My mother came to visit over the weekend. She had never been to New York City. That settled that. Off we went, 7:30AM Saturday morning, which was necessary to catch an early enough train out of Milford and into Grand Central station in time for lunch.

How do you cover such a city in one day? We tried a tasting menu approach - small bites of some of our favorite things that New York has to offer.

Our first course was, appropriately enough, lunch at a Daniel Boulud restaurant - DBGB. A cross between a Parisian bistro and an American Tavern, the atmosphere is casually swanky, with a nod to the Celebrity Chef. Quotes by famous chefs, from Julia Child to Escoffier, line the lounge, and shelves display the names of famous chefs and, presumably, their favorite copper pots.

Marissa had a wonderful trout, mom had a delightfully tender roasted chicken breast, and I had The Frenchie - a "6 oz beef patty with confit pork belly, arugula, tomato-onion compote & morbier cheese on a peppered brioche bun with cornichon, mustard & fries." Oh yes I did.

Second course was a trip to the Museum of Modern Art. It has great works by Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh (I could look at Starry Night, above, every day and not grow tired of it) and on and on. So we took in the permanent collection, as well as a featured exhibit about Matisse during the time around World War I, seeing works by him that I did not know and would not have recognized if I hadn't learned about this period.

There are many great museums in New York, but MoMA is always a sure bet, particularly if you want to experience the apex of modern art and still make your train back to the hinterlands.

The main course, at least for me this time, was a walk through Central Park. A warm fall weekend in Central Park is a work of art in and of itself. Whether listening to musicians in open-air settings, watching impossibly beautiful children run around like wild animals, or just enjoying the sight of the autumn sun hitting the trees, there is loveliness in every direction.

There is also a whole lot of quirkiness. Take, for instance, the roller-disco party we happened upon.

After a palate-cleansing stroll through Greenwich Village (and dinner at Moustache), for dessert it was an evening in Times Square - an orgy of lights, sounds, and throngs and throngs of people.

Wandering around Times Square after having been in the city for the entire day, exhausted from having gotten up at 6AM on a Saturday, you feel like you might just get swallowed up. Using the dessert analogy, Times Square is like having bread pudding a la mode after a meal of prime rib and potatoes au gratin. It is delicious, but it is overly rich, overly filling, overly stimulating. It leaves you in a stupor.

We got our taste of New York City. We did it in one day. And though we left exhausted - overfed, if I may - I am looking forward to taking my next bite.