Wikipages Blog

Ben and I met up with our friends Mairead and Tess at a place I’d heard good things about: The Smorgas Chef on Stone Street. This is my favorite part of the Financial District. A pedastrian street, old buildings, a good place to go out.

A tiny spot, The Smorgas Chef has a clean decor which Tess rightfully described as reminiscent of IKEA. Well, having always enjoyed my time in Ikea, I took that as a good sign. Mairead, who’s part Swedish, said many places in Sweden have similar decor. To which I immediately said to Ben, “We need to go to Sweden.”

The menu is a bit limiting for vegetarians, but there’s at least one vegetarian option. I, however, have recently started eating fish, so I went for the grilled salmon. There is a decent Prix Fix Menu of $30 for an entree with salad and desert. There’s also a good deal for Tuesdays where entrees are two for one. I forgot this until the end of the night when we were all happily surprised with a perfectly reasonable bill.

With delicious foods and Ikea atmosphere, this was definitely a good place to catch up with friends. I’ll be visiting it again in nice weather, when the restaurant has tables outside in the street.

The Financial District does not consist solely of skyscrapers. There’s an oasis of beautiful old buildings, including those on and around Stone Street. George Washington spoke to his troops at one of these, and you can still get a hard drink or a tasty meal there today: The Fraunces Tavern.

The Fraunces Tavern was started by Samual Fraunces, probably one of the first middle-class African Americans, in 1762. Built in the Federalist style, the tavern is brick and simple. A friend of Samuel Fraunces, George Washington and other famous revolutionaries frequented this tavern. Legend has it that their ghosts still linger there.

Now also a museum, this place is one of the oldest operating taverns in the city. A few of us decided to have a meal there after work. We had hopes to see something supernatural occur.

The interior is split into two sections: tavern and restaurant. The restaurant requires a bit of splurging. It also lacks vegetarian entrees. But the salads and soups are plenty tasty (and cheaper than the entrees, anyway!). The decor is colonial elegance, with a warm vibe.

We saw no ghosts, unfortunately. But with the tasty food and the chatter from the tavern, the restaurant radiates a cosy vibe. Perhaps it’s the presence of the ghosts, protecting their favorite drinking hole from the chaos of the outside world.

I love this time of year. The leaves changing, the pumpkins glowing, all the scary movies on television. So I’ve decided to do a series of posts to commemorate the most holy of holidays: Halloween.

Trinity Church is located right at Wall Street and Broadway, in the heart of the Financial District. This beautiful, historic building stands out amidst all the looming skyscapers. Right next to the church is Trinity Cemetery, one of the oldest graveyards in the city. It boasts famous inhabitants, including Alexander Hamilton, William Bradford, Robert Fulton, and Albert Gallatin.

Despite the location, the cemetery is a peaceful place. Well-tended flowers line the pathways, with beautiful old trees throughout the yard. The graves are worn and appear to be sinking back into the earth. Some of the stones themselves are very interesting. Many are from the 1700’s. William Bradford’s states that “Life is pain”. A true notion, which I will always associate with The Princess Bride.

I’ll be adding more Halloween posts. If you know any ghost stories associated with Trinity Cemetery, please add your comments and let me know!

As previously mentioned, I work in the Financial District and am not a big fan of the area. But I do have a favorite lunch place: Battery Park.

I had never actually visited Battery Park before. Now, everyday that the weather coorporates, my work friends and I grab a lunch at some local deli like Cafe Exchange or Bento Nouveau, and take it to the park. There’s an area with tables, overlooking the water with a view of the Statue of Liberty (and the Circle Line). It’s not
usually crowded, since most Wall Street types lunch at their desks.

Here flowers bloom, butterflies flutter, and the waves lap. It’s a very peaceful way to spend the midday. There’s also a huge, walk-in fountain which goes off seemingly randomly. My friend recently ran across the spurts of water in front of cheering crowd of tourists and a few fellow unconventional, young professionals, also there to escape for a peaceful lunch.

I wasn’t so sure whether or not I wanted to share this home away from home with the world at large – or the world via Wikipages – but I have decided it’s good for business to share, and more business means more nights at Fresh Salt.

Fresh Salt is my all time favorite place to hang out in Manhattan. Just one block away from the maddening crowds on the South Street Seaport’s main drag, this bar and restaurant has yet to be discovered by tourists. The décor is sparse but includes several large comfy booths and outside seating is available in nice weather.

Happy Hour specials here include $3 beers on tap and the food menu is short but delicious. Sandwiches, soups, salads, and hummus platters are the mainstay and I’ve seen many a tear shed over the most perfect of perfect eggplant sandwiches.

As far as the crowd goes, on Thursdays and Fridays before 7PM you might have to battle your way through some suits from the AIG and Goldman locations down the block but the majority of the time you’ll run into locals and sailors from the Seaport Museum.

The music is never too loud, the bar staff are your friends, and you might learn a few knots or pick up knitting if you’re there at the right time of day. In short – show up, pull up a seat at the bar – get yourself a dark and stormy and settle down for a long quiet night full of good conversation. Just remember the corner bar stool doesn’t belong to you, it belongs to a sea captain, a first mate or Carter.

I now work in the Financial District, not my favorite part of town. It’s such a cold, hard place full of corporate types marching and tall buildings towering. But one small place exists in this harsh climate that has a bit of heart.

Stone Street was formerly an abandoned street in disrepair. Then the city made it pedastrian only. First one cafe sprang up, then another, then another. Now the street is lined with outdoor bars and cafes, reminiscent of something in Europe. The place is packed on a Friday, but you can find a seat most other weeknights. Many of the bars host good happy hour deals, like $3 for a glass of wine. There’s also a Swedish place, Smorgas, in the area said to be very tasty!

Last night, I went to Stone Street bar Ulysses with some work friends to let off some steam. The place buzzed with the happy hour crowd, but we found a table all to ourselves. Just like at the Beer Garden, being outdoors added a carnival atmosphere, perfect for destressing after a long day’s work. Two cheap glasses of Savignon Blanc and good company made for a perfect week night out.

So if you want to escape from the coldness of the towering buildings and rushing suits, try this hidden street and enjoy.