I woke up at 6:25 to check in for my flight the next morning before falling back to sleep for another two hours. Angelo went out to get bagels and spreads. I had a poppyseed bagel with a little bit of both scallion and vegetable cream cheeses.
Before Catherine and I headed into Manhattan, Ellen was going to drive us to this collectibles store in Forest Hills to check out some comics, sporting goods, and I even heard they had some wrestling merch. It was the same place Catherine brought my Revis jersey. Of course, if I'm going to fit in it, I'll have to put on 25 pounds...We got to the store around 11:55 and it turned out they didn't open until noon. So we just took the C train into the city until we got to Greenwich Village. She walked me a couple of blocks to Our Lady of Pompeii church where we caught the last half hour of a Catholic service. I'd say there were maybe 25 people there. It was nice enough, although I had trouble understanding a lot of what the priest was saying. I declined to participate in communion. Afterwards, we walked to the lack where they have a wall of dedications with these little golden plaques that look like leaves. One of them was for her grandfather, Pasquale, from all of his grandkids.
Then we walked past a 9/11 memorial that had hundreds of different handcrafted tiles. For lunch, we went to Jekyll & Hyde. This place is a restaurant that pays homage to horror and science fiction movies and culture. On the wall, we saw the werewolf, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, skeletons, etc. They had one of those creepy English butlers who made us his spies. He called himself Dalton Ravenswood and he asked us in that creepy kind of British way to name ourselves. I said we could be named Mr. and Mrs. Smith, after the Brangelina movie where they both played spies. And the bathroom isn't even marked, I had to push open a bookcase! We snacked on chili nachos, which were okay and Catherine enjoyed a bowl of French onion soup.
We hit up Rocco's bakery, where I destroyed a huge piece of crumb cake with the powdered sugar on top. We just don't have cake like that in Chicago, at least I've never found it. Excellent. I would have liked to have grabbed a piece of cheesecake, but it's just so hard to compete with Junior's. We also passed by Sticky's, which is a chicken finger joint I saw profiled on the Food Network a month ago. If I had an appetite, I definitely would have checked it out. But we wound up shopping at a bunch of thrift stores. We found a lot of horrible clothes, beat up electronic equipment, old music and movies, and even a few VHS tapes on how to have better sex. For $1.99? At the Army/Navy store, Catherine got fixated on this black Canadian officer jacket and I took a photo of her wearing it along with her dark sunglasses.
We left the Village around 5:00 and headed back to Queens. Francis and Lauren came back from the beach of us and the six of us feasted on burgers, hot dogs, excellent cheese and garlic sausage, roasted zucchini, pickles, and pasta salad. For dessert, we had berries with fresh whipped cream and I snuck in one of those Italian sesame cookies, one of my favorites. It felt like eating in the North Pole, since Ellen jacked the A/C up as high as it could go. Catherine, Lauren, Francis, and I stayed in the kitchen talking about whatever and the whole time, I was wondering if we could put on a bonfire. Of course, they took an unnecessary shot at the Jets and I took off downstairs for five minutes. I really don't need a girlfriend who's going to act like a prick. I just don't.
Anyway, around 9:30 pm, Lauren left for home, Francis went upstairs, and Catherine and I went downstairs and watched Forever Young, an old Mel Gibson movie. Three minutes in, I figured why she picked that film. There's only two songs in the entire film and one of them is "The Very Thought of You" by Billie Holliday. And they play that song at least five times throughout the film. Enough details there, I'll just let that be...I thoguht it was an okay film, maybe a little sappy. After it was over, we watched the last two minutes of the Jets pre-season loss to Carolina. I didn't really care that Tebow was unable to drive the team to a touchdown on the last drive, it's not gonna be the situation when the regular season begins.
We spent a last couple of moments togethger before saying good night. But I guess we just weren't ready to let go just yet. We fell back together...Took another half hour for the night to finally end...
Woke up at 4:20 and got the first flight of New York out at 6:30. I'd like to thank the large man in front of me who leaned his seat all the way back in my lap as well as the two women one row behind me who yelled at each other in Spanish for the entire 2.5 hour flight. They really made that trip a pleasure and a half...
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Round 4-NYC-Saturday
I struggled to sleep that first night, I couldn't seem to get my neck into a comfortable position. When I'm not in my own bed, I never seem to sleep well that first night, it doesn't matter if I'm in a house, a hotel, on a couch, or on a floor! I eventually woke up around 8:45 and headed upstairs. As usual, Ellen offered me everything under the sun for breakfast. I accepted two slices of rye toast and a glass of OJ. I knew better, I was going to save my appetite for Citi Field later on that afternoon.
Catherine came downstairs and Francis followed a while later. Now a month prior, Francis had purchased a new car. I went outside and took a look. Now I'm not a big car guy, but this was tremendous. He has a black Chevy Camaro with a red stripe going down the hood. It's a 45th anniversary special edition. Two doors, leather interior, XM radio, digital instrument panel, I admit it is one sweet ride. While Catherine took her usual hour to get ready, Francis asked me if I had my driver's license. When I told him I did, he asked if I wanted to test drive the car. My mouth dropped. "You bet I would!" So I took the car for 10 minutes with him in the passenger seat. We cruised around Juniper Valley park twice. About five minutes before we arrived back at the house, my phone vibrated, but I was not about to check it while I was driving someone else's car.
We pulled up to the curb and sure enough, Catherine was standing outside, hands on her hips, giving both of us the death stare. She got into the shotgun seat without a word and we left at 10:30. The three of us were dead quiet the whole 15-minute ride. Halfway through, I checked my phone and realized she was the one who texted me, asking us to come back.
Catherine came downstairs and Francis followed a while later. Now a month prior, Francis had purchased a new car. I went outside and took a look. Now I'm not a big car guy, but this was tremendous. He has a black Chevy Camaro with a red stripe going down the hood. It's a 45th anniversary special edition. Two doors, leather interior, XM radio, digital instrument panel, I admit it is one sweet ride. While Catherine took her usual hour to get ready, Francis asked me if I had my driver's license. When I told him I did, he asked if I wanted to test drive the car. My mouth dropped. "You bet I would!" So I took the car for 10 minutes with him in the passenger seat. We cruised around Juniper Valley park twice. About five minutes before we arrived back at the house, my phone vibrated, but I was not about to check it while I was driving someone else's car.
