New York City Week 1

With our last conference finishing in New York mid October, and the next one beginning in New York just before Christmas, we decided that rather than return to Australia, we would take the opportunity to stay and enjoy magnificent NYC for 2 months. Whilst we are still working, and with Australia's having a 13 or 14 hour time difference, means the working day is totally out of kilter, that is a small price to pay to be able to wander the streets in New York for the next 2 months!

So as the Fall weather slowly gathers pace, I intend to post weekly reports on our sojourn in NYC. My list is long, and 2 months is short...... so there is definitely no time to lose.

When our ship sailed into New York Harbour, we were the first passengers to alight - happy to carry our own gear so we could beat the crowds and ensconce ourselves in our Midtown apartment where we are staying for the next 2 months. On the 24th floor we have awesome views over the Manhattan skyline, including a balcony to enjoy a wine while the sun sets over the Hudson. Furthermore we even have a gym & glass roofed heated pool & spa on the 44th floor that has an incredible views over Central Park and will be fun to swim in as the serious winter weather sets in. This is my kind of NYC!

So, an essential start was our stay was a trip to Union Square farmers market where the product was so fresh it was almost jumping off the tables! We also delighted in watching an expert "pumpkin artist" carve a portrait of a man into pumpkin - he was incredibly good and I am surprised how seriously they take the whole pumpkin carving (ie, Halloween) artistry! 

Fabulous arrival timing, as I was thrilled to be in town for a very exciting visit from my Godson George and his Mum Steph, who were visiting from San Francisco to celebrate George's 8th birthday. My gift was a surprise helicopter ride over NYC - the absolutely best way to see NYC (why fight the crowds at Liberty island when you can see it from the air?) and a huge hit with George! It takes alot to impress an 8 year old but I think I managed it with this gift. Cupcakes from Magnolia bakery were a pretty good follow up (though I admit I think it was more for the adults than George... we LOVE that frosting!) and then a lovely wander around Greenwich village which was Steph's old 'hood' when she lived here years ago. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed an 8th birthday as much as this! 

The rest of the week was very busy indeed - a visit to the new Renzo Piano designed Whitney Museum of American Art, with a interesting guided tour of some of their special pieces. A fabulous walk on one of landscape architecture's world masterpieces (my opinion, but trust me I am correct) - the Highline - the re-purposed elevated cargo train track. The clever thing about this space is the very well considered textural planting that responds to seasonal change, the integration of public seating and extensive artworks that surprise & delight. I love the vision & passion that turned this into such a loved space in NYC - without doubt I will visit at least once a week over the next 2 months as there is no better space to soak in the change of season than this elevated 2.33km public walkway - it will definitely make you smile!

NYC also has seemingly unlimited entertainment variety  - so in the past week we have enjoyed 2 very high quality jazz shows that kept us tapping our toes for hours after the shows finished and a very good off Broadway play called "Barbeque". We have also been cycling in Central Park, visited Ellis Island (despite many previous visits to NYC we had not been to see USA's immigration entry point - just a tip, I think it is better seen from the helicopter - many exhibits have been removed since Hurricane Sandy 3 yrs ago as they wait to build the climate controlled spaces they require, so wait till they do!) 

We have also eaten at the iconic Oyster Bar in Grand Central station, with its original 1920's architecture, visited the very groovy Gansevoort food market in the eclectic meatpacking district and eaten at one of Frank Sinartra's favourite Italian restaurants, Patsy's, (plus booked to attend one of his 100 year birthday celebrations in December). A week in NYC would not be complete without several hours in our favourite bookstore, The Strand, (& a purchase of a dozen+ books... this time, more to follow I am sure, books here are very well priced and the options seemingly endless) and somewhere in the midst of this week I have even managed to squeeze in some retail therapy (limited so far, but the days are young.....).

I am always surprised how quickly one settles into a routine wherever you are in the world, and ours begins with opening our apartment door to collect the delivery of our New York Times. I know we probably appear 'old school' but not much beats opening the NYTimes first thing in the morning as the cafeteria begins to percolate. This is shortly followed by a visit to our favourite Italian coffee shop 1.5 blocks away, then the day can truly get underway.

Across the past week we have walked hours and hours each and every day and yet only covered a fraction of the boroughs which constitute NYC, so..... lots done but way more to go..............

   

Initial nerves, then absolute delight!

Ellis Island Processing room - one could almost feel the equal measure of relief & fear

A view from the balcony of the Whitney museum onto the Highline

Ganesvoort Food Market - cool fitouts, equally cool food

  

Art is a every turn along the Highline

Iconic 1920's architecture still exists in the very busy Oyster bar in Grand Central Station

Fontesecca Wines, Citta della Pieve

 

To discover and uncover is one of the great delights of travel – as much today as in Marco Polo’s, Captain Cook’s or Vasgo da Gama’s time. Whether the discovery is in unchartered waters or close to where one spends much time, it is always a delight to unearth the unexpected. So, after drinking many bottles of a local biologically produced wine called "Fontesecca" www.fontesecca.it/en/ when we enjoy our countless meals at our favourite family operated restaurant own town in Citta della Pieve,  "Bruno Coppetta" www.en.trattoriabrunocoppetta.com/, we decided it was time to source the grower /producer!

