Discovering Baltimore's Fells Point

A trip requires careful planning...or does it? Too much preparation leaves little room for surprise. The next time you venture into new territory skip some of the details. Magic always appears in those open spaces you leave in your itinerary.

During a weekend getaway to Baltimore I re-discovered just how energizing it feels to arrive in a destination without any expectations. I knew the basics: Inner Harbor, crab legs, Little Italy, water taxi. I let Baltimore fill in the rest of the details, one long walk and wander at a time. 

Baltimore turned out to be a generous host and clever guide.

At every turn, it was a new discovery. I found broad strokes of New York and London, hints of Paris and Philadelphia (but with hills!), and left in love with a new city. But my favorite discovery? A thriving storybook village along Charm City's waterfront - Fell's Point.

Small-scale life and walkable history stood quietly, invitingly only a few blocks away from the bustle of Inner Harbor's biggest attractions. We were searching for our hotel, The Admiral Fell Inn. We turned a corner to find that "off-the-beaten-path" led us right into a cobblestone market square alive with music and artisans in an area defined by shops, bistros, cafes, boutiques, and graceful architecture dating back to the 1800s. No chain stores. No chain restaurants. Each small business added its own flavor to the vibrant scene.

We were met by another surprise at the hotel - an elegant, historic hotel that was even more lovely than we had expected. After a warm welcome in the Lobby we arrived in our room to discover it was not only beautiful and pristine but faced one of the prettiest streets in Fell's Point.

We explored Baltimore widely but ending back at Fell's Point each night became the highlight of our visit to the city. A cozy, Bohemian spot for tapas and wine, Adela's, connected right to our hotel. It was a great place to visit each night before easing into sleep.

Mornings were always misty while we were there - just right for quiet strolls down to a quirky cafe, The Daily Grind, and a walk back to the hotel alongside history.

If you're headed to Baltimore, consider making Fell's Point your home base and The Admiral Fell Inn your home-away-from-home while you are there. These spots are a picturesque retreat from the familiar brand name stores and  restaurants that line much of the Inner Harbor. You'll enjoy just as much liveliness and activity on the Fell's Point stretch of the Inner Harbor but with more charm, magic and sense of discovery. Behind every jingling, creaking door you'll find a warm, welcoming pub, treasure-filled little shop and the kind of nuance-laced atmosphere that makes a place unforgettable. 

The Leopard at des Artistes: A New York Classic on the Upper West Side

Deciding where to dine in Manhattan isn’t easy – the island has over 3,500 restaurants for you to choose from - but finding the quintessential New York dining experience, the kind you catch a glimpse of in a movie and suddenly you’re in love with New York all over again? 

That’s simple.
  

You’ll find it around the corner from Central Park on West 67^th Street at The Leopard at des Artistes.

A whispered welcome along an Upper West Side street. 

The Upper West Side restaurant is a neighborhood treasure that serves Southern Italian cuisine in a soothing, soft-lit ambiance. You leave hectic behind when you enter The Leopard at des Artistes, a landmarked space that has welcomed guests for nearly a century. Moments after you arrive you are as delighted as the dancing naked nymphs that surround you in the glowing murals that line the dining room. The murals were painted in 1937 by Howard Chandler Christy, a dashing figure in a black and white photo framed alongside one of his creations.

 

But there is more to The Leopard at des Artistes than food and ambiance.

The restaurant is a genuine New York classic in part because it is steeped in Upper West Side history.

A Colorful Past

Before Gianfranco and Paula Bolla-Sorrentino opened The Leopard at des Artistes in 2011 and Chef Vito Gnazzo brought his expertise to both its menu and kitchen, West 67^th Street was home to a remarkable Upper West Sider’s legendary restaurant – for almost 35 years it was George Lang’s Café des Artistes.

Bill Clinton once said, “Although in New York, the only thing permanent is change, the people who keep saying that have never been to Café Des Artistes.” The look and feel of the restaurant, one that you can enjoy to this day in a more contemporary form, seems to have cast its spell over the former president. The space inhabited by Café de Artistes and now The Leopard at des Artistes has always had that kind of timeless quality about it. It seems as if it captured the essence of New York 100 years ago and never lost it.

In fact, the space where The Leopard at des Artistes stands has changed often.

