No soup for you!
On my first full day in Manhattan, I woke up early and, just after sunrise—at 6:10 a.m.—reached the Brooklyn Bridge on foot. It was too early for breakfast, but the bridge was already glowing in the morning sun. Generation Z was out in full force, setting up tripods for the TikTok posts they were undoubtedly filming. Below the bridge there was barely any traffic.
Ukrainian Village
I spotted Ukrainian Village on Google Maps and it seemed like the perfect spot for breakfast. But when I arrived in East Village, it was still too early—Veselka, the Ukrainian restaurant I had in mind, didn’t open until 8 a.m. So I spent an hour wandering the neighborhood. I sat down in Tompkins Square Park and was amazed how peaceful it was in the morning.
A Green Thumb Community garden in East Village.
Make borscht, not war
I hesitated when I saw the prices, but quickly realized it was going to be expensive no matter what. I ordered the breakfast with eggs, dill, and buckwheat, along with a black coffee—and, of course, I had to try the “world-famous pierogi.” Afterwards, I had a bit of a Larry David moment when I told the owner I thought the combination of pierogi and chipotle sauce was a bit odd. I probably should’ve just agreed with him they were the “best pierogi in the world”—except they weren’t. Still, I appreciated the breakfast and the endless coffee refills, so I left Veselka buzzing from the caffeine.
“Was That Wrong? Should I Not Have Done That?”
On my way to the Intrepid Museum, I passed through Times Square in the morning and noticed a 12-foot (3.6-meter) statue of an anonymous Black woman. I instinctively took a photo, and later learned that the artist was Thomas J Price, a London-based sculptor who had created a similar statue in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Unsurprisingly, the sculpture in New York sparked the same kinds of reactions as it had in Rotterdam. Jesse Watters, Fox News host, remarked on his show: “This is what they want us to aspire to be? If you work hard you can be overweight and anonymous? It’s a D.E.I. statue”. Another Fox News columnist wrote: “Are there no notable Black women who actually exist to celebrate? How about a giant Condoleezza Rice?”.
The sculptor Thomas Price wrote in 2020: “if you’re a Black person being represented in sculpture, you don’t have to be an athlete, or strike a pose, or fulfill an expectation.” When an artist strikes a vein, it means they must be creating something meaningful. I personally like his work.
Pax Americana
My journey to the United States was inspired by the geopolitical dangers unleashed by the MAGA movement. The era of Pax Americana, which benefited Europe for decades, is coming to an end. Of course, Pax Americana wasn’t so great if you were a farmer in eastern Cambodia in the late 1960s and early 1970s, or living in Hanoi in 1972. The Truman Doctrine of 1947 marked the beginning of the world order I grew up in.
When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, we entered what Francis Fukuyama called the “End of History”—the supposed worldwide triumph of liberal democracy. However, this vision failed to account for the rise of religious movements, especially in the Islamic world. This became clear on September 11, 2001. But Washington was also caught off guard by the Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Iran.
By 2025, even in the United States, the concept of liberal democracy is under threat. Donald Trump, in particular, seems to aspire to rule more like a king than a president limited by the U.S. Constitution.
I planned to visit the Intrepid Museum, centered around the USS Intrepid (CV-11), an aircraft carrier built during World War II. In the postwar era, the Intrepid served in various roles and participated in multiple NATO exercises. Decommissioned in 1974, it has operated as a museum since 1982.
While waiting in line, I struck up a conversation with a retired New Yorker who had visited the museum a dozen times. I joked that I had come to New York to reclaim New Amsterdam. “Well, good luck with that!” he replied, with a thick New York accent.
He gave me a great tip: visit the USS Growler (SSG-577) submarine first, as the lines to enter can grow extremely long later in the day. The Growler was an early cruise missile submarine, designed to carry and launch the Regulus I missile—a direct descendant of the German V-1.
The missile was named after the Latin word regulus, meaning “basilisk,” a mythical dragon. Regulus is also the name of the brightest star in the constellation Leo. The warhead was a Mark 5 nuclear bomb—one of only 140 ever built. I wish I could be a pacifist, but I’m a realist: military deterrence is necessary because there will always be bad actors in the world.
On the Hanger Deck some unique war planes are exhibited including a Grumman TBM-3E Avenger torpedo bomber, a FG-1D Corsair, and many more.
Everyone entering the special Space Shuttle Enterprise exhibition was photographed. “How many?” the photographer asked. I looked behind me and replied, “I’m the Lone Ranger.” So I posed in front of the green screen, and later, after scanning the QR code, I took a screenshot of the preview image and vowed never to buy low rise pants again..
The original Enterprise.
Shrimp and sausage gumbo
When I think of New York, I think of Seinfeld—a defining comedy series for me in the 1990s It wasn’t until later that I discovered Larry David was one of the creative forces behind the show. Hearing him deliver a hilarious tribute to Mel Brooks gave me a deeper sense of the New York comedy scene and its roots.
Mel Brooks, born Melvin Kaminsky, had a rich background—his mother was born in Kyiv, and his father’s family came from Gdańsk. Larry David’s mother was from Ternopil, now part of Ukraine. Even Jerry Seinfeld has a fascinating heritage: his father was of Hungarian Jewish descent, while his mother’s grandparents came from Aleppo, giving him a Syrian Jewish lineage.
