"Chalk" Walk...in NYC

       

           

     Okay people, normally when we go on vacation, we make plans.  Dinner plans, show tickets, some sort of reservation or tour... right?  For some reason or another this past weekend I found myself in NYC with no plans.  Now I know there is tons of stuff to do there, I have been before.  Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, the Broadway shows…blah blah blah.   Been there, Done that.  I was feeling frisky and looking for something different.

           It all started Saturday morning…we looked at a map, jumped on the subway, and ended up on the lower east side.  Yep, we simply got out and aimlessly walked around.  You know what?  No monsters attacked us and we didnt get mugged!  We were survivors!  The more we walked, the more we noticed the chalkboard signs.  You see, a bunch of stores, restaurants, and bars placed signs out front advertising current deals.  Most the signs were hilarious and geared toward the hungover brunch crowd. I liked their sense of humor on the lower east side already. 

            We chose to have brunch at one place where the chalkboard said “$20 bottomless mimosas”- ummm... that means “welcome”to me.  We were pleasantly surprised by the food, drinks, service, and the live band that starts “whenever the band wakes up” at this brunch place. 

            A few hours later, we stumbled out of the suddenly packed restaurant and decided that instead of taking the subway back, we would just walk (3 miles) towards the hotel.  Since all great ideas start after mimosas, it’s no surprise that it was there and and then that we invented the “chalk walk”.  The one rule to the “chalk walk” was: we could only stop at bars with chalk board signs out front (you have to keep the rules simple while drinking).



crab cake brunch at Sons of Essex!



            This ultimately led us on an adventurous day through New York City.  We had no place to go and no plans that day so we just kept walking.  We walked.  And walked.  And walked.

     We saw the famous “Katz’s Deli (When Harry Met Sally Diner), the Brooklyn bridge, and who knows how many pizza places, flower shops, and interesting characters along the way.  At each bar we talked to the bartenders, learned about the neighborhoods and drank whatever booze they were selling. 



Katz's Deli



The gorgeous flowers along the way



The 3 mile walk took us all day...Literally all day.  I gotta tell you the signs got funnier and the drinks got better.  We saw beer pong, bloody mary specials, and one bar even advertised the Soup Du Jour as Whiskey!  All of this we saw simply by walking down the streets and reading the chalkboards.  Who knew??

So you get the point right? We bar hopped our way through Manhattan and we had a great time doing it!  Maybe next time you are feeling frisky...You will do the same thing!

Three things I learned about NYC:

1. The better the chalkboard.... the better the bar!!  True Fact.

2. I dont remember

3. I dont remember

Next stop:  Las Vegas!!!!!

Jill Hepokoski