Choko Ona – A “Good Place” in Espelette

Posted on October 18, 2025 by Ziggy

We are back from another trip to Basque Country. This time spending some time in Pays Basque Français. Spoiler alert: Its as stunning as Spain’s Basque if not more. Filled with striking old towns and picturesque villages like the home of this gem. I get the sense that younger people flock to San Sebastian and Bilbao due to social media pressure, while the older folk that know a thing or two, keep the French Basque a secret. Dont let them win!

When you do visit the cities and villages of Pays Basque, one of the first things you notice is Espelette everywhere. Espelette stores, Espelette spices, magnets, and other products. That’s because you are not too far from the famed village of Espelette, home to the renowned Espelette peppers. You’ll see the peppers hanging in random places, and the peppers heavily utilized in local cooking. Even when you order something as simple as a Gallete (Buckwheat crepes from Brittany) in Biarritz, chances are you’ll get it topped with Espelette butter. Even without the fame, Espelette is one of the most beautiful villages in France.

Choko Ona (“Good Place” or “Good Corner”) is just another reason to visit this village. A one Michelin that acts like one but priced like a Bib Gourmet. Smartly furnished space, housed in an 18th century house that today looks more like someone’s private home. One cool feature is the entire back side of the house can be wide open, overlooking their garden.

A creative menu featuring seasonal local ingredients. All handled by a young staff that speaks English and makes you feel at home. The only thing I didnt appreciate was sitting in front of a mirror ;). We changed spots midway much to the horror of the entire establishment.

We opted for the 4 courser, which of course was more like 6 or 7. Flawless to say the least. To start, in classic Michelin, outstanding tidbits to dazzle your palate. Then an Onion tart, pretty much just layers of braised onions topped with caramelized jus. One-note but an addictive one. Onion hater Mrs Ziggy cleaned her plate.

Then the most beautiful, delicate… Jewfish! Not an autocorrect. Maigre as its called here, aka Meagre, Croaker, Drum Fish, and other names, including yes, Jewfish apparently. An outdated name for some reason (I’m Jewish so I’m allowed to joke about this, but you are not) pretty much everywhere except Australia and other places. Regardless of what you call it, this was superb,

Kintoa pork, perfectly cooked medium-rare, super tender and juicy. Served with a leek topped with some sort of pesto, along with saffron pilaf rice and more delicious Jus. Kintoa is a local breed. Its called Kintoa because back in the day local farmers had to pay the king a fifth (Kintoa) of their pigs as tax. Hazelnut dessert, and more glorious tidbits was the perfect finish. Another highlight was the Brioche with, what else, Espelette butter.

One thing I really liked about Choko Ona is the pacing and the amount of food served. It should be more common especially in Michelin places, but not often you leave a tasting menu, satisfied, not full, while consuming plenty. We were still able to enjoy a multi course dinner that evening.

Categories: France | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

Alpenkräuter Restaurant Bären – Wengen’s One and Only?

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Ziggy

I mentioned in the last Zermatt post, the struggles of finding good eats in mega touristy destinations. In picture perfect, car free Wengen, the challenge was similar. I got bored with researching food here fairly quickly. In fact I spent more time researching Basque Country, our next destination. Hence, I was winging it, or Wenging it if you will, more than usual.

Bären earns the distinction of being possibly the only place, in over 30+ years of travel, we ate in twice, other than one country we used to frequent. It’s not that Alpenkräuter Restaurant Bären, as it’s listed on Google, was flawless. Its just that after researching, trying a few others, and the first meal at Bären, it became clear that the probabilities of finding something better was very low.

Compared to the other places we tried, Bären felt like a real, well functioning, busy restaurant. Even though it’s inside a hotel, it didn’t feel like a hotel restaurant, unlike one place in the Belvedere we tried on our second night. It felt like a decent size family restaurant with elevated cooking. Daughter and mom run the front, dad cooks. And the entire hotel/restaurant is surrounded by their garden where they get much of the ingredients.

On both nights we enjoyed their exceptional soups, especially the creamy herb soup. And on both nights we enjoyed their superb salad. The older I get, the more I appreciate a good varied salad. A special of Halibut one night, was expertly cooked. A saddle of Lamb on another was another flavor packed winner. Tagliatelle, one of their specialties was fine, not great, but the kind of dish we appreciated after eating so much rustic fair.