We pulled up to the curb and sure enough, Catherine was standing outside, hands on her hips, giving both of us the death stare. She got into the shotgun seat without a word and we left at 10:30. The three of us were dead quiet the whole 15-minute ride. Halfway through, I checked my phone and realized she was the one who texted me, asking us to come back.
Anyway, she and I took the 7 train to Citi Field. As we got on line at the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, I looked to my right and saw this tan dog that had been dressed up. He was wearing a black Mets jersey, a funky blue and orange Mets hat, a burnt orange bandana, and a pair of dark sunglasses. Oh, and he had a pipe in his mouth. Poor guy. So as we entered, we got our Mike Piazza bobbleheads and headed straight for the Acela club in left field. It's a very bougie club, with a prie fixe menu. It would be a nice place to stay and watch a game, especially if we had taken the row of seats that are outside the club and almost hang over the field. Maybe that'll come another day.
We walked downstairs to the left field corner and watched Houston take batting practice. One guy was screaming at a Hispanic Houston player for an autograph. When the player refused, the fan actually started cursing at the player. Even worse, his kids were standing right next to him. And he subsequently got thrown out along with his kids. How dumb was this guy?
Anyway, after unsuccessfully trying to shag a ball, we went over to Mamma's and got a couple of Italian special sandwiches. Considering it was also Italian Heritage Day at Citi Field, it seemed only appropriate. Genoa salami, peppered ham, homemade mozzarella, roasted peppers, and marinated mushrooms on a semolina roll, it's just a wonderful combination. Continuing to avoid Pepsi, I drank a Lipton citrus green tea and it was really good too. The Mets brought in an opera singer, Chris Macchio, who sang a few Italian songs before the game. I couldn't understand one word, but his voice sounded magnificent.
Then around the 8th inning, this older guy sat next to me and called me by my name. "Adam, do you mind if I sit next to you for a minute?" I had no idea who this was. But once he told me his name, it all clicked. It was Paul Linekin, who's a Rangers fan I had met two years ago at the viewing party in Hackensack. We caught up for a few minutes before he went back to sit with his kids. I guess his kids saw Catherine's Henrik Lundqvist t-shirt and then he recognized me.
As for the game, R.A. Dickey had an excellent performance on the mound, which he's been doing all season. He earned his 16th win of the season and I hope he'll find a way to get four more before the year is over. Justin Turner hit a home run and the Mets snapped their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Astros. Catherine and I stayed another few minutes afterwards, hoping to find an extra Piazza bobblehead. No luck.
From Flushing, we took the 7 Express train to Queensboro Plaza, before boarding the N Train to Coney Island. The whole trip took about an hour and 45. We made it to MCU Park in Coney Island around 5:50, just 15 minutes before first pitch. This park is absolutely tiny, even by minor league standards. The lines for the food were absolutely ridiculous, each one must have had 30-40 people on it. In the third inning, Catherine took off for a while. Ten minutes later, I got a text from her saying there was a contest going on in the Cyclones bullpen in right field. There were three different cups set up throughout the grass and if you could drop a quarter in one of the cups, about 15 feet down, you could win either a baseball signed by the team or a baseball signed by Johan Santana.
We tried about a dozen times combined, but never quite pulled it off. Not even when we tried dimes or nickels. Then we walked around the concourse before heading into the team store. We found some nice gear, but nothing really worth buying. Actually, I really liked the blue and orange alternate Gary Carter memorial jersey, but not for $106.00. They also had a local kid who's with the Harlem Globetrotters now signing autographs. I think his name was Cheese or something like that.
We tried about a dozen times combined, but never quite pulled it off. Not even when we tried dimes or nickels. Then we walked around the concourse before heading into the team store. We found some nice gear, but nothing really worth buying. Actually, I really liked the blue and orange alternate Gary Carter memorial jersey, but not for $106.00. They also had a local kid who's with the Harlem Globetrotters now signing autographs. I think his name was Cheese or something like that.
The game was never really a contest as the Cyclones wasted the Yankees 11-0. That was the only game they would win in the three-game series. Since we hadn't eaten since 12:30 and it was almost 8, we needed to get something to eat. The shortest line we could find was for the Brooklyn Burger stand. It was maybe eight people long. We stood in that damn line for at least a half hour just to get a pair of thin burgers. Not really worth it.
For this game, the Cyclones were sporting these really unique jerseys. They were black with ice blue outlines of the various rides at Coney Island Amusement Park. After the game, they were going to raffle the jerseys away to the fans right off their backs, kind of like the Rangers do at the end of every hockey season. So we brought ten raffle tickets for $10.00. Our six digits ranged from 208530 to 208539. Now usually with these tickets, the first two or three numbers are always the same and then it's all up to luck. Well, they called 20 numbers and only once did we even get the first digit right! At least 15 started with a 5. It got so bad that as they were reading off a number, I started shouting out "FIVE!" And after just the fifth jersey didn't go our way, Catherine was on the verge of cussing every time they called a number out.
The evening ended with a fireworks display over left field. Not the best I've seen this summer, but it ended well. We weren't quite ready to head back home yet, so we took a walk on the beach. As we shuffled barefoot through the sand, we gazed back at the amusement park, which was all lit up. And it looked pretty spectacular. Then, we found this vacant lifeguard chair, which we climbed into and we just held hands and kissed for a while. After a while, the wind picked up and turned colder, so we jumped off the tower together and walked back to the boardwalk.
