directions: From Times Square, MTA 1 to South Ferry, N, R, or W to Whitehall Street. From 5th Avenue and 42nd Street, M1 Bus to South Ferry.

Photo by Joseph Knight

©Copyright 2007 The Cable Group

View from the Ferry

The Verrazano Bridge -Beautiful in every Season

Dear Postcards from New York Reader,

It's been much too long since I last did it. And, honestly the heat and humidity drove me to it. Where? You ask, to the rivers edge and the tip of Manhattan.

Now, with my face lifted to catch the cool breeze off the water as the ferry slowly pulls away from the dock, I am mesmerized by the stoic beauty of the tall buildings that crowd the shoreline along State Street.

On the rare occasions when I take the time to make the trip, I wonder once more, why I don't do this more often. It's only a half-hour ride each way; an hour round-trip. Yet time is always the issue. It is the recurring New York "problem," too many things to do and too little time.

No inside seat for me, I remain on deck the entire voyage, speechless while I suck in the serenity of the almost cloudless azure blue sky and gently rippling waves dappled with sunlight. Never quite prepared, but always anxious for the moment when I cross over to the opposite deck and my eyes are caught, arrested might better describe it, by the sublime beauty and graceful line of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. It never fails to take my breath away.

Yes, the Golden Gate, London Bridge, and Brooklyn Bridge are magnificent engineering achievements, but they cannot compare with the Verrazano's compelling elegance.

Standing at the mouth of Upper and Lower New York Bay it overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. Its long lilting cables and slender towers painted "battleship gray," make it appear to melt into the skyline and become a natural part of the landscape rather than something man-made.

Experience the Verrazano's majestic beauty and enjoy the waters refreshing cool during this heat spell. The Staten Island Ferry departs almost every half hour every day from Whitehall Terminal. And, I'm surprised most people don't know this. It is free!

Best time to avoid the crowds, early Sunday morning, the ferry's almost empty. Once on Staten Island, don't rush back; There's lots to explore, like the Staten Island Botanical Garden, with its Chinese Scholars Garden, the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Alice Austen House and the Garibaldi Meucci Museum.

Next time, my recommendation for after the Ferry.

Jacqueline Cable

For Postcards from New York

Address to remember: Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal.

Directions: From Times Square, MTA 1 to South Ferry, N, R, or W to Whitehall Street. From 5th Avenue and 42nd Street, M1 Bus to South Ferry.

Photo by Joseph Knight

©Copyright 2007 The Cable Group

A gem on St. Mark's Place

Just waiting to be sipped


Dear Postcards from New York Reader,

Remember the last time you had a "real" New York Egg cream.

As soon as the clerk started pumping the vanilla syrup into the old school Coca-Cola glass, I was transported back to the late 1970s.

I was 8 or 9 years old, sitting on a red vinyl stool, the kind that sticks to your legs when you wear shorts on a hot, humid summer day, at the lunch counter, at a Woolworth's, in the Bronx. My grandmother, who we called Oma, was sitting next to me. We waited in silent anticipation for the soda jerk to present us with our order.

Ohh, the first foamy sip! We never used the straw to begin, so we could laugh at our cream soda mustaches; we always laughed, big belly laughs, and then Oma would kiss my mustache off. How I miss her; Oma always said that she thought clouds must taste like this and someday when we were in heaven, we'd be sipping up all those egg cream soda clouds.

Luckily, you don't have to wait until heaven. A small piece of it is at St Mark's Place and 2nd Avenue at Gem Spa, a tiny 24/7 newsstand. Just think, you can get one any time of day or night! To make the experience extra special, I recommend ordering your vanilla or chocolate egg cream soda in a Coca-Cola glass, not a take away cup. This way, you are forced to take a few minutes to really cherish one of life's simple joys.

Enjoy!

Joseph Knight
For Postcards from New York


Address to remember: Gem Spa, 131 2nd Avenue, New York, NY, 212-995-1866. Open 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Directions: From Times Square MTA N, R and W to 8th Street, walk across Astor Place to St. Mark's Place walk two blocks to 2nd Avenue. From Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street take MTA 1 Bus to 8th Street.

Photo by Joseph Knight

©Copyright 2007 The Cable Group