If there was one thing i had to do in New York it was go to Bemelman’s Bar. Ludwig Bemelman was the author of the children’s books “Madaline” and that’s what he’s best known for, but he was an illustrator for the New Yorker and author of adult books his whole life before he hit the big time with Madaline. I stumbled across one of his books a few years back and i’ve been hooked ever since, Ebaying most everything i can find from him. His books are the perfect blend of picture books and “real” books. I wish there was more stuff like his out there, but there are so few people that posses the ability to write and draw that it just doesn’t happen much. He is a huge inspiration of mine so i had to see this bar as he’d drawn pictures all over the walls back when he lived at the hotel for a year and a half back in the 1940’s. Walking into the bar made me weak in the knees. Seeing his actual drawings on the walls of what i consider to be the “perfect” New York bar. Old school. Waiters in tuxes. Jazz supplied by a live band. Woman in fur coats. Doormen. $20 martinis. God i love New York. I felt like i stepped back in time to 1940 something.

That was the bill for 4 people and 2 rounds of drinks. Welcome to New York! This was the jazz band that we found out later set us back $25 each cover charge. I guess we should have stayed longer and gotten our maneys worth out of every note they played. Oh well, it was worth it. Bemelman’s Bar was my favorite part of this trip to New York.

Apparently this place is famous from the “Sex in the city” TV show or something like that. You’d never know it but Gray’s Papaya is actually a hot dog stand. Huh? (that’s what i said.) they are known for having cheap hot dogs, thus the tag line “when you’re hungry, or broke, or just in a hurry!”, and unlike everything else in new york they really were cheap, ridiculously so. But just like there’s no way to know from the outside that gray’s is a hot dog stand, there’s also no way to tell it’s a papaya stand from the inside. what the hell is a papaya stand anyways? i thought the joint was a juice bar. I guess there are reasons for the name that go back many years and probably has something to do with people wanting cheap food...patrick told me some story, but i can’t remember what it was. i’ll leave it at it was a great contrast to bemelman’s bar and a hell of a lot cheaper making for a pretty good first night in new york.

Only in new york can you be walking down some crappy street and see this amazing flower stand with every flower you can imagine and a guy waiting there to wrap them up and send you on your way. I actually smelt this place before i walked around the corner and saw it. patrick and i picked up some flowers for the ladies and got a parade in our honor.

the amount of shit these guys fit into those tiny little spaces just blows my mind. newspapers, gum (12 kinds), magazines, hangover medications, pop, candy, they even find space to hide the porno magazines. I wish we had these things in minneapolis. nothing says crazy busy city like news  stands on every corner.