New York City does a fun event twice a year; it offers Restaurant Weeks where regular folks can go to trendy expensive restaurants and try the food. The lunch menus are $24.07 (for 24/7, NYC-the city that never sleeps.) This summer we had three Restaurant weeks - July 13 through July 31, 2009.
I had a lunch scheduled each week. The last of the lunches I was to attend was at Quality Meats on East 58th between 5th and 6th, I chose to take the LIRR (Long Island Railroad) into Penn Station which is located at 34th between 7th and 8th. I then planned to walk to my destination from Penn, as I had for the prior two lunches. None of the three restaurants was a short walk, but walking to each had many positives. I would not get stuck in cross town traffic. I would get exercise, as each was at least a 40 minute fast paced city walk. Manhattan weekday walkers are fast and crazed (I mean that affectionately). I would experience foods, diversity, fashion, ethnicity, celeb sightings and unexpected happenings. Hey, it is NYC!
Week one- Tuesday, 7/14/09 , Bastille Day. Le Cirque described on their website as "The Year's most highly anticipated restaurant opening. Le Cirque has always been a place where the worlds of food
fashion and art converge" so says owner Sirio Maccioni, with friends , Kirk Douglas and Carol McNiff pictured here 
Le Cirque is located at 151 East 58th near Lex. This first trek was the longest walk. There are actually a few hills in Manhattan in the East 50's and I had to climb them in the hot summer sun. But I arrived within 50 minutes, early, no impediments-feeling very deserving of some fine French food.Week Two- Wednesday, 07/22/09-Rosa Mexicano
. Emboldened by my successful walk the first week, I knew walking to our second week's choice would be as smooth as the Margarita I was dreaming of having upon arrival. Excerpt from their website-"Rosa Mexicano -Just blocks away from Manhattan's lively Union Square, our third NYC location provides a warm and vibrant setting for our award winning Mexican cuisine 
. Located at 9 East 18th between 5th and Broadway."I like to be the first to arrive, perch myself on a stool/chair at the bar with a drink, welcoming the group as they arrive, being especially forgiving if any member is a bit late. I serendipitously meet a friend at Penn and walk to Rosa M with him and yes, we are first!
Week Three- Thursday, July 30, 2009.. Quality Meats-website gushes "the new restaurant created by Fourth Wall Restaurants is open for business in Midtown Manhattan. A modern interpretation of familiar dishes
and flavor combinations, resulting in unique tastes, innovative presentations......."I have to say that in prep for the walking trip to each restaurant I referenced Map Quest, knowing full well that its website is for drivers, for those riding in cabs or using public transportation. The travel times given do not apply to walkers. That said, I printed out Maps for each walk and had one for the Quality Meat Meet.
There are tricks to walking in Manhattan. One of them is understanding the street named "Broadway." Broadway crosses 5th and is east of it downtown but crosses over it at 34th and ends up crossing 7th and it keeps crossing. In effect it sort of dissects the city. This is a tourist's nightmare. New Yorkers all get it and are amused by the confusion it causes.
I arrive at Penn for the third and last RW lunch. Since Quality Meats is on the west side (barely) and the closest to Penn of the three restaurants, I figure I have plenty of time. I land at Penn at 1:15 PM and lolly gag around til 1:30PM, then I set out, mentally planning to go down 34th to 6th then travel north on 6th. Going up 6th is the most direct route, 7th will veer me off to the left. I walk down 34th to 6th where Broadway intersects and find that there are new areas for sitting, people are lunching
artists are drawing, tourists are gazing, sunbathers are tanning. The cordoned off streets from 33rd-47th, are protected by police and cement stanchions hold back the traffic.. There are no streets! We have one big plaza. Is this Rome? How cool! I sort of get sucked into the crowds at the bistro tables 
am pushed along down the block through the rickety lawn chairs topped with lurching umbrellas. Where is Herald Square?I am walking uptown in my favorite green through an urban mall!
The street numbers are going up- 35th, 40th, 42nd, 44th. On the way, the walk gets hot, crowded and slow. There are tourists standing still, entranced by this city, not fast walking. There are well dressed men in the front of bars announcing "Happy Hour begins in one half hour." That would be 2PM. There are people actually stopping at the corner to observe red lights. Are they kidding? All New Yorkers run in front of oncoming traffic. Why is this taking so long? I am only at 50th street and it is 1:45PM. Gone is my fantasy of sitting at the bar waiting for the other diners in my group. I start doing my Liam Leap -that is walking and taking a jump every other step. It seems the Happy Hour announcements are coming more often and are just for me ( I must look bedraggled) there are more crowds, I am hot, sweaty, annoyed. Then I look up-50th street, 1:50PM. How could this be taking so long?. Oh no! I look at the Avenue sign. Seventh, how could this have happened? I must have taken Broadway at 34th not Sixth, tricked by the new pedestrian mall- the "Rome like" plaza which has now obliterated Broadway from 33 through-47th. I fell for it. Below see insert of my way on the left marked by "Carol" heads, verses the best route on the right. Quality Meats is denoted by a red star to the left of my biggest head on top of the map. I went too far left. I made the walk 15 minutes longer.
I had been traveling away from my destination at a fast steady pace. Now too late for a cab, too late for a subway, Run; impossible, too crowded. I turn onto 58th street at 2PM. On time. Not what I wanted. Then another problem, in the middle of the block the odd numbers turn even. Where is Quality Meats? I call other members- no one answers. Guess they are all happily perched on their seats at the bar in Quality Meats. I consider going back to one of the Happy Hours and forgetting the "Meeting at the Meats." I see a doorman and run up to him -it is 2:03PM and I am officially late. He looks at my Map Quest map which is limp and sweaty and my printout picture of Quality Meats. Before he has a chance I announce" I am not a tourist, I was born here, I love Map Quest" He kindly tells me that I am on the wrong side of the street and adds "see the picture of the door in the printout you are holding (pic shown here) 
just look for that on the other side. "I look and see it a few doors down; there is QM, a friend waiting outside is calling to me. I arrive, not first, last; no perching for me- everyone already has wine, menus, are deep in conversation.Lesson-watch out for Broadway, do not Lolly Gag at Penn, get over being first; and be grateful to have another story for Liamlicks.
Back home Liam celebrated his second birthday on Saturday, 8/01/09, far away from the big city, the crowds and that trickster street-Broadway.
here is a pictorial- if you have gotten this far, you probably do not want any more words
Liam and his birthday bottle of Cabernet
Happy Buddha and a yummy dove 
Liam looking 
ready to pounce
Liam licking 
takes a drink break
then a joyful roll 
Woof, woof, I am a big dog now, no longer a puppy AROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