“Every decade, it filled a different need for different people,” restaurateur George Lang’s wife, Jennifer Lang, was once quoted as saying. In the 1970s, “it was filled with people from Lincoln Center, which was then only ten years old. In the ‘80s, it gave people this café kind of experience, and it was one of the few places on the Upper West Side where you could have a really nice meal. In the ‘90s, we were discovered by Hollywood and the young, although it’s always had a lot of celebrities in it.”

From the beginning, it was destined to attract the Who’s Who of the creative world.

Art Meets Architecture

In 1917, when Café des Artistes first opened, it served artists, dancers, musicians and writers, all of whom lived in kitchen-less apartments above the restaurant in the Upper West Side’s famed landmark, Hotel des Artistes, and along West 67^th Street, an area listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the “West 67^th Street Artists’ Colony District.”

But the artists who lived and dined on West 67^th Street were unlike the struggling avant-garde figures who transformed Greenwich Village into a bohemian district. They were renowned sculptors, illustrators, portrait painters and writers who were patronized by the wealthiest members of New York society. Café des Artistes’ regulars throughout the years always included bold-print names, among them Norman Rockwell, Rudolf Valentino, Isadora Ducan, Noel Coward, Marcel Duchamp and George Balanchine.

The building above Café des Artistes was designed by George Mort, in all its Neo-Gothic glory and medieval ornamentation, specifically to attract artists. For decades they arrived, turning that stretch of West 67^th Street between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West into a particularly vibrant hub of creativity on the Upper West Side.

When they were hungry they dined at Café des Artistes.

A glowing mural in the soft-lit ambiance of The Leopard at des Artistes.

The uninterrupted presence of the brilliant, famous and even notorious turned the place into one of the most fascinating restaurants in New York. Its often lackluster food (in the later years) rarely discouraged the landmark’s loyal and upscale clientele from dropping in.

Then the seemingly impossible happened. Café des Artistes suddenly closed. The news was crushing to many New Yorkers who had loved George Lang and his restaurant – it was a fixture, the steady, elegant face of a friend in a constantly changing city crowded with strangers. How could a place that had been around since 1917 simply close without warning? How could a restaurant’s story, woven into the fabric of a New York neighborhood just end?

A New Chapter in an Upper West Side Story

It was Gianfranco and Paula Bolla-Sorrentino who came to the restaurant’s rescue after union pressures and slowing business took their toll. With full appreciation for the significance of the space they were entering, they carefully restored it, bringing a more contemporary air to its dining room and bar while maintaining the integrity and “aristocratic bone structure” of the beloved institution.

Upper West Siders who had mourned the loss of Café des Artistes when it closed found a newer, fresher version of it when The Leopard at des Artistes opened in its place. They also found one significant but welcome change – in place of just above-average French cuisine there was now an exciting menu of Southern Italian dishes to explore – one rooted in the culinary traditions of an area once known as The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and those of Campania, Basilicata, Calabria, Apulia and Sardinia.

Since opening in 2011, the restaurant has established itself as more than a successful dining establishment – quite a feat in a city where, by one estimation, 1,000 restaurants open and 800 of those same restaurants go out of business within five years. The Leopard at des Artistes has already become a New York classic. It’s a young Upper West Side restaurant but it has an old, welcoming spirit. As one longtime Café des Artistes patron said after The Leopard opened, it’s like “the offspring of an old friend, familiar but better in so many ways.” 

With so much history behind it and so much going for it at this moment, it may prove to be one of the most interesting chapters in the West 67^th Street story.  

Review: Dining at The Leopard at des Artistes

I visited The Leopard at des Artistes on a Sunday eve recently, a night when the restaurant adopts a BYOB approach. I was treated to six courses of exquisite Southern Italian food prepared and served with what I can only describe as joy and genius. 

It was the kind of taste experience that can bring tears to the eyes if you are moved by beautiful, delicious food.

At first the dishes were delicate and light, matched with crisp white Italian wines. Then the flavors grew bolder. Grilled octopus with lemon dressing and green olives transitioned gently up the flavor spectrum to an amazing halibut in salsa verde with clams, cherry tomatoes and salmoriglio paired with Grecco di Tufo from Campania, onto a splendid veal dish followed by slow-braised Colorado lamb ossobuco served with sautéed spinach and celery root puree.

Each morsel gave reason to swoon.

