How to spend three warp-speed days in New York City – Wicked Local North of Boston

How much culture can one person absorb in three days in New York City? I decided to find out over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. For months I had compiled a list of shows and exhibits to see; because I knew Id be moving at breakneck speed, I opted to go solo and traveled light, with only a purse and small overnight bag.

On Saturday morning, I drove to South Station and parked at a nearby garage. I boarded a Megabus for a four-hour trip, and shortly after noon was dropped off at Seventh Avenue and 27th Street in Manhattan.

I had a hankering for Korean food and made my way to missKOREA, which bills itself as having the citys best Korean barbecue. I ordered the $11.95 Galbi lunch box, which included marinated short ribs, rice, kimchi and soup.

Thus fortified, I headed south from Koreatown on swanky Park Avenue. The falling snow made sidewalks slippery, yet I marveled at how many impossibly chic New Yorkers went about their business sporting smooth-soled, high-heeled boots.

I logged several miles on foot through Union Square Park and onto Broadway; just as I started to feel weary, Max Brenners Chocolate Bar appeared through the snowflakes like a welcome apparition. I ordered the thick Belgian hot chocolate complete with caramelized biscuits which, according to the menu, came in an oblong mug shaped to be hugged in both hands to create a cozy drinking experience.

Next stop: the downtown Staley-Wise Gallery to see Harry Bensons behind-the-scenes 20th-century photographs of rich and glamorous people such as Jackie Kennedy and Ralph Lauren. On a whim, I asked gallery staff the cost of a framed photo of Bensons famous 1964 Beatles image titled The Pillow Fight at least $10,000. Um, never mind.

On I schlepped to my SoHo Airbnb, a second-floor Sixth Avenue walkup. My room was barely larger than the queen-sized bed in it, but it was clean and quiet, and the Houston Street subway station was only a block away.

I settled in, then set off for a bowl of cabbage-and-pork dumpling soup before heading to the Vineyard Theatre to see Is This a Room. This off-Broadway production staged the official word-for-word transcript detailing the FBIs interrogation of 25-year-old Reality Winner, a former Air Force intelligence specialist and linguist, at her Georgia home on June 3, 2017.

Winner was charged that day with leaking classified information to the media about Russian interference in the 2016 United State elections, and was later sentenced to more than five years in prison (she is still incarcerated). With its spare set and taut, chilling dialogue, this real-life drama was hands-down the most compelling piece of theatre I have ever experienced.

On Sunday morning I began walking north towards The Museum of Arts and Design at Columbus Circle. I wanted to absorb the sights and sounds along the way, but by 25th Street I was tired and hailed a cab.

The museum showcases art, design and craft from the 1950s to today, and our tour groups charismatic docent guided us through exhibits that included the work of fashion designer Anna Sui and the scarves, textiles and myriad other creations of mid-century artist Vera Neumann. I wanted to stop for a light nosh at the museums top-floor restaurant, Robert, but the place was packed, so I settled for a glimpse of its glorious view of Central Park.

Walking in Manhattan, its impossible to ignore the stunning juxtaposition of wealth and poverty the ever-growing gap between the haves and have-nots. One street would be lined with elegant row houses and stretch limousines parked in front; the seemingly omnipresent scaffolding on many buildings across the city attested to its inexorable march towards complete gentrification.

Yet within the same few blocks, people without homes huddled beneath blankets in building alcoves. One man sat begging on the street, a cat held in his lap, while within walking distance a mobile pet spa was parked outside an upscale apartment building.

That afternoon I saw a matinee Broadway production of David Byrnes American Utopia, an exuberant mash-up of rock music, singing, dance and wry political commentary. At 67, Byrne still has the clear, slightly nasal voice and sinuous stage moves from 40 years ago when fronting the Talking Heads. Here, as one of a dozen barefoot musicians sporting shiny gray suits against a backdrop of silver chains, Byrne and his percussion-heavy band performed original songs and Talking Heads covers such as This Must Be the Place and Burning Down the House.

In keeping with the shows sincere theme of longing for a better world, he reminded audience members to vote and gave a nod to his multi-ethnic band, noting that immigrants are essential to our culture. The enthusiastic audience called for several encores in a show that lasted almost two hours.

But I wasnt done yet. Ducking into a Hells Kitchen pizzeria, I stumbled upon a clutch of people filming a movie titled What Doesnt Float and watched them do multiple takes. Then it was off to the nearby Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, the New York home of improv, sketch and stand-up comedy shows launched in 1996 by actress Amy Poehler and three others who formed the UCB4.

On this night, some 10 comedians performed long-form improvised sketches based on the bare bones of a guests narrative. I have often found live comedy to be gratuitously crude and cringe inducing, but to my delight this was a night of fast, fun, clever humor.

On Monday morning I checked out of my room and took the 1 Broadway-Seventh Avenue train uptown to 72nd Street. My first stop was Fine & Schapiro, a kosher deli/restaurant where I had cherry blintzes for breakfast.

I then sauntered along the Upper West Side elegant streets and across Central Park to the Neue Galerie along the famed Museum Mile. I had long wanted to see this gallerys collection of early-20th-century German and Austrian art and design.

Alas, due to preparations for a future installation only one gallery was open, but I did get to see Gustav Klimts dazzling, gold-hued portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, known as The Woman in Gold. As consolation for the paucity of artwork, I visited the museums caf and had a Sacher Torte and a Viennese coffee.

Before catching the bus home, I tallied my expenses. All costs including transportation, parking, lodging, activities, and meals and drink totaled $841. And though I took a cab and used the subway, I walked almost 20 miles over three days. Ill do it again, just as soon as I have the energy.

Peggy Dillon is a Cape Ann resident and professor at Salem State University.

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How to spend three warp-speed days in New York City - Wicked Local North of Boston