I was pretty hungry so I decided to grab a hot dog at Nathan's before boarding the subway. We went to the boardwalk Nathan's stand, not the main stand, which is a block away from the beach on Surf Avenue. I should have known quickly what we were in for. As I looked at the staff, most of them seemed pretty disinterested in what they were doing. I didn't pay too close attention to the two groups ahead of us in line, but I know they messed up the order and it took way too long. After 20 minutes of waiting to just order, we asked for one hot dog apiece, Catherine got hers with sauteed onions. She ordered a small diet Coke while I asked for a medium regular Coke. The girl who took the order began to fill the medium cup with diet. No good. We had that corrected and she apologized. About five minutes, I got my frank. We waited at least ten minutes for Catherine's frank. Meanwhile, the two women behind us already received their order. At that point, I'd had enough and spoke up. We explained we wanted a hot dog with onions. She came back two minutes with a plain frank. I tightened my jaw as Catherine asked for the onions for what really was the third time. Then she took the frank again and began spooning, not onions, but sauerkraut on top. We stared at each other in disbelief. Was this idiot hard of hearing or did she just not give a damn? We just figured we'd forget it. I added mustard to mine, she added ketchup (inexplicably), and we gobbled them up. I love those hot dogs, but that service was an absolute abomination. If I was her boss, I'd have fired her on the spot.
Then, began the saga home. We took the N and in the car next to us was this homeless guy. He had a thick gray beard, his shirt was ripped open in the back, and he actually reeked through the car. Catherine noticed him first as he urinated between cars out onto the tracks. She looked very uncomfortable, so we switched to another car. Once we sat down in a car that we knew the man would not be able to walk to, we were both breathing a lot easier.
Then we took the L and there was basically no room to sit down or even move. She leaned against the window facing the car, while I faced her. All of a sudden, her jaw dropped instantly in shock. I ahd no idea what was going on, but I spun around to my left to see what was going on. This one guy had a cage filled with six or seven exotic birds. One of the birds had gotten loose and was flying through the car. Thankfully, this one guy who looked like Snoop Dogg got him and returned him to the owner.
We were only going to ride the M train for only four stops back to Metropolitan Avenue, so I figured the drama was over for the night. No such luck. I sat down and Catherine stood across from me. I looked to my left and saw this small dark-skinned lady with a bolt in both her nostrils and a pile of dreadlocks on her head. Now I've seen some long dreadlocks in my life. But these didn't just hang down. These were swirled on her head, maybe in honor of the dairy Queen, I don't know. It was like a molehill or a bird's nest. I had no problem with it, if that's part of her culture, that's cool. It's just hair, she can wear it how she chooses to. But one gentleman didn't feel the same. He must have been 60, wearing a wife-beater, had a big potbelly, looking miserable. Even my grandfather would have seen this guy and said "Lighten up, man." He sat down near me, noticed the woman, and mumbled out loud "What da fuck is dat?" Catherine looked over and did her best to not totally burst out laughing. She told me later she thought the guy was looking at the birds. Unfortunately, Mr. Sensitive wasn't done. He mumbled out loud about how she must be carrying tons of diseases and how screwed up the world was. Over a head of hair. I couldn't have been happier to get away from him. Actually, I was happier to get away from the homeless guy, but not by a wide margin. Just an other Saturday night on the NYC subway.
We made it home at 12:45 a.m. After we both changed and cleaned up, she came downstairs to the basement and after a while, we said good night...both wearing smiles.
Then, began the saga home. We took the N and in the car next to us was this homeless guy. He had a thick gray beard, his shirt was ripped open in the back, and he actually reeked through the car. Catherine noticed him first as he urinated between cars out onto the tracks. She looked very uncomfortable, so we switched to another car. Once we sat down in a car that we knew the man would not be able to walk to, we were both breathing a lot easier.
Then we took the L and there was basically no room to sit down or even move. She leaned against the window facing the car, while I faced her. All of a sudden, her jaw dropped instantly in shock. I ahd no idea what was going on, but I spun around to my left to see what was going on. This one guy had a cage filled with six or seven exotic birds. One of the birds had gotten loose and was flying through the car. Thankfully, this one guy who looked like Snoop Dogg got him and returned him to the owner.
We were only going to ride the M train for only four stops back to Metropolitan Avenue, so I figured the drama was over for the night. No such luck. I sat down and Catherine stood across from me. I looked to my left and saw this small dark-skinned lady with a bolt in both her nostrils and a pile of dreadlocks on her head. Now I've seen some long dreadlocks in my life. But these didn't just hang down. These were swirled on her head, maybe in honor of the dairy Queen, I don't know. It was like a molehill or a bird's nest. I had no problem with it, if that's part of her culture, that's cool. It's just hair, she can wear it how she chooses to. But one gentleman didn't feel the same. He must have been 60, wearing a wife-beater, had a big potbelly, looking miserable. Even my grandfather would have seen this guy and said "Lighten up, man." He sat down near me, noticed the woman, and mumbled out loud "What da fuck is dat?" Catherine looked over and did her best to not totally burst out laughing. She told me later she thought the guy was looking at the birds. Unfortunately, Mr. Sensitive wasn't done. He mumbled out loud about how she must be carrying tons of diseases and how screwed up the world was. Over a head of hair. I couldn't have been happier to get away from him. Actually, I was happier to get away from the homeless guy, but not by a wide margin. Just an other Saturday night on the NYC subway.
We made it home at 12:45 a.m. After we both changed and cleaned up, she came downstairs to the basement and after a while, we said good night...both wearing smiles.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Round 4-NYC-Friday
So I woke up at 3:30 am, left the house a half hour later, and drove to Blue Sky Parking in Schiller Park. I had to re-route thanks to the stalled freight train on Irving Park Road, but eventually it worked out. I made the first flight at 6 AM pretty easily. I didn't sleep much, I did work on the Sudoku puzzles in the back of the American Way magazine. I got through the Easy and Difficult puzzles. But that Diabolical one, well I'm halfway done. So I did what I would never recommend anyone do. I ripped the page out of the magazine and stuffed it in my backpack. I'm gonna finish it one of these days.
Angelo and Ellen picked me up at LaGuardia around 9:30. We drove back to Middle Village, where I changed clothes and did some unpacking. Catherine was still at camp, so that's why I planned to head into Manhattan alone for a while. I wasn't about to sit around the house with Ellen surrounded by cats, especially on such a nice day.