The only miss was really the burger, a seemingly popular dish here. There’s a reason why you rarely see pulled beef on menus anywhere in the world. It just doesnt work, and it didnt work here. Besides not being better than a regular burger, it wasnt easy to eat.

Fantastic desserts, drinks, and friendly service on both nights. Prices are fair, for Switzerland. They really figured us Americans out. Many appetizers at around 19.50 seem fair. Add 1 or 2 more to go over 20 and oh boy, quite expensive 😉

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Da Toscano Porchetta Shop – Gem Hidden in Plain Sight

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Ziggy
Da Toscano

First, time to make another change to the blog. Its been about 13 incredible years, and food blogs are slowly becoming obsolete, replaced by other forms of social media. I do want to keep it going, but I just dont have the same amount of time and energy. From now on, my NYC blog posts will be short, sweet, and to the point, writing mostly about the food.

Da Toscano Porchetta Shop, located in, you guessed it, Da Toscana, a popular restaurant in the West Village. “Popular? Never heard of it, Ziggy”. Its one of those quiet, those in the know fame. We had a memorable meal there when they opened, and I figured I’ll blog about it when I’ll have a bigger meal. But that day never came. Popularity took off and its hard to reserve these days.

While Da Toscano open for dinner only these days, you can enjoy the the Porchetta sandwiches and more at the bar or takeout during lunchtime 4 days a week. The opening hours on Google and elsewhere confuse many to believe they are open for lunch, but its really just for the sandwiches. This is the follow-up to their Porchetta shop in Charleston, one of four businesses they have there.

I tried the original Porchetta sandwich. San Gennaro feast in my mouth is one way to put it. A whole hog is roasted with rosemary and fennel for 8 hours. They then slice it and let the slices swim with its juices, before serving it with Salsa Verde, Crackling, and Aged Provolone between fluffy Focaccia that hold their own. The result is a glorious blend with the tender meat reigning supreme. Some of the juiciest and tastiest Porchetta I’ve ever had.

Conclusion: New Yorkers are spending tons of hours waiting for subpar social media hyped sandwiches all over the city. Sometimes the good stuff can be found at the most unexpected places by highly talented chefs. Its like having an omelette at a popular diner vs a chef’s joint like Anton’s who studied the heck out of making the perfect one.

PS. Couldnt take a good picture. Lighting, shaky hands, the drooling, all of the above. The pictures are courtesy of Da Toscano

24 Minetta Ln, West Village

Da Toscano

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And What is This? This is Gruyères

Posted on September 25, 2025 by Ziggy

I’ll explain the Borat title later, but first… You know that Gruyeres cheese you get in the US supermarkets? Any idea where it comes from? Yep, you guessed it, Wisconsin! Notice the spelling without the grave accent over the ‘e’. The only other difference between the Swiss Gruyères and the American Gruyeres is everything. It can be a totally different cheese, and American has to have holes or eyes in it. Who to blame for this mess? The French, and Swiss. But mostly the French.

The US courts including the appeal court recently ruled against the Swiss request to register Gruyères due to its generic nature in the US. When you import so many different kinds of Gruyeres from various parts of Europe, some with holes, some without, it eventually becomes generic to the Americans. In France, not only Gruyères is made for generations, but the Gruyères region is bigger than Champagne. And to complicate things further, France registered their version with the EU before Switzerland. The difference between the French Gruyères and Swiss, for your next cocktail party conversation: French, just like the US, has holes. Swiss, no holes.

But I’m here to tell you about the town Gruyères, not so much the cheese. That’s an Educating With Ziggy bonus. I’m only beginning to scratch the Switzerland surface and so far I’m discovering an unusual amount of fairy tale villages scattered all over the country. Gruyères is tiny. Mostly a small wide street that takes a couple of minutes to walk from one end to another, but you want to spend hours doing so. Google says there’s a whopping 1k or so residents living here

Château de Gruyères, the main attraction here is more attractive than more popular castles we’ve seen in Switzerland. The garden especially was stunning, with an incredible array of flowers. Good and bad news for me. The good is that Mrs Z really appreciated this. The bad is that Mrs Z really appreciated this. That meant spending more time there than I hoped on an empty stomach.

