Be Thankful for What You Got

To get to this Key Lime Pie and Banana Split Shake from Big Daddy's Diner in Union Square, I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge in high heat and humidity.... and.... in the wrong shoes no less.  That is one mistake you realize quickly, ill fitting shoes.  That's when I made my second mistake, not running back to change them.  Unbeknownst to be me, this would then prompt an avalanche of bad decisions that evening.

We were to meet P's brother and I got to pick the place for dinner.  This time it was easy.  I wanted a real Shake Shack burger from the original location.  Not one of the many newcomer franchises around town.  No, we would get the big deluxe versions and sit in the park, talk, relax, enjoy the scenery.  All set. Done deal.

Problem was, about a hundred and some other people had the same exact idea at the same time.  The line was ridiculous.  No one talks about it much but there are so many more people on the streets now in Manhattan.  At times it feels unmanageable, other times dangerous. And when you walk across the Brooklyn Bridge you never get a break from that tight congestion of bodies.  And in the swampy heat, my discomfort was growing.  I was grouchy and realized I had a sucky Plan B because I didn't think we'd need one.

There is tons of great food in the city and so many restaurants but what you never want to do is end up hungry, hot and desparate right in the heart of dinner hour.  Walking even with a small group, you feel overwhelmed and the stress is real.  After walking by a few options unable to pull the trigger,

P suggested Big Daddy's Diner up the street because it would be air-conditioned, easy, and dessert could be incorporated.  That seemed to solve all my immediate problems.  It was not bad but when you have your choice of amazing food and you end up at a place called Big Daddy's...you just might be a redneck.  We started with artichoke dip and pita chip appetizer.  I was starving. It was good.

I ordered a salad that I immediately regretted when I saw P's burger and tater tots.

Matt ordered the turkey wrap that probably didn't make the grade but was better than my choice.  Fried chicken was the special.  This was one of those days when you come to accept you're going to make bad decisions in succession.  Matt knew he should have ordered the chicken.  I knew I should have ordered the burger.  Burgers are safest in diners.  No surprises.  I know that.  Still ordered the salad.

The great thing is that each day brings another opportunity to eat somewhere in this amazing city and even if you lame it out and try a schmaltzy themed diner, you really don't lose much. People are having real problems somewhere right now.  This is not one of them.

The Tears of a Clown

Orange and Cajun spiced baked chicken thighs. Super juicy, super tasty. Great for a weeknight meal with wild rice and brussel sprouts. For us its a slice of normalcy from the whole Sandy fiasco.

The water's gone down, I've returned to work, some of the town has recovered, but for so many the real hardships are just sinking in. The mold, the permanent damage, the inability to return to their homes, the lost personal treasures. There is a very solid funk built up around town and you really can't avoid it. It's the weekend but it doesn't feel like any particular day of the week. Probably best to turn off the news and quit watching other people's tragedies. It's not entertaining, you just feel like you should understand the scope. But at some point, its no longer necessary.




Yesterday the vibe in the city was more upbeat. You began to see how strangers were really reaching out to each other, helping in small ways. They were giving away dry ice at Union Square park. People lucky enough to have power were offering free cell phone charges. Bodegas were burning candles and trying to open as normal without power, selling what they could.


The food trucks were out in full force but that provided much needed eats for the stranded trustafarians and visiting workers from all over the US. Various trucks from every state were seen parked and ready to help.




PathMark looked like a bomb had hit it and they were out of a lot, some of their power was off and somehow their staff showed up to work or at least to get paid for working.

Red Hook has never been an attractive neighborhood, so you can imagine what it looked like after Sandy. She was not kind. All along Van Brunt every business was shut down and may not reopen from what I could see without full renovation. There was a boat in the middle of the street. I mean it was not good.



The food this week, like our mood has been modest and humble. Trying to keep it light, or bring some light. I'm pretty much a numb-nut. I just like to make stupid jokes about P being gay or comment about people's balls or penis size. I'm not sure how to process all this hard stuff, so I'm just gonna keep cookin'.

Do You Believe in Magic?

Our friend J was to play a show for the CMJ Music Marathon. A city-wide music festival that's billed as the most important platform for the discovery of new music. Five days and nights, over 1300 bands, over 80 venues... Anyway, it used to mean something. Now, we weren't sure. Who are these industry professionals? All but a handful of retail are gone, most of sales, promotion and marketing lost their jobs at the labels and distribution centers. Radio is a joke. Who is left except all the struggling musicians with no clear avenues or support system or industry to speak of really at all.

But despite those truths, the kids were out at the clubs it seemed in full force. J's set was great, even kinda magical with the lighting and the big white piano on the stage.

