I tried this food stall at Tuffy's on Myrtle and 2nd yesterday at lunch. They are owned by the Hollerbach people. Opened this month. You order and pay on a touch screen. Burgers, chicken sandwich, crinkle cut fries and a few fried sides. I had a double smash cheeseburger with onions and a French dressing type of sauce for $15. It came with fries. Not bad at all. Not dry. Good bun. Large flat patty. Salty. Fries were underdone. I just passed on a ($) similar burger from Shake Shack at JFK. I think that was $12 plus $4+ for the fries. I'm not sure what a normal Shake Shack charges now. I've also seen recently that Five Guys is over $10 for their cheapest. So, I guess it is ok. I was expecting that they were a sit down place. I thought they replaced Tully's. Glad both are here.
*Travel Notes - Italy: I flew to Naples (one way) on Easy Jet (one and a half day lead time) for $127. Slightly delayed. No issues with web site, pdf ticket or getting a free boarding pass at the airport. I took the 5E Alibus to Piazza Garibaldi/Train Station. It also goes on to the port. Stop was a few hundred yards up the exiting road in front of the terminal. Ticket machine was semi-broken. Wouldn't process credit cards. You needed exact change. Had to buy water to get it. Ride was short. I stayed at the Hotel Eden (Expedia 6.8) one block away for $55 a night (2). On a Friday and Saturday! It was better than a 6.8 (had a balcony) and about $100 less than anything in Switzerland would have been. Plus a train just to Zurich would have been 92CH plus 78CH to St Moritz. I got in late, so, I just found a Conad on the far side of the station and got some dinner (Rustico Scambato Salpi, break apart-able Grissini (breadsticks) and Sarah Jessica Parker wine).
In the morning, I walked down Umberto I (the street to the port) to Antica Pizzeria da Michele. I got a Margherita for (6E). It was great. Enough for two people. It's pizza, so, the process can be mastered (by all). I've had similar quality ones in almost every civilized country. I forget how I knew about this place. It is highly rated. Had a line. My question to local purveyors who charge around $20 for the same thing. WTF? There is also another around the corner (more sit down) called Trianon that is supposed to be good. I then walked down Umberto I a bit and made a right. Up to the Duomo. Farther to (I was wandering with no map) the next big street and left to the Archeological Museum. Then left to Port d'Alba. I totally lucked into this. Had no idea where I was. Here is the first pizzeria in the world (Antica Pizzeria Port Alba). It was next on my list. I grabbed a smaller/thicker Margherita (good enough) to go from their ready made cart for 2E. Again. WTF! A pizza from the OG! In Naples Italy! 2E! WTF America! I should say that neither of these pizzas had that football shape that I thought all Naples pizza did. It was hot as shit and I didn't want to walk around with a pizza all day, so, back to the hotel. Saw Emiciclo Carolino and Piazza Dante and then several churches going down Tribunali. I cooled off and sacked up and took a street at the end of Piazza Garibaldi left to the port. That was a mistake. That port area is shit. I should have taken Umberto I (or done that while I was already down there had I known) to its end at the good port area. I walked along the water where I was, gave up, walked inland, found Umberto I and was walking home when something told me to turn around and go down Umberto I. Good thing. As I said, it ends at the cruise ship port. I found a castle (Castel Nuovo), a street food festival, port and the fortress on a hill (Castel Sant Elmo) that I had hoped to get a photo of. I have since learned there is a funicular to it. I'll come back and do that some day. It seems like the coolest spot in town. I was too worn out. Bought my ticket to Rome (52E) and crashed. I should say at this point that I had been here two times on bus tours (slept elsewhere) and have seen Vesuvius and Pompeii. Naples wasn't dangerous. Some African/Arab homelessness/squalor. The girls were hot.
In the morning, I took the fast train to Rome. BTW - almost every train except the fast ones were canceled or delayed. It was a Sunday. There always seems to be problems with travel in Italy on Sunday. The situation was worse in Rome. Poor suckers. Plus while I was there, they had a bus and taxi strike. More on that later. I stayed two nights at the Hotel Corot (Expedia 7.6) aside the station for $90 per. I walked to San Giovanni in Laterno. I had been, but, not in. I have also been led to believe since then that beyond having the old Senate doors, it houses the skulls of St Peter and Paul and was the first "Vatican". I walked from there towards the Colosseum. Passed the Basilica Quattro Coronati. Walked around the Forum. They have opened up so much of it now to be viewed from the exterior (free). Walked by Basilica di Massenzio, Foro di Nerva, Foro di Cesare and behind the VE Monument to the Piazza del Campodoglio (Michaelangelo design) to a great overlook into the meat of the Forum. Walked to the Tiber and tried to find Piazza Farnese (in the wrong direction). Got lost. No map again. A "helper" misread his Google Maps. Stumbled onto the place where they killed Julius Caesar. Always thought in was in the Forum. Nope. Burned him there. Killed at Sacra di Largo Argentina. An umbrella pine marks the spot. Walked by it multiple times. As my friend says, "Gotta love Rome"! Back to the hotel. Some Mortadella di Chinghiale from Tigre.
