On this particularly day, the sky was clear and the temperatures reached the upper 70s. We were well rested, hydrated, and the camera had batteries. We were prepared.

First stop, Lexington Candy Shop.

No, we didn’t eat candy for breakfast. We ate french toast and eggs. If it weren’t for the fact that they didn’t offer refills on the coffee and that the wait staff paid no attention to us at all, we might recommend it. But don’t be fooled by its claim to fame. Just because it’s the oldest soda counter in New York, doesn’t mean it’s worth visiting.

Next stop, the Metropolitan Museum to see the exhibit American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity. Jake and Jason couldn’t get enough of those ball gowns.

Once we’d had enough of the museum, we hopped on the subway and headed downtown to the Lower East Side by way of Little Italy. We needed some coffee and cannoli (need I remind you we were operating on only one cup) and chose to stop by Caffe Roma on a whim.

They look so happy, don’t they? Dessert before noon will do that to people.

After we practically licked our plates clean, we moved on down the road to the Tenement Museum where we learned about New York City immigrant life from the 1880s to the 1930s. The tour was great, but I think my expectations were too high. It wasn’t nearly as “fascinating” as I had hoped. Maybe it was because I had my mind on something else…

Meatballs!

Jason and I heard about The Meatball Shop on the Food Network and insisted on making it part of the tour. Between the four of us we shared spicy pork meatballs covered in creamy parmesan sauce and a classic beef meatball hero with classic tomato sauce and a side salad. Maybe it was a spicy pork with classic tomato and beef with creamy parmesan…hmmm, I can’t remember. But what I do remember is that the food was dee-lish-ous.

Side note: It was difficult not to think about calorie count at this point in the tour, which is why I made a rule that no calories could be discussed throughout the course of the tour. I’ll thank you to do the same.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yea, meatballs.

After The Meatball Shop we walked up the street to Katz Delicatessan. You know, the famous deli from When Harry Met Sally.

Word on the street is that you must order the pastrami sandwich from Katz. I didn’t think I even liked pastrami and for $14 a pop I resented the idea of it! But I’m a team player. I agreed try it as part of the Lancaster New York City Food Tour.

Turns out I LOVE pastrami. A little mustard is all you need.

Stuffed and thirsty, we needed a drink. Who knows how long those pickles sat in the brine!

We headed into Soho for Bar 89 – a nice spot Jason and I discovered last summer – for one of my favorite cocktails. Can you say “coconut martini with chocolate shavings”?

I can. I can say “yum”, too.

If you look at the top of this next pic you can see the “Bar 89″ sign. It’s a bit nondescript. I guess you need little signs and big cocktails to be considered cool in New York.

Eager to see more of the city, we headed west to Chelsea and High Line Park. If you plan to visit NYC anytime soon, I definitely recommend you visit High Line Park. The combination of a retired elevated subway line and beautiful gardens make for quite a sight. Instead of me telling you the history, I think you’re better off reading the sign.

Look! You can see two turkeys sitting on that bench.

Told you this place rocked.

Still not quite ready for dinner, we walked through Hell’s Kitchen for awhile, stopped in the Apple store to play with the iPad, and then put our name on the list at The International Grand Sichuan. To say that Jason likes Chinese food would be an understatement. He lives for it.

No food tour can end without dessert. Seeing how Paige turned another year older on this day, cupcakes were in order. Happy birthday, Paige!

Twelve hours and seven food stops equal one successful NYC food tour.

ps – If you like this post, you might like some of my other posts over at SaucyDipper.com where I talk sauces, dips, bacon, and recipes.

2. When shopping for an authentic Rolex in Battery Park, don’t pay more than $20 (see previous post).

3. If you are going to a Yankees game and want to tour the museum, arrive a couple hours early. The lines are long and things close before the start of the game. (Below pic: Husband, Jason and Brother, Mike)

4. Wear comfortable shoes, bring an umbrella, drink plenty of water (tap water ok), and if you can’t read a map, don’t be afraid to ask for directions. New Yorkers love to give directions (read: sarcasm).

5. Speaking of directions and maps, the Metropolitan Museum can be tough to navigate. When asking a docent for directions, ask him or her to walk you there if they can. It took us at least 30 minutes to find the rooftop. (Below pic: Me and my sister, Jen)

6. Visit Coney Island, but skip the hot dog. Corn dogs are where it’s at. (Below pic: Jason looking forward to a dog)

7. One more thing about Coney Island. When visiting the magic machines, don’t ask “to be big.” Tom Hanks had trouble with that one. (Below pic: Jen asking grandma about her future)

8. David Letterman tickets may be hard to get, but Jimmy Fallon tickets are a breeze to get. Always call several weeks ahead, if you can. We lucked out and got tix to Letterman, which proves it’s not impossible. Just know that Fallon is a good back up. (Below pic: That’s Mike again)

9. If you are out enjoying the sights and need a restroom, find a Starbucks. They’re everywhere and usually have a public restroom. If that fails, access SitOrSquat.com from your phone.

10. Don’t overlook Brooklyn. The Manhattan views are great, the food dynamite, and the parks world class. Prospect Park even has waterfalls and paddle boats (illustrated by Jason in this pic here).

BONUS NYC TRAVEL TIP: Notice the pigeons crowding on the sidewalk before you. As you approach they will scatter and fly all about. Close your mouth to be safe. I recently had a pigeon poop on my face.

My brother-in-law Mike and my wife Sara. Mike just bought a genuine Rolex from some guy in Battery Park!

Unfortunately, a by-product of her good looks is the fact that she can often use them to hide her lack of vocabulary. Over the few years that I’ve known her, dozens of words (some of which are admittedly obscure) have escaped her. One of those words is curb, as in “Curb Your Dog.”

My wife didn't understand the meaning of this sign.

The word curb owes it’s existence to the French word courbe, which refers to a curved piece of wood or iron. In the 1200’s, a courbe was used in conjunction with a chain to control the movement of the family steed (steed, just in case you’re wondering, is essentially a synonym for “horse”).

As a result of this common use, courbe came to be synonymous with control or restraint. For example:

In the old days, if you wanted to keep someone from falling into the well in the backyard, you would build a little brick wall all the way around the hole. This brick wall came to be known as a “curb” because it restrained people from falling in the well.

Fast forward to the 20th century, and instead of talking about the curbs on a well, we’re talking about a curb on a street. Street curbs are designed to keep cars from driving on sidewalks…and this is where the confusion comes in. My wife thought that “curb your dog” literally meant to make sure your dog goes to the bathroom on or near the street curb. This is definitely a common misconception, as other people I know (who shall remain nameless) were uncertain of the meaning as well.

For all of the people who don’t know, a sign that says “curb your dog” means “control/restrain your dog.” More literally, it means “please don’t let your dog poop on this thing our sign is attached to.”

Curb your dog means don't let it ruin this little bit of greenery with it's stink.

Questions?

It’s not because I enjoy days of torrential rains and gusty winds off the East River, it’s because we get to play hooky and have fun in the sunshine.

Nice swing!

Now that it’s nice outside we have lots of time to enjoy the dog parks. Jason even sports his Okoboji t-shirt – a special gift from my parents. He makes them proud, I’m sure.

After six months of winter, it’s nice to see more New Yorkers enjoying nightlife outside rather than inside. People watching is better when its 60 degrees.

Aside from play time and t-shirt wearing, my favorite part about being in New York during April are the flowers.

My question is, what about teaching a dog to dance?

Moe, our lovable little beagle, is a dance MACHINE. To quote dance flick Saturday Night Fever:

Sara says to Moe: “Nice move. Did you make that up?”

Moe says: “Yeah, well I saw it on TV first, then I made it up.”

Check out the world premiere of “Beagle Dance Party” – best 2 hours of our day.

Click here to view the embedded video.

But now he’s much more outgoing. In fact, Moe is pretty vocal when he’s happy. In this video you can hear his “play with me” bark. Too bad lil’ Frenchie ain’t havin’ it.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Once he’s back from the park and has had a couple long walks, he’ll finally take a nap.

Trips to the dog park are important to Moe. If we don’t make enough time to exercise him, then he’s usually naughty.

But all is forgiven after another long walk.

Cheese!

Moe has all the right clerical skills we need, and it turns out he’s a personal trainer too. This means we’ll get more exercise during our lunch hours. Look out New York, we’re about to get skinny.

We found Moby (Moe for short) at the ASPCA in our neighborhood. Most of the dogs there were Pit Bulls aside from a handful of strays and other little dogs that were rescued from puppy mills. Except for Moe and his brother, Max.

About eight months ago, a family adopted Moe and Max from a “breeder” in Missouri. For only $5,000 they had two “purebred Beagle” puppies on their hands. I guess Moe and Max were so noisy that the family was going to get evicted from their home. (Beagles are notoriously loud; they have three types of bark.) Long story short, the family gave up on both Moe and Max and took them to the ASPCA.

We met with Moe knowing all of these things. And while we wanted to get an older, smaller dog for our itty bitty apartment, we realized that healthy, little ol’ dogs are hard to come by here. Plus, Moe is just so darn cute, how could we say no?

They tell us that Moe is a Beagle-Basset Hound mix. And while his breed and his history tell us that he’s going to be a noisy booger, I haven’t heard him bark yet. No, really. A little bit a whining for the first five-minutes in his kennel, but otherwise, he’s super duper quiet. And cute, of course.

I’m also confused why I see vendors selling sheets at every street fair. Are people really taking to the streets to buy bedding?

On our way to the subway we walk by the Albanian Consulate. Not really a big deal, but I’m very curious to know why the door is always ajar.

In a previous post I talked about the Dogs of New York. More people have pets in Manhattan than I would’ve guessed. I’m starting to understand why and see that’s it probably not that inconvenient. But, why do people insist on bringing pets into the laundry room?

And how do the professional dog walkers keep all those leashes from getting tangled up?

Speaking of animals, I’m confused by all the women who wear fur coats. Why? Why? I see fur coats and hats everywhere, especially in our neighborhood. I thought “fur was murder?”

If you look close in the pic above you can see Jason in the reflection. He was busy admiring the coats.

Big in more ways than one. The good news is that calories don’t count on Valentine’s Day.

To top off our heart-day wishes for you, enjoy this latte. A bit of foam espresso art should warm your heart.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

2. Seaside condos are more affordable in Puerto Rico.

3. Old Town San Juan has charming colonial architecture and a HUGE fortress.

4. Puerto Rico is an enchanted island.

5. Puerto Rico has a better ratio of old folks to bikinis.

PS – I’ve never been to Hawaii so everything in this post could be completely inaccurate.

PPS – I only wrote this post because a certain someone(s) insists that Hawaii is better than Central America and the Caribbean EVEN THOUGH there aren’t any monkeys in Hawaii.

PPPS – I’m sure Hawaii is a nice place. I mean no offense to Hawaiians or travelers who like to go there.

PPPPS – If you’d like to share your frequent flyer miles with me, I’d gladly accept and write a more positive review.