Southside Guitars Hell Yeah

I bought a very nice guitar from Ben and Sam's new guitar store, Southside Guitars, on Driggs near S. 2nd. They know a huge amount about guitars and have dozens of beautiful ones.

We stopped by after Peter Luger and looked around. Stop by and visit them.

Day After Thanksgiving Trip to Peter Luger

Only my dad would want to do this after we were all still so full from the day before, but he and Ingrid took me and Mag and Genevieve to Peter Luger for lunch on the day after Thanksgiving. I'd never been there. The waiter was surly but in a hilarious and intentional way, telling us what to order, mocking us for needing menus etc. We loved it and Dad gave it back. Those three had a T-bone steak that they said was the best any of them had ever had. Mag and I had creamed spinach and french fries- both were so good. And the desserts mit schlag were unbelieveable.



The experience and the food here are amazing. But from my seat I could see the garbage truck collecting literally four dumpsters worth of leftover meat parts. Not the best place for vegetarians but everyone should see it once. Dad was very happy here. We all were but especially him. He can't eat things like this anymore but once in a while it's okay.



We tried to do the afternoon drinking thing, but only could manage two Bloody Marys each.








Dad's eyes aren't what they used to be so it's a shot in the dark when he takes the photo but he did pretty well:



It feels like a lodge in the Alps inside- really festive. (That's probably not a word most people would use to describe the place since it's all business but it very much feels like home, if your home is full of Germans and beef.) Everything is just done so well. Even the onion rolls were great. It's not cheap but I hear you can get a hamburger reasonably or you could just have french fries and creamed spinach and get laughed at by the waiters.

A Sample Good Day in Chinatown

Mom and I set out for Mott Street early, for an appointment with our famly doctor Michelle Li. During the appointment, Mom mentioned we were going for dim sum after and Dr. Li asked where. I knew I wasn't saying the right thing but I told her the truth, Dim Sum Go Go. It's not the most authentic place (no pushcarts or unidentifiable animal parts) but I really like it. Dr. Li nodded and suggested we go to a place on Elizabeth Street near Bayard but I forget the name. It's a big one and I'm sure foodies know it. I asked if Golden Unicorn was okay and she approved. I like that one, on East Broadway, too. But, if you go to Dim Sum Go Go, the winners are Chinese Parsley dumplings and mushroom ones. Each table has a little bowl of fresh ginger, one of a nice vinegar and one of a spicy fishy sauce that I'm not into.



So we got a lot of dim sum and it was $20. Then we walked around, and Mom was like a kid in a candy store. We went into the places I never notice- pharmacies and groceries and trinket shops. Then I took her to one of my other favorite places, Kam Man Department Store ("Your Gateway to Asia.") We both bought tea and a few groceries. We spent at least an hour in there. After all that we needed a break so we stopped into Green Tea House.



They have this amazing ginger black tea, that I got with milk and Mom got plain. Plus, a thing called Coconut Toast which Mom described as Chinese Angel Food Cake, but I described as White Bread with Coconut Topping. It's better than it sounds, especially dipped in the amazing tea.

We ended the day by taking the train back to Brooklyn, over the Manhattan Bridge in the middle of a gorgeous sunset. A quick trip to the Boro Hall farmer's market and then the B38 back to her place.

Try the Dim Sum Go Go and Green Tea House combination sometime. Plus a foot massage sometime when you want to treat yourself.

Back When the Sun Shone Hot

I didn't quite have my blog in June but these are worthy pictures. We went out to Belmont Stakes to try our luck on the horses. We had whiskey and lemonade the whole way there on the train. Then we set up our blanket on the grass with all the plebians and tried to figure out how the hell to bet on horses. We studied the program and asked around for advice. But mostly we just ate snacks and drank mint juleps. We all bet on the last race. I remember I bet on Nolan's Cat and the one that won, Afleet Alex. My bet ended up being $18 and my winnings came in at...$18.10. Very satisfying.


On the way home, Sameer pretended to be selling fruit out of our cooler. Well he wasn't pretending, because he really did have fruit and was speaking in a heavy Indian accent. Sameer says in India there are fruit sellers all over the place. One person bought an apple I think.



Yes yes a trip to the races is something everyone should do at least once. (Except for compulsive gamblers- you guys stay away.) But the treatment of the horses and their short lifespans is fucked up.

Bingo, Almost

Mag and I biked down to the Taj Mahal Bingo Parlor last weekend to meet Abeni and some other diehard Bingo fans. But, we got there late and there was no talking our way in to the game already underway. The man and lady at the front said it wouldn't be fair to the people already playing, but since each game is just a few minutes long, and there's a varying number of people playing each round, none of us really bought that. It more seemed they just weren't sure what we were really up to. I tried to reason with the guy but no deal. They take gaming very seriously down there.





Even when Abeni came out looking like this:


They weren't having it. (She's holding a Dauber, which you use to mark the spots on your board when the numebers are called. It's one of the best parts of Bingo I've learned.)

Mag and I had a lot of fun in the lobby though.





Then we biked over to the BEST pizza in Brooklyn at DiFara's. Dominic has been making the pizza by himself for 50 years or so. The wait can be very very long (it helps if you speak Italian) but it's well worth it. The parlor doesn't look like much, in fact it looks like every other pizza place in Brooklyn. Except that he has pots of fresh basil growing in the window. But just wait until you try it. The mushroom pie is unlike any mushroom pie you've ever had. Without going into too much detail, he uses fresh mozzarella and fresh parmesan off a huge wheel, then puts the perfect amount of homemade sauce on, and these marinated mushrooms and extra virgen olive oil. It's served with extra parm and whole stems of dried oregano. It's a good bike ride down Ocean Parkway to get there and I highly highly recommend a trip to see him before he retires. I think his son will take over but it'll never be the same.

We're going to play Bingo again soon if anyone wants to join. Abeni won $20 but that's no surprise since she's an expert. (More on this in relation to our Atlantic City Trip when I get the photos.)

Fighting the Good Fight

We had a very successful Walkathon this weekend to raise money for the upcoming legal fight against crazybad overdevelopment in Brooklyn. (It's a city-wide trend, but the Brookyn proposal is the most egregious and most pressing I think.) So here are some photos. You can still give money to the cause through my team homepage for two weeks.









Also, look at the press we got here and get more info on the Ratner proposal and the community-based alternative here.

Serenely

Here's Bird in the new room. It was new some months ago but it still feels new and right.

New Links

I added some new links that are worth checking out. Brian Lehrer's Blog has the best links to a huge array of websites so there's a good way to waste a few hours doing something kindof meaningful. Get Your War on is just amazing. Look at the one about FEMA and the FDA especially. I had to link to the Politicker because I read that everday and I dare say it's become a political insider's staple. The other new links are to family-related sites- my two cousins' ventures. Comments and suggestions for further links are welcome.