Let it snow!

Posted on February 9, 2013 by TheFitzyreport

I can’t imagine ever becoming blase about snow, or ceasing to get excited at the prospect of it falling. It is absolutely magical. So when the blizzard started to swirl into town last night I was glued to the window, and at the first sound of the snow ploughs early this morning I raced out the door.

At 5.30 am the doorman were busy with their salt shakers, clearing the sidewalk and creating a blue hue in the melting snow. Busy Friday night cabs had cleared paths through the Avenues, but there were still whole streets untouched. Cars wore thick white fluffy coats and fire hydrants were capped with pixie pointers. There was a snow angel in front of the Morgan library and someone had written ‘I love NY’ in iconic font. The lions at the library were stoic as always and in the park behind, where the fountain had been frozen last week, it was now the picnic chairs that were making art. It was beautiful to be out, the snow made everything quiet, but bright, illuminated like a full moon.

The sun was well on the way and icicles were forming in the melting landscape as I made my way home. I found a spot of perfectly smooth meringue-like snow and sank in my wellies to make a wish. It might be another year before I get the chance again….

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Posted in the view from here | 8 Comments

2 Beans

Posted on February 9, 2013 by TheFitzyreport

David Jones has come to NYC and not a moment too soon. Attempting to keep my reputation intact with the imminent arrival of a best friend’s best friend ( BFBF ) – who is trusting me to keep her caffeine levels at a premium – I am on a mission to discover New York’s most superior spots. It’s quite a responsibility. Flat whites have arrived in the Big Apple, but you can’t rely on the simple listing of this Aussie option to indicate quality. Similarly, many coffee shops have a barista wearing the mandatory geeky hat, but this may only serve the purpose of a tea cosy and their coffee making skills may be overheated. There is also the need for multiple locations – if my BFBF has to traipse across town or run the risk of being stranded by cab cross-over time when a craving hits, I am going to be a flat white. So thanks heavens for another good find this week…

2 Beans opened it’s doors recently on Park and 41st, only a few steps from Grand Central Station. Catering to those with a passion for both coffee and chocolate, this place offers the best of both worlds. I know because I ( had ) to try them both. The coffee is Illy, which is always a good start and the hot chocolate was a complete indulgence. There are lots of international brands on the shelves – shortbreads, truffles, etc – but the true DJ’s connection is in the presentation. Coffee was served on a silver tray with a glass of water and a little sweet. How civilized – and the coffee was excellent! The place is very new, and service is a little slow, but every coffee was a work of art. It’s more of a ‘ladies who lunch’ place than a local cafe, but if you need an Australian-standard flat white, order the cappuccino here and you’ll know who your friends are.

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Posted in coffee | 3 Comments

Frozen art

Posted on February 3, 2013 by TheFitzyreport

Winter has created a work of art in the Bryant Park fountain on the corner of 42nd and 6th Avenue. A week ago the fountain was frozen solid, but yesterday it had melted just enough to catch the light with both ice and water glistening in the sunshine. Spectacular!

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Posted in art & inspiration, the view from here, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Good restaurant

Posted on February 3, 2013 by TheFitzyreport

The name said it all. A Canadian friend was in town for the weekend and I needed an interesting restaurant near Washington Square that would allow us to focus on a much anticipated catch-up while providing a hearty meal on a freezing night. Research and reviews directed me to the west side, and luck and intuition took me the rest of the way. Through the minus temperatures of the previous weeks, ‘Good‘ had been featuring a season of stews, which showed an earthy attitude to food and gave me a warm impression of the place before I even arrived.

The restaurant is in Greenwich Village, and despite the cold causing a swift stride from the subway, I could see there was much to challenge the long standing ‘A Salt and Battery’ ( fish and chips ) and ‘Tea and Comfort’ ( cafe ) establishments that I knew from previous visits. The distraction of people and places meant I walked straight past my friend sitting in the window of ‘Good’ – but then it was kind of dark inside…

Because I have not yet conceded to carrying my reading glasses with me everywhere as a regular habit, I glanced at the on-line menu earlier that day to give me a visual advantage. While this seems silly, it was not as short sighted as it sounds. The restaurant had a very moody ambiance, so if I hadn’t already decided on the overnight roasted pork with pears, shaved brussel sprouts, handmade spaetzle and natural jus, I would have missed something wondrous. The meal was absolutely delicious, wine by the glass was easy, and the service was friendly and floating. Fortunately my friend was also fun and familiar – a blind date would have hit and miss…

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NYC flat white

Posted on January 31, 2013 by TheFitzyreport

Even though we all know that the best things in life cannot be duplicated, there is always the temptation to try. After delighting in the taste of apricots picked straight off the tree in Port Lincoln, I couldn’t resist a tub of like lineage calling to me from the shelves of Trader Joe’s last week. These apricots had more food miles than I will ever have frequent fliers and it showed in the eating. Similarly, my attempt to find a typically Australian caffeine fix since returning to the Big Apple has been challenging. But with so many entrepreneurial Aussies in town, and news that even Hugh Jackman had opened a cafe downtown, I started a new search for the much needed flat white.

Culture Express on West 38th was first on the hit list. From the outside it looked ‘Brooklyn’ enough – the barista was wearing a geeky hat typical of his trade, trending with a code of coolness that I haven’t quite deciphered yet. But inside there was deafening head banging music, and the flat whites were so strong and bitter that Sean likened the whole experience to water boarding. And that was before he tasted the blood orange donut.

Fortunately not far away on West 37th lies a much better option. Ramini was set up by a Greek fellow with an international audience in mind. He offers flat whites which are much closer to home in terms of taste and strength, as well as Japanese teas and fresh homemade savoury pastries. Service is happy and hat worthy, and I learnt something. ‘Pour over’s’ are the name given to the design poured on the top of the coffee, and are becoming a new benchmark for coffee houses. In lieu of the upcoming Academy Awards, I  wonder what Hugh Jackman will have on his…?

