Charlotte Canda was a young high society debutante in the 1840’s. On February 3rd, 1845 while coming back from her 17th birthday bash, she was flipped from the horse carriage and died. Her death, and its circumstances shook New York. Charlotte herself designed some of the features of her own tomb in Green-Wood. Her father, who served under Napoleon, utilized some of Charlotte’s elements from the memorial of her aunt which Charlotte helped design a year earlier. Her grave is 17 feet high, 17 feet long, and her statue wearing 17 rose petals circling her head. Her fiance (I know, 17) Charles Albert Jarrett de la Marie killed himself a year later, and buried a few feet away. Not as close as he’d like because it was a suicide.
It’s one of the many stories that visitors came to see at Green-Wood around that time. I hesitate to write “cemetery” because this doesn’t feel like one. But the more I learn about this place the more I understand why it was once NYC’s number one attraction for over 100 years. Before NYC was a tourist friendly city, people came to see destinations like Niagara Falls, and Green-Wood. It was our first major park that inspired the creation of Central and Prospect Park.
Yep, its now officially the strangest food blog in the world. And my Brooklyn tour where we spend about 45 minutes in the cemetery is the oddest food tour out of 206 in NYC (rank #7 but who’s counting). NOLA did this! If you’ve been with me since the beginning, you’d understand my obsession with cemeteries. Important cemeteries around the world like Zagreb, Genoa, Arlington, and even tiny ones like in Getaria, Spain are a good way to connect to local culture, and history. Just like food in a way.
Out of all the famous cemeteries I’ve seen, Green-Wood is still the most striking, and approachable. While its hilly, and massive, it doesnt require a great effort especially if you have a vehicle. But yet, many New Yorkers still havent been or dont even know about it. When I was a kid living in Brooklyn, no one took me there or told me about it. Today its lost in the shuffle of the many attractions NYC has to offer. Considering the lack of crowds, its arguably NYC greatest hidden gem, and the best free museum.
Some of the notable sights at Green-Wood:
Battle Hill – Highest natural point in Brooklyn with striking views, Leonard Bernstein’s grave, and Minerva the roman goddess waving to her cousin Libertas (Statue of Liberty)
Inventors like Steinway, Peter Cooper, Elias Howe (Sewing Machine), Samuel Morse (Telegraph, Morse code), and perhaps the most important inventor of them all, Charles Feltman (Hot Dog)
Controversial statues like Civic Virtue, and James Marion Sims (currently in storage) – gynecology pioneer who experimented on slaves. Green-Wood is where unwelcomed statues go to die.
Henry Chadwick – “Father of Baseball”. Grave adorned with a baseball theme
Statue of 12 yo Drummer Boy – first Brooklyn casualty in the Civil War
Artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Louis Comfort Tiffany. I toured with Tiffany’s relatives once.
Bill the Butcher and William Tweed (Gangs of New York)
Notable pets like the infamous Rex and Fannie Howe. Read about them before visiting.
The grand Nicholas Cage-like Van Ness-Parsons Pyramid. Nick Cage has a similar tomb in Saint Louis Cemetery in New Orleans. As of this writing, he’s still alive.
The odd looking bear sitting on top William Beard who painted the famous Bulls and Bears in The Market.
DeWitt Clinton grave and statue that once served as the main advertisement for Green-Wood when it stood in front of City Hall.
Four lakes including the mesmerizing Sylvan that make you forget you are in a cemetery.
The church and dramatic main entrance. The nest on top of the gate is home to Argentinian Monk Parrots. One of many bird species residing in Green-Wood.
Charlotte Canda
Click anywhere below to see the images
Wayla, Wayan, Wayo. Confusing times for Google these days. Most confusing since Ilili, Leyla, Lilia, and Laila. I’m not making any of this up. These are all names of restaurants in NYC that sound and spell alike, and some of them opened around the same time. Naming your restaurant is as important as naming your child. I remember spending countless of 
I’m starting to get the hang of this. Rediscovering the borough of Queens. My friend Howard moving to Jackson Heights was just the excuse I didnt know I needed. It really feels like a different world out there. Or 160 different worlds to be exact. From the price, warm hospitality, to dishes I’ve never heard of. Its a foodie wonderland. Highlights so far include a standout crab Ramen at the new Japan Corner, a grocery store in Woodside hosting rotating chefs from Japan. And Thai Cook at iCook, or “iCook Thai Cook” according to Google, sort of a restaurant within a restaurant. I’ve been plotting a return trip to that one ever since.