But since Angelo was heading into work, he offered to go with me. I agreed. Ellen even gave me her Metrocard for the subway, which wound up having $25.00 on it! So Angelo and I boarded the M train and took it to Essex St, which is on the Lower East side of Manhattan. We went to Katz's deli, where I hadn't been in five years. For all the good food we have in Chicago, a great deli is virtually impossible to find. He went with the corned beef on rye; I opted for the corned beef and pastrami combo with Swiss cheese on rye. I love that they hand carve the meat, which makes the slices thicker and taste meatier. And as they carved the meats, they handed up small sample slices of the meats we ordered. It was really cool. I let Angelo enjoy my pastrami sample. I also ordered a nosh (snack size) of knoblewurst. Months earlier, I had been watching The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network. This one episode was about foods with garlic and this one guy talked about Katz's knoblewurst, which is a garlicky beef sausage. I figured for $6.50, I'd give it a shot. We each got a side of half-sour pickles and a Dr. Brown's soda and sat down to eat.
The pickles, to be honest, disappointed me. They just tasted like they hadn't been sitting in the brine long enough, they tasted too much like cucumbers. The corned/beef pastrami is simply the best I have ever had. The corned beef tasted warm and moist and I was amazed how much I enjoyed the spice of the pastrami. But the knoblewurst knocked me out, probably because I had no idea what to expect. It looked like a thick kielbasa sliced lengthwise, crisped up on a flat top grill, and served on rye bread. It reminded me of a thick hot dog, loaded up with garlic. I absolutely loved it and would order it again. We walked out with our stamped tickets, which the staff marks every time a customer orders something. I was about to hand mine to the cashier, and Angelo promptly snatched it and paid for the whole meal. It came to about $50.00, which was very generous of him.
So we then took the F train and I got off at Rockefeller Center while Angelo continued on the F to the Upper East Side. The station left me right outside the NHL Store on 6th Avenue. I went inside and I noticed they had remodeled the front of the store since I had last been there. Instead of the team jerseys being lined up behind each other, it now resembles a locker room setup. I wound up buying a Rangers heritage logo banner.
From there, I walked over to Rockefeller Center. There was a Farmer's market going on, where I got a cup of cold apple cider, very refreshing on a hot day like this. I even got to sneak in a sample of apple cider donut. Tremendous. vendors were also selling fruit, breads, plants, and flowers. I even walked by a taping of Access Hollywood, sadly, Michelle Beadle was nowhere to be found. I knew the Jets team shop was on Madison Avenue, but I wasn't sure of the street. I checked the location and found out it was only two streets and one avenue away. I headed straight over and arrived in a few minutes. It was like Shangri-La to be surrounded by Green, especially with all the Yankee and Giant crap I have to be surrounded by in the Illuzzi house. I found the Jets heritage logo banner and brought it as well. So I guess the money I would have spent on Katz's and train tickets went straight to the banners.
After I left the shop, it was around 12:15. I walked six blocks south to Bryant Park on 42nd street and sat in the sun for maybe an hour. Took my sneakers and socks off and just enjoyed the chance to get off my feet and chill out. I left around 1:45 and since it was a weekday, I could take the M all the way back to Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village. The ride took me an hour and when I arrived in Queens, Catherine had just arrived home from camp about ten minutes prior. After drinking a few cups of much-needed ice water, I went back downstairs to clean up and when I came back up, she was sitting at the kitchen table eating a plate of pasta salad. Sadly, with olives. She told me that was all she had eaten all day except for the four donuts she had at camp that morning. Anyway, we left around 2:45 and took the two hour train ride to Coney Island. I couldn't believe it took two hours to go what felt like such a short distance. i mean I can drive to Madison or Milwaukee in two hours! But we had arrive by 5, because we wanted to get the Brooklyn Cyclones vs Staten Island Yankees tickets before the box office closed. This would prevent us from having to pay the online fee.
So then we walked through the amusement park and she got a lemon-lime slushie. It didn't do much for me. For weeks leading up to the weekend, she told me she really wanted to go on the Wonder Wheel together. I don't do well with heights, but I figured I may as well do it. She had us get in the swinging line as opposed to the stationary line. I wondered what that was all about. Basically, some of the cars aren't tied to the wheel, which is the case with most other wheels. But some of the cars on the Wonder Wheel slide on rails. So as we sat in the car and went up, we started to move straight out and then go up, and it looked like we were about to fly right over the edge of the wheel! But it stopped on the edge of the rail and we started moving back and forth, just like a swingset. I was still trying to catch my breath when I realized we were already halfway down. We went around one more time and that was it. At least I finally had the nerve to ride a Ferris wheel for the first time that I can remember. So then we kept walking through the park and found a guy walking around with a 20-foot boa constrictor snake. We petted him and the guy even let Catherine have her photo taken with the the boa on her shoulders.
We then took the N train one stop north to 86th Street and walked a few blocks to L&B Spumoni Gardens for some Sicilian-style pizza. I had heard about this place for years; it was only 1.5 miles from where my grandparents had lived and where my Dad grew up. Yet I had never been there before. We ordered a $19.00 half pie, which is 12 square-shaped slices. She placed the order and it was out in three minutes. I guess they prepare them in advance because the demand is so high! This was just amazing pizza. The crust was thick and crunchy, the ruby red sauce tasted homemade. The mozzarella is layered under the sauce and there was just enough to bring the whole slice together. I added a little extra oregano and parmesan cheese. Nothing else is needed, no sausage, no pepperoni, no veggies. It tastes perfect just the way it is. I topped it off with a small watermelon ice, which I split with Catherine. I would have loved the vanilla/orange sherbet soft swirl, but I passed.
We were both pretty exhausted by this point, so we headed home around 11. We took the D to the N to the M, it took a little over an hour. While she was upstairs, I drank a couple of Stellas. I flipped the dials, but nothing really interested me on the tube. She came downstairs and suffice to say, we enjoyed each other's company for a little while before saying good night.