The next day I grabbed lasagna at Coop in the station. I was set to take bus from Circus Maximus to Baths of Caracalla, Appian Way, etc when I learned of the strike. Then it started to pour for an hour. Got caught up in that. Soaked. It's funny now. Learned that my new Pumas dry out quickly. I was back in the Sacra area because I had searched for the proper route the night before to Piazza Farnese. Ate a ravioili di fichi (fig pastry) at Il Fornaio. Saw the nearby Galleria al Palazzo Spada and Palazzo della Cancelleria. Tried to see Hadrian's Masoleum (again) at Castel Sant Angelo. It is closed on Monday. Was getting pissed at plans a and b getting thwarted and sloshy shoes. So, I walked back on Vittorio Emmanuele to Nazionale (found some new side streets and a park near the Quirinale) to the hotel. Half a roast chicken and mortadella from Coop. Bought my ticket to Bologna (all my tickets were fast trains - Frecciarosso) for 67E. Was going to try to do Orvieto. It seemed like it would interfere with easy access to Bologna. Will do it as a day trip from Rome (1H) next time.
The next day I went to Bologna. Stayed at the sagging Hotel Palace right near the Piazza Maggiore (Expedia 7.0) for $126. Not much available. FYI - seen most of the "big" items here before. I walked past Palazzo della Communale and Piazza Maggiore. Saw this restaurant (Sfoglia Rina) with a line that I remembered from last time. Found out they had a to go window. Got tagliatelle al ragu (where they created it) with a roll. They say spaghetti is too thin to absorb the sauce. Didn't seem like this absorbed any. Plus the strands stuck together more. I prefer cream in my Bolognese. I'm sure that is a sacrilege. Onto Castiglione. Over to Palazzo di Giustizia, Piazza/Chiesa San Domenico, Piazza Galvani. Out the southeast corner to Palazzo Albergati, Giardino di Villa Caesarini and Porta Saragozza. I tried to find a route to some building on top of the hill. Couldn't. It probably has great photo op ops. I walked from the Porta to the hotel. Grabbed Burratina Fume, Burrata, Bresaoloa della Vatelli, Mortadella (it is Bologna) and two bottles of wine. Got wet in the hotel with the windows open and a sunset view. Walked the city like a poet. Watched some dancing at Piazza Maggiore.
The next day I tried to find a restaurant that was open. Bologna has fewer restaurants than one would expect. Saw most of the towers. A park near the station. Walked Independenza back to the station. Found a little shop called Mortadella and got a mortadella sandwich. Bought a ticket to Milan for 52E. Stayed at the 43 Station Hotel (Expedia 8.6) aside the station for $130. I think they lied about free breakfast. It seemed like it was going to rain and I was uncertain what my next steps were and I had been there twice before, so, I just walked around the station to where the new skyscrapers are. Came back and got on the internet. Had to eat KFC and what snacks I had left in my bag because no true supermarkets anywhere near the station. Bought a ticket to Como for 5E.
The next day I went to Como. Stayed at the great Hotel Engadina (Booking 8.0) near the stadium/lake for $125. Walked to the right side of the lake. They are repairing the middle. FYI- done this before. Walked up a hill to the main road in and out and down to the Funiculore Como Brunate. Took it up to Brunate. 6.60E RT. Best money spent (other than the pizzas) all trip. Incredible views. You can see Milan! I did f up one trail and miss the lighthouse. Too late to go for it twice. There is a fountain (Pissarotino) and church (San Andrea) and hotels and other things up there. I believe you can walk down too. I grabbed sushi, prosecco, beer, caprini soft cheese and prosciutto at a nearby Carrefour. Got wet and walked the other side of the lake in the moonlight.
I had purchased my ticket to Zurich when I got to Como (77E). The next day I waited two+ hours for my train. A freight train overturned in Milan. Screwed up the whole system. Of course the either gave no info or lied. Hopped a random train to Basel that stopped at one town north. They kicked us off there. The train left with no passengers. Hopped on a local train to Lugano after I was warned not to wait for the Swiss one that everyone else was depending on. Waited 45 minutes there and hopped one that went to Zurich. Quite an ordeal. Lugano (SWZ) looked nice. But, I could never find a cheap enough hotel close enough to the station.
And that's all I have to say about that. I don't think I sampled any things that I didn't already mention. I would have done another day in Como with a day trip to Lugano. One more in Naples. Because it was so cheap. Exchange rate was 1.10 USD to a Euro. Had to fight hard to get reasonable hotel rates after Rome. Venice and Florence were ridiculous. How has 4 Restauranti with Alessandro Borghese not been ripped off over here? Pretty good results for an audible.
No comments:
Post a Comment