And the bonus was as with anytime we have reason to be out in the city, we get a nice dinner out on the town. This time at Republic, the restaurant also with unique billing. Its said to be created like no other restaurant in America. Republic offers a non-traditional cuisine that combines a variety of ingredients, spices and cooking methods from Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and China. The decor is minimal and communal but for some reason, I love it there. It's very loud and open so you don't notice you're sitting next to people. But the best thing is the food is right on time and mighty fine!

I used to go to Republic when I worked at the Virgin Union Square store for lunch and I used to attend the CMJ Marathon every year for many years. I won't bore you with the memories it brought back being there.

Instead I'll bore you with my story about how scary and ghostlike that stupid bar was. I felt like I was in a dream that if I stepped outside, I might be in another dimension. I couldn't concentrate on what anyone was saying all night.

Doesn't the lighting look like a movie set? Where the hell were we that night? The people didn't even seem real to me. More like extras in the background of a good movie, not the kind they have sitting around on a tv show. They were passable as real but yet they didn't seem to be alive.

Dead movie set extras? I don't know what kind of hoo doo was going on that night but I was spooked and thrilled when P was ready to leave.

We hailed a cab and got the cmj out of there!

I'm Up on a Tight Wire, One Sides Ice and One is Fire

When friends come to New York is about the only time I get out and see what the city has to offer. My bestest boy-gal pal KK came to town and we had a super star lunch at Republic in Union Square. Huge bowls of noodley soup. The highlight was the crispy tofu served with THE tastiest peanut sesame mustard sauce EVER! You wanted to crawl in there and lick your way out no foolin'.

I had the spicy beef broth noodles.

KK had the Vietnamese Vegetable Noodles. Mine was divine.

We took a stroll on the High Line. Been out there yet? Its actually special. There is a feeling of being somewhere else, another city, another atmosphere or dimension. Plus they have bathrooms.

The views of the city are unusual and the gardens are unique and inspiring. Plenty of spots to sit and chat or just take it in. It wasn't so crowded that you wanted to start punching your way out like most fun things in NY. There was space to move about the cabin and explore. I loved it actually.

KK comes almost once a year so its a good marker on where we are in life. We've been friends for 20 years or so. I hate to look at where I'm at in life don't you? But there I was in the same cowboy boots and jeans, cute earrings but that's about it. The lines in my face are telling stories now. Horror stories.

It's not all bad. I like me and all that nonsense. I've come to terms with the fact that I probably won't have a tight belly ever. Since I don't drink I seem more serious but I'm not. I hope I don't seem less fun. That'd be a bummer. Or was I ever that much fun? Gosh, now I'm questioning my idea of a good time. I know I liked the High Line.

Yes, go have lunch with a dear friend and take a walk on the High Line. Question all your life choices and be filled with doubt and self loathing.

Too Kool 2 Be 4-gotten, hey hey

My cat Mona who we call Monkey has a toy named Mrs Pickles. From what I can tell, she loves that toy. Mrs Pickles has all the bells and whistles, bright clothes, feathers, cat nip belly. But Monkey doesn't play with her often, instead she likes her mice and balls. She seems to kick Pickles around now and then and likes to know she's around.

That's how I feel about Manhattan. Its amazing, wonderful, even better than I ever imagined it to be years and years ago dreaming about it. Fifteen years later and I still stand in awe. I've had the best times there. And every time I go I am so happy that it exists and want to know that if I want to go kick around in it again, it will still be there for me.

You never know what you'll find there and its one of the only places I know that you can go and just wing it. You'll be sure to stumble upon something of great interest every time. While taking a bike ride this morning, we saw people lined up to swim across the East River! Never saw that before.

Very cool to watch. On a beautiful day, you imagine the water all clear and blue. The East River though, ick!

We rode to the George Washington Bridge on the West Side and then on the way back had lunch in Union Square Park. Sandwiches from Pret. Very tasty. Arugula, shaved Parmesan cheese, roast beef on a crusty baguette. Chips and the best orange sparkling soda.


For desert we wandered the Farmer's Market for some ripe fruit and found peaches and nectarines.

By the time we finished eating, it was nearing noon time and the heat was getting oppressive. Not a time to be out in the direct sun on your bikes. We had to brave the blacktops of Chinatown with all the construction and asphalt smells to reach the bridge back to Brooklyn.



I can't help but feel like you never really get to shed your anxieties and stress while living in a city. You can put them down for a bit, but you must take them back on your way home whether coming by car, cab, bike or plane.

So we grabbed our angst, hopped on the Manhattan bridge and waved goodbye to my Mrs. Pickles.