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Sunday, July 5, 2009

The Oyster Bar, Grand Central Station

Oyster Bar, Grand Central
Photo by myself, at The Grand Central Oyster Bar at 42nd Street and Park Avenue.

This 'old school' restaurant is on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal. Brick arches span above, while the perimeter of the room is lined with wood paneling.

Besides a raw bar and regular seating, there are long U-shaped counters for customers, with swivel chairs. The server stands in the middle, making for a unique setting.

Those interested in sampling many different kinds of raw oysters will love this place. The establishment opened in 1913 and typically serves up several thousand oysters daily.

I've only been there a couple times and found the place pricey. Go for the ambiance.

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Did anyone see the fireworks broadcast from the Hudson?

Typically the fireworks are done along the East River, with several locations going on at once. The Brooklyn side and Manhattan side can share in the experience.

This year the fireworks were located on the West Side for a change, in honor of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's discovery of the Hudson River Valley.

The fireworks this year was done to Disney-like music and were choreographed to a very rapid pace. Several barges were firing off at the same time, one gorgeous display after the other.

It was an incredible scene, befitting the occasion. Happy anniversary Henry Hudson!

Related posts: Cold Noodles and Hot Shows, Lure Fish Bar, Soho and Food Glorious Food.

5 comments:

... said...

Cool photo, Kitty! Very unique setting indeed...when we come back to visit a friend of ours in Brooklyn, we are going to try and see more things, places...but there is just so much!!!!

Judy and I watched the NYC fireworks on the tele - they looked amazing!
Then we went for a walk - we have had constant thunderstorms (or threats) for the past week, and last night was very active (wreaking havoc on the headache front, however)...

Our Calgary Stampede just started on Friday, so every night there are fireworks - we live close enough to downtown (7 kms.) to hear them! I think they were a little more dramatic last night to celebrate the 4th! We get a LOT of US visitors during this time...

Happy Sunday to you and Mark...

dianasfaria.com said...

this looks like a scene out of the fifties, early sixties, I'm guessing? pretty cool.
Re yesterdays comment,
I didn't get to watch the hot dog eating contest, the day went by too fast like it usually does!
Priscilla only weighs 12 pounds, if she is under foot I have to be careful not to step on her!

Terry at Blue Kitchen said...

Very cool photo! The fact that they serve thousands of oysters a day reminds me of an amazing documentary a friend told me about: 24 Hours, 24 Million Meals. It's about what it takes to feed NYC every day. You can watch it online.

Kitty said...

Hi Bramley
So nice to hear from you. Mark and I haven't been to Calgary and we're always looking for places to go.

Happy Sunday to you.

Hi Lily
12 lbs is pretty small. Rupert is 21 lbs, nearly twice Priscilla's size. I'd be afraid to step on her, too.

Hi Terry
The film sounds very interesting. I will have to keep an eye out. I love learning about such things!

lenewyorkais said...

We went to Oyster Bar recently, and had a disastrous experience. An order of clam chowder arrived cold, and we sent it back. It came back as a total mess, with the soup partly in a bowl, and partly in the serving cup, but most of it on the OUTSIDE of the cup, still without oyster crackers. We ordered 18 assorted oysters, but instead of arriving on an appetizing platter, the oysters arrived in 2 soup bowls. The bored waiter described the oysters very quickly, and did not wait for my questions. If the kitchen man at any oyster bar cannot prepare an appetizing platter of oysters on ice, the place is useless. When I complained to waiter and manager, they were totally bored and said I "ordered wrong,"whatever that could mean. This joint is off my list.