Yesterday, I went to Chelsea because I wanted to taste a fresh-brewed cup at Grumpy Café on the 20th Street in Manhattan.
After reading the January 23, 2008 article on the New York Times, savoring a coffee made with the $11,000 Clover 1s machine was on the top of my list.
And after having a terrible cup of coffee at the airport restaurant plus an average coffee on the plane, going at my Grumpy Café was my treat.
Was it is my appraisal? At first, the coffee was too hot so I could not fully appreciate it. But as it cooled off, I enjoyed the flavors of my freshly brewed coffee more and more. My husband shares my opinion.
What else did I saw?
Our journey started on Gramercy neighborhood of Manhattan. A magnificent residential building in grabbed my attention with its impressive sculpted stone ornamentations.
That unit building is located in front of Gramercy Park, a small and beautiful fenced-in owned park. It is one of two parks in New York that has no public access. The park belongs to the buildings surrounding the park. The Asian inspired bird house (top right picture) sits on the Gramercy Park.
After our stop at Grumpy Café, we stop on Madison Park on our way back. With boundaries of Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenues and 23rd and 26th Streets, Madison Park still has standing still two 200-year old elm trees and one trunk.
Art pieces from Roxy Paine are displayed at the Madison Park until February 28, 2008. Conjoined is a 40 foot-tall sculpture of two intertwined trees. Defunct is a 42 foot-tall sculpture of a lone tree which appears to be under attack from the shelf-fungus growing on it’s trunk. Erratic is a boulder measuring 7 feet high by 15 feet wide that I did not see. The sculptures are part of a larger series. These pieces belonged to a private collator from Switzerland loaned to the city three beautiful stainless steel sculptures of elm trees. I enjoyed how the reflections of the other trees on the park transformed the sculptures.
Madison Park offers to the citizens of the neighborhood a better quality of life. I saw many people with their dogs on the dog playing area. At one corner, a beautiful playground for kids was occupied by three dads and their young children. As you can see on the picture, it was getting pretty dark when we got there so I assumed that during the day, the playground must be booming with activities.
We had a fun day running around Manhattan. After a delicious meal prepared by Jerome’s aunt, I slept like a log. Today, we will probably go to the museum.I also saw gorgeous wedding dresses in Chelsea. I will tell you about it later.
Sourcing:
Learn more: Grumpy Café
Learn more: At Last, a $20,000 Cup of Coffee published on The New York Times
Learn more: Clover 1s machine
Learn more: Arts from Roxy Paine
