January felt like it passed in a matter of minutes. Work has been keeping me busy, plus we had visits from one of my best friends from Melbourne and David’s parents. Winter this year hasn’t been that tough, and I’ve been told that it’s been unseasonably warm. It hasn’t been that much colder than Melbourne, most of the time! We did have one snowy day in mid-January, which was pretty but very cold & wet.

I finally visited the new MoMa this month, but was a little distracted most of the time because I was busily catching up with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while, while we walked through the galleries. I enjoyed visiting though, and will try and go back at an off-peak time. MoMa always feels the most crowded of any of New York’s museums.

Since I moved from Melbourne to New York City in April 2019, I’ve started writing a series of monthly blog posts, NYC Life, to capture the the big and little moments that have shaped this move. It’s easy in hindsight to forgot the everyday joys, struggles and frustrations of life in a new city, so I wanted a place to for it all to live on the blog. I round up the most fun things I did, saw and ate near the end. 

Highlights

• Visits from friends & family
• Winter hasn’t been terrible
• Seeing The Knicks
• Mercado Little Spain
• Divine Comedy at Paradise Club

Divine Comedy at Paradise Club

Paradise Club, a nightclub & entertainment venue inside the Times Square Edition Hotel, has recently started a monthly dinner & show comedy night, Divine Comedy. I love going to comedy, especially in New York, but the food & beverage programs are always an afterthought – except at Paradise Club. I love being able to see a show, but also enjoy comfortable seats, premium wine & cocktails and delicious food at the same time.

Paradise Club is best known for it’s dinner & burlesque show The Devouring, which is also amazing – highly recommend making it to at least one of these shows when you’re in New York!

Mercado Little Spain in Hudson Yards

I finally got around to visiting Hudson Yards, the billionaire playground development that has recently opened on Manhattan’s west side, between Hells Kitchen & Chelsea. It has it’s own subway line, the 7, but it goes nowhere convenient, so I’ve never been tempted to go. When David’s parents were in town, we decided to check out Mercado Little Spain, the underground Spanish food hall designed by Chef Jose Andres. It’s totally worth going to Hudson Yards just to eat at Mercado Little Spain, which is a really impressive and well-executed concept. I had delicious pulpo a la plancha, and picked up a pastry on my way out from another stall near the exit. There are a few sit down restaurants, but the best food seems to be from the market-style stands. I would definitely go back for tapas at one of the bars, the only thing that stands in my way is the slightly inconvenient location – there are always so many tempting places to eat in Manhattan, that are so much easier to get to!

The Knicks at Madison Square Garden

David’s former boss was in town and asked us if we wanted to catch up while catching a basketball game at Madison Square Gardens. It’s been on my list for ages, so it was the perfect excuse to make it happen! Tickets weren’t too expensive, and it was surprisingly convenient to drop in after work – the queue moved quickly and it’s really easy to get to the stadium. I don’t understand basketball at all, but it was a fun experience, especially for the atmosphere.

Goodman’s Bar Launch Party

Bergdorf Goodman is New York’s premier luxury department store (and has out-lived the now-closing Barneys and recently defunct Bendel’s), with a menswear store in it’s own separate building, across the street from the womenswear store. The menswear store recently opened a gorgeous, very European bar, Goodman’s Bar, and I tagged along to the launch party with my friend who knows the Executive Chef/Owner. The bar is really gorgeous, and visitng Bergdorfs is always fun, regardless of whether you’re shopping.

New Blog Posts

• 2019: A Year in Travel
• Itinerary: 3 Days in Paros, Greece
• Cheronissos: Sifnos’ most idyllic beach
• The Conservatory at the Fitzroy Gardens
• NYC Life: December 2019
• My Favourite Small Towns in the USA
• Parikia: Paros’ captivating port capital
• The Best Beaches in Australia

Restaurants & Bars

• The Loyal – The Loyal is only two years old, but is already a West Village institution, with the perfect blend of French brasserie & classic New York establishment.
• Bessou –  I went for dinner with my friend Sally, and really really loved it! Homestyle Japanese cooking, with a hint of American influence. The small, cozy dining room makes a great neighbourhood spot.
• Pasquale Jones – Pasquale Jones is a modern Italian restaurant from the team behind one of my favourite SoHo restaurants, Charlie Bird. I’ve been wanting to go basically since we moved to New York, and so David & I went for a dinner date. The famous woodfired clam pizza lived up to the hype!
• Mercado Little Spain – As I mentioned above, this was so much fun, if not a bit annoying to get to.

Read & recommend

• House of Mirth by Edith Wharton – Another book of manners by one of the Gilded Age’s greatest authors, House of Mirth is more tragic than Wharton’s other classic novel, The Age of Innocence, but also felt a little richer. The heroine, Lily Bart, is struggling to secure her future in high society New York in the 1890s, but undermines her own chances for success because she can’t bring herself to marry for money – but doesn’t have much choice.
• Pachinko – Min Jin Lee – I love an epic, multi-generational saga, and Pachinko is one of the best in category. It starts in Korea at the start of the 20th century and follows four generations through to 1980s Japan. It’s a beautiful book, and I could barely put it down.
• May We Suggest: Menu design and the art of Persuasion by Alison Pearlman  – I work in marketing in the restaurant industry, and so this was an interesting read on the psychology of menu design.
• My Sister the Serial Killer by Okinyan Braithwaite – I read this for Book Club, and had heard the hype but didn’t think I’d enjoy it. I was surprised to find it much more gripping than I expected, and much more moving.