This post covers about 2 weeks, from the first of November through my 50th birthday
These are some photos around the neighborhood on November 1st. It was the day of the NY Marathon. Since I posted a bunch of marathon pics on my Facebook, I’m not going to double up on those here.
When I visted NYC in June Spitz and I took an evening trip to Queens to see a show that turned out to be all sold-out before we arrived, which gave us time to explore the area a little bit. One of the places we wound up was John Brown’s Smokehouse in Long Island City (which isn’t on Long Island at all). I returned there last weekend on a trip to the local/nearest Harley Davidson dealership to my home. The bike needs a bunch of service, including general maintenance and some special attention to the exhaust pipe which either grew a hairline crack in the midwest, or had one already that got noticed when I replaced the gear-shift connector rod in Indiana. Anyway, the service is going to be a bit pricey and I’ll probably wait till after the winter to attend to it. Nothing that keeps me from riding, just like to keep the bike in the best shape that I can. As the weather dips into the 30’s and 40’s I definitely find myself less inclined to go out to my usual evening activities on 2 wheels. It is chilly, but especially moving into the wind at 30 mph, or whatever definitely cools down my knuckles right through the gloves. If I wear my chaps my legs aren’t so cold, but depending on where I’m going they can be a hassle to deal with upon arrival.
Anyway, I rode to the Harley shop w/M and when we looked for someplace to eat nearbye it turned out that we were quite close to John Brown’s and I thought it merited a second visit. We got a bunch of food to share, a “burn ends sandwich” which is the part of the brisket that some in Texas call “brownies”, the crunchy bits doused in sauce and dolloped between 2 thick hunks of white bread, and some mac & cheese, slow stewed colards with lots of meaty bits and some vinegar, along with BBQ classics like pulled porkand some regular brisket. The special of the daywas smoked prime rib, which was tender, juicy and rich with smokey flavor, but I thought there was too much fat in our portion, given the $30/pound price point. Darn tasty though!
On the way back to Brooklyn we made a detour into Manhattan to the Essex Street Market, a classic old New York spot on the lowe east side that was built during LaGuardia’s term as Mayor. The neigborhood was home to many Jewish families and was thick with tenement buildings and there is even a tenement museum close by. The Market is current home to Shopsin’s restaurant (slogan, No Vegan’s Please) which opened in Greenwich Village in 1973 and was the subject of a film “I Like Killing Flies” (95% on the Tomato- Meter) that I watched a few years ago. Kenny Shopsin also has a cookbook called “Eat Me” which is quoted on the Amazon page for the book as such “Pancakes are a luxury, like smoking marijuana or having sex. That’s why I came up with the names Ho Cakes and Slutty Cakes. These are extra decadent, but in a way, every pancake is a Ho Cake.”
I’m sure I’ll get to eat at Shopsin’s one day soon, but they are only breakfast and lunch, and we’d eaten a LOT of smoked meat before we got there. I was mostly shopping for stuff around the house. The meats and cheeses are amazing, there are all sorts of spices and ethnic vegetables, cows feet, goat kabobs, just a real treat to wander around.
Monday, 11/10 was my birthday. I’ve been looking forward to it and being very apprehensive. Last few years my birthday has been both wonderful and made me aware of some of the rifts in my family relationships. Being away from those relationships has presented opportunities to reflect on how much of my life I had given to them, and how they were not really meeting the needs of the people in those relationships.
After work I wandered around the Bowery for a little while looking at the unusual produce in the Asian markets while I waited for some friends to have dinner with. I ended up having supper with 6 other people at Vanessa’s Dumpling House and it was delicious, and inexpensive, and noisy and fun. One of those places where it is all about putting out large quantities of really amazing food at very low prices with bright overhead lights, small tables, and not much in the way of “service”.
One of the folks I’ve connected with is Jefferson (in the jacket below) who joined use for dinner with his beautiful partner and another friend. Jefferson hosts a story-telling event several times a month called “FOREPLAY” and it is an open mic event where anyone who wishes can get on stage and tell a story about “sex desire or romance”. The guidelines are that the story must be under 7 minutes long. I think that Jefferson indulged me for my birthday and let me run about 10 minutes telling the story of how I ended up in Brooklyn on my birthday. It seemed to be well received.
I took a fun trip to the Brooklyn Night Bazaar
A pot of Sunday Gravy at the Parmesan sandwich stand, and me with a Shiner!
From Westchester, PA; Spraynard played a hot, noisy set that I enjoyed a good deal.
The Menzingers of Scranton, PA played loud but the audience seemed to know every word, and every song was enriched by audience members stage diving into the audience. Here is a YouTube video of them, to give a sense for what they sound like.
I am still taking life one day at a time, and finding the good in whatever comes along.
