New York City from the inside looking out
On November 5, 2011, New York enveloped those who braved the heavily barricaded streets of the 2011 ING New York City Marathon. With a chill enough for spectators to put gloves on, the record-breaking 47,107 marathoners didn’t seem to mind. The sun was shining down on the participants, putting a warm, golden halo on their heads.
There were no stars in the sky when I stood outside The Living Room with my cousin that humid night. Only a mass of dark clouds hung above the dozens of people walking along Ludlow Street.
As I stepped inside I realized that the stars were indoors that Wednesday night. They were behind the velvet curtain, filling the intimate room and serenading all within reach. The one who held the stars captive was Canadian singer and songwriter Elisapie Isaac,
When guitarist Dave Ruckel pulled up a quaint dark green chair for singer and songwriter Rachel Zamstein on one somewhat gloomy afternoon, the gloom element of the afternoon faded away in the background, never to return again, or decided to at least hold off until Saturday – literally.
Though feeling under the weather that day, Rachel came out of her New York nook while Dave sacrificed his lunch time to give us a slice of their talent at Caffé Reggio. A classically-trained musician since age four, Rachel has been creating music ever since she can remember and will continue to do so, until maybe a little less than forever.
New York City has always been known for its pizza parlors, bagel shops, requisite sidewalk-vendor hotdogs, and the 24-hour Chinese restaurant – all strategically-positioned amidst a puzzle of buildings for the typical New Yorker to purchase while walking to and from work or a night out in town.
But like a breath of fresh air, in the past few years, New York has embraced the other end of the grab-and-go eating spectrum – the secret dining scene – which continues to attract the simply curious and the serious food enthusiast alike.
Typically, New York secret supper clubs are run by amateur and professional chefs alike, who are into meeting and entertaining new people or who are testing culinary waters, if you will, before running their own restaurants. It can be stationed anywhere; from the sanctity of the chefs’ own homes where guests of 12 or less sit down, talk about good food and just relax or at abandoned art houses, garages and studios, that can hold more guests, and sometimes, more courses.
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