Gentrified Oatmeal?
and a visit to one of my favorite museums
Where were you on the first 70+ degree day in NYC this year? I had a lovely lunch with friends in Elmhurst and followed it up with ice cream and a walk in the park. I finally made it to Eddie’s Sweet Shop in Forest Hills and apparently everyone else also had the same idea because even though I got there 5 min after they opened the line was already out the door. It was totally worth the wait though because their bright green pistachio ice cream (with pistachio chunks) was delicious and the flavor shone through despite me topping it with both marshmallow and whipped cream (literal homemade whipped cream scooped from a bowl in their fridge). Lorenzo and I ate our scoops as we walked to Forest Park. All of the greenery was still brownery but I was just happy to be outdoors and somewhat within nature (even if that nature wound around the Jackie Robinson Pkwy). After a cold NY winter you take what you can get!
Lorenzo also encouraged me to take a day off on Friday and I’m so glad he did because despite my job having unlimited PTO, I’m not always good at taking it. We didn’t really plan anything until the morning of because I was also sick all last week, so the plans were lowkey and didn’t rely on planning or reservations. We grabbed breakfast at a place that influencers are always trying to get me to go to, Breakfast by Salt’s Cure. After that we moseyed uptown to one of my favorite museums to see some animal related exhibits on display.
We’re 97 posts in, BCLF 100 is right around the corner, and I want to feature your stories! I am but one little friend and I have not (and cannot) experience all of the things. I really want to include some voices other than my own so I am once again asking for you to share your NYC stories with me. I’m really open to any sort of submission you want, whether it’s a tip for a great place to eat, a favorite show you’ve attended, or just a recollection of one of those magical nights you can’t believe actually happened. I promise you I want to hear about it and I bet other folks do, too.
Also….I’m officially part of the Jane’s Walk roster for 2025 and why yes, I am screaming, crying, throwing up.
The New York Historical (they recently dropped the "society" from the end which honestly feels silly) 170 Central Park W, New York, NY 10024 Neighborhood: Upper West Side Open: Tue-Sun, 11am-5pm. Closed Mondays. Admission: $24 GA, pay-what-you-wish Fridays 5-8pm, free tickets available via Culture Pass
I love The New York Historical [society]. This is probably not surprising at all given my interests, but this is a museum that I can visit over and over (and I do with my free culture pass tickets). I really like their permanent collections, especially the Tiffany Lamps, the Audubon Bird Book, and their collection of NYC related artifacts. I’ve toured those galleries numerous times though, so today I was here to see two of their newer exhibits: Pets and the City and The Year of Flaco. Both were fabulous!
Pets and the City (open thru April 20) started off very strong by displaying tv screens depicting some of the exhibit’s s[paw]nsors (also viewable on the website). If you love animals, you will love it here. The exhibit began with some historical information about how pets even came to be in NYC. Animals began as hunting companions for the Lenape and, eventually, the Dutch settlers. At some point, it also became cool to have animals included in your portraits (if you were a fancy bitch, that is). While it’s very unlikely these people actually had pet deer, squirrels, or sheep, these animals were included in the portraits because they were thought to imbue their subjects with their natural temperaments. Not sure what kind of temperament squirrels have that was considered worth capturing, but go off king. Eventually, actual beloved pets began to find themselves included in family paintings. Cats were frequently depicted because they tend to just lie around for hours on end, so they made for excellent still life subjects 😹
The exhibit moved from paintings to pop culture and this section highlighted pets in tv shows and movies, as well as in magazine, books, and games. Clips from Seinfeld, Friends, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s played on the little TV and there was also a very cute illustrated black cat fortune-telling deck and a Dog-opoly game board. I also really enjoyed the photography section; it proved that folks have been taking pictures of their cats for years, professional photographers included. Inwood photographer William Davis Hassler’s work was featured heavily here, as was his cat Reddy. Reddy appeared in many family photos though it seems like he was friends with everyone because he was also pictured climbing a tree and hanging out with some guinea pigs!
The exhibit also featured a section on less traditional pets, including my beloved pigeons! Service animals also got a really nice mention, as well as the various animal-related parades we have in the city throughout the year. If you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself saying “omg look how cute” over and over while walking through this space. 10/10.
