Up North Manhattan

After being thwarted by weather in our attempt to take a road trip on Monday, a few friends and I decided to take a long subway ride up to the northern tip of Manhattan today to visit the Cloisters. The Cloisters is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art constructed from actual pieces of medieval European art and architecture, reassembled in a scenic park along the Hudson River. The park itself offers stunning views across the Hudson, and feels miles away from the craziness of Midtown Manhattan. It's like getting out of the city, but for the cost of a metro card swipe.

The Cloisters houses an impressive collection of art and artifacts, selectively plucked from countries across Europe and collected in an ornate building made from recovered remnants of medieval European structures.

After absorbing the culture and solitude of the Cloisters, we headed back down to Harlem for some authentic soul food.

Our restaurant of choice was Amy Ruth's, which has become a modern Harlem institution. Amy Ruth's specialty is waffles, and there's an impressive variety of waffle platters from which to choose. I personally opted for the traditional fried chicken and waffles, with a side of cheese grits. The food was delicious -- an excellent first chicken and waffles experience.

Amy Ruth's outstanding reputation is well-deserved -- and well worth the long subway ride.

Our final stop of the day was (quite literally) the icing on the cake. Despite being stuffed full of southern fried goodness, we made a pit stop at the Harlem bakery Make My Cake, which offers as many cupcake choices as Amy Ruth's offers waffle options.

The staff was amazingly friendly and patient as we considered our choices. We opted to get our cupcakes to go, being too full to eat any more after our waffle extravaganza.

But now seems like the perfect time to break open the inviting pink bag. The only question is which flavor to sample first...

Deserted beaches and Moscow flashbacks

Unlike most people, I prefer the beach in the off season. For me, there's no place better to clear my head and just take time to think than on an empty beach, with miles of ocean stretching in front of me and nothing but the sounds of crashing waves and seagulls to block out the crushing din of everyday life. The isolation stirs in me a sense of peace and calm that is hard to find in the city.

I've been feeling like I could use a good dose of tranquility this week, so I decided to head out to the Coney Island boardwalk and Brighton Beach to recharge. But first I had to make an obligatory stop at the always-reliable Nathan's for an original Coney Island hot dog.

After eating, I headed to the beach and the boardwalk, which were as deserted as I hoped they'd be. I love Coney Island in the summer, but I had never ventured out after the beaches and amusement park had closed for the season. The sun was bright and the sky was blue, and I largely had the place to myself, save for a few other solitary people who seemed to be doing exactly what I was doing.

If you've only ever been to Coney Island in the summer when it's jam-packed with people, it's worth a visit in the fall or winter to experience the empty boardwalk and beach. If you've never been to Coney Island at all, I recommend a visit soon (even though it seems that some of the oldest and best establishments on the boardwalk sadly disappear each year in the name of "progress.")

The lack of crowds also made it much easier to take in the familiar sights of Coney Island. Thankfully the Wonder Wheel and the Cyclone have landmark status, so at least some things will always stay the same.

Most people, myself included, usually stop about halfway down the boardwalk rather than venturing through the next mile-long stretch of Brighton Beach. Today I did not make that mistake. Brighton Beach, sometimes referred to as Little Odessa, has for decades been a Russian enclave in Brooklyn, and is supposedly home to the world's largest Russian population outside of Russia itself. If you walk down this stretch of the beach, you'll hear very few people speaking English and will be met with numerous restaurants offering traditional Russian cuisine.

When I reached the far end of the boardwalk, I decided to take a stroll down Brighton Beach Avenue to check out the Russian stores. Having studied Russian in college and spent a summer in Moscow, I can't believe it took me 11 years to finally explore Brighton Beach. The stretch of stores is not long, but it's like walking down a street in Russia. Most of the signs are not in English, and everyone will speak to you in Russian, assuming that you're a local until the lack of comprehension evident on your face gives you away.

My greatest find was a huge Russian market called Brighton Bazaar. I felt like I had been transported back to my summer in Moscow (except this time there were a handful of signs in English here and there). There were bars full of freshly made blintzes, overflowing meat counters, and freezers full of numerous varieties of Russian dumplings. The store was stocked with things I haven't seen or eaten since the summer of 1998.

I admit that I was overly excited and wanted to buy everything in sight. I stuffed my grocery basket until it wouldn't hold another thing and I could barely haul it to the checkout counter with two hands. I don't think grocery shopping has ever made me so happy.

And now I have just finished a lovely dinner of authentic Chicken Kiev. My freezer full of Russian goodies should keep me smiling for quite some time. Suddenly, relearning my Russian has made a significant jump up my to-do list.