The Royal York - Manhattan: Hello from the Big Apple. Day One of my adventures in New York. Went for an early morning walk along the East River to familiarise myself with my immediate neighbourhood. I'm staying in Morris and Shirley Karon's fabulous apartment which even I may have difficulty living up to. FAB-U-LOUS. I headed out with $10 expecting to come back with the equivalent of R65's goodies. A healthy breakfast at The Ritz Diner (in absolutely no way related to the famous hotelier or, in fact, anything resembling good taste) of half a grapefruit and a bowl of wallpaper-glue oats and a beaker of coffee plus the purchase of the New York Post for 25c has left me with $1.50 remaining. In Cape Town terms, I imagine R65 could have secured the above chi-chi Cafe Balducci with the added benefit of eye-candy staffers.
In some respects, New York is not expensive and the deals I got at Bloomingdales and Macy's represent excellent value. In some quarters food is good value too, like the select-five dishes from the China Town-buffet for $4. Very tasty. At others, like the v trendy Dos Caminos in SoHo, a coffee and frozen margarita cost more than the Donna Karan silk tie I bought on sale.
The trip up the Empire State building was expected as were the heavy crowds in all directions. Later today I'll complete the sight-seeing component of my trip with a visit to the Liberty gal and Ellis Island. I preferred Dean & Deluca, the premier Deli over the Empire state and, as I write this, I'm drinking D & D's Taratzu coffee from my branded cup.
The New Yorker magazine has been a welcome companion. It kept me entertained while waiting in the queues at the Empire State and at times when, like at the fountain in Washington Square most people were in loving groups, I didn't feel too alone. The article on tipping caught my eye. Morris Karon gave me a detailed account of surviving New York life before I arrived. Most useful was the bit about tipping. His rules are: Tip a dollar (at least) per drink, a whole additional dollar to the taxi driver, tip double the tax on your restaurant bill, and haul out the note at any given (or taken) opportunity. The New Yorker article referred to a top restaurant that decided to charge a fixed service fee and abolish tipping and the ensuing outcry at them being "un-American". The arguments against tipping were that it hankered after a society where the wealthy would favour servants with gifts which, it argued, perpetuated societal imbalances. The argument for suggested that tipping allowed the rewarding of an individual who made the effort to offer more than was expected. My jury is still out on this one. While I contemplate the merits and demerits of the case, I'm peeling off dollars left, right and centre - more for fear of being seen as the outsider who didn't know better than a wish to reward. I'd prefer to rather purchase silk ties with my money and express gratitude with my thanks.