Air traffic control
Quick Eternity, Flatiron listings, LES gallery crawl, Dua Lipa tix, airport report, K-Town recs, Kona, MORE
BARS • First Round
Whale’s tale
It was a big summer for bars on the usually sleepy cobblestone stretch of Peck Slip at the South Street Seaport. On the corner of South Street, Paris Café — established 1873, but recently dormant — sprang back to life, serving a new French menu. And two blocks up, on the corner of Water Street, emerged Quick Eternity.
The two-level venue has a long bar space on the first floor and surprisingly elegant second-floor dining room, where, for the love of literature, they’re also selling books. When I pulled up to the downstairs bar — backed by an on-the-nose Moby Dick portrait and ersatz whale tusks — the talkative bartender welcomed us, then whipped up a round of the eponymous house cocktail of Perry’s Tot Navy Strength Gin, passionfruit, lemon, and absinthe. It’s citrusy and bright, the licorice absinthe note evident but not overpowering.
My second round, the Howling Infinite — “essentially a spicy margarita,” the bartender confided — arrived in an oversize frosted horn-shaped mug topped with crushed ice. Quite the show. But the pomp served a purpose, too, the cocktail initially too spicy but easing as the ice melted into the drink. My companion’s second drink, The Rachel, a bourbon sour topped with Madeira, also looked beautiful. Both rounds confirmed that this place knows how to mix them.
We weren’t planning on eating, but a patron at the other end of the bar directed our attention to corndog-battered lobster on the short menu, and the concept of a lobster corndog being so perfectly absurd, we ordered it. It arrived with two spears of lobster (“about half a tail’s worth”) and tartar sauce for dipping. Kooky as it sounded, it proved a delicious bite, slightly more elevated than it needed to be. Which is a good way to think about Quick Eternity, a worthy new escape from the canyons of Wall Street for an after-work hang. –Lockhart Steele
→ Quick Eternity (South Street Seaport) • 22 Peck Slip • Mon-Fri 4p-12a, Sat 2p-12a, Sun 2p-11p • Reserve (2nd-floor dining room).
REAL ESTATE • First Mover
Three for-sale properties in Flatiron that came to market this week.
→ 15 W 17th St #5 (Flatiron) • 2BR/2BA 2221 SF condo • Ask: $2.75M • full floor with key-locked elevator, ‘in need of some updating’ • Days on market: 2 • Monthly cc: $1500 • Monthly tax: $1719 • Agent: Andrew Feldman, Corcoran. Open house Sat & Sun 1130a-2p by appt. only.
→ 874 Broadway #701 (Flatiron) • 2BR/2BA, NA SF co-op • Ask: $3.25M • corner loft with large oak-framed window • Days on market: 3 • Monthly maintenance: $5971 • Agents: Elise Ehrlich & Chris Pomeroy, Brown Harris Stevens.
→ 60 W 20th St PH1 (Flatiron, above) • 3BR/2.1BA, 2544 SF condo • Ask: $11.995M • penthouse with exceptional 3600-SF outdoor space (it’s a wow) atop the Cammeyer building • Days on market: 2 • Monthly tax: $460 • Agents: Fredrik Eklund & John Gomes, Elliman.
REAL ESTATE LINKS: Park Slope townhouse sells for $13.9M, setting new neighborhood record • Most elusive apartment in NYC, at 666 Park Ave, may soon be for sale • One High Line’s public park opens in Chelsea • On South Williamsburg waterfront, Williamsburg Wharf wraps phase one of construction • The gutting of one of the oldest homes in Brooklyn Heights • Red Hook coastal resiliency project breaks ground.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Art Galleries
In September, galleries try to put their best (and often most sellable) foot forward, opening exhibitions that will set the tone for the rest of the year. Here’s what’s showing for around $10K on the Lower East Side.
DEBORAH ZLOTSKY: Zlotsky’s work seems simple at first: brightly colored stripes at various angles to one another, creating what could be viewed as mere geometric abstraction (not that there’s anything wrong with that). However, Zlotsky affects the paint with dragging motions, trompe l’oeil elements, and color theory, creating psychological uneasiness that balances the joyful hues. Paint splatter and depth of field changes impart a spatial quality, imbuing them with more presence than a painting of that size might ordinarily command. Each work is $10,000 or less, except for the largest painting, which is priced at $11,000.
→ Visit: McKenzie Fine Art (Lower East Side) • 55 Orchard St • Wed-Sat 11a-6p, Sun 12p-6p through 10/12.
MONIRA AL-QADIRI (above): Al-Qadiri’s first solo exhibition in the US, titled Cosmic Machine, is a fever dream of iridescent, pearlescent, otherworldly sculpture. While the 3D-printed sculptures are enticing (and at €10,000, they almost fit the bill), the smaller glass works are the real find. Man o’ war jellyfish made of hand-blown partially colored glass sit on pedestals and plinths catching the light, shimmering as though they just washed up on shore. They’re unique, and can stand alone on a shelf or table, but have enough presence to command a space on a dedicated platform. $6,000 per.
→ Visit: Perrotin (Lower East Side) • 130 Orchard St • Tue-Sat 10a-6p, through 10/18.
ELISA SOLIVEN: The drawings and clay sculptures in Soliven’s new show achieve the often rare success of having a clear line between the two mediums. The works on paper depict two forms: one more humanoid and one slightly more amorphous. The figures in the drawings (or elements of each) resemble the textured busts dotted around the gallery, with throughlines of colored grids and squared off heads, punctuated by gem-like insets of pigment. If you’re looking for sculpture, even the largest — a five-foot totemic figure composed of stacked rings — is $7,000, while the busts are $3,500. The drawings (my personal favorites) are priced at $1,250 for the smaller ones and $2,500 for the larger. –Charlie Davidson
→ Visit: McBride/Dillman (Lower East Side) • 195 Henry St • Wed-Sat 11a-6p, through 10/26.