Angelo and Ellen picked me up at LaGuardia around 9:30. We drove back to Middle Village, where I changed clothes and did some unpacking. Catherine was still at camp, so that's why I planned to head into Manhattan alone for a while. I wasn't about to sit around the house with Ellen surrounded by cats, especially on such a nice day.
But since Angelo was heading into work, he offered to go with me. I agreed. Ellen even gave me her Metrocard for the subway, which wound up having $25.00 on it! So Angelo and I boarded the M train and took it to Essex St, which is on the Lower East side of Manhattan. We went to Katz's deli, where I hadn't been in five years. For all the good food we have in Chicago, a great deli is virtually impossible to find. He went with the corned beef on rye; I opted for the corned beef and pastrami combo with Swiss cheese on rye. I love that they hand carve the meat, which makes the slices thicker and taste meatier. And as they carved the meats, they handed up small sample slices of the meats we ordered. It was really cool. I let Angelo enjoy my pastrami sample. I also ordered a nosh (snack size) of knoblewurst. Months earlier, I had been watching The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network. This one episode was about foods with garlic and this one guy talked about Katz's knoblewurst, which is a garlicky beef sausage. I figured for $6.50, I'd give it a shot. We each got a side of half-sour pickles and a Dr. Brown's soda and sat down to eat.
The pickles, to be honest, disappointed me. They just tasted like they hadn't been sitting in the brine long enough, they tasted too much like cucumbers. The corned/beef pastrami is simply the best I have ever had. The corned beef tasted warm and moist and I was amazed how much I enjoyed the spice of the pastrami. But the knoblewurst knocked me out, probably because I had no idea what to expect. It looked like a thick kielbasa sliced lengthwise, crisped up on a flat top grill, and served on rye bread. It reminded me of a thick hot dog, loaded up with garlic. I absolutely loved it and would order it again. We walked out with our stamped tickets, which the staff marks every time a customer orders something. I was about to hand mine to the cashier, and Angelo promptly snatched it and paid for the whole meal. It came to about $50.00, which was very generous of him.
So we then took the F train and I got off at Rockefeller Center while Angelo continued on the F to the Upper East Side. The station left me right outside the NHL Store on 6th Avenue. I went inside and I noticed they had remodeled the front of the store since I had last been there. Instead of the team jerseys being lined up behind each other, it now resembles a locker room setup. I wound up buying a Rangers heritage logo banner.
From there, I walked over to Rockefeller Center. There was a Farmer's market going on, where I got a cup of cold apple cider, very refreshing on a hot day like this. I even got to sneak in a sample of apple cider donut. Tremendous. vendors were also selling fruit, breads, plants, and flowers. I even walked by a taping of Access Hollywood, sadly, Michelle Beadle was nowhere to be found. I knew the Jets team shop was on Madison Avenue, but I wasn't sure of the street. I checked the location and found out it was only two streets and one avenue away. I headed straight over and arrived in a few minutes. It was like Shangri-La to be surrounded by Green, especially with all the Yankee and Giant crap I have to be surrounded by in the Illuzzi house. I found the Jets heritage logo banner and brought it as well. So I guess the money I would have spent on Katz's and train tickets went straight to the banners.
After I left the shop, it was around 12:15. I walked six blocks south to Bryant Park on 42nd street and sat in the sun for maybe an hour. Took my sneakers and socks off and just enjoyed the chance to get off my feet and chill out. I left around 1:45 and since it was a weekday, I could take the M all the way back to Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village. The ride took me an hour and when I arrived in Queens, Catherine had just arrived home from camp about ten minutes prior. After drinking a few cups of much-needed ice water, I went back downstairs to clean up and when I came back up, she was sitting at the kitchen table eating a plate of pasta salad. Sadly, with olives. She told me that was all she had eaten all day except for the four donuts she had at camp that morning. Anyway, we left around 2:45 and took the two hour train ride to Coney Island. I couldn't believe it took two hours to go what felt like such a short distance. i mean I can drive to Madison or Milwaukee in two hours! But we had arrive by 5, because we wanted to get the Brooklyn Cyclones vs Staten Island Yankees tickets before the box office closed. This would prevent us from having to pay the online fee.
So then we walked through the amusement park and she got a lemon-lime slushie. It didn't do much for me. For weeks leading up to the weekend, she told me she really wanted to go on the Wonder Wheel together. I don't do well with heights, but I figured I may as well do it. She had us get in the swinging line as opposed to the stationary line. I wondered what that was all about. Basically, some of the cars aren't tied to the wheel, which is the case with most other wheels. But some of the cars on the Wonder Wheel slide on rails. So as we sat in the car and went up, we started to move straight out and then go up, and it looked like we were about to fly right over the edge of the wheel! But it stopped on the edge of the rail and we started moving back and forth, just like a swingset. I was still trying to catch my breath when I realized we were already halfway down. We went around one more time and that was it. At least I finally had the nerve to ride a Ferris wheel for the first time that I can remember. So then we kept walking through the park and found a guy walking around with a 20-foot boa constrictor snake. We petted him and the guy even let Catherine have her photo taken with the the boa on her shoulders.
We then took the N train one stop north to 86th Street and walked a few blocks to L&B Spumoni Gardens for some Sicilian-style pizza. I had heard about this place for years; it was only 1.5 miles from where my grandparents had lived and where my Dad grew up. Yet I had never been there before. We ordered a $19.00 half pie, which is 12 square-shaped slices. She placed the order and it was out in three minutes. I guess they prepare them in advance because the demand is so high! This was just amazing pizza. The crust was thick and crunchy, the ruby red sauce tasted homemade. The mozzarella is layered under the sauce and there was just enough to bring the whole slice together. I added a little extra oregano and parmesan cheese. Nothing else is needed, no sausage, no pepperoni, no veggies. It tastes perfect just the way it is. I topped it off with a small watermelon ice, which I split with Catherine. I would have loved the vanilla/orange sherbet soft swirl, but I passed.