Upstairs was The Year of Flaco exhibit (open thru July 6). This one is in a section of hallway, similar to the Robert Caro exhibit, so it’s no less important than anything in the galleries. For those who may be unfamiliar, Flaco was a Eurasian eagle-owl who escaped from the Central Park Zoo after someone cut the wiring of his cage. He lived as a free bird from Feb 2023 - Feb 2024 and folks would often find him perched on their fire escapes or hunting in the parks.
There were so many amazing photos here! I can’t imagine being one of the people who managed to get up close-ish to Flaco and capture an image like the ones here. Whenever I’m walking through a park and I see someone with a camera pointed up, I look in that direction because I know they’ve got that lens focused on something cool. And while the exhibit had tons of great photos of the beloved owl, it also made sure to take the time to educate folks on the actual dangers Flaco faced during his year outside the zoo.
Though Flaco defied the odds and learned to survive outside of his enclosure, his freedom only lasted a year. Likely due to a combination of factors, Flaco was found on the ground after hitting a building on West 89th Street. The Wild Bird Fund was contacted and retrieved the owl, but he was pronounced dead shortly after. Flaco had likely died upon impact after flying into a building, though a postmortem would reveal that he had a severe pigeon herpesvirus from eating feral pigeons and exposure to four different anticoagulant rodenticides that are commonly used for rat control in New York City. Flaco’s death inspired the NYC Council to pass Flaco’s Law, which would require the use of rat birth control instead of rat poison to curb the rat population and no longer harm the birds who rely on the rodents for food.
In addition to the photos of Flaco and the information on reform measures being taken, the exhibit also included a ton of Flaco memorabilia and memorials. There was a guest book that visitors could sign with well wishes to Flaco in the great beyond and tons of Flaco art. This is another great exhibit for an animal lover, but beware that this one is also a bit sad.
Breakfast by Salt's Cure 27 1/2 Morton St, New York, NY 10014 Neighborhood: West Village (they also have a location Carroll Gardens) Open: Tue-Sun, 8am-3pm. Closed Mondays. What to get: Not the oatmeal griddle cakes, despite that being what they're known for. Savory is where it's at.
Influencers have been telling me I need to go to Breakfast by Salt’s Cure for years. They’re on Thrillist’s Best NYC Brunch list. Folks been raving about these pancakes that aren’t really pancakes and at some point I simply said enough, I’ll try these fucking non-pancake pancakes. I am very much a pancake person and I actually tend to enjoy a flatter pancake vs a fluffy one. So much ado is always made over a “fluffy stack of flapjacks” but I have great memories of my friend’s dad making us flat cornmeal pancakes - that is my ideal. Salt Cure’s pancakes looked like the ones from my memory; they were flat and looked like they had a nice toasty crust. I was cautiously optimistic.
Lorenzo and I got there around noon on a Friday and the line was probably already 25ish people deep. It did end up moving pretty quickly and within 15 min or so we were inside and ordering. You order at the counter upon entering and then grab an available table. I’ve heard that the line can be pretty crazy on weekends though and after all is said and done, I would never wait more than we did to eat here again (and I might not even wait that long). During my 15 min wait, I did some research and came upon an absurd anecdote from Grub Street that claims Chris Phelps, the owner, has been cooking since before he turned 2. I mean it sounds vaguely dangerous for a literal baby to be cooking, but whatever, I won’t tell anyone how to parent.
The menu here is very short. Half of the menu is basically the oatmeal griddle cakes in various flavors: there’s the OG flavor sweetened with brown sugar and butter and a few others including apple, blueberry, and chocolate chip. There’s also a sausage egg and cheese breakfast sandwich, crispy potatoes, and eggs. Lorenzo got the egg sammy and crispy potatoes and I opted for an apple griddle cake. When I got to the counter to order the realization that I was about to just eat a bunch of grilled oatmeal dawned upon me and I panicked and added on an order of pork sausage; I would later be so glad that I did this. Oh also, they make a very big deal here about not having syrup. Like I don’t know what kind of beef they have with Big Syrup, but the first FAQ on their website is “where’s the syrup” and they stress that the batter is sweet enough on its own and that there is no syrup on the premises. Canada would like to have a word.