There’s a tradition here that started by the Bovy family in the 1800’s to invite artists and even set up artist colonies in the castle. When we went, there was a weird contemporary exhibition. Hard to appreciate something where you have to guess the message. Like a video of three guys digging holes in the ground.

The other big attraction here is the fondue. Maybe I should have recorded the process of me eating it and send to the Château. I was skeptical as I didnt like the fondue we had earlier in Wengen. But this was much better. In Wengen the cheap white wine was more prevalent, while here it was the glorious cheese. Two cheeses in fact as this was the signature Moitié-Moitié, “half and half”. Half Gruyères, half Vacherin Fribourgeois

And a nice cheese and meat board since we clearly didn’t get enough cured meat and cheese from all the hotel breakfasts. All this was at Fleur de Lys btw because they were on the shaded side of the street. Thats not how I usually choose my restaurants but couldn’t help it in this case.

The town itself is a gem. Besides the Castle and the Fondue you also got the HR Giger Museum to satisfy your Alien sex fetish. Giger was an artist whose work often combined human anatomy and machinery. He won an Oscar for his design of the creature in Alien. Much of the work in the museum is not suitable for children. Also check out the Giger Bar across the street.

As for the title. If you are a Borat fan, you probably already know. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIRcpknXy3A

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Zermatt – the Good, the Great, and the Ugly

Posted on September 21, 2025 by Ziggy

The car free Zermatt village is one of those bucket list destinations I didnt know I have. I will save the why for another post, but what I can tell you now is that no pictures or videos can prepare you, especially if you get lucky with clear sunny days. The only challenge in such a touristy place was finding decent meals. There’s not a whole lot of reliable info out there. The end result was a mixed bag with only one strong recommendation, but all considering not too bad.

The Good

Alphitta – If you are like me, one who cares mostly about the food, and less about the setting, take a short preference break here. Yes, add Alphitta due to the setting, not so much the food. The walk to it alone sets the mood, and the direct view of the Matterhorn is priceless. The food is good enough. It’s an extremely eclectic menu trying to please tourists from all parts of the world. So whether you have curry, crispy pork belly, pasta, or whatever, it probably wont be the best rendition you ever had, but more than acceptable. Just skip the terrible goat cheese salad unless you prefer overly fruity dressings.

The North Wall – Being a pizza snob in NYC is a blessing and a curse. When we travel, the rare times we have pizza, I almost always expect mediocrity. While the dough at The North Wall can use some work, the Neapolitan(ish) pies are fairly solid, and satisfying overall. Especially considering its made in a gas oven by Brits not Italian.

The Great

Restaurant Waldhaus – I think the best tip for Zermatt is to simply keep walking up toward the south side. By the time you’ll reach Restaurant Waldhaus and a few others in the area like Sonnmatten, you’ll be out of breath but well outside tourist trap central. If you are looking for finer dining, perhaps Sonnmatten would be a better choice, as Waldhaus is as rustic as it gets.

The food is quite rustic as well. The highlights early on were the special of the day, chanterelles, sautéed with a curry sauce and came on top of their salad (or pasta if you prefer). Solid dry rubbed ribs, and meatloaf. A special of liver with risotto (top pic) was another highlight. From the sweets we especially liked the hot apricot cake in a clay pot. All with direct view of the majestic Matterhorn.

Gelato Italiano – The prize after each hike. Other than the apricot, superb gelato throughout. Try the Malaga if you like rum raisin or the cherry.

The Ugly

Grampi’s – Gets generally good reviews but the biggest disappointment in Zermatt. One of those places that feels very touristy including the menu. Everything from the Vitello Tonnato, pastas, to the Tiramisu was just a poor imitation of the real thing. Think Costco Tiramisu. The ribs may have been the only decent thing but not the same caliber as Waldhaus. Our waiter somehow just knew. He kept asking if everything was alright while checking my reaction Larry David style.

