Saturday, July 23, 2005
Breakfast, Bayonne NJ
Mmm, good.
It's not so much a secret, but one of the things that's unknown to most but natives is that Brooklyn, Staten Island and Northern New Jersey is home to some of the best culinary delights around.
Getting some of that eats was one of the goals for the visit.
Subway
Subway
The trick to snoozing on the train.
Snooze, dont sleep. Be half awake, and open your eyes every coupla stops.
I was so good that my eyes would snap open at the stop before mine. Yes indeedy.
Of course, snoozing on the train in New York is a antelope on the serengetti deal:
Be prepared to snap awake instantly in flee mode. And do it at your own risk.
NY Apple Store, SoHo
Song hook I cant get out of my head:
Gorrilaz - Feel Good Inc.
Once I heard it in the Apple Store, I kept crackin' up G doin the hook and the spastic head rockin' dance that goes along with. :)
JPennant: Oh god, they showed the Ipod+Gorrilaz commercial again. Now I cant get that song outta my head again. :-)
Glinessa: lol
JPennant: I. Must. Download. It.
JPennant: Its just the hook.
Glinessa: hahahaha...limewire
JPennant: I think its Feel Good Inc.
Glinessa: lol
JPennant: thats a good song title I must admit
Glinessa: hahaha...tru dat
Friday, July 22, 2005
After a day and night of deep sleep recovering from the trip, no eats, I felt the need for a served breakfast. Omellete, hash browns and a short side of pancakes or waffles.In my immediate neighborhood, there was only one place I knew that served that, so I toddled over at 3 in the afternoon, and asked for the above.
The difference was in the detail. The hash-browns were cut a little finer (and a little burnt), and the omellette had more vegetables than what I was used to having on the east coast. It also cost 50 percent more, but oh well.
As I chewed on the pancakes, I noticed there was a tangy sour taste.
So, I called the waiter over...
"Are these pancakes made from sourdough?"
"Mmm, we use the same flour as what we use for the biscuits."
The buscuits have a little sour taste to it.
Oy. Are sweetly bland pancakes too much to ask?
Yeah, now I know why the SF mayor's ex-wife, who is a native New Yorker, prefers to live in NYC.
The details can be a tough adjustment.
Times Square
Times Square
It was the Abercrombie & Fitch bags that drew my attention, but these japanese chicas were confused as to how I was telling them to pose and why I wanted to take the pictures.
Boyoboy, Im gonna have trouble in Tokyo.
Staten Island
To The Cappy's consternation, I kept taking pictures of things with american flags on it.
"Everybody's got it flying here."
Yeah, but everyone DOESNT have it flying everywhere else.
Buildings and government offices aside, about the only time I see the flag in California, are mostly on immigrant's cars and firetrucks.
I remember seeing ONE car flying it around the 4th of July.
So, no.
Breakfast on the Upper East Side
Breakfast on the Upper East Side
Interestingly, this was the most expensive meal I had in New York, and I made sure I was picking up the tab in every case. (I was not about to let the friends who stuck by me when I was poor and indigent pay a cent out of pocket.)
Thatt's ok, every moment was worth every penny.
NY Post contest
NY Post contest
This is just fucking hysterical.. :)
Even the editorial cartoonist got into the act...
Heh. Ouch.
I love the New York Post.
Airline "refreshment"
Airline "refreshment"
Two oreos, cheese, 4 crackers, box 'o raisins and a mosit toilette.
The stewards took pity on us, so they gave us all we wanted.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Jersey Turnpike
I'd forgotten how wary folk had gotten in the Metro area.
Whenever I took a picture, I always had people looking at me, where before New Yorkers would mind their own business.
NY Bagel & Lox, with a schmeer of cream cheese
Fatted salmon, rich cream cheese, big chewy bagel, shitty coffee in a 10 oz coffee cup.
Ahh, breakfast of champions. :)
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
On rotation, east coast summertime roll
Rihanna - Pon De Replay
Lil Kim/TLC/Da Brat/Missy Elliott - Not Tonight (Ladies Night)
Ludacris - Stand Up!
Nelly - Hot in herre
Rakim - New York (Ya Out D'ere)
Shanice - I like your smile
Will Smith - Miami
Fat Joe w/Ja Rule & Ashanti - What's Love Got To Do With It
LL Cool J - Doin it
Rihanna - Pon De Replay
Lil Kim/TLC/Da Brat/Missy Elliott - Not Tonight (Ladies Night)
Ludacris - Stand Up!
