Five Nights in Tribeca
Traveling for business is never a picnic and my last trip to NY was no exception. It took a 2 hour delay upon take off, a diversion to Pittsburgh and 3 hours on the tarmac before the plane finally touched down 14 hours later at JFK after midnight. I checked into the new Duane Street Hotel, a boutique hotel in Tribeca that opened at the beginning of the year that has received accolades in Condé Nast Traveler as one of the “hottest new hotels in NY”. Usually I stay in the mid-town jungle but this time I thought I’d try a neighborhood. I booked my trip on Priceline and after 3 rejections of my bid, the Duane Street took me. Tribeca would be my home for 6 days.
The room was small (as expected) and very well appointed with furniture for each room custom designed by Paul Vega Architects. The floors were light wood and the walls pear green. The bathroom was slate with one of those big rainforest showerheads. After unpacking, I climbed between the sheets ready for a good rest…. and then the pounding began and lasted all night. I learned the next morning that there was a construction project going on next door and I was in one of the rooms that had yet to be soundproofed. A meeting with the manager took care of that and I was moved into the prototype room for the soundproofing project. The next 4 nights were silent. One question for the Duane…. If a soundproof room was available when I checked in, why didn’t you put me in it to begin with? All in all, I enjoyed the rest of my stay. The staff was helpful and friendly. Each night upon my return from dinner I was greeted with smiles and queries about where I went and how I liked it. The best part was that next to my bed was a late night cookie or brownie.
The subway is steps from the front door so everywhere I needed to go for work and for play was easily accessible.
Due to the late arrival, my 5 nights in Tribeca worked out to be just 4 nights which was a little disappointing. The days were full with work but from 7pm until bedtime, I was committed to making the most of them.
The second night (but really the first real night) I had dinner with friends at The Odeon. This iconic NY restaurant was made famous in the 80’s as a Mecca for the hard-partying crowd. Andy Warhol and his entourage frequented this hip and stylish classic French-American brasserie. If only the walls could talk there would be some wild stories to tell. Our waitress was polite and professional. I ordered the Warm Goat Cheese Salad and an Omelet with asparagus, cheese, and mushrooms. Both were made to perfection. We had frites for the table and shared buttermilk ice cream, which was divine, for dessert.
The next night, by coincidence, we went to dinner at Village in Greenwich Village. Chef Stephen Lyle was the chef at The Odeon in the 80’s during its heyday. His cooking style is “sophisticated simplicity” and his signature is combining traditional French brasserie cooking with Mediterranean, Asian, and Mexican flavors. Village is art-deco in style and our group was seated in the back room underneath an impressively large vintage skylight. If it weren’t 2008, we could have easily been sitting in the same room in the 1920’s. For dinner, I enjoyed the Arugula, Fig, and Nectarine Salad with Hazelnuts and Feta. The flavors were complimentary and blended together well. For the main course I had to have the quintessential bistro combo, Steak and Frites. Our waiter was a good sport as the group was a bit rambunctious and treated us to several desserts that were passed around the table and shared.
The fourth night I was on my own and after walking around SOHO looking for a mani/pedi and doing some shopping I slipped into Bread Tribeca, a cozy neighborhood Italian spot. The décor is stylish and contemporary with white brick walls and lots of candlelight. The bathrooms were très cool with deep, rectangular charcoal colored basins full of black rocks and pebbles that glistened in the water. I bellied up to the bar and enjoyed a glass of rosé along with a wood oven pizza with cracker thin crust topped with provolone, proscuitto, and arugula. It was the perfect combination of light crispy crust, salty proscuitto, and a little bitter from the arugula – a pizza salad of sorts. I couldn’t have been happier with my find!
On the fifth night, after a full evening of shopping, we ended up at Paradou in the Meatpacking district. With one tiny room and a garden, Paradou is a little slice of Provence in Manhattan. The ceilings are high and brick walls white washed which made for a lovely contrast with the Provençal blue door and window sills. The wine list is extensive and it was refreshing to be able to order by the glass, ½ carafe or carafe. We were able to sample a few different varietals with our meal. I ordered the Arugula and Pear Salad with Goat Cheese and the Poulet. The presentation was great on both and the salad was very good but the chicken was a bit dry and vegetables uninspired. The best part of the meal was the company and getting to know some of the fabulous ladies with whom I work.
As I headed to the airport on Day 6, I stopped at the Carnegie Deli and picked up a pound of pastrami + all of the essentials to make sandwiches when I got home. They packed it for the plane and I was off. I figured that while the girl had to leave NY she could take a part of it with her to be shared with Paul and enjoyed at home in San Francisco.
Duane Street Hotel
130 Duane Street
212.964.4600
The Odeon
145 West Broadway
212.233.0507
Village
62 West 9th Street @ 16th Ave
212.505.3355
Bread Tribeca
301 Church Street
212.334.8282
Paradou
8 Little West 12th St
(212) 463-8345
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