We were both pretty exhausted by this point, so we headed home around 11. We took the D to the N to the M, it took a little over an hour. While she was upstairs, I drank a couple of Stellas. I flipped the dials, but nothing really interested me on the tube. She came downstairs and suffice to say, we enjoyed each other's company for a little while before saying good night.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Charlie Daniels set list
Redneck Fiddlin' Man
Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye
Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye
The Legend of Wooley Swamp
Saddle Tramp
Jam
A Few More Rednecks
Even Up The Score
Standing In the Rain
Black Ice
Let 'Em Win or Bring 'Em Home
Saddle Tramp
Jam
A Few More Rednecks
Even Up The Score
Standing In the Rain
Black Ice
Long Haired Country Boy
Folsom Prison Blues
How Great Thou Art
How Great Thou Art
William Tell Overture
The South's Gonna Do It Again
The Devil Went Down to Georgia
The South's Gonna Do It Again
The Devil Went Down to Georgia
Friday, August 17, 2012
Quiet Friday night
I think this is going to be a pretty good weekend, we'll get to that in due time.
1) Five bonus songs in follow up to the "Karma" post
1) "Best I Ever Had" Gary Allan (it's a shame I didn't put this in my top 10, this is so fitting for the situation)
2) "Fool Hearted Memory" George Strait
3) "Too Much On My Heart" Statler Brothers
4) "Till I Get It Right" Tammy Wynette
5) "Drinkin' Me Lonely" Chris Young
2) So my boss is now no longer my boss. He got a new position in the Schaumburg building where he'll get to head up a new team that's similar to what he worked with before he came to us. I don't feel too good about it, he was a pretty solid boss. I have no idea who my manager is going to be. Just as long as I'm not reporting directly to my boss' boss, I think I'm fine.
3) One week till I'm in New York City. It's not that I'm so excited to see CI. I'm just anxious to get out of here for a while. And a corned beef/pastrami from Katz' deli is most definitely on my agenda!
4) Never wear a red shirt to Target...I don't mind helping people out but..not every 30 seconds.
5) Currently reading the biography on Gil Hodges. I'm definitely looking forward to it. Next will be John Ortberg's newest book, "Who Was This Man?"
1) Five bonus songs in follow up to the "Karma" post
1) "Best I Ever Had" Gary Allan (it's a shame I didn't put this in my top 10, this is so fitting for the situation)
2) "Fool Hearted Memory" George Strait
3) "Too Much On My Heart" Statler Brothers
4) "Till I Get It Right" Tammy Wynette
5) "Drinkin' Me Lonely" Chris Young
2) So my boss is now no longer my boss. He got a new position in the Schaumburg building where he'll get to head up a new team that's similar to what he worked with before he came to us. I don't feel too good about it, he was a pretty solid boss. I have no idea who my manager is going to be. Just as long as I'm not reporting directly to my boss' boss, I think I'm fine.
3) One week till I'm in New York City. It's not that I'm so excited to see CI. I'm just anxious to get out of here for a while. And a corned beef/pastrami from Katz' deli is most definitely on my agenda!
4) Never wear a red shirt to Target...I don't mind helping people out but..not every 30 seconds.
5) Currently reading the biography on Gil Hodges. I'm definitely looking forward to it. Next will be John Ortberg's newest book, "Who Was This Man?"
Monday, August 13, 2012
Just coming on the end of August...
1) Another summer's promise almost gone. And though I heard some wise men say that every dog will have his day, they never mentioned that these dog days get so long. (from "Waiting in the Weeds" by the Eagles)
2) In the next 30 days, trips are planned to New York City, the Michigan dunes, and Baltimore. I guess that last one is news to a certain member of my viewing audience.
3) So the deserter showed up to my church this past Sunday. I had attended the earlier service though, so I didn't find out until later that night. I wonder what the motivation for this appearance was. then again, I don't want to care.
4) Felt so great to get back into the gym after two weeks away. I was proud of myself for lifting lighter than normal and not trying to push myself too hard too fast. I'm sure by the weekend I'll be back to lifting my usual numbers.
5) Gonna try to make it over to the Air and Water show downtown before getting back to Aurora for the Georgia Satellites and Charlie Daniels concert that evening. Won't be easy, but I want to see if I can pull this one off.
2) In the next 30 days, trips are planned to New York City, the Michigan dunes, and Baltimore. I guess that last one is news to a certain member of my viewing audience.
3) So the deserter showed up to my church this past Sunday. I had attended the earlier service though, so I didn't find out until later that night. I wonder what the motivation for this appearance was. then again, I don't want to care.
4) Felt so great to get back into the gym after two weeks away. I was proud of myself for lifting lighter than normal and not trying to push myself too hard too fast. I'm sure by the weekend I'll be back to lifting my usual numbers.
5) Gonna try to make it over to the Air and Water show downtown before getting back to Aurora for the Georgia Satellites and Charlie Daniels concert that evening. Won't be easy, but I want to see if I can pull this one off.
Sunday, August 05, 2012
August 2 recap
Thought I forgot my phone at office
Found it
Took blue line two stops to Jefferson Park
81 bus east on Lawrence
Through Hispanic neighborhood-Albany Park
Monti's on Halman Street
Philly style food
They ship the Amoroso rolls from Philly
Footlong cheesesteak with onions, mushrooms and provolone
Lincoln Square
Farmer's market
Bacon sausage
Jazz band
Walked down Lincoln Street
NY Giants bar-I wanted to vomit
Flyers shirt
Old Town School of Folk
Never seen so many people carrying guitars in one place
Cool music store
Tons of instruments
Manish shows up with his friend Grace
"Lead Balloon"
Great show
Random anecdotes
Fighting off bronchitis
Settled for handshake and autograph afterwards
Waited 20 minutes for bus
Took a photo of the Abraham Lincoln statue
Waited another 15 minutes for the Blue line
Home at midnight
Found it
Took blue line two stops to Jefferson Park
81 bus east on Lawrence
Through Hispanic neighborhood-Albany Park
Monti's on Halman Street
Philly style food
They ship the Amoroso rolls from Philly
Footlong cheesesteak with onions, mushrooms and provolone
Lincoln Square
Farmer's market
Bacon sausage
Jazz band
Walked down Lincoln Street
NY Giants bar-I wanted to vomit
Flyers shirt
Old Town School of Folk
Never seen so many people carrying guitars in one place
Cool music store
Tons of instruments
Manish shows up with his friend Grace
"Lead Balloon"
Great show
Random anecdotes
Fighting off bronchitis
Settled for handshake and autograph afterwards
Waited 20 minutes for bus
Took a photo of the Abraham Lincoln statue
Waited another 15 minutes for the Blue line
Home at midnight
Karma?