Nelly - Hot in herre
Rakim - New York (Ya Out D'ere)
Shanice - I like your smile
Will Smith - Miami
Fat Joe w/Ja Rule & Ashanti - What's Love Got To Do With It
LL Cool J - Doin it
I hadnt been back East for 3 years. I was last there in July of 2002.
I had specific things I wanted to do:
See my Ma
Take pictures
Jamaican food
Get a haircut
Family requires no explanation. Taking pictures meant that I needed time to wander which means I needed time to be alone. Jamaican food. I have not had a patty and a coco bread in THREE YEARS. A haircut. I have not ever had a good haircut here on the West Coast. I cannot exaggerate this fact. I needed my hair cut and lined, properly. New Yorkers dont tolerate shitty haircuts.
Everything else was off my radar. I'd been waiting a long time.
Oh yeah, i needed a real New York bagel.
---------
From the man who has been cutting my hair in Brooklyn for over 20 years ..
"Where've you been?"
"Living in San Francisco now. Been gone for 3 years."
"Ok, ok. Well, you look good, although youve got more grey around your temples and youre a little ... wider."
"Heheh, Ive got a desk job." :)
From someone seeing me get back from the trip, bags in hand.
"You just got back from a trip, huh."
"Yes ma'am."
"That's good. You look ... recharged."
I feel recharged.
------
Im like a puppy. I dont mind being picked up, fed, kissed and loved. But I will scratch at the door and whine loudly so i can be free to go wander.
Which s why I now prefer to travel without socializing and meetups. I dont mind them and its usually a joy to see people, but it takes TIMEto do this. This cuts into my walkabout time, which is LIMITED when Im travelling. Plus, being on other people's schedules makes me cranky, frankly.
Which is why I kept telling people I simply didnt have time to see them, sorry.
The only reason I saw the folk I did was was that i was manipulated (G was gonna be in town that weekend anyway, and it was her birthday, sooo.....), nagged and bought (sweetly by The Cappy who - coincidentally - called and offered her place to hang at, and she needed her computer brought back to life) and threatened (Tracy promised to swing a tire-iron upside my head if I didnt show my face..).
I wouldna traded the time with them for the world.
But I still wish I'd had more time to go walkabout.
-----
Yeah, being back around folk who KNOW me was good. And I even found some of my stuff from back then.
After being around people who are trying to figure out who I am, where Im coming from et al.. its nice to be around folk I dont have to explain myself with.
Somehow, these years of being Lost in California kinda made me question my own identity.
I feel like Ive re-established my identity. With myself, if not with anyone else.
I had specific things I wanted to do:
Family requires no explanation. Taking pictures meant that I needed time to wander which means I needed time to be alone. Jamaican food. I have not had a patty and a coco bread in THREE YEARS. A haircut. I have not ever had a good haircut here on the West Coast. I cannot exaggerate this fact. I needed my hair cut and lined, properly. New Yorkers dont tolerate shitty haircuts.Everything else was off my radar. I'd been waiting a long time.
Oh yeah, i needed a real New York bagel.
---------
From the man who has been cutting my hair in Brooklyn for over 20 years ..
"Where've you been?"
"Living in San Francisco now. Been gone for 3 years."
"Ok, ok. Well, you look good, although youve got more grey around your temples and youre a little ... wider."
"Heheh, Ive got a desk job." :)
From someone seeing me get back from the trip, bags in hand.
"You just got back from a trip, huh."
"Yes ma'am."
"That's good. You look ... recharged."
I feel recharged.
------
Im like a puppy. I dont mind being picked up, fed, kissed and loved. But I will scratch at the door and whine loudly so i can be free to go wander.
Which s why I now prefer to travel without socializing and meetups. I dont mind them and its usually a joy to see people, but it takes TIMEto do this. This cuts into my walkabout time, which is LIMITED when Im travelling. Plus, being on other people's schedules makes me cranky, frankly.
Which is why I kept telling people I simply didnt have time to see them, sorry.
The only reason I saw the folk I did was was that i was manipulated (G was gonna be in town that weekend anyway, and it was her birthday, sooo.....), nagged and bought (sweetly by The Cappy who - coincidentally - called and offered her place to hang at, and she needed her computer brought back to life) and threatened (Tracy promised to swing a tire-iron upside my head if I didnt show my face..).
I wouldna traded the time with them for the world.
But I still wish I'd had more time to go walkabout.
-----
Yeah, being back around folk who KNOW me was good. And I even found some of my stuff from back then.
After being around people who are trying to figure out who I am, where Im coming from et al.. its nice to be around folk I dont have to explain myself with.
Somehow, these years of being Lost in California kinda made me question my own identity.
I feel like Ive re-established my identity. With myself, if not with anyone else.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
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