For Year 9: 2019/2020 To Do List

There is always something to blog about.

No matter where I am, what I have time for, or whether it has been planned ahead of time or not; I always find something I want to do, see, or eat.

What follows shortly after my visit, is a blog post telling you why you should or shouldn’t do the same.

I hope that my blogs educate, inspire, and excite my readers just as the act of completing items off my annual to do list does for me.

I guess what I am really talking about is passion. I am passionate about everything I have included on this list, just as I was on all of the lists that came before, and the ones that will follow.

As I continue on my journey as a blogger and seeker of new experiences, I have surely modified my ways.

This year’s to do list includes both activities and restaurants that express where my current interests lay.

For instance, since the introduction last year of #pizzafriday I am now on a quest to find, and more importantly taste, pizzas of quality and creativity.

I am also becoming increasingly obsessed with historic places, houses to be specific. This is true within my own neighborhood as every day it seems to bring about a new place of significance I can drive by whenever I please.

Both of these interests bring me immense joy and a strong sense of intrigue. This year’s list will surely explore these interests to the fullest.

Re-evaluating my list each year allows me to strip out what no longer seems to matter to me (a very small portion) and laser focus on what needs to be a priority. I make it a point to show what portion of my prior list remains undone, but not because I am no longer interested. Rather to demonstrate how fast time flies when you are having fun. It is a distinction that matters to me in terms of planning.

I have noticed that from last year more items were checked off from the food portion of my annual list than activities. There is no real explanation other than what I had time for.

Though I rely HEAVILY on this list all year long, I despise writing it. Each year I post it later and later, although this year I am ahead of my May posting last year. I think it is because of the research I insist I do in order to compile information that will truly be an asset to me and those who want to tag along.

You would think once it is done I could relax. But you’d be surprised how fast I begin collecting data for a list a year a way. Surely it is a labor of love, but a labor nonetheless.

As I review the previous lists I get excited when I can cross something off. This is not because it is done but rather because without this list I know I would have missed out on so many great things. Besides just getting to experience something original, special, historical, or delicious, it has brought together my loved ones who want to take part in these journey with me. This list has been the catalyst for memories I will cherish for the rest of my life.

What is even more exciting than the places listed here are the ones I am not even aware of yet. There are the ones that I will stumble upon as I do research for a blog post or find out via a suggestion from my trusted inner circle.

Knowing that my future is filled with adventure, whether planned or not, illuminates why I love my job.

