big apple I
We arrived in the "bargain district" in the late afternoon via the controlled $45 taxi fare (so how come on the way back to the airport you have to pay the metered fare?) which was easy breezy enough. The Rivington hotel was nice enough, but what an odd 2nd floor reception area they have. It reminded me of the movie Being John Malkovich 'cause the ceiling is so low and the desk so big and terribly awkward in the space that the three very friendly men working there seem ridiculously cramped. The hotel itself has the vibe of the Standard in LA mixed with the Gansevoort NY but isn't as low down cool as the Standard or chic and refined like the Gansevoort. The restaurant and bar Thor gets insanely packed on friday and saturday nights and I could hear it for hours up on the 10th floor, urgh. Anyway, not trying to write a hotel review here — just ranting.
After switching rooms (corner suite vs soaking tub and balcony) and decompressing we headed out for a walk and dinner. We wandered around and ended up eating at Freemans. It's a cool, hipster guy inspired spot. It serves comfy homey kind of foods in an awesome space I can only describe as carnivore lovers meet anthropologie's charm. The decor details are warm and rustic and I love that it's located at the end of an alley with strings of lights overhead reminiscent of a Cinema Paradiso outdoor scene. My favorite dish was the artichoke dip appetizer. Sadly the phone camera couldn't handle the low light but the result suits the experience.