In between glorious dishes I had moments to gaze and listen. The music throughout the restaurant set the tone – jazz, classical guitar, bossa nova. When Nicola Conte’s “Bossa Per Due” started playing it matched the mood of the restaurant perfectly – sophisticated but with a sense of relaxed celebration. One diner seemed as swept away by the mood of The Leopard at des Artistes as I felt: he was a man in a top-knot, long beard, paint-splattered safari-like clothes and an ascot. He moved about the dining room staring at each of The Leopard's revered murals with a dreamy-eyed smile.

The night I was there the service was excellent. The dining room staff was comprised of a graceful, intuitive team. Each member played a part in transforming a beautiful dinner for one into an event for all of the senses. The wines were perfectly paired with each dish; kind, elegant gestures were extended to every guest; the music, lighting, setting were all ideal for that evening - there was thoughtfulness and expertise behind each moment. 

When you dine at The Leopard, I suggest you set distractions, concerns and mobile devices aside - you won't want to miss a single detail. Let yourself get carried away by the entire experience knowing you will be in the expert hands of artists.

The Leopard at des Artistes - 1 West 67th Street, New York, NY  10023, Tel: 212.787.9767
theleopardnyc.com.

Celebrities and Sightseeing: A Two-Hour Adventure in NYC

We stepped out of a car in front of The Jane Hotel and directly into the path of a television personality.

Bumping headlong into America's Next Top Model's Nigel Barker wasn't a bad way to begin a mini-tour of New York City in the middle of a rain storm. The family that had invited me to guide them on a Manhattan walk that morning smiled through layers of much-needed rain gear - despite the weather we were off to a great start!

In a short time we covered plenty of territory - we toured The Jane's landmark interiors, walked the High Line where we paused to watch a class led by The Taoist Tai Chi Society, snacked our way through Chelsea Market and walked west toward Madison Square Garden to catch the IRT Uptown Local.

Once uptown we gazed out at a misty Columbus Circle view from The Time Warner Center's balcony - a panorama familiar to Anderson Cooper 360 fans.

We browsed The Museum of Arts and Design's treasure-filled gift shop.

We rode the museum's elevator - catching glimpses of exhibits on each floor - to Robert, the restaurant with penthouse-level views of the Upper West Side. There we caught sight of yellow taxis and red brake lights streaming north along a stretch of Broadway. Gray skies made Central Park's tree canopy appear to glow neon to the east.

Next we walked Central Park South, passing the U.N. dignitaries, secret service agents and black SUVs with diplomatic plates that paused in front of each hotel . A man in foreign military garb adorned with medals, stripes and gold braid stood momentarily carefree in the light rain. He rested his open umbrella on one sturdy shoulder, twirling it. Another man hurried across our path under a transparent 1970s-style bubble umbrella. His two French Bull Dogs lead the way. Each pet wore a polka-dot raincoat.

It was a typical midweek Manhattan morning - eye candy in every color and flavor everywhere you looked. My friends have spent many days in New York. I've spent many years. It didn't matter - we were both loving the flow and buzz of the city in the same way. The thrill of New York never fades.

By the time we'd reached our destination - a relative's beautiful office at the General Motors building - we'd enjoyed two hours of non-stop activity and were ready to rest and enjoy a good visit. What we found was yet another thrilling moment. There's nothing better than a New York-style surprise!

It was this - a birds-eye view of some of the most iconic hotels in Manhattan - The Plaza, The Pierre and The Sherry Netherland.

I'd always imagined that the top floor of the Sherry Netherland housed a grand apartment, maybe one with a ballroom and an enormous fireplace. Instead I discovered that below the building's looming spire stands a more humble New York classic - a wooden water tower.

Only a few stories below the Sherry Netherland's water tower and line of gargoyles we noticed a wrap-around balcony. It surrounds a seven-bedroom apartment that can be yours for $95 million! You can browse all of the apartments that are currently available for sale in the building here.

We started the day with a surprise - a television star - and a stop inside a beautiful boutique hotel. We ended the day surrounded by architectural celebrities - gorgeous hunks of New York masonry - and an epic view of the city's hotel super stars. It was the highlight of the day - one we'll never forget.

For more NYC posts and images plus links to some of the brightest travel spots around the world, follow me on Twitter and Instagram @citygirlwrites. Looking for a guide who can help you explore NYC and Philadelphia? Reach out to me at maria@citygirlwrites.com.