CULTURE & LEISURE • A List
Chappell Roan • Forest Hills Stadium (Flushing) • Sat @ 7p • sec 101, $453 per ($203 lowest avail)
Dua Lipa • Madison Square Garden (Midtown South) • Sat @ 730p • sec 107, $384 per ($157 lowest avail)
Chiefs v Giants • MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford) • Sun @ 820p • sec 137, $421 per ($146 lowest avail)
CULTURE & LEISURE LINKS: LA-based massage studio The Tox opens in Tribeca • How much should collectors pay for emerging artists’ works? • The return of embellishment in furniture design • Can artists stop the AI slop machine?
CULTURE & LEISURE • Friday Routine
Sister, sister
CHLOE & CLAIRE LEE • co-founders • Selleb
Neighborhood you work in: Flatiron
Neighborhood you live in: Gramercy
It’s Friday afternoon. How are you rolling into the weekend?
We’re start-up founders, which means Monday mornings and Saturday nights are treated equally unless we set firm boundaries and markers. When Friday hits, it’s a sign to slow down and schedule some light work. We’re rolling into this weekend meeting up with some of our app’s superusers at Devoción to gather feedback.
What app, you ask? We’re building Selleb, the receipt-sharing app where you can see what the coolest people on the internet are actually buying. No sponsored hype, just good old-fashioned receipts that reveal where people are parking their hard-earned dollars. We’ve seen everything from (juicy) UberEats orders to Botox (!) to apartment rent (!!). Users get confessional and candid on our app, and that’s the best part. Sometimes we get DMs asking, “Can I just get on and snoop?” Look, we get it. Stalking is fun, but you’ll need a little skin in the game if you want to get on the app.
Any restaurant plans?
We love our classic, tried-and-true local moments at Gramercy Tavern (elevated pub grub of burger and duck fat chips) or Cosme, plus weekly visits to Caffe Panna since we’re a stone’s throw away and can get there before the lines snake. Always get their specials! Borgo is a recent favorite — the food is so simple but yummy and the menu rotates (we’re suckers for variety). La Dong is another neighborhood go-to, don’t miss the wagyu pho and bun cha.
This weekend, we’re paying homage to our heritage and hitting K-town. It’ll be a toss-up between Ahgassi and Olle. Authentic, no-frills spots that serve up grandma’s kitchen-style jigaes, fish gui, jeon, bossam, and kalbi, preceded by a parade of standard (not extra!) banchan including a minimum of three types of kimchi and other veggies. And of course there’s the motherland’s most beloved comfort food — the steaming egg custard in an earthen bowl —that often appears unannounced and on the house if they suspect you’re Korean. But you can always ask for it!
Okdongsik will be our backup. There’s so much decision paralysis in NYC and sometimes you just want to go to a restaurant with a limited menu or set constraints. This place only has two items on the menu: pork bone soup and kimchi dumplings. And now, the best-kept secret: if you go, make your way to the back (past the bathrooms) to an unmarked door that leads to a hidden speakeasy called George Bang Bang. The coolest bar, bar none. Cocktail menu goes crazy. Pro tip: Get the Don Corleone, their signature bourbon drink with bitters and strained smoked bacon fat. A killer drink.
How about a little leisure or culture?
Chloe is obsessed with AMC’s Screen Unseen. The ultimate Monday night gamble. Here’s the deal: You roll up at 7p, hand over five bucks, and buckle in for a movie that doesn’t hit the theaters ’til Friday. But you won’t know what you’re in for till the opening credits roll. It gets super stressful and nail-biting during the previews because everyone’s silently praying it’s a buzzy film they’ve been dying to see. For diehard cinephiles only.
Last great vacation?
Chloe: Kona, Hawaii. Paradise on earth. The absolute musts are Da Poke Shack for the best poke bowl, ULU for a beautiful, ever-so-consistent ocean-to-table experience, Kona Coffee & Tea for the best coffee on the island (try the Bullet) and to stock up on the eponymous java beans to take back home.
Claire: I just came back from a trip in Turkey (Istanbul and Bodrum) and Greece (mainly Leros and Patmos). Leros is still a super DL, no-frills island which was very much my speed. Dined at Mylos By The Sea twice — definitely among the most memorable meals I've had. Harris Bar is also breathtaking.
Recent big-ticket purchase you love?
This Zojirushi Japanese kettle boiler. Game changer for tea drinkers who boil water in the electric kettle, do something else in the meantime, remember 15 mins later only to find that the water is now lukewarm, re-boil, rinse and repeat. With this kitchen gadget, you can boil water and keep it piping hot all day until you remember to pour and enjoy.
Product or service you always recommend?
Keisy shiatsu massage on East 9th St is the best bang for your buck in town — 60 minutes for $60. Furthest thing from a glam or relaxing experience, but if you have knots of any kind, they’re your people. You certainly won't fall asleep during the massage, but the night of? Money.
GETAWAYS LINKS: The where-to-stay-Upstate hotel flowchart • Amex launches new Travel app with Centurion Lounge wait times • After closure for renovations, Park Hyatt Tokyo sets December reopening.
GETAWAYS • Airports
FOUND’s semi-regular roundup of the goings on at the jetports in NYC and surrounds is required reading for anyone getting on a plane this fall (N.B. the essential JFK rideshare hack). Not a paid subscriber? Get on board!
JFK: The all-new Terminal One, set to open next year, has revealed most of its premium lounge lineup.