When you walk by a construction site, there are wooden walls everywhere to protect pedestrians from errant nails and girders and all sorts of dangers. These walls are covered with small paint signs that say, "Post no bills." Within a day of the walls going up, they are covered with poster advertisements for electronics, concerts, albums and movies.
So what is a thing I love about NYC?
I overheared, "Homeboy, I can't wait to see that Mr. Bean. He's my n---a!"
Friday, August 24, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
The Wild Hogs Invade Lefferts Place
When a motorcycle gang moves into your neighborhood, it is a bit of an unsettling thing. I knew that our 'hood was a little different though, when I finally the motley crew that was roaring up my street.
I saw them on Saturday morning on my way back from a run. They were polishing their bikes to a glowing sheen. They were polishing their dirt bikes. The blue and yellow plastic reflected the morning sun and I knew, in my heart of hearts, that this machine would never actually see "dirt."
As I continued down the street, a 4x4 ATV pulled up and parked in the sidewalk in front of the brownstone next to mine. It was also polished to a sheen and when the Hell's Angel had trouble getting the machine up onto the sidewalk, I quickly dodged into my apartment so he wouldn't see me laugh.
Those bikers are dangerous.
I saw them on Saturday morning on my way back from a run. They were polishing their bikes to a glowing sheen. They were polishing their dirt bikes. The blue and yellow plastic reflected the morning sun and I knew, in my heart of hearts, that this machine would never actually see "dirt."
As I continued down the street, a 4x4 ATV pulled up and parked in the sidewalk in front of the brownstone next to mine. It was also polished to a sheen and when the Hell's Angel had trouble getting the machine up onto the sidewalk, I quickly dodged into my apartment so he wouldn't see me laugh.
Those bikers are dangerous.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
The Caffeinated Tourist
It's hard not to compare NYC to your vacation locations. Case in point: Kitty and I just returned from a long weekend in Montreal. It's a gorgeous city. The streets are clean. The people are friendly. The food is fantastic. At certain times throughout the trip, we had to stop ourselves from making absurd comparisons to our local neighborhoods. Rather than bore you with comparisons, here are some highlights of the trip:
1. Market Jean-Talon
This could be one of the best public markets that we have ever been to. Our samples included: wild boar sausage, the freshest local fruits and veggies, Moules avec sauce e frites (Mussles, steamed in white wine & herbs with a dijon sauce and french fries), Chocolatine (a perfect chocolate croissant) and hemp seeds (to improve your memory).
It wasn't just the food. It turns out that Montreal has a tradition of "foodies"- people with an insane love for not just local food, but home grown, organic, REAL food. They don't count calories, they just eat smaller portions. They don't watch their fat, they just don't go nuts at buffets. Being around foodies is great because they always know the food that is in season and consequently the best tasting.
2. Notre Dame de Bonsecours
This great little church is in the heart of Old Montreal. It is peaceful and has beautiful murals. Best of all, they don't charge you $8 to walk through the front door (like a certain similarly named church).
This was our favorite part of Old Montreal. The rest of it looked all classy and stuff, but looking closer, you could see that it was just a way to try to artfully separate a tourist from their money.
3. Sandwich Heaven
Titanic is a small cafe in Old Montreal. It is in the lower level of a more modern building. We stopped for lunch and shared a baguette topped with a thin layer of hummous, 1 slice of swiss cheese and a few leaves of basil. It was elegant and delicious. We then shared a slice of their perfect chocolate cake.
Resevoire at 9 Duluth is a great little bistro that serves a variety of beers. We each tried a local brew and shared a grilled cheese a la Montreal. In this case, it was a baguette, with chevre, onions and figs.
I'll keep adding to this post as I reminisce with Kitty.
1. Market Jean-Talon
This could be one of the best public markets that we have ever been to. Our samples included: wild boar sausage, the freshest local fruits and veggies, Moules avec sauce e frites (Mussles, steamed in white wine & herbs with a dijon sauce and french fries), Chocolatine (a perfect chocolate croissant) and hemp seeds (to improve your memory).
It wasn't just the food. It turns out that Montreal has a tradition of "foodies"- people with an insane love for not just local food, but home grown, organic, REAL food. They don't count calories, they just eat smaller portions. They don't watch their fat, they just don't go nuts at buffets. Being around foodies is great because they always know the food that is in season and consequently the best tasting.
2. Notre Dame de Bonsecours
This great little church is in the heart of Old Montreal. It is peaceful and has beautiful murals. Best of all, they don't charge you $8 to walk through the front door (like a certain similarly named church).
This was our favorite part of Old Montreal. The rest of it looked all classy and stuff, but looking closer, you could see that it was just a way to try to artfully separate a tourist from their money.
3. Sandwich Heaven
Titanic is a small cafe in Old Montreal. It is in the lower level of a more modern building. We stopped for lunch and shared a baguette topped with a thin layer of hummous, 1 slice of swiss cheese and a few leaves of basil. It was elegant and delicious. We then shared a slice of their perfect chocolate cake.
Resevoire at 9 Duluth is a great little bistro that serves a variety of beers. We each tried a local brew and shared a grilled cheese a la Montreal. In this case, it was a baguette, with chevre, onions and figs.
I'll keep adding to this post as I reminisce with Kitty.
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