Oh, so far behind

For some strange reason, maybe like I was having too much fun and spending too much time in restaurants, I never finished my posts from New York City. Now that I have been home for two days and have a few minutes, I will try to wrap up the trip in less than 1000 words. I think I left off with Sunday night at the Blue Note; so let's move on to Monday. We decided to do a touristy thing today, which proved to be very interesting. We took the NBC Studio tour. We saw three of the studios, the most interesting being the one used by Saturday Night Live. The stage that is used by the musical groups is much smaller than what you see on TV, thanks to the magic of television. We also saw the "new" studio for Dr. Oz, to which I responded, "Who?: - sorry Oprah. Next was a lovely walk down 5th Avenue to Macy's, for a snack and drink in the Cellar, and some window shopping. We then took the subway to Greenwich Village for a walk around the neighborhood. It is very nice in the village, with all the tree shaded streets. Our dinner reservation was nearby at DBGB Kitchen and Bar, a Daniel Boulud eatery on Bowery St. While all the meals we had were very good, this was my favorite, primarily due to the unusual menu of house made sausages. I started with a wonderful, and nicely presented, "iceberg and blue" salad, followed by a sausage duo of the TOULOUSE; a pork, duck gizzard & garlic link served with cassoulet beans, and the TUNISIENNE; a lamb and mint merguez with harissa, and lemon braised spinach and chickpeas. Frank started with the Butter Lettuce and Chive salad, followed by his selection for the sausage duo; The BERLINER: a tender german-style wurst, winter radish choucroute, green apple, curry, and the BOUDIN BASQUE a spicy blood and pigs head sausage with scallion mashed potatoes. All were amazing.
After a short stop at the hotel, we started our traditional last evening walk around the city, this time in Time Square area, followed by an "until next time" drink at the Marriott Marquis lobby bar overlooking Broadway.
We got a late start on Tuesday, our last day in the city. We had lunch reservations at Aquivit Cafe, where Chef Marcus Samualsson works his magic. (Yes, his last name is spelled correctly). The cafe is co-located with Aquivit restaurant, but in a more casual Swedish minimalist setting. We both enjoyed the prix fixe lunch; I opted for the Herring Plate for may appetizer, the Seared Gravlax for my main course, and the Arctic Circle for dessert. Frank started with the Mixed Lettuce Salad, followed by the Swedish Meatballs, and also concluding with the Arctic Circle. Everything, including the service was superb, especially the dessert; probably the best of the trip. It was a cylinder of goat cheese parfait, filled with a passion fruit custard, and topped with raspberry sorbet.
Stick with me here - that is the last food discussion, and the trip is almost over. Our last stop of the day and of the trip was the Frick Collection, an old mansion on 5th Avenue that now houses a wonderful collection of art, by artists such as Titian, Turner, El Greco and many more. The setting and the art was very different from what we saw at MOMA, but no less wonderful.
Some final thoughts: We commented frequently during the trip, that Mayor Bloomberg must be putting some happy juice in the water supply, as we found a much more friendly city that in prior visits. We were also pleased to see that much of Broadway in Time Square had been made into a pedestrian area, with small cafe tables and chairs for a nice touch. This was repeated in front of Macy's. This was a wonderful, relaxing trip, without the rush to see all the major sites. The trip was a nice mix of culture and food, and just plain fun walking in a wonderful city. We checked off four more restaurants from our wish list, and three big time chefs; Daniel Boulud, Marcus Samualsson, and Danny Meyer. Obviously we ate well. And I kept my promise - this was only 721 words. 
That's all I'm Saying!