Categories: Switzerland | Tags: , , , , , | 2 Comments

Saint Julivert – Less is Less

Posted on September 15, 2025 by Ziggy

First, time to make another change to the blog. Its been about 13 incredible years, and food blogs are slowly becoming obsolete, replaced by other forms of social media. I do want to keep it going, but I just dont have the same amount of time and energy. From now on, my NYC blog posts will be short, sweet, and to the point, writing mostly about the food.

Saint Julivert is a seafood focused eatery in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Opened in 2018 by Alex Raij and Eder Montero, the husband-and-wife team behind La Vara, next door, and Txikito which I included in the best of NYC list. The well respected duo essentially reinvented Spanish Tapas in NYC. Saint Julivert is on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list (good quality, good value cooking). The dishes are fairly small but the waitstaff recommends 4-5 dishes for two, like any other restaurant.

Sorullitos – Nicely spiced hushpuppies sitting on tangy mayo. Solid, well priced snack. No issues here.

Amberjack – Raw, high quality Amberjack (Kampachi). I appreciated the tomato water and Shiso oil as opposed to the usual acidic crudo, but an expensive 4 bites each when sharing with someone.

Polenta/Chickpeas fritters topped with Baba ghanoush and salmon – A special that sounded good, and it was. But essentially an expensive (over $20) amuse bouche. One weird theme here is that they advise sharing, but serve everything in odd numbers.

Squid a la Placha with Mushrooms – Just fine. Not as good as I hoped. The Mushroom flavors didnt really pop, and the whole dish was just a tad too sweet. Only when I mixed the sauces at the end, I got the right balance.

Venetian style Risotto – Nice smoky flavor, but midway it started to feel like an excellent, pricy side dish. I would have loved to pair with fish or another protein for some texture. For a “Fisherie”, they dont have any fish on the menu, other than an expensive special on this night.

5 dishes, one drink, $170 (includes tax/tips)

Conclusion: Plenty of creativity and top notch ingredients. Just not enough food. Sure I can order more dishes and push it well over $200, but at the end we simply didnt feel like we were getting good value. Not often I can go for a slice of pizza after a meal. If you order 4 dishes as the waitress suggested (“4-5”), you could even do a burger. It felt like an 8 course tasting menu that ended midway. A one and done for me.

264 Clinton St, Brooklyn

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Lucerne Random

Posted on September 11, 2025 by Ziggy

Just some of the poor quality photos I took in Lucerne, while munching on pretzels and schnitzel sandwiches. But first, some tips.

No need to stay in Lucerne central. Check out Hotel Balm in Meggen, especially if you appreciate a good hotel restaurant.

Lucerne itself requires half a day to see, even at slow pace.

For meals, besides the Balm hotel, check out Landgasthof Rössli, and Weisses Schloss. All popular with locals.

Sunday is the worst day to walk around Lucerne on an empty stomach

One reason to stay in Meggen is to see the spectacular Meggenhorn castle, missed by 99% of tourists.

All nearby mountain visits will be forgettable if you plan on Zermatt, Lauterbrunnen, etc but Rigi is pretty cool.

A crazy but memorable outside the box day trip with a car: Rhine Falls, Schaffhausen, Stein am Rhein.

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Three Gems in Montreux / Vevey

Posted on September 7, 2025 by Ziggy

Minutes apart, the towns of Montreux and Vevey, on the east side of Lac Léman, aka just dont you dare call it Lake Geneva on this side, compliment each other very well. Montreux got a stunning promenade, while Vevey adds a picturesque old town. If you are staying in a hotel, the Riviera card will provide you easy access to both. You also got the mesmerizing Chillon Castle, and a world class museum, Chaplin’s World nearby, not to mention a stunning wine region. Which means staying for at least three days is ideal. Hence, according to my calculations, you need three meals. I cant say these names will rock your world, as these towns are not exactly culinary destinations. But solid options nonetheless.

Chez Nocente (Vevey)

The amount of Italian eateries all over Switzerland is astonishing. But rarely you come across one that is actually run by an Italian. In this case a Brindisi, Puglia native. The place itself is adorable as I found it by chance the day before we ate there. Smartly furnished, with Italian movie stars, and Pugliese stuff like Trulli displayed throughout. And chances are, you will be the only tourist there.

