A picky eater with lots of allergies and her husband visit 5 Acres.

York

Ah, New York City. The lights, the noise, the crowds. Neither Dan nor I particularly enjoy going to the big city, but I had been invited to an alumni event that I was not going to miss. When I was an undergrad student, I had the wonderful opportunity to study abroad. I chose England’s York St. John’s for two reasons – I had heard it felt like home and I already spoke the language. Well, York did not look like home. It was quintessential England with cobblestone streets, Gothic architecture, and Viking influences. Where I live, things are old, but not that old. Also, England English is not the same as US English, and for two weeks I had no idea what anyone was saying. Even in the computer lab I was stymied and, unfortunately, upset more than a handful of people as my computer incessantly beeped at me for forgetting to add a “U” in common words such as “color” and “favorite”. Nonetheless, the other students on my corridor, took me under their wing and helped me navigate my way through not only the streets of the city, but the culture as well.

New York

As with many places throughout New England, New York was named for the small city of York. Sadly, this never occurred to me until the recent alumni event. I may have lots of degrees, but I guess I’m slow to pick up on things🤣 Anyway, to celebrate the 100 year partnership between York, England and New York, USA the weekend kicked off with a grand alumni event and culminated with the unveiling of a commemorative stone carved ledger at St. Thomas Church.

In the City

Dan and I arrived in NYC too early to do much of anything, but also didn’t have much time, so we meandered our way through FAO Schwartz to Rockefeller Center and discovered an indoor mall on the bottom floor. Of course, the shops were still closed, but we walked around enjoying the quiet and researching places for a quick lunch. As we walked about the mall, we discovered 5 Acres. An open concept farm to market restaurant situated in the middle of the mall. Short wrought iron bars and rows of plants and shrubs created the walls. Moss green booths and shiny white tables gave the restaurant a modern, yet cool vibe. Think upscale dining in jeans and t-shirts. Like outside dining without the bugs and New York City smog. Because we were in NYC, the portions were small, the prices were high, but the food was delicious.

Away from the City

After lunch, Dan and I attended the alumni event. We slowly made our way to the Midtown Hilton dodging pigeons, scaffolding, and taxi cabs along the way. We found the conference room on the fourth floor, small cocktail tables dotted the room. One thing the English are remarkably exceptional at is making guests feel welcome. The host greeted us at the entry with name tags in hand. She promptly introduced us to the Vice Chancellor who shook our hands and passed us to the Lord Mayor who in turn discretely passed us off to a lovely couple who had flown in from Ohio. As we were passed from person to person, not once did we feel pushed around like we were in the busy streets of the city. We listened to a brief talk about current and future projects happening at the university. I was expecting to be asked for a donation, but nope! The English wouldn’t dream of asking for money forthright. Instead, hidden inside a fancy folder amongst other York St. John literature, was a small card with information explaining how to donate to the university if interested. While chatting with various alums, as well as Lords and Ladies, we partook in high tea consisting of cucumber sandwiches, cranberry scones, and berry tarts. It was a wonderful way to enjoy New York, away from the lights, the noise, and the crowds.

Click the meal to read all about it

Dan – 5A Burger

Lis – Classic Burger

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