A Manhattan Walk in Mist and Rain

I love ugly days in New York. Cold, sleet, rain, anything that clears sidewalks of crowds for just a little while and lets the city breathe.

  

When fog appeared this week, Manhattan looked like it was exhaling, tired after an exhausting shift. Dressed in gray it was beautiful, less spectacle, more majesty.  It eased back to being itself.

It’s when weather turns and most run for cover that New York rests. It invites you to stay awhile.

You walk together. Everything is mist and quiet. It’s just you and the city you love.

Break lights and neon shimmer on the street.  Rain swims in potholes. Cobblestones seem to push aside asphalt as if the old city is trying to break free.

Around each corner, hints of the New York you thought was lost suddenly stand out. Gloom throws gentle light on their details.

Under disguise as a “bad day to be outside” New York drops its mask to reveal it hasn’t changed so much afterall – its classic lines remain. You find the city you miss.

As the rain continues, the city whispers. Couples lean into each other under umbrellas, taking in the rich silence. The novelty of finding New York so empty and quiet makes even strangers smile at each other in passing, knowing just how rare this is.

You realize that an ugly day in New York is a gift for the taking for anyone who longs for the way things used to be in this city.

   

You recognize now that it’s an open invitation to meet again with a New York you thought was gone, weather permitting.

When It's Cold in Philadelphia, Visit Haddonfield

Tired of winter, Philadelphia?  Exhausted by the snow, South Jersey? Hurry to historic Haddonfield. It’s a town with just enough magic to make you happy in the cold while you wait for warmer weather.

After a snowstorm, or even during one, Haddonfield is an especially beautiful place to explore…and you don’t even need to tackle slippery roads to get there.

A quick hop across the Ben Franklin Bridge by PATCO Speedline (11 minutes) and a short ride from all points served by PATCO in New Jersey, Haddonfield welcomes winter-worn visitors with picturesque scenes. Covered in snow, the town looks like a storybook illustration.

If you arrive in town layered for warmth, comfort and walking you'll soon be having fun and feeling far away from droning weather reports about traffic delays, downed power lines and canceled flights. Haddonfield turns down the volume on all of that. 

It whispers to you instead - about snow angels, sledding and how much fun it might be to build a snow man.

Only a few minutes into a snow walk in Haddonfield you might just find yourself smiling – breathing frosty, clean air as you make your way along streets that reveal picture-perfect Americana in every direction will have that effect on you.  If not, look up. It’s hard not to brighten at the sight and tickle of snowflakes.

Walk along King’s Highway, Tanner Street and Lantern Lane, where more than 200 storefronts in Colonial buildings invite you to peek and linger. Along the way you’ll find a bronze sculpture of a historically-significant dinosaur.

Haddonfield is an ideal shopping destination. It turns shopping and “just looking” into genuinely interesting pastimes.

Store windows are lined with treasure – from glassware, antiques and fine jewelry, to crafts, books and fashion that ranges from bridal to casual-chic. By the way, Haddonfield has fabulous consignment – you’ll find seven consignment shops within just a few blocks of each other.

Haddonfield is also a great place to replace winter “hat head” with a fresh style for spring – the little town boasts a surprising number of hair salons – over 30 at last count!

After you’ve explored the center of Haddonfield, meander along the town’s residential side streets. Washington Street in particular is one you’ll want to visit – it’s an easy three-minute walk from Kings Highway and lined with some of the town’s most beautifully-restored Colonial and Victorian houses. 

Haddonfield's Historic District includes 488 houses, buildings, and sites and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Back on King’s Highway, come in out of the cold and reward your invigorated self with expertly curated teas and coffees at The Coffee BouTEAque then lunch delectably at Little Tuna, The British Chip Shop or Ludovico’s. Two award-winning favorites in Haddonfield are Fuji  Restaurant and Da Soli - you won't want to miss them. 

Too happy to leave this winter wonderland? Stay overnight in cozy elegance at Haddonfield Inn.

Minutes on a train, an hour or two of walking in postcard-perfect scenery then back home in no time – that’s how easy it is to skip being “snowed in” during a storm in favor of exploring Haddonfield.

Just imagine the PATCO line as an escape route from cabin fever during the next round of “inclement weather” in Philadelphia and South Jersey then make your way to Haddonfield to beat the winter blues.

