St. John the Divine and Zabars - Am I nuts?

[Berheenia]

We are making the spring trip to New York next weekend and I'm determined to go to the 11 o'clock service Sunday at St. John the Divine. I was thinking of getting a cab to Zabar's afterwards. Am I nuts? We will be heading back to Herald Square/Murray Hill after and will be panting for coffee and a bite first and Zaba'rs is another place I have always wanted to check out. Thanks in advance.

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Zabar's
2245 Broadway, New York, NY 10024

[beevod]

On Sunday you can enjoy Zabar's Blessing of the Lox.

[TravellingFoodie]

You may also take your fare a few avenues over to Central Park and enjoy the scenery there. It's a great place to spend time on a nice day. You'll be at mid Park and can walk over to Bethesda Fountain and Terrace and also the Belvedere Castle.

[goodhealthgourmet]

as several have mentioned, there's not anywhere comfortable to sit at Zabar's - just the cramped cafe next door to the store, furnished with stools that don't encourage lingering ;) but it's definitely worth a stop to check out what they have, and actually, by the time you get there after your service the rush of locals who stop in to pick up breakfast & brunch supplies should be over so it won't be a *total* zoo.

[Berheenia]

It wasn't a total zoo and we had a blast in spite of the cramped stools. Even a previously assembled Zabars bagel with lox and cream cheese is a heaven for a couple of Bostonians.
I also got to buy a good selection of rugelach to bring home so mission accomplished.And the train worked out perfectly.Thanks all!

[goodhealthgourmet]

i'm so glad you enjoyed it and that everything worked out :) oh how i miss that place!

[TravellingFoodie]

Zabar's does not have a place to sit, since it is usually very crowded, but worth a stop nontheless. Taking the subway is the easiest thing to do. Zabar's is worht the stop.

[itl337]

That's a good suggestion. Take the 1 train downtown from 110th and Broadway to 79th Street. They come often. And Zabars does not have a good place to eat, so Riverside Park idea is great. The Park is lovely in the low 80's or you can go through the tunnel and go sit by the river. Ask around when you get to the park -- people can direct you.

There is a good place for brunch 10 blocks from St. John the Divine -- Kitchenette on Amsterdam between 122 and 123. Though there is often a wait.

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Kitchenette Uptown
1272 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027

[Berheenia]

This is a big help - thank-you. (I need specific directions like this when it comes to taking the subway!)

[erica]

If you want a typical NYC place for an early Sunday meal, why not try Barney Greengrass? Then head to Zabars.

http://www.barneygreengrass.com/welco...

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Barney Greengrass
541 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10024

[UWSEater]

I second the idea of grabbing food at Zabar's and heading over to riverside park. Head down to the water and eat on one of the benches along the waters' edge. Very enjoyable way to relax on a Sunday morning, I often do this on the weekend, or even after work with a bottle of wine.
If you also want some bagels, head across the street (80th) to H&H Bagels and pick up some hopefully hot out of the oven bagels. They're not the best, but are pretty good.

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H&H Bagels
2239 Broadway, New York, NY 10024

[JoanN]

Just fyi, and for any future readers of this post, it is illegal to drink alcoholic beverages in public places in New York City. This law is often disregarded, and overlooked by the authorities, during concerts in the park, but I had a policeman politely but firmly request I recork and put away a bottle of champagne a friend and I were savoring in a rather secluded part of Riverside Park late one afternoon.

[barberinibee]

You can just as easily take the subway. Just walk over to Broadway. It can sometimes be hard to find a cab, and they get stuck in traffic.

I'm not sure why you think your plan is nuts. If the day is nice, you might consider hauling your Zabar's eats over to Riverside Park to eat with a view of the Hudson.

[Berheenia]

I wasn't sure if a Sunday trip to an institution like Zabars would be a total tourist zoo parade. I have already been warned off Eatily and Shake Shack.

[rose water]

Zabars is a typically NYC zoo, in that there are too many people in too little space, but not even close to being a Eataly or Shake Shake (in Madison Square Park on a nice day) level zoo