NYC In January: Chilly Times In The Big Apple

Each year for the last three years I’ve ventured to NYC (New York City) to attend a couple of travel writer events. NYC in January is an interesting time to visit the Big Apple. Any kind of winter weather can show up this time of year. On this trip I landed at Penn Station in moderate rain and cold temperatures. I thought I’d take a taxi until I saw the line had over 15 eager customers waiting for a ride.

I thought what the hell, the Javits Convention Center is only a 14-minute walk away and I’d spend at least that much time waiting for a taxi. Off I went towing luggage in one hand and umbrella in the other. The wind was gusting to about 15 mph, inverting many an umbrella as I trudged along 34th Street. My umbrella inverted at least five times on my walk but I managed to stay mostly dry. It was with great relief I arrived 15 minutes early to stash my luggage and head to my first of many appointments.

Visit California was a major sponsor of the event and I met with several of their local visitor bureau reps. With an upcoming trip to Santa Barbara it was great to meet those helping me plan this wine-infused trip face-to-face. The day was a blur of 15-minute meetings before the social hour concluded this fun event.

Bring on the sun

The rain gave way to sunshine around 4 p.m. showering the Javits Center with a warm glow that foretold a dry walk to my hotel. I booked the Hotel Boutique for all three days in NYC. Hotel Boutique is the name of the hotel if you book it on a third party website, otherwise, its known as Club Quarters.

This location near Grand Central Terminal is ultra-convenient to getting around NYC. The rooms although small, are well designed and quite comfortable. After checking in, I was asleep by 9 in preparation of another day of travel writing work the following day.

I finished up my day at the travel show and met my wife for lunch at one of our favorite bargain spots in Grand Central Terminal. Cheap eats are tough to find in this expensive city, but EataPita serves a falafel pita for less than $9 that’s delicious and filling. My wife likes their lamb gyros and we walk away with happy tummies. At less than $21 bucks for both of us, I call that a win.

Cheap eats in NYC

We braved the tkts line for reduced theater performances and won out with two seats for Waitress. The line didn’t seem too long probably because it was a chilly day in NYC in January. With tickets in hand, we had an hour to warm up at the hotel before heading to Izakaya Mew, a Japanese restaurant that doesn’t take reservations. Located at 53 W. 35th Street in a basement space, this is a hopping place. Izakaya Mew has a daily happy hour that might be the best deal for Japanese food in the city.

We got the last two-top and felt like we won the food lottery to be seated so quickly. For less than $50 we had sushi, ramen, seaweed salad, and two hot sake. My salmon roll was delicious and fresh as it gets. The ramen was perfect after our chilly 15-minute walk to the restaurant.

From my seat I could watch the ebb and flow of diners waiting for a table. Even though the place was packed, those waiting were usually seated in 10-15 minutes. Check this place out if you love good Japanese food at reasonable prices. Happy hour runs from 5-6 every day. Beware they limit you to one happy hour-priced glass of beer, wine, or sake per person per order.

Our seats for Waitress were up close and a bargain. The show was one of the best we’ve seen in years; I loved the restaurant-themed story. We exited the theater around 11 p.m. and hoofed it all the way back to the Hotel Boutique. The streets of NYC in January seem safe, but I don’t think I’d want to walk them much later than midnight. There are some less than friendly looking folks on the street that time of night.

Food Hall exploring

Saturday morning was a chilly 25 degrees as we ventured out to explore the Chelsea Market. This is one cool food hall with gobs of attractive restaurants and food vendors. We walked the entire building before deciding on the Lobster Place. We sat at the sushi counter and ordered a salmon roll and lobster roll paired with sake for my wife and white wine for me.

All was excellent fare, and we transitioned to the soup station for lobster bisque to complete the meal. The place was packed so we weren’t able to sit down to enjoy the soup, but that didn’t bother us. The Chelsea Market has so many great looking restaurants it will take a few more visits to figure out which we like the best.

Take a walk on the Highline

After lunch, we exited our warm confines to walk the famed Highline Park just steps away. This old elevated train bridge was built in the early 1900s to make NYC safer from train mishaps. Open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the winter, we encountered many who braved the cold for the sake of a good walk.

The High Line is a fascinating urban park. Train tracks are still visible in several locations as is art, trees, and bushes. Lounge chairs made of heavy wood are placed in spots where the sun would shine in abundance in warmer months. The sun was shining, but the low angle of winter rays didn’t provide much warmth.

As we walked northward towards Hudson Yards, several new skyscrapers gleamed under clear-blue skies. These glass and steel cloud-piercers look like a futuristic city was dropped in, creating a whole new zip code overnight. Over the last three years, I’ve watched the buildings take shape while waiting to catch the Megabus home from the bus stop at 12th Ave. and 34th St.

A high-end dinner

On tap for the last night in town was dinner at Boulud Sud and tickets to My Fair Lady at the Lincoln Center. Boulud Sud is a splurge for us. This Mediterranean eatery is one of our favorites in NYC, even though we’ve only tried it twice before. The bread and olive oil starter, lamb flatbread, and oven roasted mushrooms would have been enough. But since it was a prix fixe 3-course meal we had the chicken tagine and dessert too.

The wines are excellent, and the staff pours a taste to make sure the customer is happy with it. I had the natural Greek white wine by the glass and loved it. By the time dessert came, we were too stuffed to enjoy it and merely pecked at it a bit.

My Fair Lady was great and the subway ride back to the hotel uneventful. We drifted off to sleep with the words, “All I want is a room somewhere” echoing in our minds. What a great day it had been.

One last day

Our last day featured an excellent breakfast at one of 17 Maison Kayser locations. This French bakery/café is a good option for breakfast or lunch. The croissants, sandwiches, and pastries are excellent. We headed back to our hotel to pack up and walk to Grand Central Terminal. With extra time on our hands, we popped into Jacques Torres Chocolate shop and tried a cup of the hot chocolate. This is one decadent cup of sweet surrender. It’s thick and creamy, but not too sweet as it uses 60 percent dark chocolate.

At Penn Station, we had plenty of time to catch our train and sat in the Amtrak lounge area. After a while I noticed the guys in red shirts and red caps hauling luggage for passengers. Being a curious travel-writer, I approached the luggage counter and asked how this service worked. I was surprised to learn if you use the Red Caps, you get escorted to the train before the masses are released to jostle for a seat. .” What a great way to avoid the crowd rushing for the train after hearing the boarding announcement!

We happily tipped our porter-Lenny, $10 bucks for hauling our two bags and lifting them above our seats. Lenny said, “You don’t even have to have luggage to use the Red Cap service, and you pay what you want.” It had been a great trip in NYC in January. If you have plans to visit the Big Apple, I hope my research serves you well, and you have a great trip. Note: All photos were shot on my Google Pixel smartphone!

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