TRAVEL/INSPIRATION

Reminiscences of New York City at the End of the 20th Century

Those were the good old days

“When I’m in New York, I just want to walk down the street and feel this thing, like I’m in a movie.” — Ryan Adams

The end of the 20th century was indeed the best time in history to be alive. The Cold War had ended. The World was at peace. Technology had changed the World as everyone knew it.

My husband and I were a young married couple living and working in Danbury, CT, at the time. It was only a two-hour commute from Danbury to New York City, so we would make weekend excursions into the city to soak up the culture and check out the restaurant scene.

Initially, we took the Brewster line on the Metro-North Railroad, arriving at Grand Central Terminal. However, later on, we drove our vehicle, as it was much quicker.

Little India and Chinatown

We would head to the Little India neighborhood of Jackson Heights, Queens. This area was home to saree shops, jewelry stores, spice shops, and restaurants.

We would make regular trips here to stock up on provisions and dine at some of our favorite restaurants. The ones that come to mind are Haveli and Mitali East.

The somewhat upscale Haveli was located in an elegant setting with incredible food. Mitali East was found in a tastefully decorated, small intimate space. Both were in the East Village on East 6th Street.

We also were huge fans of Mitali West, which was located on Bleecker Street. Their Indian buffet lunch was delectable and set in a casual atmosphere.

However, oddly enough, the dessert on their buffet menu was the Middle Eastern baklava. Sadly, the restaurants mentioned above are now permanently closed.

Alternately, we would venture into Chinatown in Lower Manhattan for dim sum or a traditional Chinese meal of noodles, dumplings, and steamed vegetables. We preferred Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine to all the other types of Chinese cuisine.

The authentic Chinese restaurants we would frequent were usually packed with Chinese patrons and had long wait times. We loved ending our meals by picking up some egg tarts or bakery-style sponge cakes at the umpteen bakeries available.

Broadway and IMAX

We would catch a couple of Broadway shows every year. The most noteworthy performances we saw were Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, and The Phantom of the Opera.

We also had the opportunity to watch a 3D film at an IMAX theater — a novelty for its state-of-the-art technology in those days.

Ganesh Temple

After the birth of our son, we would visit the Ganesh Temple of Flushing, Queens, for darshan, followed by a South Indian vegetarian meal of crispy and delicious dosas in their basement canteen.

There were myriad temples in New York City, but the latter was the one we often visited. More recently, we learned that it was believed to be the first temple in this country.

Windows on the World

One of our most unforgettable experiences was dining in June 2000 at Windows on the World — the restaurant on the 107th floor of the original World Trade Center.

My husband had recently graduated with an executive MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business. The university hosted a Black Tie graduation dinner at the WTC restaurant for graduates and their guests.

I do not recall the menu, but remember that it was an elegant affair with a beautiful plated sit-down dinner.

My parents flew up to Connecticut to visit us and help babysit our toddler son while we attended the graduation dinner. They took him to the rooftop observation deck of the World Trade Center, a tourist attraction at the time.

It was located on the 107th and 110th floors of the South Tower. An elevator suddenly appeared, and my son — the rambunctious toddler that he was — ran into it.

If the elevator door had closed and my parents had not been able to rush in on time and grab him, we might have never seen our son again.

I recall thinking that I would come back sometime in the future to see the view from the Top of the World. Alas, that day would never come.

The restaurant was destroyed when the North Tower collapsed during the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Final Thoughts

We returned to New York City for a visit in the summer of 2019 and even managed to go to the top of One World Observatory — the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex.

However, the World was never the same again after the 9/11 attacks. It was the end of an era. Notwithstanding, we will always treasure the fond memories and experiences we had in the city at the end of the 20th century.

What is your favorite attraction in New York City? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

You may enjoy more of my travel stories here: