Flat Stanley arrived in New York City quietly on a mild winter day in December. It's normally colder by this time, but Flat Stanley didn't seem to mind. He was silent until Tivo opened the envelope and introduced himself to his new friend and adventure partner in New York City, Tivo, the cool cat. These two hit it off right off the bat. They've both traveled around the country and had a lot of stories to share. Flat Stanley and Tivo quickly discovered that they had a mutual interest in experiencing a Jewish heritage tour of the Lower East Side (LES) of Manhattan together, so off they went to the subway.
Flat Stanley and Tivo came above ground on the Lower East Side with their tummies grumbling. They were in just the right place to eat like kings. The first stop was at Guss' Pickles, where they got to dip their fingers down into large wooden barrels and pick out their own pickles that they put into plastic canisters to snack on. Flat Stanley loved the crunchy sour pickles the best, he must have had at least a dozen during the course of the day.
Next they went to Kossar's for the best bialys in the world. With some fuel in their bodies, Flat Stanley and Tivo headed over to Orchard Street to do a little wholesale shopping. Flat Stanley picked up a new leather jacket at "a very special price" at Leather Friend Jackets. They toured the area where most of the Jewish immigrants once settled and set up shop a long time ago. They worked up a real appetite walking around the various boutiques, and visiting the Tenement Museum, where they learned about the history of many immigrants from different countries on the Lower East Side. They decided it was time to sit down and have dinner so they went to Sammy's.
Once they arrived at Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse, they were immediately greeted with friendly faces. They were seated at a table with red and white checkered table clothes and antique seltzer water bottles used as flower vases. Flat Stanley and Tivo got there in time for an entertainment filled dinner with a hilarious Yiddish piano bar singer. The singer had them singing and laughing through out the dinner.
Tivo and Flat Stanley ordered latkes and the largest steaks they had ever seen in all their lives. As they ate, they enjoyed singing along with the familiar Hebrew and Yiddish songs they'd both come to know and love. After dinner, they ordered a specialty drink of the Lower East Side; its called an Egg Cream.
An Egg Cream is made from seltzer water, milk and chocolate syrup, its kind of like a chocolate milk with bubbles. They were delighted by the bubbles because they were so full and the carbonation helped them to burp. On their way out the door, they grabbed complimentary Alco seltzer tablets for the road! Flat Stanley and Tivo were thrilled by this unique dining experience. They left with full bellies and smiles on their faces.
That night, they were so full and it wasn't too windy outside, so they decided to take a long walk. Eventually, they went back into the subway and got off at Columbus Circle, the entrance to Central Park. There were horse drawn carriages waving them down so they decided to take one through the park. The driver put them into the carriage and wrapped warm wool blankets around them. He handed them two metal canisters filled with hot cocoa and then they were off. Seated in the back of the carriage, they toured Central Park and saw views of Manhattan that were only visible in the middle of a green field.
Tivo and Flat Stanley took much delight in the Christmas lights scattered throughout the park as they sipped on their hot cocoa. It was such a lovely way to end Flat Stanley's first day visiting Tivo in New York City. After wards, they went back to Tivo's apartment, brushed and flossed their teeth and then fell quickly asleep.
"Flat Stanley Visits Tivo in New York City"
(To Be Continued)
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