Manhattan notes, penguin included…

We had a wonderful time in Manhattan.  Our dining experiences included dinner at Café Boulud, an afternoon tea at the Russian Tea Room, Sunday brunch at Petrossian, dim sum at The Golden Unicorn, an after-theater meal at Chez Josephine, and a visit to Osteria del Circo, one of Sirio Maccioni’s restaurants.  The latter was significant because our friend Tiziana was born and raised in his hometown, Montecatini Terme.  She enjoyed chatting with the nephews and cousins of Sirio who work at the restaurant.  Plus we were given the royal treatment from a culinary perspective.

Besides the opera, a musical highlight for me was seeing Drew Nugent & the Midnight Society perform at The Carnegie Club. If you’re a fan of 20’s and 30’s music, this is the man to see.  He’s based in Philadelphia, but performs monthly in Manhattan.  An amazing talent.

Our zoological contacts gave us a rare treat as well, with behind the scenes access to the Central Park Zoo.  We’ve checked off another "never done that before" item, handling penguins.

Lady Wife is here with Toolie, a 27 year old Rockhopper penguin.  Alas, I could not cuddle the polar bear.