What better time to walk the streets of any great city than when it’s snowing or raining? It's that precipitation—be it rain, sleet, hail, snow or fog—has a way of blurring the sharp edges of a metropolis, slowing the pace of its inhabitants walking with downcast eyes, and lowering the decibel count. When the everyday hustle-bustle fades, the city takes a deep breath.
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Stopping to check out a restaurant under construction, I meet the charming Alexandra Pollet, the owner of Monte Carlo who, having spent many years in the hospitality industry in France, was brought to New York ten years ago by the Waldorf-Astoria to be the food and beverage director at the legendary 'Bull and Bear Steakhouse.' The same 'Bull and Bear' that in the early part of the twentieth century had been the after-the-close club of the titans of Wall Street. The same that in the 60s had been the cafe of choice for the liquid lunches of the 'Mad Men' of nearby Madison Avenue.
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When there are no errands to be run or chores to be done, no appointments to be kept or parcels to be schlepped...what is it that you most like to do?
I’ll tell you what I like: I like to hang out in places where you can linger for an hour nursing a cup of coffee, doing little more than watching the passing scene. Preferably, places that open early and stay open late, with no reservation required. Growing up in Sherwood Park in southeast Yonkers—the most boring place in the world—the only exciting thing that ever happened was the opening of a diner on Yonkers Avenue. It was a classic All-American diner with a red neon sign, Formica counters wrapped in chrome, red leather booths with tabletop jukeboxes, and waitresses in black uniforms with pencils tucked behind their ears.
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New York is treasure trove of unforeseen pleasures and serendipitous surprises, not least of which is a chic boutique, Niquea.D on the Upper East Side. It seems that in this great city, all you need do is turn a corner to find a store you’ve never laid eyes on before or a bakery that's an offshoot of its Parisian parent. So it was with Niquea.D.
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