On the Map: A Day Trip to NYC’s Bryant Park and Lunch at Chez Josephine
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Mark McNease
Ever since moving permanently to our home in New Jersey we prefer to visit New York City by bus. After driving back and forth for over a decade, spending most weekends at our little house in the Jersey woods, the last thing I ever want to do again is drive into Manhattan. So we take the Trans-Bridge bus line instead, leaving from Clinton and arriving at Port Authority a little over an hour later. It makes for an easy and stress-free way to visit our old hometown and be back before bedtime.
This trip was to visit some new friends who were in the city for a week’s vacation. It was a shorty, with just a couple hours before lunch and a return in time to have dinner with local friends for a birthday celebration. We arrived around 11:00 a.m. and headed over to Bryant Park to stroll through the booths and vendors they have set up for the holiday month.
From November through early January, New York’s Bryant Park transforms into a festive, and crowded, winter wonderland with holiday stalls and shops. If you’re there on a weekend it can be mobbed, especially once you get past Thanksgiving and head into the December homestretch. These stalls are set up in the heart of the park, creating a marketplace that does its best to capture the spirit of the season.
In addition to the stalls, the park hosts a collection of holiday shops that are often housed in wooden cabins or tents, decorated with lights and ornaments. These also serve as a community gathering space where visitors can enjoy live entertainment, holiday-themed activities, and seasonal performances. And don’t miss the iconic ice-skating rink. I scored a new winter scarf that’s about six feet long, appropriately colorful and warm enough for the frigid temperatures we’ve found ourselves in.
Having planned the visit several months ago, I wasn’t sure where to have lunch. I ended up looking at several restaurants, including a few I was familiar with from my 11 years working at a news agency in the heart of Times Square (it was not the Times!). I saw some photos of a place called Chez Josephine, and without having any knowledge of its history I said let’s eat there. It was a perfect choice.
Founded with the vision of celebrating the legacy of Josephine Baker, a legendary performer and civil rights activist who moved to Paris, Chez Josephine pays homage to her life and contributions through its decor and menu. The restaurant features a selection of French-inspired dishes, including classic escargot, coq au vin, ratatouille, and a variety of desserts suited to the clientele.
Located on 42nd Street just west of 9th Avenue, the restaurant attracts everyone from theater enthusiasts on their way to a show, to tourists to locals seeking a cozy dining experience, to a couple Jersey guys heading into the city for lunch. Our server, Andy, was extremely nice and friendly, and surprised us by telling us he was the owner’s son. Apparently Josephine’s son, who founded restaurant, left it to Andy’s father Manual when he passed away, and it’s been in his hands ever since.
We loved this place! It was quiet, with an old-ish elegance that was cozy without being stuffy. There are portraits and reminders of Josephine Baker everyone, including the paper hand-towels in the bathroom that had her image on them. We will definitely be back.
By mid-afternoon were on the bus returning to Clinton, after an absolutely perfect trip to a city that will always hold a place in our hearts.