I don't really believe in karma, the whole what goes around comes around thing. Because good things constantly happen to bad people and bad things constantly happen to good people. I think it's just a convenient way for some people to be spiritual. But I do think a certain thing came full circle tonight.
I look back to the excitement of July 4 in Itasca. The promise of something new, something fresh, something so exhilarating, something even a little bit scary. But the rush I felt that night as I danced and 7th Heaven played "Don't Stop Believing" and "Free Falling" and a few other songs I can't remember was one that felt so right. It was special. It was...magic. Then we walked back to our group as we watched one of the most spectacular fireworks displays ever go off. I truly felt my life had changed that night.
Now I think about tonight, exactly one month later on August 4th. I brought 4 tickets to the Kane County Cougars game against Cedar Rapids. Chris and Allison came and they were great company. But that fourth ticket that was reserved for a certain someone, well, it never got claimed. We enjoyed the game together and afterwards, the post-game entertainment consisted of a magic show and fireworks. As I sat in the first base side seats listening to the Wilco music, I saw the fireworks pop again. But this time, I had no one to hold. Even though I was sitting next to my friends, I still felt so alone. And I have a sick feeling it's over. And it absolutely disgusts me that I don't even get an explanation why. It just rips my heart out. I don't even know what I did wrong, or even if I did anything wrong. It's just not right. It's just not.
Top 10 Songs for tonight
"Tears On My Pillow" Little Anthony & the Imperials
"Living For the Night" George Strait
"Love Lost" Mindy Smith
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" Bee Gees/Al Green
"Somewhere In My Broken Heart" Billy Dean
"I Sure Can Smell the Rain" Black Hawk
"Winner at a Losing Game" Rascal Flatts
"Blue Moon With Heartache" Rosanne Cash
"Arrow Through the Heart" Andy Gibb
"Crying" Roy Orbison
I look back to the excitement of July 4 in Itasca. The promise of something new, something fresh, something so exhilarating, something even a little bit scary. But the rush I felt that night as I danced and 7th Heaven played "Don't Stop Believing" and "Free Falling" and a few other songs I can't remember was one that felt so right. It was special. It was...magic. Then we walked back to our group as we watched one of the most spectacular fireworks displays ever go off. I truly felt my life had changed that night.
Now I think about tonight, exactly one month later on August 4th. I brought 4 tickets to the Kane County Cougars game against Cedar Rapids. Chris and Allison came and they were great company. But that fourth ticket that was reserved for a certain someone, well, it never got claimed. We enjoyed the game together and afterwards, the post-game entertainment consisted of a magic show and fireworks. As I sat in the first base side seats listening to the Wilco music, I saw the fireworks pop again. But this time, I had no one to hold. Even though I was sitting next to my friends, I still felt so alone. And I have a sick feeling it's over. And it absolutely disgusts me that I don't even get an explanation why. It just rips my heart out. I don't even know what I did wrong, or even if I did anything wrong. It's just not right. It's just not.
Top 10 Songs for tonight
"Tears On My Pillow" Little Anthony & the Imperials
"Living For the Night" George Strait
"Love Lost" Mindy Smith
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" Bee Gees/Al Green
"Somewhere In My Broken Heart" Billy Dean
"I Sure Can Smell the Rain" Black Hawk
"Winner at a Losing Game" Rascal Flatts
"Blue Moon With Heartache" Rosanne Cash
"Arrow Through the Heart" Andy Gibb
"Crying" Roy Orbison
Friday, August 03, 2012
Mindy Smith set list
Main Show
Come to Jesus
Pretending the Stars
Cure For Love
Out Loud
Sober
Bad Guy
If I
Highs and Lows
Closer
If I Didn’t Know Any Better
Tennessee
Raggedy Ann
Tin Can
Encore
One Moment More
What Went Wrong
Love Lost
Jolene
Come to Jesus
Pretending the Stars
Cure For Love
Out Loud
Sober
Bad Guy
If I
Highs and Lows
Closer
If I Didn’t Know Any Better
Tennessee
Raggedy Ann
Tin Can
Encore
One Moment More
What Went Wrong
Love Lost
Jolene
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day
So Chick-Fil-A has been under fire ever since their company president and COO, Dan Cathy, stated publicly in Baptist magazine that he believes in the traditional family unit and does not support same-sex marriage. Consequently, many people, including the mayors of Boston and Chicago, and the American media, railed against the company. Chicago mayor Rahim Emanuel even stated that Chick-Fil-A's values don't reflect the values of the city of Chicago and he would not allow another franchise to open in the city. So about a week ago, I found out through Michelle, my friend in San Diego, that Mike Huckabee was organizing a Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day for August 1. I decided immediately to participate.
After a Wednesday morning round of disc golf at Wheeler Park, I left the house at 10:40, arriving at the Schaumburg Chick-Fil-A around 11:15. I figured it would take 15 minutes or so to get my lunch and that I could make the 20-minute drive back to Hoffman Estates and get to work on time at noon. Well, that didn't happen. Because what I saw amazed me. The two drive-thru lanes must have had 20 cars lined up in each queue. And the line for inside had already stretched outside the door.