*2019/2020 To Do List; Food*
*Remaining From Prior Year*
Borough	Restaurant	Location	Reason
Manhattan	Amy Ruth’s	113 West 116th Street	Chicken and waffles
	S’Mac	157 East 33rd Street Between Lexington & 3rd Avenues	Mac n’ Cheese
	Lafayette	380 Lafayette Street	French cuisine
	Murray’s Cheese and nearby Restaurant	254 Bleecker Street	Mecca for cheeses, breads, olives
	Beecher’s Handmade Cheese	900 Broadway	Variety of cheeses and small sharable plates
	Alleva Dairy	188 Grand Street	Currently owned by Tony Danza, historic Italian goods store, opened over 100 years
	Stonewall Inn	53 Christopher Street	Historical Landmark for the gay rights movement
	Haven Rooftop	132 West 47th Street	Cabanas in a glassed in rooftop bar serving cocktails and French cuisine bites
	Donahue’s Steak House	845 Lexington Avenue	Vintage establishment serving quality steaks
	Clocktower NYC	5 Madison Avenue	Brunch in a club setting with dining rooms and pool table
	Rainbow Room	30 Rockefeller Plaza, 65th Floor	Iconic; Drinks, or if Brunch begins again
	Campbell Apartment	Grand Central Station - 15 Vanderbilt Avenue	Classic cocktails & light fare in the ornate Grand Central offices of a 1920's mogul
	Boucherie	225 Park Avenue South or 99 7th Avenue South	French cuisine
	Taureau	558 Broome Street	Fondue
	Black Tap	136 West 55th Street	Burgers and creatively massive ice-cram shakes
	The Plaza at The Palm Court Restaurant	Fifth Avenue at Central Park South	Classic piece of NYC history
	Lombardi’s	32 Spring Street	America’s first pizzeria
	John’s Pizzeria of Bleecker Street	278 Bleecker Street	Historic pizzeria
Brooklyn	Clinton Hall	247 Metropolitan Avenue	Fondue burger
	Bamonte’s	32 Withers Street	Open since the 1950s, known for gigantic raviolis and lasagna with chicken and spinach
	Embers Steakhouse	9519 3rd Avenue	Open since 1985, uses Vinnie’s Butcher Shop right next door
	Hometown Barbecue	454 Van Brunt Street	Pulled pork, ribs
	The Osprey	60 Furman Street/ 1 Brooklyn Bridge Hotel	Chicken salad sandwich
	Smorgasburg	Well House Drive, Prospect Park	Outdoor food market
Bronx	Jake’s Steak House	6031 Broadway	Steakhouse with a view of Cortlandt Park
Outerboroughs	Sally Pizza	237 Wooster Avenue New Haven, CT 06511	A New Haven tradition since 1938
	Coney Island Pizza	40 Hamburg Turnpike Riverdale, NJ 07457	Cooked on a wood burning oven
	Bar Apizza	254 Crown Street New Haven, CT 06511	Mashed potato and bacon pie
*New*
Borough	Restaurant	Location	Reason
Manhattan	Prince Street Pizza	27 Prince Street	Iconic NYC pizzeria
	Joe’s Pizza	7 Carmine Street	Operated by Joe himself since 1975
	La Rossa	267 Lafayette	Cacio y pepe pizza
	Pizza Quadrata Romana (PQR)	1631 Second Avenue at 85th Street	Sicilian slice
	Lions & Tigers & Squares	268 West 23rd Street	Detroit style pizza
	Pizza Rollio	261 West 18th Street	Thin, crispy pizza you can roll up. Try Nemo’s Choice
	Loring Place	21 West 8th Street at Washington Square West	Grandma slice bigger than most and only sold by the pie
	Violet	511 5th Street between Avenues A & B	Chef Matt Hyland of “Emmy’s Squared”
	Hunt & Fish Club NYC	126 West 44th Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue	Best steaks in NYC
	Caked Up Cafe	40 South Main Street	Truly original cupcake flavors like pizza
	Snow Days	241 East 10th Street	Shaved ice cream
	Hearth	403 East 12th Street at 1st Avenue	Chef Alex Guarnaschelli’s favorite gnocchi
	Pasta Lovers	142 West 49th Street	Penne a la vodka with mozzarella
Brooklyn	Williamsburg Cafe & Roastery	125 North 6th Street	Flagship cafe & brew school
	Hungry Ghost Coffee	253 Flatbush Avenue	Known for their latte art
	Llama Inn	50 Withers Street	Burnt meringue lime pie - Best Thing I Ever Ate
	Choice Market	318 Lafayette Avenue	Chef Ted Allen’s favorite BLT
	Morgan’s Brooklyn Barbecue	267 Flatbush Avenue	Brisket nachos, smoked steak
	Lowerline Po’Boys	794 Washington Avenue at Sterling Place	New Orleans inspired cuisine
	Tony Luke’s	6 Flatbush Avenue	Philadelphia cheesesteak legend
	Dos Torros	189 Bedford Avenue	Mexican food created by two brothers from California
	The Wheelhouse	165 Wilson Avenue	Gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches
	Speedy Romeo	376 Classon Avenue	St. Louis inspired pizza: drier, thinner, crisper. Try pizza named for the city.
	Dellarocco’s	214 Hicks Street	Makes over 14 versions of a white pie
	Giuseppina’s	691 6th Avenue	Same owners as Lucali’s
	Gristmill	289 5th Avenue	Wood fired pies with usual toppings
	L & B Spumoni Gardens	2725 86th Street	A Brooklyn institution known for Sicilian slice
	Williamsburg Pizza	265 Union Avenue	Grandma slice
	Screamer’s Pizza	685 Franklin Avenue	Fried chicken and waffle fries pizza (Crown Heights location only)
Bronx	Sal & Dom’s	1108 Allerton Avenue	Bakery open since 1956
	Terranova Bakery	691 East 187th Street	Best pizza and bread on Arthur Avenue
	Cafe Almercato	2344 Arthur Avenue	Potato pizza
Queens	Freddy’s Pizzeria	1266 150th Street	Part of inspiration for Paulie Gee’s “Freddy Prince” slice
Outerboroughs	Willington Pizza House	25 River Road, Route 32 Willington, CT 06279	Red potato pizza that is nationally award winning
	Sarcone’s Bakery	758 South 9th Street Philadelphia, PA 19147	5th Generation Bakery known for their red sauce pizza
	Old Town Coffee	221 Church Street Philadelphia, PA 19106	Coffee and snacks
	The Bagel Nook	51 Village Center Drive Freehold, NJ 07728	Cool ranch Dorrito bagels
	Brother’s Bruno	200 Hamburg Turnpike Wayne, NJ 07470	Pizza, deli, bagels since 1976
	White Manna	358 River Street Hackensack, NJ 07601	Chef Michael Symon’s favorite sliders
	Maria’s Pastry Shop	167 Post Avenue Westbury, NY 11590	Lobster tails
	All American Drive-In	4286 Merrick Road Massapequa, NY 11758	Hot dog and hamburger stand operated since 1963

