I have to admit that my favorite part of New York City is the Upper West Side. Yes, Chinatown rocks with its street vendors and authentic cuisine, and the Village is a hot spot for hipsters and bustling nightlife, although there's something to be said about the vibe on the Upper West Side; the restaurants are great, young families roam the sidewalks, and cute little parks are interspersed amongst the busy streets. One delicious restaurant on the UWS, nestled on the corner of 77th and Columbus, is the Shake Shack, serving up good ol' American food with quality taste. I can't recommend a time of day to go, since this place is always packed. It's one of those places where you order, pick up your food, and then need to search for a table. There's plenty of space to sit upstairs and a little section to sit downstairs. I am not a huge hamburger person, so I opted for the 'Shroom Burger. It was good, although I would have been much happier if the cheese was optional, rather than baked inside, due to the effects that follow said consumption; otherwise, I would have been like a pig in shit. The 'Shroom Burger is a fried portabello mushroom stuffed
with muenster and cheddar cheese, which I ended up oozing out onto my tray to save myself a night of stomach pain and heartburn. I wish they had a veggie burger option, but what can ya' do? My brother and cousins got burgers and really enjoyed them, and I was rather impressed when my cousin Daniel scarfed down his double-pattied burger without instant regurgitation. I never understood the concept of the double patties, but to each his own, right? The cheese fries are much better than the regular fries and the milkshakes are thick, rich, and delicious. Definitely stop by here for a quick, filling bite. The line proves this place is not a let down. It's no surprise that when most people visit New York, they plant themselves in Manhattan. Why would you want to be anywhere else? Everything is at your fingertips. When my family decided to buy a condo, we chose to branch outside of the city, infamous for its sky high rents. So we hopped on the N Train to the north most tip of Queens in a place called Astoria. Let me tell you, Astoria is the hidden
gem of Queens. "Why leave Astoria?" is what I say. Diverse ethnicities inhabit the streets, incredible food, and opportunities to shop 'til you drop without the need to throw 'bows amongst the crowds of people you'd find in the city. Since Astoria is so new to us, my brother and I spent a lot of time exploring the town and seeing what it has to offer. My brother and I are quite technologically savvy, so he used his Crackberry and I used my IPhone to see what Yelp and Urban Spoon had to say about many of the places we passed. Iji Sushi was one of Astoria's few highly reviewed sushi joints, located on Broadway just north (or maybe east?) of Crescent. My brother and I are sushi snobs, so of course we had to try it...and how happy are we that we did. Iji has this unbelievable lunch deal, where you get three rolls, miso soup or salad, and unlimited green tea for $10.50. $10.50?! That's less than half the price I spend on my portion of sushi alone in West Hollywood! The food was great, as was the service. We will definitely be back next time we visit our east coast abode.
Obviously, we had to get dessert after our sushi meal (and every meal, for that matter), so we walked up the street to Omonia Cafe, one of the many amazing Greek cafes Astoria has to offer. Mind you, you can find bakeries and cafes every few feet in both Astoria and Manhattan, but this cafe boasts desserts I have only seen in Greece. My brother's marble cheesecake was to die for (minus the crust, which tasted like a damp chocolate sponge) and my little chocolate-sprinkled chocolate nut truffle was incredible. Dude, Omonia created the cake for "My Big Fat Greek Wedding!" That's the real deal. One of my favorite things about my trip to Greece was this one bakery we would visit at least once a day, and it's nice to know I don't have to fly across the world to find those sweet treats.
I am already missing the "City that Never Sleeps" and the view of it from our beautiful home. Don't worry, though, I'll be back soon.
**This week's blog is dedicated to my beloved cousins, the Robinsons, who always bring us good times and lots of laughter during our bi-yearly visits. And a special shout out to Billy, who holds his jacket inappropriately and crop dusts amongst the crowded streets.
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