THREE DAYS IN NYC: Food, tours, music, and fun

“There’s nothing you can’t do, Now you’re in New York,” sings Alicia Keys in Empire State of Mind.

She’s right.

A recent long weekend in the city that never sleeps more than proved that as Keys’ song was blasted from the deck of a Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise while we gazed upon the Statue of Liberty and got back to South Street Seaport in a mere 50-minute return trip.

Two days before, I had taken off from Porter Airlines’ handy terminal at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport downtown and just over an hour later landed at Newark Liberty International Airport.

To say I packed a lot into this quick trip is an understatement, but that’s what you do when “you’re in New York.”

UBER, HOTEL, FOOD: Via Uber, I made my way to check into the 133-room Frederick Hotel in Tribeca where fresh flowers were being sold in the lobby and the handy Serafina Italian restaurant was attached next door for a Caprese salad ordered from room service to get my motor running. I was also able to access continental breakfast at Serafina every morning of my stay.

CHELSEA MARKET: About 15 minutes away I met my lovely guide Svetlana from Like A Local Tours for the Chelsea Market, High Line and Hudson Yards Tour. Chelsea Market — originally constructed in 1890 as Nabisco factory where the Oreo was invented — was a foodie’s dream. We started with a coffee at Amy’s Bread before chowing down on mini donuts (vanilla glazed and salted caramel) at the Doughnuttery followed by Japanese curry beef tacos at Takumi Taco. Sadly, Vessel at Hudson Yards is currently closed so you can’t walk down its 154 interconnecting flights of stairs but it’s expected to reopen after head-to-toe steel mesh is installed.

PLAY ON: The hilarious and campy “Oh, Mary!’ at the Lyceum Theatre has seen playwright and star Cole Escola become a sensation after first performing off-Broadway. Escola plays Mary Todd Lincoln — complete with a tight-ringlet wig and a wide skirt — in the year 1865 as the boozy, cabaret-loving and long-suffering wife of the not-so-in-the-closet Abe Lincoln (the also excellent Conrad Ricamora). Due to popular demand, the play’s run has now been extended until January 2025.

GRAND CENTRAL: The Grand Central Terminal tour with Walks is bolstered by our excellent guide Lizabanks, who reveals she’s a stand-up comic by night. The famous Beaux-Arts-designed terminal was first built and opened by Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1870 for steam-run trains before an accident led to the introduction of electric-run trains and a rebuilding that saw the terminal reopened in 1913. There’s also some hidden surprises like the former Campbell Apartment, now the Campbell Bar (open Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday at 12 p.m.), which was previously used as an office by Vanderbilt’s pal-financier John W. Campbell, and some tennis courts above it that you can actually reserve.

THE MET, ST. PATS: I feel lucky to get inside The Metropolitan Museum of Art or The Met where I catch the next to last day of the highly in demand, nature-inspired Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion exhibit at The Costume Institute. There are lineups around the block to see 220 gowns designed by the likes of Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior and Charles James, to name but a few. Then — after a quick hot dog in Central Park — it’s off to St. Patrick’s Cathedral where I take the self-guided 20-minute audio tour. The cathedral, which was completed in 1878, has 2,400 seats, hosts 150 weddings a year, and its front doors weigh 9,000 pounds each. It’s the perfect refuge from the bustling, noisy city outside.

DINNER, JAZZ: The Heritage Grand Bakery Restaurant & Pizza Bar seems like a good choice for breaking bread with their claim to fame being ancient grains. My patient server, Neeraj, brings me Moroccan flatbread with lamb, ancient grain salad, heritage meatballs, ancient grain spaghetti al limon, grilled chicken and a vanilla millefeuille to go. Completely stuffed, I next head to Dizzy’s: Jazz at Lincoln Centre, an intimate, 140-seat club on the fifth floor of The Shops at Columbus Circle overlooking Central Park. There, the Kenny Dorham Centennial Celebration is underway where seven skilled musicians pay tribute to the late Texan jazz trumpeter.

CRUISE, FOOD, FLIGHT HOME: On my final day, I head to the Liberty Super Express where the cruising sights along the East River and New York Harbour include the Brooklyn Bridge, the New York skyline, and the Statue of Liberty. I have a fantastically enthusiastic wedding party from Uganda on the boat with me who are happy to break into Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York — as played over the loud speakers — as we pull back into port and I feel like my work is done. But not before visiting Industry Kitchen mere steps away for a quick chicken Caesar salad and lemonade as served by Ryan with outdoor seating overlooking the water. The restaurant, however, became a household name with their 24K pizza that sells for US$2,000 per pie. Only in New York, folks. Next stop, home.

Use the New York CityPASS for Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises and more.

Get around on transit using a MetroCard (new.mta.info) or Uber.

Find out more at nyctourism.com.