Frites and Fish
- Samantha Hoback
- Aug 11, 2017
- 3 min read
There are only a handful of summer Fridays left in 2017, and I intend to make the most of each and every one. So today, as soon as I left the office at 1:30, I headed to Brookfield Place for lunch al fresco. Brookfield is a massive shopping center right on the Hudson River with stores like J.Crew and Dior and restaurants like Del Frisco's and PJ Clarke's. They also have a food court of sorts called Hudson Eats, which is where I was headed. I picked up a half mozzarella sandwich and took my lunch out to the riverside seating area. What I love about Brookfield is the view: right on the Hudson, a marina with boats of all sizes, and a clear sightline to Jersey City. Sometimes living in New York it's easy to forget Manhattan is an island surrounded by water. But days like today I am grateful for the proximity to two rivers and the bay.
After finishing part one of my lunch, I headed back inside for part two. Brookfield Place is also the home of Le District--a French marketplace with a bakery, a wine bar, a riverside restaurant, and a FRENCH FRY BAR. Yes, you read that correctly. I wasn't craving French fries, I was craving TRUFFLE FRIES, and the truffle aioli at Le District is unbelievable. There was no way I was going to finish all of the fries, but you better believe I got every last bit of the aioli one way or the other.
Clearly I needed to walk off lunch, so I took the subway up to Central Park and planned on walking the rest of the way home. Since starting work at the dance studio, I haven't had a lot of time to go to the park this summer. This was my chance, and I'm so glad I did. Every time I'm in the park I remember how much I love it. It's an oasis in an urban jungle, and you never know what you'll see.
On this visit, I happened to walk by a movie set--The Kindergarten Teacher, to be exact. (I did some research after the fact.) I first noticed the equipment and film cream, and then I realized they were actually filming a scene for the movie, and that scene starred Maggie Gyllenhaal--an outstanding actress and Jake Gyllenhaal's sister. This wasn't my first film set, but it was my first film set that was actually filming a major star. I'd like to thank the truffle fries for encouraging my impromptu jaunt through the park, without which I would never have stumbled upon the set and Maggie in full work mode. Thank you, truffle fries.
I could only stop and stare for so long. Continuing on my walk through the park, I made my way to the Bethesda Fountain and the boathouse. Narrowly avoiding a man with a yellow snake draped across his shoulders--tourists braver than me could have their picture taken with boa--I headed straight for the edge of the pond and watched turtles swim in the water. There was a guy fishing right in the pond; he caught a carp, but thankfully he threw it back. I'm pretty sure you aren't allowed to fish in Central Park, but that didn't seem to stop him.
Stay tuned for a fun post next weekend: Dad is coming to visit and we have some epic plans! And in two weeks...NEW APARTMENT!! #tgif
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