One of the most famous Seinfeld episodes is “The Soup Nazi”—Season 7, Episode 6, which aired in 1995. In it, Jerry discovers a soup stand that serves incredibly delicious soups. The only catch? The owner, Yev Kassem, is notoriously strict about how customers place their orders. One misstep, and it’s: “No soup for you!”
As it turns out, the original soup stand is still in operation, though the original owner is now 30 years older and the place is run by different staff. Not sure if the episode was actually filmed in the soup stand or was just inspired by it. The soups, however, remain just as delicious. I ordered a small shrimp and sausage gumbo for $9. It came in a brown paper bag, along with a piece of fresh fruit and a tiny mint chocolate.
After lunch, I returned to my hotel “pod” to drop off the souvenirs I’d picked up at the Intrepid Museum, then spent the afternoon wandering around SoHo and its surrounding neighborhoods.
“Eat a Knish”
New York is known for its rich Jewish heritage, so I was pleased to discover that Yonah Schimmel’s Knish Bakery—located at 137 East Houston Street and established in 1910—was just a short walk from my hotel. It was 3:30 p.m., the perfect time to try a knish.
I wasn’t very familiar with knishes. In Amsterdam, the Jewish population was historically made up mainly of Sephardic refugees from Spain and Portugal, followed later by Ashkenazi Jews from Central and Eastern Europe. While the word knish is Yiddish with Slavic roots, it never quite caught on in Amsterdam—though pickled cucumbers and onions certainly did.
Knishes come in both savory and sweet varieties. I figured a savory kasha knish would be the most authentic—kasha being buckwheat. It was hearty and filling, which was perfect, since I wouldn’t be eating again until much later, after my Broadway comedy show. More on that below.
I spent quite a bit of time wandering around SoHo, short for South of Houston Street. The neighborhood has a great atmosphere, with plenty of small local boutiques, bustling with tourists and serious fashionistas. I loved it.
After exploring SoHo, I took the uptown subway to Bryant Park, located between West 40th and West 42nd Street. Manhattan’s street system is fairly logical. Generally, the west–east streets are numbered—the higher the number, the farther north you are.
There are exceptions in Lower Manhattan, where many streets have historical names like Wall Street, Prince Street, or Houston Street. Numbered streets begin in the East Village with East 1st Street. Streets east of Central Park are prefixed with an “E,” while those to the west get a “W.” If you’re heading north by subway, you’re going uptown; if you’re heading south, you’re going downtown.
The north–south roads are also numbered but are called avenues. Still, there are exceptions—10th Avenue, for instance, becomes Amsterdam Avenue around West 60th Street.
Bryant Park is wonderful—free chairs are scattered around for anyone to use. I paid an eye-watering amount for a freshly squeezed cane sugar juice and struck up a conversation with a man reading a book. Books are great conversation starters; I often pretend to decipher the title, which usually prompts the reader to start talking about it.
He turned out to be on the community board of the Bronx Community College campus and was a history enthusiast. I told him about the 1:87 scale model of historic New Amsterdam that my employer is building—a project currently stalled due to lack of funding.
I thought it would be a good idea to visit a comedy club in the evening—maybe I’d witness the talent of tomorrow. More or less at random, I came across the website for the Broadway Comedy Club. With few other options available, I bought a ticket for the early show, which came to about $30 including fees.
When I arrived early, I was the only one in the room, and I began to worry I’d be the lone member of the audience. But about ten minutes before the show started, the room began to fill. Staff pulled a curtain across the back to hide the empty seats, and soon the space felt full.
The billed comedians were Spencer Wright, Drew Tessier, Ali Mehedi, Harrison Greenbaum, and Al Lubel. Spencer Wright served as MC. I definitely didn’t see Al Lubel perform—instead, a comedian from Trinidad took the stage, possibly as a last-minute replacement. Ali Mehedi appeared to be the biggest name on the lineup.
Two drinks were mandatory, and even a simple beer cost $11. I opted for two cocktails instead, since they were the same price as beer.
As for the show itself, the comedians weren’t particularly strong. I’m not saying none of the jokes landed, but most felt lazy. It’s just too easy to ask an audience member “are you from India?” and run with this. Dave Chappelle: Killin' Them Softly (2000) is a masterclass on how to build a funny story while making social commentary at the same time.
Who is this guy?
Drew Tessier
Thanks to the two-drink minimum rule, I ended up having one gin-based cocktail too many and stumbled toward Times Square, feeling very hungry. I grabbed two pizza slices from a street vendor—which turned out to be the worst pizza I can remember. One was even drizzled with a sugary syrup. If you think pineapple on pizza is a mortal sin, this was definitely worse.
New York’s Times Square is a world-famous entertainment hub. It’s fun to spend some time there as a one-off experience, but it’s best to avoid it afterwards. The area is crowded and filled with people dressed as Disney characters and, I assume, King Kong. While it feels very safe, tourists should be cautious—posing with these costumed characters can lead to attempts to wrestle money from you.
Taking the New York subway at night in Manhattan feels completely safe, despite how some right-wing media, like Fox News, try to discourage people from using public transportation. Those right-wing populists are some of the most fragile and fearful people.
“If you’re liberal, they want you to take public transportation ... the problem is that it’s dirty. You have criminals. It’s homeless shelters. It’s insane asylums. It’s a work ground for the criminal element of the city to prey upon the good people.”