Considering I eat mostly in Manhattan, I’m all inspired to include prices here, like other 
Next month I’m turning 50, and this one feels different. It almost feels like I need to make some lifestyle changes, or at least make a list of things I need to accomplish. Do I need to take a pottery class or something? Is there a manual for this? Age is just a number, until its not. At 50, you start remembering hockey player’s dads. At 50, if you go to Toro on Valentine’s Day, everyone around you including the staff will be half your age. At 50, you are the only one at Toro who doesnt get a bread basket. Smart! No bread for you!
Before I visit a new place I like to spend some time perusing their website. It paints a picture, and often tells the story. I love a good story, but they are getting increasingly rare in corporate NYC. 
My last Anguilla post of the season. Although I seem to discuss Jacala often on various social media sites including this blog, it occurred to me that I never actually wrote a post about it. Its only arguably Anguilla’s best. While Hibernia may be the best overall experience, Ember the most well rounded destination, Jacala has the best food. I can see many island regulars nodding in approval while reading this, while some shaking profusely. Dont worry latter group, I got you covered too, albeit with a thin layer of sugar.
On paper, these are my favorite kind of owners. The fully present ones. They oversee every aspect of the operation the entire time they are there. Shmoozing with a customer for 30 minutes is not fully present. While Alain is busy in the kitchen, Jacques is running the front, taking every order, and even has time to prepare Martha Stewart’s favorite steak tartare, table side. He will also tell you if you order items that dont exactly mesh. Its a level of service you just dont see very often.
Simply put, every single dish we’ve had at Jacala ever was outstanding. That creates all sorts of challenges when you order, choosing between the proven and the new. Its hard to pass on the magnificently fresh, and expertly crafted Tuna Tartare for example. Or the stupendously moist and flavorful chicken breast rolled around lobster, chicken mousse, and served over lobster sauce. The latter has been pretty much on the menu since day one.
As we get older, mental lists get less and less effective. We start to forget things, and sometimes get in trouble as a result, especially with the spouse. The saving grace is an equally forgetful spouse, but not when she has different habits and writes everything down. 
A much needed update to the “Bread and Butter” of this blog. Seven year old Hell’s Kitchen Survival Guide still outperforming all other posts year after year. The Z-List and the Turks & Caicos page complete the top three. There are many sources for Hell’s Kitchen out there today but I truly believe this is still the most comprehensive and up to date of the bunch. Most HK guides written by people who dont spend much time there and/or dont really understand the area well. But enough about me…
Added to the list:
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to write posts like this considering everything that’s going on in the world today. Fires in Australia, mayhem in Iran, Hong Kong, impeachment, and this dude is writing about some beach in Anguilla. But this is a place worth writing about. And as I get older and wiser its becoming more and more clear that in this fragile world, a beach and even looking at pictures of a beach (which I dont do enough) has crazy healing powers. Numerous recent studies 
Rendezvous Bay (special shutout to the person who invented copy and paste) simply put is the perfect beach. Just like most such beaches, you may not find it at its best behavior when you first see it. The winds can get too strong, and sometimes it may feel deserted for a reason. When we first saw it four years ago we werent impressed. But after spending a week at what looks like its best side, we understood. It’s one of the most walkable, most swimmable, and most perfect size beaches we’ve seen. But most of all, its almost empty! From my vantage point, best seat in the theater, one person walking by every 20 minutes. It’s one of the best sheer beauty to people ratio in the Caribbean.
One of the cool things about this bay is the lack of hotels. You got CuisinArt in the west as the lone major resort, and a few boutique hotels. One of which is the reason for the post. 
