My wife and I met in Greenwich Village this evening for an outing to the annual Halloween parade. This event is the highest attended Halloween event in the country (and possibly the world). My wife, who has a real nose for a bargain, recommended we try Mamoun's Falafel. We got a baba ganoush and felafel for $2 each and it was probably the most filling, low-budget meal I've ever had. Not to mention, delicious.
We found a spot near the police barrier at Avenue of the Americas and Bleeker. It was a great location and we soon found ourselves pressed up by the crowd behind us. Our spot was in a small cul-de-sac and shortly after we arrived, the police decided to move the barrier forward so that we could better see the parade. At this point, the couple next to us decided to take the opportunity to push past us and elbow their way to the front. The woman made it up to the barricade but I blocked the man. I could hear him grumble because he wasn't with the woman who was obviously a guest from out of town. She kept offering for him to come up and join her in front and I managed to position myself to keep him from getting by me. It was a very satisfying experience to irritate them in such a way. The real corker? A young woman tried to elbow her way to the front and the guy said to her, "What are you trying to do? We've been waiting here for a long time and now you want to just cut in? Go somewhere else! You should have got here earlier!" My wife and I could have throttled the man. It really cast a shadow on the evening.
Soon, the pararde started going by. It began with giant skeletons that were about 15 feet tall. There was a person at the base of the marionette controlling it. The skeleton would walk down the street and shake hands with people. 25 feet dragons came flying by, being held up by a row of people. They were a highlight for us. After that, we noticed that, for the most part, the parade was a bunch of everyday folk with costumes on. There were the occasional marching band, but it seemed like most people were just walking along with the parade. Only the occasional inspired costume made a real impression.
My mind inevitably compared the evening to a wonderfully freaky event called the Pumpkin Festival in a rural part of New York. At that event, there was an assortment of odd-balls that only come out for the big events in small towns. In this case, the Village Parade felt very similar only bigger and flashier. It was one of those moments where I thought that, in a way, New York City is the world's biggest "small town." It isn't exactly what I thought it would be, yet I found that rather comforting.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Little Italy loves the Baby Jesus
After work today, I met my wife down in Chinatown. After "Taste of Chinatown" last weekend, we were excited to dig in and explore without the masses of crowds.
A hint to all prospective visitors. Do not walk down Canal Street. It is insanely crowded and the centerpiece (as such) is a behemoth store called, "The Great Wall of China Mall." A building, trimmed in gold that is filled with small stalls on the ground level and overpriced merchandise on the upper ones. Though the upstairs is lovely, the real action is elsewhere.
Mott Street bends around off of the general grid of streets that makes up the area. As we headed south, we found some restaurants and checked out the menus. We were on a mission, though, to find some good supplies for the kitchen. Now was not the time to eat.
Off next to first grocery shop. Filled with food supplies that are completely unknown to me, it was incredible to see the variety of food that was available. Also, once you get off Canal Street, the prices drop by 30% at least.
The overall experience feels as chaotic as any grocery store in the city. People with carts that are as wide as the narrow aisles. People bumping into you and difficulty communicating with the staff. The layout would make more sense if they had let small, agile monkeys stock the shelves. Soy Sauce? Aisle 4, by the toothbrushes.
After shopping for supplies for our home-cooked dinner, my wife and I started to discuss picking up a pastry for dessert. "Shall we try one of these Asian bakeries?" she asked. "Isn't Little Italy right around here? Why not get a cannoli?" I responded.
Brilliant move.
Now, how do you find Little Italy when you are in the heart of Chinatown? Look slightly above eye-level as you walk north. Soon you will see the lighted wreathes, candy-canes and other Christmas decorations strung up on the light poles. On October 20th. I expect that the shop owners are truly keeping the Spirit of Christmas year-round. The only thing missing was the carols. Instead it seems that each restaurant had a man standing by the stoop yelling, "Get-ta some pas-tah! Get-tah some vi-no! Its-ah the best food in-a tha City!"