The food arrived quickly and when it hit the table I thought it looked pretty good! And the first bite of the griddle cake wasn’t bad, it had a nice little cronch to the crispy edges. But as I chewed it…it basically turned into an oatmeal paste in my mouth. And like, I don’t know what I expected! Maybe this is on me. I actually do like oatmeal, but oatmeal on its own is a borderline psychotic meal to consume. Oatmeal is simply a binding agent meant to hold together flavors and crunch; I usually top mind with peanut butter, fruit, and granola. And even though I did get the apple flavored griddle cakes, they didn’t really help with the flavor or the sweetness. I was essentially eating a $12 pile of slightly crispy oatmeal with some apple bits strewn about. They fuckin gentrified oatmeal and I fell for it like a sucker!
Here’s the point of the meal in which I was so grateful that I panicked earlier and added on some sausage because the sausage was great. It wasn’t your classic Italian breakfast sausage, which I actually detest, sorry to the Italian sausage makers reading this. This sausage had, dare I say, a bit of fennel in it? It was spiced, but not spicy, and slightly herby and floral. I genuinely can’t say enough nice things about the sausage here (I got the pork, but they also have chicken and chickpea). Subsequently, Lorenzo said his sausage egg and cheese sandwich was really good, noting that the sausage was a highlight. We also shared his crispy potatoes and they were absolutely covered in paprika, but like in a good flavorful way. The potatoes were allowed to be accompanied by ketchup because apparently sweetened tomatoes are ok here.
Overall this meal was…concerning? Like who are the people out there eating these oatmeal griddle cakes and loving them? Are you guys ok? Do you need me to show you a real pancake? If you’ve eaten here and loved it, I am genuinely curious to hear your opinion. I will listen and not judge, I promise. I really enjoyed the savory options here, but now I’m sort of wondering if they were just good compared to the grilled oatmeal. NYC has tons of great places to eat, and this one just ain’t it.
The cherry blossoms along the west side of the Central Park Reservoir and in Corona Park are blooming! Wondering where some good spots to see cherry blossoms are? Check out the guide I made last year.
I'm your ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-cherry blossom guide!
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Nothing makes New Yorkers go absolutely feral like having a couple Springy days pop up after literal weeks of grey rainy skies. As of this newsletter’s publishing, we’ve had 3(!) 9/10 weather days back to back and the vibes are decidedly good around here. And since folks are going all in on Spring, I have not been able to open social media without seein…
In other Springtime news - outdoor markets are opening up again! Smorgasburg kicks off this weekend at WTC, Williamsburg, and Prospect Park. I’ve been let down by their selections and prices the last few years, but if Smorg is your jam then you do you! 2025 is the year I finally make it to Queens Night Market! I’ll be going end of April, but their first official weekend date is April 12. Please keep in mind that while QNM is usually free to enter, the first two weekends (April 12 and 19) will require admission.
The Ukrainian Museum in the East Village will be hosting a talk on The Ukrainian PYSANKA Through the Ages on April 5. For $20 you’ll learn about the magical looking Ukrainian Easter Egg, the pysanka, with a presentation by prominent pysanka artist Sofika Zielyk. General admission to the museum is included in the price so you can look around more after!
Sachi of
is launching their NYC June Primary Bootcamp with a Launch Party on April 14. You’ll get to meet other NYers who want to be more involved in local politics, learn about some of the bootcamp prizes, and hopefully leave with a gameplan to get shit done! I already signed up to canvas for Zohran Mamdani, so I might already be ahead of you here…If you’re in need of a wardrobe refresh, there’s another Clothing Swap coming up this weekend on April 6. RSVP here to attend at Thread Studio in East Williamsburg.
I fear I may miss the NYBG Orchid Show this year (closing April 27), but the good news is that NYBG is following up with a pretty cool looking Van Gogh’s Flowers exhibit right after, opening on May 24!
New Subway Map just dropped! Our beloved subway map just got its first big overhaul since 1979 and honestly, I don’t hate it? Someone on Instagram commented that it looks like the Super Mario Bros 2 overworld map and honestly, maybe that’s some subliminal nostalgia that got snuck in. Like yeah, I wish they spent the money on accessibility upgrades or fixing the poopy leaks in the Chambers St station, but at least they’re not raising the subway fare again…wait WTF?!
Thank you for mentioning the Flaco exhibit! I have to go now!
Why did they drop the Society? How will the rats remember to take their birth control??? I have questions!!!