'A stranger in a strange land.' That's ME! It's kinda what I felt like reading your cool account of your birthday weekend in NYC & following you & your wife from show to show, store to store, eatery to eatery. Tho I live 'bout 2 miles from Times Square, I haven't been there in a few years (except theater related)...and you reminded me how much I've been missing. Now, I feel like I've lost so much time and need to revisit the good stuff I loved and all the NEW 'odds 'n bits' that I wasn't aware had sprung up!
One thing I TOTALLY identified with is your love affair with Luke's Lobster. Altho it's a 'chain' - (there are a few in the city) - the lobster is flown in daily from its 'flagship' location in Maine. I often complain that the Upper West Side is lacking in cool places to eat, BUT -- I am blessed to have a Luke's Lobster Shack just a very few blocks from my home. Luke's gets the highest ratings and deserves it! It's literally "shack-sized," -- so people often 'take-out' or get delivery. (A GREAT little feast to enjoy in nearby Central or Riverside Park!) They fill up their buttery rolls with such generous pieces of lobster...dang they're way too close to me for my budget! (& now, oi, I'm getting emails from Luke's about its special 'stay-home' shipping offers!! ) Oh! One last "To-Do" at Luke's is its once-a-year Petrossian Caviar Lobster Roll. Check this out: https://www.lukeslobster.com/caviar-lobster-roll-is-back/ (Alas, I've never been fast enuf to snare one of em!)
Thanks for your pro photos and your food tips. & Happy BELATED Birthday.
Alice
P.S. When I saw ur pic of the Hard Rock, at first I thought the BUS ad for Mt Sinai was part of its sign! 'Rock on and enjoy our fave hospital!' (That was NOT by the way, a NYC bus -- the MTA does NOT advertise "Gentlemen's Clubs!)