This week I am dedicating my blog to New York. I lost a member of my family recently who was a true New Yorker – a Brooklynite and Dodger fan at the outset of his life, an inhabitant of the West Village for decades and an attorney on 42nd Street/5th for most of it. New York was his home but he loved to travel extensively as well. I was lucky enough to spend some time with him in Italy during the years that I lived there. Like all members of my family, he had a particular affinity for all things Italian be it leather goods, art or great shoes.

I also love to travel and do so as often as budget and time allows. When I can’t travel somewhere on a plane, I try to “travel” locally, visiting neighborhoods that I don’t usually frequent. A few weekends ago, I dragged my sister to Long Island City. Unfortunately we missed the new flea market which my friend Lana Bortolot wrote about so beautifully here but we did get to check out some cool wine shops.

My favorite was Hunter’s Point Wines & Spirits where owner Paul Huston holds court. He had an amazing selection of wines and what looked to be a cool area to taste them. I also found a very helpful sales person in a smaller store right near the subway at Vernon Wines & Liquors. I was curious to see what wines were stocked in these stores and the prices. While a bit cheaper than in Manhattan, I found them to be more or less in line with what I find in my neighborhood. Here is a list of wine shops in Long Island City.

I also noticed a few restaurants that I would like to try, chief among them Manducatis. I will have to have a return visit for this long standing Italian favorite. I love discovering New York and all it has to offer, just like any visiting tourist to this fair city.