(5/30) This was the day where I moved out of the Marrakech Hotel (see my previous review), and moved into the more familiar digs (for me) of the Hotel Pennsylvania. It's situated right in the middle of Midtown, across the street from Madison Square Garden. In comparison to the Marrakech, I must stay that I wish that I would have selected the Pennsylvania from the outset, as it's location and ambience are far superior to the former. Virtually all modes of transportation through the city - Subway, Long Island Rail Road, Buses, Amtrak, you name it - are all available within a two-block radius (at the most). The pricing was also comparable, depending on when the reservations are made. The crowding in that part of town and in front of that hotel can be quite daunting, however, for those that aren't practiced in the art of dealing with large crowds, so patience and awareness of everything around you come in handy. One may believe that noise would be an issue - but if you get a room above the tenth floor (mine was on the 12th), then street noise is minimized, leading to decent sleep. There are 1,700 rooms in this hotel, which has a history that goes back to the heyday of the original Penn Station. While under constant improvement and remodeling, the rooms I have been in, on this trip and my previous two, preserved their vintage charm while offering modern amenities like wifi and flat-screen televisions.
As a surprisingly significant part of the day was spent in the hotel transition, I didn't have that much of a chance to do anything touristy in that afternoon. Besides, I needed the chance to rest a bit and do some work on this blog. So I waited for the early evening, while the sun was still up, to make my way to Greenwich Village and Washington Square Park.
This park is perhaps best known for its large arch structure, somewhat reminiscent of L'Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The sun was just beginning to set, and the park was still full of local denizens and tourists, judging by the accents heard in the conversation. A fountain sits about fifty yards in front of the arch, an arrangement which makes for some very interesting photographic possibilities. As I sat, nature's thermostat was gently reducing the temperature to a moderate, temperate feel, encouraging me to simply sit and take in the sights and sounds while the sun made its trek over the horizon.
One block from the park, sits a small but very welcoming vegan restaurant known as the Red Bamboo. This was where all of the "meat" products shown on the menu were actually replaced by soy protein substitute, even though the menu said "beef", "pork", or "chicken". Besides being surprisingly reasonable in price (especially given that this is Greenwich Village), the atmosphere was relaxed, and the clientele was unpretentious. The service was also excellent. I ordered an appetizer of BBQ "chicken", complete with the breaking and the BBQ sauce. Besides being spiced and textured in a way that the soy bore a striking resemblance to chicken, one of the most novel aspects of the experience was - no bone. Looks like a wing, tastes like a wing, and you can bite all the way through it without breaking your teeth.
I made my way back to the Penn and rested up, conserving my energy for the final two days where I plan on hitting the ground early and at a brisk pace.
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