Start with a glass of Roero-Arnais. Leave the local wine for other establishments. Consider their elaborate salads, eggplant lasagna, and Mozzarella with various pestos. Finish with the pastas like ravioli stuffed with eggplant and scarmozza, and/or the special of the day. I’m on the fence about the Orecchiette with sausage here, but some of the group liked it.

La Table de Montreux

Stylish, Italianish, localish joint, in the center of Montreux. This is where you get your Entrecôte fix. Quality beef arrives sliced, sitting on a hot stone if you want to cook longer (you dont). This is also where we got the best bread of the two week trip. Pizza bread. If its any indication, the pizzas here are solid as well. Finish with the just about perfect, Tiramisu.

Du Pont (Montreux)

If I had to pick one meal, this would be it. Located in the old town, not the most picturesque to be honest. Quite a hike to get up there… for our Uber driver. Quick and easy 10 minute walk down. By the time we left, Du Pont was buzzing with locals. And it’s always amazing to me how in so many European restaurants one person often older than me, runs the entire front with ease.

Enjoy the light, seafoody terrine du leman that comes with a sizeable salad, and/or the Caesar. A top notch beef tartare as good if not better than places we enjoyed in France. But the crème de la crème was the Cocotte Poluet Morelles. Succulent chicken tenders with creamy sauce and morels cooked in a Dutch oven.

Happy Travels.

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This is Wengen

Posted on September 1, 2025 by Ziggy

Like an alcoholic in a distillery. That’s how I felt when I got off the train in this car free Swiss mountain village, and started walking. The main road is like a red carpet leading to your hotel. It took over 3 hours to get there from Lucerne, but it felt more like a year since thats how long I anticipated this. It’s a bucket list item I never knew I had.

Wengen isnt as posh and famous as Interlaken, Lucerne and the rest of them. It has one 5 star hotel (Belvedere) that recently opened, and sticks out like a sore thumb among all the wooden chalets. It will be a shame if more opened. Says the food blogger that had dinner at the Belvedere one night. It was in the name of research of course. For the children.

Not only you can easily spend 4 nights in Wengen, but make that your minimum. Take the cable car to Männlichen and hike to Kleine Scheidegg and Fallbodensee. On another day, see the other side of the valley (Mürren, Schilthorn, Gimmelwald). Save the rainy day to Thun and the mesmerizing Lake Thun. In destinations as such you need to have some cushion in case of bad weather.

Listen to uncle Ziggy (instead of say my main competitor Travel + leisure that recommends the Belvedere). Stay in Alpenruhe. The hospitality and attention to detail by the young couple running the place is tough to match. The views from the third floor, and the top notch breakfasts are reasons enough.

And might as well have all your meals at Alpenkräuter Restaurant Bären. We haven’t tried many, but this one is quite popular with the locals and the only one that felt like a well functioning, real restaurant, as opposed to a tourist trap or a hotel restaurant. Even though it is in fact inside a hotel.

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Best Restaurants in Manhattan

Posted on August 16, 2025 by Ziggy

Well, the people of Reddit have spoken, after putting together the Brooklyn picks. For Manhattan I grouped them instead of creating another map (Brooklyn is huge). And just like with Brooklyn, there are certain areas as you can see where I dont spend much time. UWS and UES are just too far, and not as interesting, while Midtown East and Times Square are hotel/tourist heavy, with minimal parking, and more suited for business lunches. Rarely anything interesting opens there.

I also think its time to retire the Z-List. I’ve been managing it for many years, and I’ve had many people commenting on how useful it is. But a list of 30 that covers a large area, no matter how often updated, can run its course. I know some rely on it, but I think its better to rely on its Brooklyn and Manhattan list replacements at this point. I will leave the Z-List up for a while to give people a chance to say goodbye 😉

I will update these lists often. This one is more or less from south to north, with the borders stretched on occasion to fit everyone…

Tribeca

Nish Nush – One of the best if not the best Falafels in the city for a few decades now.

Au Cheval – Go for the sick burger, stay for the Mac & Cheese.

LES / Chinatown

Ginger and Lemongrass – Pretty much for the spicy lemongrass soup.

Shu Jiao Fu Zhou – Hard to beat for a quick cheap dumplings and noodles.