Like with many hidden gems, it turned out to be in a place we drive past regularly, but just slightly off the main road out of vision. Paolo Bolla the owner of Fontesecca wines, has a 4 generational heritage in wine manufacture, and was originally from the Verona area where he learnt his trade in the family business. In search of new unspoilt terrain, he and his family moved to the Umbrian hills in 2004 and began an independent winery that today produces a limited quantity of excellent wines plus extra virgin olive oil, all grown on their land. The delightful part about their production methods is their organic farming approach, a respect for the land, nature & time which seems to be a recurring narrative in this part of the world.  

The wines we have previously tasted are a fabulous red wine called "Pino" (named after Paolo Bolla’s father), which is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes and exudes a spicy, slightly floral, full rounded taste with which as Australians, we are familiar. It is absolutely delicious and with a dark ruby red colour, it looks as good as it tastes. The white wine, "Elso" (named after the man who planted the original vines 40years ago) also has a wonderful 3 dimensional layered taste being a mix of local varieties of Trebbiano, Toscano, Grechetto & Malvasia grapes. With a colour of wet straw, we can testify it is a superb wine to enjoy with lunch during the warmer months.  They also produce several other wines and needless to say we purchased the whole range to be sure!

 

The terrain from millennia ago used to be sea and we were told that when ploughing the soil to plant the new vines they found many fossilised shells which is where the symbol on their label is derived. Today these shells are proudly displayed to show the geographical history of the region and Paolo mentioned that these crustaceans add to the saltiness of the soil and contribute to the grape's end taste for the wine production.  

Uncovering local gems like this, we feel are peeling back the historical layers that have shaped this Umbrian region for centuries.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

Citta della Pieve seen from Fontesecca Vineyard
 

 

I've never met a Paris food market I didnt love!

Charles de Gaulle once stated "How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty six different kinds of cheese". Maybe when he said that in 1953 he was correct, but today, France has well over five hundred different kinds of cheese, and I think I saw them all today at Sunday's Marché Richard Lenoir food market.

This place is a foodie’s delight! Whether you are renting an apartment in Paris and need to stock the fridge, or simply want to spend a colourful and fun Sunday morning enjoying a very typical French way of life, this market has got it all! Stretching about a kilometre from the monument at Bastille down Boulevard Richard Lenoir there are three alleyways of deliciousness of French gourmet products to delight your taste buds and cause havoc to your waistline! And I can promise you we did well on the waistline!

A fabulous busker who sang and danced with small children while balancing a goldfish bowl filled with fish on his head entertained us while we ate the most delicious crepes expertly made to order by a stall holder who had clearly done it many times before. Breakfast doesn’t get much better than this – calories galore (my crepe was goats cheese, smoked salmon grated cheese and an egg), colourful entertainment, and a taste of true French life – all free of charge in a Paris winter that is pretending to be spring!

 

We bought an awesome Roquefort cheese that smells like a gym junkie’s dirty socks, endive that was picked directly from the beds in which it was still growing (I have never seen this before and food doesn’t get much fresher!) and small green beans that were so expertly stacked they looked regimental and severe but were so crisp & young that we ate them raw. For a late lunch we bought San Jacques - the largest scallops I have seen and in our apartment we simply steamed them with lemon. The texture was meaty, the taste delicate and at 12.50Euro a kilo we thought they were a bargain.

 

I LOVE a food market like this – to me it is shopping in its most perfect form, exciting the senses in all formats. This makes me want to move to Paris!!!

  

 

Fresh Porcini Mushrooms & Black Truffles directly from the farmer - Ahhhhh....... it's good to be back in Italy!!

In Europe, autumn begins tomorrow and the produce markets in Italy are brimming with the most beautiful looking, and delicious, tasting fruit & vegetables. So our arrival to our home in Citta della Pieve at midnight last night, was perfect timing to fill our baskets at this morning's Saturday market. Although our town's market is small in comparison to many others in the area, it still has food stalls that always deliver exceptional quality seasonal products which we stock up on in large quantity.

 

In addition to innumerable fruit & vegetables, today we purchased some huge fresh porcini mushrooms which I prepared for lunch by thickly slicing them, then frying in a little garlic infused olive oil and served with fresh thyme and cracked pepper. Simple, quick and incredibly delicious - couldn't be better really! As L would say, all knowledge is acquired, and I discovered this method of cooking them a few moths ago when we ate at our favourite restaurant in Arezzo, "Antica Osteria L'Agania" - the strong but delicate taste of the Porcini mushrooms shines through and delivers a meal so delicious it belies the simplicity of its preparation.