Heading north, we found a charming and stylish bakery with some amazing looking cannolis. After browsing, we thought we might look for something a little more authentic. This felt too mainstream.
We found a small dive and picked up a chocolate cannoli to share. After dinner that night we tried it. It was ok but a little drier than we expected. Sure enough, when my wife asked around at work, we were told that the only cannolis to have in Little Italy were at that sleek place. Sigh. So much for the "authentic" experience. I guess the little hole-in-the-wall places are not always the best.
A hint to all prospective visitors. Do not walk down Canal Street. It is insanely crowded and the centerpiece (as such) is a behemoth store called, "The Great Wall of China Mall." A building, trimmed in gold that is filled with small stalls on the ground level and overpriced merchandise on the upper ones. Though the upstairs is lovely, the real action is elsewhere.
Mott Street bends around off of the general grid of streets that makes up the area. As we headed south, we found some restaurants and checked out the menus. We were on a mission, though, to find some good supplies for the kitchen. Now was not the time to eat.
Off next to first grocery shop. Filled with food supplies that are completely unknown to me, it was incredible to see the variety of food that was available. Also, once you get off Canal Street, the prices drop by 30% at least.
The overall experience feels as chaotic as any grocery store in the city. People with carts that are as wide as the narrow aisles. People bumping into you and difficulty communicating with the staff. The layout would make more sense if they had let small, agile monkeys stock the shelves. Soy Sauce? Aisle 4, by the toothbrushes.
After shopping for supplies for our home-cooked dinner, my wife and I started to discuss picking up a pastry for dessert. "Shall we try one of these Asian bakeries?" she asked. "Isn't Little Italy right around here? Why not get a cannoli?" I responded.
Brilliant move.
Now, how do you find Little Italy when you are in the heart of Chinatown? Look slightly above eye-level as you walk north. Soon you will see the lighted wreathes, candy-canes and other Christmas decorations strung up on the light poles. On October 20th. I expect that the shop owners are truly keeping the Spirit of Christmas year-round. The only thing missing was the carols. Instead it seems that each restaurant had a man standing by the stoop yelling, "Get-ta some pas-tah! Get-tah some vi-no! Its-ah the best food in-a tha City!"
Heading north, we found a charming and stylish bakery with some amazing looking cannolis. After browsing, we thought we might look for something a little more authentic. This felt too mainstream.
We found a small dive and picked up a chocolate cannoli to share. After dinner that night we tried it. It was ok but a little drier than we expected. Sure enough, when my wife asked around at work, we were told that the only cannolis to have in Little Italy were at that sleek place. Sigh. So much for the "authentic" experience. I guess the little hole-in-the-wall places are not always the best.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
A moment of Silence, please.
As I got off the A train yesterday to transfer to the 4, I got stuck behind a mass slow people on the stairs. I heard the A train move to the next station behind me and the sound was replaced by a woman singing spirituals.
On most days, she is somewhere at the Broadway/Nassau station. She sings, hands out pamphlets and talks to people about Jesus. As this huge group of people walked up the steps, and continued down the hall, her voice still could be heard. I walked up two ramps, her voice getting louder as I approached, until I finally caught up with her.
It took me a good five minutes on the 4-train before I realized what just happened. Outside of her singing, the passengers were absolutely silent. I don't throw around the word, "absolutely" lightly. No one was speaking. There was a quiet shuffle and click of shoes and only that voice.
On most days, she is somewhere at the Broadway/Nassau station. She sings, hands out pamphlets and talks to people about Jesus. As this huge group of people walked up the steps, and continued down the hall, her voice still could be heard. I walked up two ramps, her voice getting louder as I approached, until I finally caught up with her.
It took me a good five minutes on the 4-train before I realized what just happened. Outside of her singing, the passengers were absolutely silent. I don't throw around the word, "absolutely" lightly. No one was speaking. There was a quiet shuffle and click of shoes and only that voice.
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