Spicy Village – Slightly uncomfortable but exceptional Chinese. Try the dumplings and Big Tray of Chicken

Uncle Lou’s – Got a little too touristy lately but this is where I’d go for Cantonese right now

Katz’s Deli – The Pastrami Temple. Mega touristy for a reason

Corima – Affordable, superb creative Mexican

Nolita / Little Italy

Thai Diner – Super popular for a reason. Try to come at Off-peak hours

Wayan – Vongerichten Jr doing all kinds of Indonesian/French magic

19 Cleveland – Excellent all around Israeli

Tomiño Taberna Gallega – NYC’s best if not only pure Galician. Meaning get the Octopus

Figo il Gelato – Fig/Ricotta Gelato when fresh is hard to beat

Soho

Raoul’s – A celebrated old French Bistro.

San Carlo Osteria Piemonte – Almost does Italy’s top food region justice. Order from the Piemonte menu

Rivareno Gelato – I’m an ice cream junky and this is my favorite Gelato these days. Especially appreciate the northern flavors

Pinch Chinese – Outstanding elevated Chinese. A favorite since they opened pretty much

Greenwich Village

Anton’s – I follow certain chefs I admire, until they call the cops 😉 Nick Anderer (Mailino, Marta) did an amazing job curating a great menu at Anton’s. He’s now doing his magic at his second, Leon’s (great lunch so far). Love the brunches here too.

L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele – While not exactly the same as the Napoli original, a fancy pizzeria with a full menu

Jeju Noodle Bar – I preferred this Korean before the Michelin star, but its still outstanding

Balaboosta – The flagship of one of the most celebrated Israeli chefs.

Song’ e Napule – If I have to pick just one pizzeria

Leitao – Superb Portuguese. One of my favorite discoveries in the last few years

Via Carota – Possibly the most well rounded Italian we have. Popular for a reason

Dell’anima – Italian in West Village is having a moment. Just moved back after many years deep in Hell’s Kitchen. Exceptional pastas and chicken.

East Village

Foxface Natural (Temporarily closed) – From a tiny Sandwich shop to creative Michelin style dining.

Hearth – A reliable old timer and the creator of Brodo.

Fiaschetteria “Pistoia” – The closest we have to eating in a Tuscan village

Carnitas Ramirez – Possibly best tacos in NYC today.

Danny & Coop’s Cheesesteaks – Yes, worth the hype.

Spice Brothers – When a spice master opens a fast food Middle Eastern. Worth checking out

Nowon – Our go-to for a simple burger, rice cakes and more.

Claude – Josh Pinsky is another chef I follow for a while, from the Momofuku days in this case.

Flatiron / Gramercy

L’Express – One of the most reliable Brasseries in the city, aging like a fine Bordeaux

Olle – No shortage of great Korean in the area, but you’ll be hard pressed to find better Galbi Jjim

Ulivo – Nice all around Italian, good pizza, and a plethora of fresh pastas by a talented Sardinian

Milu – Fast food Chinese like no other.

Rezdora – Pricy high caliber Italian, especially the pastas, inspired by Emilia Romagna

Chelsea

Jun-Men Ramen – Good ramen but even better non Ramen items like the Mazemen and wings.

Tia Pol / Txikito / Salinas – Three excellent Spanish all timers, near each other. All quite different. I frequent Tia Pol more only because its more accessible.

Hell’s Kitchen

Frena – Elevated middle eastern by a seasoned chef, now owner. Taboon 2.0 for those who remember.

Chalong Southern Thai – Probably best Thai in Hell’s Kitchen today, if not Manhattan.

Danji – Former Michelin Korean. Nice comeback story after a devastating fire

Chi – Solid, stylish Szechuan with a twist

Don Antonio – Legit Neapolitan pies. Just about as good as it gets.

Pure Thai Cookhouse – Legendary Thai in Thai heavy Hell’s Kitchen

UWS

Pig and Khao – Used to frequent the LES location. Same menu as far as I know.

Categories: Chelsea, Chinatown, East Village, Gramercy, Flatiron, Lower East Side, Midtown West, New York City, SoHo, NoHo, Nolita | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

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