Eaters Take Manhattan Part 2

 The only non-food related thing we did in Manhattan was to go up to the HighLine - a brand new park utilizing an unused elevated railway. Ever since I read about it last year, I've been wanting to go.  It's only four blocks long so far, but the potential is powerfully obvious.  The plantings amid the old rail road tracks are interestingly exotic and the seating is ergonomically correct.  The benches above are as comfortable as one could ever hope, and the built-in wooden lounge chaises looked even better.  The last picture shows the future blocks of the park as they are being built.  Can't wait!

We entered the High Line via the West 16th Street entrance, soon after hanging around the Chelsea market.   Of course one of the reason's for going to this particular market - besides it's proximity to the High Line - was to stop at The People's Pops stand, for some of that shaved ice we recently read about in the NYT food section.  (The other reason was to pick up some of that wonderful Setaro pasta at Buon Italia - it is the best dried pasta we have ever had.) We talked about it in last week's email, and I was thrilled to be able to try it for myself.  When have you ever had a 'snow cone' where a human shaves the ice by hand?  To order?  And makes the syrups out of real fruit?  We had a cherry rhubarb pop and then came back for a couple of ices - plum and rhubarb.  When we first showed up, the huge block of ice had just come out of the freezer and was too hard still to shave.  We took our pop up to the High Line and came back for the second course.  Really cold after that hot walk - brain freeze city!

 Our last food adventure was at BonChon Chicken, near the Garment District at 38th Street between 7th and 8th - mere blocks from our hotel and the train station - for our first try of commercially made Korean fried chicken. We got wings and drums, with both sauces.  It was very tasty, although not as good as we have made for ourselves, and certainly not as spicy.  But as we were rather hungry at this point - not to mention pretty drippy after our hot walk up there - it was just what we wanted. 

Time to go back to the Land of Pleasant Living.  I'll leave you with this last image of a parking garage, as seen from the High Line entrance.  It is true that the sound of car horns honking is one we don't miss when we come home to Kent County!