‘Like’ Haddonfield on Facebook for updates about year-round events and dining experiences you won’t want to miss then visit Downtown Haddonfield online to discover more reasons to visit a town that is one of the best day-trip and weekend getaway destinations in New Jersey.

Manhattan in the 1970s - A Novel Reveals Another Side of the Story

Dirty Old 1970s New York City is a Facebook page that perfectly captures the city as it was in its bad old heyday - scary, rough, dirty but also spontaneous, authentic and brash in a way that was irresistible to the millions who lived and flocked here despite the danger. It's a page that celebrates the old New York that everyone recognizes and many of us miss.

A new novel invites you into a very different 1970s New York City - a hushed, elegant Manhattan that continued to thrive even in the middle of the mayhem that defined that era. A Very Good Life reminds you that there was more than one version of New York City in the 1970s. You could switch between them just by choosing to walk several blocks in one direction or by walking from one avenue to the next.

It's worth remembering that the New York you might catch a glimpse of while watching Tony Randall in The Odd Couple was the same city you watched Al Pacino move through in Serpico and Panic in Needle Park.

Stepping into Lynne Steward's debut novel, A Very Good Life, is much like walking into the legendary New York department store, B. Altman, in which so much of the story unfolds. It's classic, subdued and reveals its facets moment by moment. A Very Good Life isn't focused on the hard edges. Instead it sheds gentle light on the classic city.

Ms. Steward's novel takes the reader away from today's touchscreen existence back to a time in New York when telephones rang and typewriters clacked on cluttered desks. A time when stand-up ashtrays were part of office decor and dry martinis were ordered with each business lunch. A time when customers dressed up to visit New York's grandest store then shopped for hats, scarves, slippers, gloves and more - each category of item displayed reverently in its own dedicated department.

But there is nothing old fashioned about this novel. The characters in it navigate marriage, career and New York's stratified social scene in a way that resonates across the decades.

A Very Good Life invites you to revel in the New York of the recent past. If you are a native New Yorker it also allows you the satisfaction of recognizing the people, places and concerns that were the focus of Manhattan attention during those gritty yet glamorous years. But the characters are what linger with you long after you've finished the book. Lynne Steward brings them to life with spare, masterful strokes.

This is a New York story told in genuine New York style in voices that ring true. It's now been several weeks since I read A Very Good Life. (Ms. Steward shared her book with me after she read my post about my childhood memories of the great B. Altman department store) What is a bit funny is that I remember it not as a book that I read but as a movie I watched - the experience of reading it was like watching one of the great films of the 1970s, the ones that featured female leads that you immediately got caught up with and fell alongside them in their journey from the first scene - An Unmarried Woman comes to mind. The novel is available everywhere including online and in one of New York's leading independent bookstores,  St. Mark's Bookshop.

Photos: The subway and Park Avenue images above do not belong to me. If you are the copyright holder, please contact me so that I can add your copyright information and a link to your site or delete the images from this post. 

The National Cherry Blossom Festival: Pink Even Off-Peak.

Timing is everything when it comes to The National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., a lovely, lively, month-long springtime event that marks the official end to winter doldrums. 

But our timing was off. 

My mother and I coordinated our schedules and planned our trip to D.C. to match predictions for peak blooming. We imagined ourselves enjoying a sunny, warm weekend surrounded by color and blooms. We arrived in D.C. to cold, gray and pouring rain. Most trees were at the "peduncle elongation stage" - trying hard but not quite flowers yet. Could this trip be saved?

Yes!

Hints of pink just steps from The White House.

Washington, D.C provided plenty of reasons to smile.

A Japanese Magnolia abloom in The White House Garden. 

The scent of fresh spring was in the air, the hiss of wet city streets muted D.C.'s bustle and there were no crowds.

Rose-tinted skies above The Capitol Building.

Even making restaurant reservations was a breeze. And if you looked carefully, there was a rosy glow with hints of pink everywhere.

A Treasury Department visitor brought a touch of pink to a gray day.

If you're on your way to The National Cherry Blossom Festival this weekend, you're in for something special. Over 70% of the cherry blossom trees along the Tidal Basin are now in peak bloom! Join the festivities then wander - Washington, D.C. is at its seasonal best right now, rain or shine. Happy Spring!