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Posted in coffee, Food | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Australian Squash

Posted on January 31, 2013 by TheFitzyreport

At this time of the year, you would have to be extremely committed to leave the warm relaxed shores of Southern Australia for the freezing competitive challenges of NYC. But if you are seriously working on your world ranking in squash, the only place to be this past week was Grand Central Station. What a fantastic location for a squash court! Even if it was temporary, the J P Morgan tournament brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to a cold corner of the commute. Aussie Sarah Cardwell, ranked 51st in the world and looking more like a ballerina than a tough sportswoman, talked to me about loving a sport that doesn’t have the massive crowd appeal of other athletics. This means lean sponsorship and lingering inequalities – top prize money for the boys at this event was $115,000 and for the girls it was $25,000. ( But she did get to see the inside of both the Harvard and Yale Clubs – even if it was to work out… ) Sarah has been playing since she was ten and her mother was twice world champion, so work on your swing if you want to catch up with her…

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Posted in Australians at large | 2 Comments

Downunder delights

Posted on January 23, 2013 by TheFitzyreport

I have to seriously rethink the whole definition of good coffee after being completely spoilt by the perfection of rich creamy flat whites in my recent (too) fast and fabulous trip DownUnder. Maybe it’s the water, maybe it’s the milk, across the country from Sydney to Port Lincoln, from Sonoma to Lucia’s, each cup was an inspiration. But that’s not all. Besides the creme de la creme coffee, there were fragrant gum trees against blue blue skies; corn fritters topped with roasted tomatoes, bacon and avocado in tanning distance from Coogee Beach; grilled barramundi with icy cider at the local pub; Port Lincoln prawns as big and as sweet as pinatas; pre-dawn swims in deep crystal clear water; sun warmed apricots fresh off the tree, and Kingston mangos, currant grapes and mulberries that were all the more delicious by their southern speciality. It was a taste of heaven. And that’s without even mentioning my family and friends. Nothing like a good dose of home!

I came back to New York with Mum’s tomato relish, Jean Shepherd’s apricot jam and Weetbix. Customs were surprised I didn’t have any cherry-ripes and waved us through. The weather wouldn’t budge, so record hot temperatures had to be traded in for the freezing cold. We went from 46.5C to -10C in one very long day. It was a shock but hey, I’m going to be too busy to notice. It’s 2013, and I am expecting visitors – Australian visitors who will be looking for a good coffee. New York, we have some research to do!

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Posted in Australians at large, bakeries, coffee, Food, Fun, markets, travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Swinging at the Armory

Posted on December 31, 2012 by TheFitzyreport
Posted in art & inspiration | 7 Comments

Swinging by a thread…

Posted on December 31, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

At the Armory on Park Avenue there is an extraordinary installation that was a touch of heaven to be part of. ‘Installation’ doesn’t seem a big enough word to convey the magnificent experience of Ann Hamilton’s artistry. Hanging in the middle of the huge expanse of the Armory, a sail is connected to massive pulleys through interconnecting ropes and swings on either side. So that as people swing, the momentum they create moves the sail up and down. It is mesmerizing. I made straight for the swings, but many people just laid under the swooshing sail in the middle of the space in a peaceful meditation. Children ran around with delight, laughing with the playground atmosphere – the enormity of the sail and the magic of being part of it’s movement was pure fun. Just what we need at this time of the year!

this one

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Posted in art & inspiration | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Documentary makes deadline!

Posted on December 29, 2012 by TheFitzyreport

We made it! After an emotional roller coaster over the past few weeks with extreme highs and lows and much burning of the midnight oil, Sean and I finally submitted our documentary to the Tribeca Film Festival on Thursday afternoon. It has been quite a journey with Joey. We were filming up to the last minute, having become addicted to spotting a slice of perfect light and running to capture it for the film. But when Sean dismantled the camera so we could focus on the final edit, he was drawing a line in the sand, and just as well. We could have gone on forever adding to and perfecting the cut, but time was running out. On the last day we had to render the film to DVD, then watch the film over a few more times to make sure there were no glitches. So I know the words and the songs off by heart, in fact I wonder if I will ever be able to sleep again without the cinema in my head playing back to back sessions…

During the past couple of weeks as the city went quiet and cold for the festive season, I imagined we would be able to catch up on all the lights and decorations after December 28th. But by the time we emerged from our creative cave it was a little shocking to see that people had already started discarding their Christmas trees. Piled on sidewalks along downtown Tribeca were trees stripped of their adornments and left waiting for the truck to collect them. It didn’t seem fair that Christmas could be over – we missed it! I received some comfort in the words of a friend when she said that Russians celebrate Christmas on January 7th, and so some of the perfect pines would be retrieved and decorated all over again. How good. Anything but the sound of the hooves on the road sounding out ‘Going to the tanner, going to the tanner…’!

Even though Christmas decorations were on their way out, graffiti is a constant in the city, and our walk to the Film Center was coloured by some original street art. I especially liked the ‘Dedicated to being medicated’ Bart Simpson sketch…

‘Joey’ had been the name of the film from the beginning, but we wanted to change the title to reflect more of the story. As I wrestled with the linguistic economy of a tagline of 20 words, and a synopsis of 50, it suddenly dawned that the perfect name for our film was ‘Larrikin’.  It describes Joey himself, and will create a few questions, causing many to pick up the dictionary for an explanation. We just might be adding something new to the American vernacular…..

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Posted in art & inspiration | Tagged , | 12 Comments