 

Then later in the day in another quest to uncover some more local knowledge, we were out driving in the Arezzo area when we came upon a little hut selling freshly gathered large black and white truffles. The aroma in the little timber cabin which is open Saturday only, was overwhelming and their product - only white or black truffles in varying sizes, had been collected directly by them the previous day - hard to beat buying directly from the farmer, particularly in the case of truffles where the length of time out of the ground diminishes the strength of the taste. We chose 2 of the large black truffles for only 15Euro, then bought fresh pasta which we simply grated the truffles over for the most amazingly delicious dinner - now that is what I call fabulous fast food! The remainder of the truffles currently sit in a jar with our eggs as we are told the aroma will seep into the porous egg shell and give us truffle tasting eggs for our omelette tomorrow morning - though with the cost and availability of fresh truffles I think we will just shave them into the omelette instead!  

 

 

 

 

 



Arezzo Antique Market - a fabulous way to spend the day!!

Arezzo's monthly antique market is definitely one of Italy's best Antique markets. Held on the weekend of the first Sunday of the month, it is a wonderfully eclectic mix of furniture, art, vintage textiles and bric a brac. One of our favourite activities is to wander it on a Saturday morning and over our many visits, we have developed a ritual for the day - we arrive early (more choice), have  a quick espresso or 2, before wandering all the streets ensuring we visit our favourite stalls, then around 1pm, stop for lunch at Osteria L'Agania, a simple trattoria with a changing seasonal menu of locally produced product. On this visit to Osteria L'Agania we ate home made pasta with generous quantities of fresh truffles shaved over the top, and the most delicious fresh porcini mushrooms we have ever tasted - prepared by simply frying them. We were told that this season of porcini mushrooms has been one of the best ever and my taste buds can certainly testify to this.  

This particular visit coincided with an art festival in the city which presented itself in delightfully obtuse and unexpected installations - one a huge cascading waterfall of books from the window of a building in the main mall, another a sea of old clothes strung high in the ceiling space of the colonnade around the main piazza. I love the fact that Italy allows young artists the opportunity to display their art in such a public forum - these pieces often push the boundaries of what many may consider art to be, but that is exactly the point - it continues the discussion about culture and engages a wider audience. Without doubt it injected a sense of fun, fascination and enquiry into the city of Arezzo - and in the end this creates public spaces with a wonderfully inclusive vibe.

Some market visits are more fruitful than others, but we always manage to find something that makes its way back to our home in Citta della Pieve. On July's visit we bought far more than we intended but are thrilled with our unexpected purchase! For the past 2yrs we always visit a stall holder in the main piazza who often stocks refurbished old carpenter's workbenches ready to begin a new life as a table or console. Although not really in need of a new kitchen table, this weekend, the price and the quality of the work bench he had totally captivated us, so early Sunday morning, it was delivered into our kitchen....and it looks spectacular!! We have had a piece of glass made for the top, to cover the recesses for the carpenter's tools to become a supremely gorgeous & practical kitchen table. The 2 original vices are still in place, and the cut out recesses for upturned tools and the solidity of the timber would all no doubt have many a story to tell. It is this table's history and previous working life that we totally love.

We also managed to find another 2 pieces of artwork for our ever growing gallery walls in both our bedroom and living room - all of €15 each, they are framed in elaborate gilt frames, and bought from one of our favourite stalls, (the main reason we always arrive early on a Saturday is to get first pick of this stall holders artworks as they are always interesting and well priced!) Individually, none of  the art pieces are especially grand, but en-masse they make a beautiful mosaic gallery wall.

Many of the pieces in our Citta della Pieve home have come from this excellent monthly antique market and a significant part of the fun was the hunt to discover and uncover.

Arezzo was hosting a art installation across the whole city, and the hanging clothes in the background of this photo are part of this

An Art installation in the portico of the main Piazza

Our new kitchen table! The history of this piece compliments our centuries old
apartment and we are thrilled with this purchase

Unfortunately I missed out on this antique marble font with pedestal (should have visited before lunch!),However  I intend to watch for another in the future as it would make a sensational powder room sink. The price was not much more than a ordinary white porcelain one.  Obviously though the trick is getting it back to Australia!

Timber doors from an old convent - € 300 for the pair they were really beautiful and I thought good
value with a wonderful story to tell

Our regular lunch venue - delicious seasonal food

Home made pasta with shaved fresh truffle - delicious!

Fried fresh Porcini mushrooms with Tuscan white beans - food doesn't get much better than this! 

Product changes regularly but there is always treasure waiting to be discovered

A wonderfully fun book sculpture - part of the art installations throughout the city of Arezzo

And here is the finished product in our kitchen at Citta della Pieve - we are thrilled with the results

Another shot of our new, but very old, kitchen table in situ