Meet 60th Street
There will be a void in the side streets of Manhattan now that I have reached 60th Street and Central Park, the great green oasis at the heart of the city. Traversing from East to West promises a beautiful walk each day. Even though 60th has fewer buildings than the streets below it because of the interruption (or should we say respite) that the Park provides, this does not mean that it is any less populated by extraordinary clusters of businesses and culture.
I began my walk early one morning at The Jeffrey, a café that serves coffee to early risers, beer and sandwiches during the lunchtime hours, and then becomes a hip cocktail bar at night. Visiting on several different occasions, I recognized that The Jeffrey is a much-needed neighborhood haunt for the newly named area, “DUQBO” (Down Under the Queensboro Bridge Overpass”). As I approached Second Avenue, I reflected on how, when the tram that runs above the East River first opened in the 1970s, I used to take anyone interested for a trip to visit Roosevelt Island. We would simply stand in the gondola staring back at the breathtaking skyline of Manhattan and then quickly come back through the turnstile and return to 60th Street, always stopping at Serendipity for its stupendous frozen hot chocolate.
From Second to Third Avenue, the street becomes a mecca for interior decorators. It is filled to the brim with mid-century furniture and magnificent chandeliers. Tucked in between, I was delighted to discover Pesca Boutique, where a mother and daughter sell swimwear with a personal touch throughout the year. What a surprise on this furniture-themed street. The emphasis on high-quality design continues in a slightly different fashion at Warren Edwards (Lost Gem), a colorful boutique that has been fitting men and women with their intricate beadwork and embroidered shoes for many years, and at Alessi (Lost Gem), a shop containing dazzling Italian products for the home.
One of the greatest prizes of 60th street is Le Veau d’Or – a classic French restaurant that has wined and dined society’s creme de la creme since 1937 – and is now run by Cathy Trebaux, a true restaurateur who has endless stories to share. Though there was a time a decade or so ago when Le Veau d’Or was one of the only high-end restaurants on the street, it has recently been joined by many more as a result of the explosion in serious dining. The chef at Amali, which opened in 2011, puts a Mediterranean spin on classic dishes downstairs and creates an intimate experience around one table upstairs at Sopra. In the original location of the Copacabana, the kitchen at Rotisserie Georgette (Lost Gem) delivers some of the best French chicken in the city. Il Mulino, the revered Italian restaurant located in the West Village, opened a sleek, modern Uptown location with the same accent on excellent food and service. And then there is Gabriel’s, another Italian restaurant that has played a leadership role on the west side of 60th since the 1990s. It has been catering to a revolving door of people who cross the street from the Time Warner building to dine at this Italian restaurant.
Private clubs take up a significant amount of real estate on this street. How fortunate to have the exhibit titled, “One Hundred Books Famous in Children’s Literature,” still up when I visited the Grolier Club. Another real moment for me was when I stepped inside the Harmonie Club and reflected on my wedding there some thirty-five years ago. Directly across the street, behind its golden gates, is the stunning and prestigious Metropolitan Club.
A perfect ending to my journey across 60th occurred when I discovered two hidden gems where the focus is placed on respect and professionalism. Empire Baseball is a coaching center for children through young adults, and Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, created by Rose Caiola in 2008, is a pre-professional non-profit dance studio.
You could say that professionalism and respect is a theme of 60th Street. Every eatery stresses a high level of service, and the craftsmen stress the quality of their materials. But there is also a warmth to the street, in the unchanging tables of Le Veau d’Or, between the pages at the Grolier Club, and in the cups at the Jeffrey, that make it feel like home.
