Playing tourist

After my facebook/blogging conversations of late, I've decided to try to make things on here a bit more transparent. I'm all for transparency in government so why not in the blogging world? So in full disclosure mode, I have to say I kind of enjoy playing tourist here in New York. Sometimes. On a Monday. Meaning that I like being able to do the things that lots of people pay good money to fly in and do in 3 or 4 days over a long-ass weekend and which I can space out over the course of years and do on a weekday. Because it makes all the difference--especially with kids. You can't just deathmarch them around and cram it all in. So better to pace ourselves and pick locations that aren't so crazy on a weekday.  I don't think I will ever learn to stomach the crowded sidewalks around Times Square (the worst 10 blocks in the entire city in my opinion and probably what most people take away as their NYC highlight). But there are lots of neighborhood institutions that have earned their reputations by serving the locals and the tourists alike.  

So when Nacho had a day off earlier this week, I thought long and hard about what we should do. I was feeling a city vibe that day (as opposed to beach vibe, local park vibe, running errands vibe, etc) and decided that we should head into the Lower East Side for a bit of a walk. And then the thought of eating at Katz's sprung into my head. I think the only other time I was there, I was too confused by the ordering process and the hordes of people (probably on a weekend at noon) that I fled in disgrace. And that was before kids. Damn, I had no idea how much more I would enjoy it then. Oh well. But anyway, we made the trek in on one bus and two trains before getting primo real estate at a large empty table just as we entered the deli.  Things were looking good. Nacho ran up and grabbed us a pastrami reuben, a selection of pickles and I grabbed the drinks and fries.  Carolina was snacking away like a champ and Elisa was sucking down cream soda long enough to be still and quiet. I took a few bites of my half of the sandwich and realized this was worth the trip.  There's no way I could eat a whole one, but the half with its oozing sauce, tangy kraut, toasted cheese and melt-in-your-mouth pastrami was just what I needed that day. It was a culinary pick-me-up and another tick on my list of things every visitor here should try. Oh, and we swung into nearby Economy Candy on the way towards Tompkins Square Park which was a definite score. That place is absolutely packed with sweets some of which I hadn't seen since childhood. 

After 7 years living in this city, I'm starting to feel a sense of ownership about the place. I've worked here. I've given birth twice here. I've moved within the city.  And I have my favorite haunts in almost every neighborhood in Manhattan and a good chunk of Queens.  I figure after 10 years, I might even feel like calling myself a New Yorker and drop the Midwestern smile. I probably look like a dope.  But we'll see. Most of the time, I'm just happy to be able to share these places with my family and to confirm whether they merit the praise. This time, it definitely did.