The restaurant lot was totally full so I parked in the Champps lot. I then walked a good two minutes to the back of the line. With a long wait ahead of me, I chatted with a few people. One was a short, silver-haired woman who told me her story of how she and her parents escaped communism. She told me she was coming not just to support traditional values, but because she believes in free speech and that’s why America is the best country in the world. I thought that was just tremendous. There were three guys from O’Hare right behind me too. I didn’t chat too much with them; they were kind of in their own world, wondering if they could get back to work on time. I have to admit I was thinking the same thing about myself! Then, there was the guy in front of me who looked like a young businessman. Blue button-down shirt, cache pants, and constantly checking his Motorola. He casually remarked that he thought the place was offering free sandwiches and if that's why everyone was lined up.
I got inside around 11:35 and placed my order, the #6 combo meal. I ordered four chicken tenders with honey mustard, waffle fries, and a sweet tea. Yeah, I wanted a healthier side dish, but come on, do I really have to settle for carrot/raisin salad? And cole slaw is out of the question! Maybe I should have upgraded to a side salad for $0.50, but hey, dem’s the breaks.
So I joined the mob of people waiting to get their orders. The staff would come out with trays or to-go bags and screaming things like “I have an order for Paul G!” Or “Kimberly F!” And we would all immediately shout out “Paul! Where are you, Paaaul! Kiiiiim!” Sometimes, they would be standing behind the condiment counter and have almost no way to get to the front. So a few of us would take their bag or tray and pass it on back to them, like crowd-surfing in a mosh pit! I never knew waiting for food could be that much fun.
After they called my name, the cashier offered to top my tea off, which was very courteous on his part. I got my food and headed outside around 11:50. And the line which was maybe 50 people long or so, well it wasn’t shrinking. It was now wrapped all the way around the restaurant and there must have been a good 200 people outside trying to get inside. A few people even offered to buy my food from me! But I had no time to waste; I jumped in my car and headed west on Golf Road and then Higgins Road towards Prairie Stone.
I wound up arriving at work 15 minutes late and totally drenched after sprinting from my car to the door. And within two minutes of clocking in, Adrian came over to greet me for our monthly 1-on-1. So it took another 30 minutes before I even got to eat! So from the time I got my food to the time I ate, an hour had passed! It was worth it though. Though I have to say, I’m not a fan of their honey mustard, for me, it has too strong of a Dijon taste. I’ll stick with the honey BBQ from now on.
Emanuel needs to realize that as mayor his job is not to preach his personal values to the citizens he supposedly serves. And he has no place comparing the supposed values of the city of Chicago to any business. And of course, these freaking liberal radicals from GLAAD encouraged gays to go to Chick-Fil-A, kiss, and then send the pictures to Facebook and Twitter. Really classy move, just the kind of desperation and paranoia I would expect from them. Bottom line: these ultra left-wingers who push tolerance and inclusion down the throats of all Americans frequently can't handle someone who disagrees with them and then they vilify them. How much more hypocritical can they get?!
After a Wednesday morning round of disc golf at Wheeler Park, I left the house at 10:40, arriving at the Schaumburg Chick-Fil-A around 11:15. I figured it would take 15 minutes or so to get my lunch and that I could make the 20-minute drive back to Hoffman Estates and get to work on time at noon. Well, that didn't happen. Because what I saw amazed me. The two drive-thru lanes must have had 20 cars lined up in each queue. And the line for inside had already stretched outside the door.
The restaurant lot was totally full so I parked in the Champps lot. I then walked a good two minutes to the back of the line. With a long wait ahead of me, I chatted with a few people. One was a short, silver-haired woman who told me her story of how she and her parents escaped communism. She told me she was coming not just to support traditional values, but because she believes in free speech and that’s why America is the best country in the world. I thought that was just tremendous. There were three guys from O’Hare right behind me too. I didn’t chat too much with them; they were kind of in their own world, wondering if they could get back to work on time. I have to admit I was thinking the same thing about myself! Then, there was the guy in front of me who looked like a young businessman. Blue button-down shirt, cache pants, and constantly checking his Motorola. He casually remarked that he thought the place was offering free sandwiches and if that's why everyone was lined up.
I got inside around 11:35 and placed my order, the #6 combo meal. I ordered four chicken tenders with honey mustard, waffle fries, and a sweet tea. Yeah, I wanted a healthier side dish, but come on, do I really have to settle for carrot/raisin salad? And cole slaw is out of the question! Maybe I should have upgraded to a side salad for $0.50, but hey, dem’s the breaks.
So I joined the mob of people waiting to get their orders. The staff would come out with trays or to-go bags and screaming things like “I have an order for Paul G!” Or “Kimberly F!” And we would all immediately shout out “Paul! Where are you, Paaaul! Kiiiiim!” Sometimes, they would be standing behind the condiment counter and have almost no way to get to the front. So a few of us would take their bag or tray and pass it on back to them, like crowd-surfing in a mosh pit! I never knew waiting for food could be that much fun.
After they called my name, the cashier offered to top my tea off, which was very courteous on his part. I got my food and headed outside around 11:50. And the line which was maybe 50 people long or so, well it wasn’t shrinking. It was now wrapped all the way around the restaurant and there must have been a good 200 people outside trying to get inside. A few people even offered to buy my food from me! But I had no time to waste; I jumped in my car and headed west on Golf Road and then Higgins Road towards Prairie Stone.
I wound up arriving at work 15 minutes late and totally drenched after sprinting from my car to the door. And within two minutes of clocking in, Adrian came over to greet me for our monthly 1-on-1. So it took another 30 minutes before I even got to eat! So from the time I got my food to the time I ate, an hour had passed! It was worth it though. Though I have to say, I’m not a fan of their honey mustard, for me, it has too strong of a Dijon taste. I’ll stick with the honey BBQ from now on.
Emanuel needs to realize that as mayor his job is not to preach his personal values to the citizens he supposedly serves. And he has no place comparing the supposed values of the city of Chicago to any business. And of course, these freaking liberal radicals from GLAAD encouraged gays to go to Chick-Fil-A, kiss, and then send the pictures to Facebook and Twitter. Really classy move, just the kind of desperation and paranoia I would expect from them. Bottom line: these ultra left-wingers who push tolerance and inclusion down the throats of all Americans frequently can't handle someone who disagrees with them and then they vilify them. How much more hypocritical can they get?!
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