vip in the city

Spagna e Italia via Jersey City

Back to Jersey City for a vicarious trip through the Italian countryside, courtesy of M and LW’s vacation slideshow.

But first, a real-life stroll through the picturesque Van Vorst Historial District.

In front of City Hall, a model of Oviedo Cathedral a.k.a. Catedral de San Salvador de Oviedo — a gift from the citizens of Jersey City’s sister city, Oviedo, in northeastern Spain.

The Victorian-era, brownstone-lined Van Vorst Park features formal gardens, a wooden gazebo, an ornate fountain, playgrounds, a sandbox and a dog run – all neatly segmented along paved pathways. On Saturdays through the harvest season (June 16-November 24), the Friends of Van Vorst Park host a farmers market; in the summer, Van Vorst Park has its own bi-weekly outdoor film series, which this year includes movies as varied as Young Frankenstein, Tootsie, and March of the Penguins, but in what feels like a missed opportunity, not the 2006 film of the same name.

I noted quite a few changes in the apartment since I was last there: new furniture, new construction, new art. Our globe-trekking hosts put out a generous spread of homemade dips, artisanal breads and cheeses. (Early that morning, I was treated to a brief lecture at the Fairway fromagerie on the different flavor profiles of aged, hard pecorino — with which I was more familiar — and the soft and mild, young variety.) Don Julio palomas in hand, we gathered around to view all 800+ stunning, iPhone-worthy trip photographs. The travelogue made me long for a vacation in Tuscany — if only I could find a house for rent.

Noodles with Peking sauce

“You know, with all the ugliness in the world, a good noodle shop just seems to be God’s way of saying everything’s gonna be okay.”
– Grace Adler

At Marco Polo Noodle Shop, this dish appears on the menu as “Noodles with Peking Sauce.” I ordered it for the first time on a bit of blind faith, not having a precise idea of what constituted this generically-named sauce. According to The Food Lover’s Companion, peking sauce is synonymous with hoisin sauce — that distinctive sweet, salty, spicy sauce of soybean paste, garlic, vinegar, sugar and chilies, used frequently in Chinese stir-fries, dips and marinades.

This was definitely not that sauce. Marco Polo’s version was tasty, but difficult to describe: a kicky, tangy sauce interspersed with slivers of bamboo shoots and black mushrooms, and diced chunks of pressed tofu. Also, quite popular, based on its appearance on several diners’ tables during this busy lunch hour.

And because we love dumplings:

The return of the birthday bouquet:

Working Harbor cruise

The co-workers surprised me this afternoon with a Carvel cake. I probably had one of these to commemorate every birthday until I graduated from high school – and truth be told, even a few more after that – so the sight of that familiar red gel icing spelling out “Happy Birthday Vanessa” really brought me back. Demonstrating the advances cake decoration has made since the 1980s, this one even had edible confetti sprinkled over the top — very festive! Sure, there are better ice cream cakes to be had out there, but on the basis of nostalgia alone, you just can’t beat Carvel. And who doesn’t love those chocolate crunchies?

I slipped out of the office a little early to meet Mom at South Street Seaport. Weeks earlier, I had signed up for a two hour “Sunset Hidden Harbor Tour,” a charity event for the Working Harbor Committee, an organization whose mission is “to strengthen awareness of the working harbor’s history and vitality today, and its opportunities for the future.”

This morning’s downpour made way for perfect sailing weather this evening: mid-70s, clear skies, low humidity. After signing in at the kiosk on Pier 16, we boarded the 143–foot luxury yacht Zephyr for the tour that brought us into the Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey ports and terminals… all the way through the Kill van Kull to the Bayonne Bridge. Along the way, we passed tugboats, container ships and sailboats, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Red Hook’s new cruise ship terminal (and Fairway Market), Governors Island, and (as required of all New York Harbor cruises): the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Captain John Doswell, Executive Director of the Working Harbor Committee, was on board to provide narration for the Zephyr’s 300+ passengers. Doswell, a very active member of the waterfront community, founded the Friends of Hudson River Park, and is part-owner of the retired fireboat John J. Harvey.

About two-thirds of the way through the sunset cruise, I finally figured out how to work the “Color Accent” setting on my Canon PowerShot – just one full year into ownership, heh!

What a beautiful day! Check out the full flickr set here.