Eat (and look): Manhattan

             

    This is the Francophile version of the enduringly popular Eataly but even further downtown. Next door to the new 9/11 museum, it has a view of the Hudson River and a "concept" identical to that of Eataly, just with different handles for national comestible celebrations, i.e. rotisserie, fromage, patisserie, Bar de Vin, etc. I started with New Brunswick raw oysters, a glass of Stella Artois (okay, it's Belgian), and duck leg rillette. Then an amble among various stalls, petite cup of dense black coffee in hand.                                                                              

     Uptown by subway to the Metropolitan Museum and five hours of looking at literally any representative art you fancy, from ancient Greece to Native American masterpieces to women's fashion. I was struck most by the Ojibwe bags from the shores of Lake Superior.

 and a dress of slats inspired by Cubism that instantly called to mind Marcel Duchamp's 1912 Nude Descending a Staircase.

    Dinner was Italian - at Grazie in East 84th, just blocks from the Met: octopus, striped bass, Dolcetto. Basta.
                                                       *          

To order my novel, World’s End, go to: http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-End-James-Conaway-ebook/dp/B00HLKFGDS/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=138850531 2&sr=8-7&keywords=james+conaway