*2019/2020 To Do List; Activities*
*Remaining From Prior Year*
Borough	Activities	Location	Reason
Manhattan	Morris Jumel Mansion	65 Jumel Terrace	Oldest house in borough
	Cathedral of St. John the Divine	1047 Amsterdam Avenue	Fifth largest church in the U.S.
	City Hall Park Monuments	City Hall	Memorials for Jane Addams, Horace Greenly, Crime Victims, Declaration of Independence, Freedom Tree Marker, Joseph Pulitzer, Liberty Flagstaff, LT. Issac Barre, Underground Railway, Provost Prison
	Gracie Mansion	East End Avenue at 88th Street	Mayor’s home
	Belvedere Castle	79th Street, Central Park	Dates to 1919 with exhibit rooms, observation deck
Brooklyn	Lefferts Historic House	452 Flatbush Avenue, Prospect Park	Built in 1783 showcases life of Brooklyn families in the 1820s
	Brooklyn Navy Yard	63 Flushing Avenue	Tour describing WWII effort and other uses for the facility
Bronx	Woodlawn Cemetery	517 East 233rd Street	Rosa Parks, FW Woolworth, Irving Berlin, Elizabeth Lady Stanton, Nellie Bly, Joseph Pulitzer, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
Outerboroughs	Ferncliff Cemetery	280 Secor Road, Hartsdale NY 10530	Joan Crawford, Tom Carvel, John Lennon, Jim Henson
	Old Westbury Gardens	71 Old Westbury Road Westbury, NY 11590	Gold Coast Mansion
	Boldt Castle	1 Heart Island Alexandria Bay, NY 13607	“If you haven’t seen Boldt Castle lately you haven't seen Boldt Caste”
	Jay Heritage Center	210 Boston Road Rye, NY 10580	John Jay, first Chief Justice, Ancestor’s Home
	VanCortlandt Manor	525 South Riverside Avenue Croton On Hudson, NY 10520	Historical Landmark
*New*
Borough	Activities	Location	Reason
Manhattan	Come From Away (play)	Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre- 236 West 45th Street	True story of those on planes forced to land wherever was closest on 9/11/01
	Merchant’s House Museum	29 East 4th Street	Manhattan’s first landmark, house dates back to the early 19th century
Brooklyn	Lott House	1940 East 36th Street	One of the oldest farmhouses in the area, former stop on the Underground Railroad
Bronx	Edgar Allan Poe Cottage	Poe Park- 2640 Grand Concourse at East Kingsbridge Road	Author lived here from 1844 until his death
Queens	Addisleigh Park	Various addresses	Former homes of famous people such as: Jackie Robinson, Etta James, James Brown, LL Cool J
	Bowne House	37-01 Bowne Street	Oldest house in Queens circa 1661
Staten Island	Historic Richmond Town	441 Clarke Avenue	Living history village telling 300 hundred years of history
	Conference House	7455 Hylan Blvd	Site of the 1776 Peace Conference
Outboroughs	Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park	25 West End Avenue Oyster Bay, NY 11771	TR: “"I wish that we citizens of Oyster Bay could make here a breathing place for all the people of this neighborhood especially the less fortunate ones.”
	Raynham Hall Museum	20 W Main Street Oyster Bay, NY 11771	On my 2015 to do list, former home of the Townsend family who acted as spies for George Washington
	Katonah	TBD	Town in NY near John Jay Homestead where 55 Victorian homes and buildings were moved by horse in the early 19th century
	Lucy The Elephant	9200 Atlantic Avenue Margate, NJ 08402	A former hotel, and only survivor of 3 originals created in 1800s.
	Stepping Stones	62 Oak Road Katonah, NY 10536	Former home of Bill and LoIs Wilson who created AAA and Al-Anon
	Tri-States Monument aka Tri-State Rock	This site is accessed via the road located within Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Jervis, NY.	This Monument was placed in 1882, and serves as the marker between NY, NJ, and PA
	Top Cottage	4097 Albany Road Hyde Park, NY 12538	A cabin on the sight of FDR’s estate, built after his 2nd term in office
	Martin Van Buren Historical Site	1013 Old Post Road Kinderhook, NY 12106	The 8th President’s former home
	Lindenwald	1013 Old Post Road Kinderhook, NY 12106	President Van Buren’s home post presidency
	Kinderhook Reformed Church Cemetery	21 Broad Street Kinderhook, NY 12106	Where the 8th President is buried