NYC rehash

I just got back from NYC and had a great time. We flew with Cathay Pacific and stayed 5 nights. Here's a few observations.

1. We stayed at the Best Western Bowery Hanbee, an all around great mid-range hotel in Chinatown. Highly recommended. E at CBI stayed in the same hood a few weeks ago at the Comfort Inn Manhattan Bridge, which sounds like another good spot. Both are fairly new hotels which is always nice.

2. I decided not to bring my board. We caught the tail end of Tropical Depression Danny so there was lots of rain for our first few days. I figured it would either be too wet or too hot and, to be honest, the only thing I would have skated is the Banks. I ended up getting a cold on the 2nd day and was pretty much fighting through it the whole stay. I did see my first Shut, 5boro, Roger(PS Stix) and Habitat Ecoply boards. The former three companies are pretty rare in Vancouver.

3. Being dog owners, my wife and I notice them where ever we go. Surprisingly, at least 50% of the dogs we saw in New York were Frenchies. We also saw a PBGV, a rare breed which is what my OG pup Basil was (RIP buddy).

4.
This Puleo ledge is at Chrystie and Delancey, which is a few blocks north of our hotel and south of the Whole Foods in the Lower East Side.

5. Only "celebrity" sighting was Jason Dill and his entourage (urban cowboy + random dude) walking down Grand St near my hotel. His arm was in a sling so I'm guessing he's injured.

6. This store Uniqlo was pretty awesome. It originated in Japan and the Soho store is the only one in North America. 95% of their gear is really clean and basic.

7. Restaurants always seem to be hit or miss. Here are a few that we enjoyed and would eat at again.
a) Mary's Fish Camp in the West Village - it's small, it's not cheap and it has an open kitchen. Expect to wait but it's well worth it.
b) Baoguette Café in the East Village - it's rare to find a good veggie Vietnamese sub. This place has a great one.
c) Lombardi's in Little Italy - America's first pizzeria. Stoked on their pizza margarita.
d) Wild Ginger Vegan Restaurant in Chinatown and Brooklyn - lunch menu was great. Lots of options. It's healthy and it's always nice to be able to order anything on the menu rather than trying to weed out all the meat dishes.
e) Sobaya in the East Village - hand made soba noodles. Traditional Japanese style. Awesome.
f) Baja Fresh and Chipotles - we don't have either of these in Canada so I always stop by when visiting the States. I'm a sucker for double fisted veggie burritos.

The one's we thought would be good but didn't blow us away were: Freeman's, Angelica's Kitchen (Vancouver does organic healthy food better than both), B & H (my wife's matzah ball soup is superior and the challah we get from Terra bread in Vancouver is better as well), Acme (it was good but I don't think we'd go back), Bleecker St Pizza (Food Network's #1 Pizza in NY, I have no idea how that happened)

Thanks to everyone who hooked me up with information on cool shit and bunk crap in the city.