So it took 40 minutes of waiting for the right bus to show up. Meanwhile my two Metro cards had expired, so I had to buy a new one. I had to stand on the bus, even at 1 am, there was no room to sit. I connected to the 6 train in Harlem around 1 in the morning. What could go wrong there, right? Me in Harlem. But I got to the apartment around 2 am and was on the couch asleep within a half hour.
I got up after about four hours of sleep. I thought I'd be a little groggy, but I was ok. All I had was a two person couch and a small square pillow. I left around 8:30 and walked over to Pruzzo's deli, which was right next to the subway. Pelham Bay is one of those classic residential New York neighborhoods, where you walk everywhere and know most people. Forget a Wal Mart, this place has general stores that have so much packed into such a small place, it feels like a sardine can. Anyway at the deli, I had sausage, egg, and cheese on a seeded roll. I was allowed to choose a bread from the bin and hand it to the man, who then made my sandwich. And it took a couple of minutes to make; these were not microwaved eggs, folks. Great stuff.
I took the express train to 59th St in Manhattan. Within two minutes of walking, I ran into the crew of the tv show "Hotel Impossible." Anthony, the host, was bald and in a suit, same as always. It happened around 50th and Lexington. I walked over to the Jets shop to do since shopping, but I guess it was closed. There was a lot of construction going on and there wasn't a Mets logo anywhere in sight. So I moved and walked down to Battery Park and went inside the Mets clubhouse store...where I didn't buy anything either. Then I walked through Times Square and south to Madison Square Garden. It's been a while since I've been there for a game and hopefully it'll happen this winter.
After taking a lap around the Garden, I took the B train to Grand St and walked a couple of blocks east to Little Italy. I had a walking tour booked through groupon and I was really looking forward to it. As I walked, I noticed that Chinatown has really taken over the neighborhood. I'd see an Italian cafe and the a nail salon and then a Vietnamese restaurant right next door. We started in the back of a church, where we learned about the history of the neighborhood, including the housing, tenement apartments, and the trends of immigration over the last 100 years. All the places we visited had been around at least 100 years, so these businesses were the real deal.
We started at the oldest cheese shop in America, Alleva, where we sampled their fresh mozzarella with some freshly sliced prosciutto di Parma. The saltiness of the ham and the smooth creaminess of the cheese worked together so well. Then it was onto the Parisi bakery, where 15 firefighters were waiting outside on line. When a fire department likes a place, you know it's good!
We got pieces of prosciutto bread, which was semolina bread bashed with prosciutto, cheese and herbs. I had three pieces. Our next stop was a place if wanted to visit for years: Lombardi pizza. This place is recognized as the first pizzeria in NYC. We had margherita style pizza, sadly it was only one slice each. It was amazing. Crispy crust, bright tomato sauce, fresh cheese, and the fresh flavor of the basil. I'd easily return for more. Finally, we went to Ferrara's, which is well known for their desserts. We got small cannolis and I might have got some gelato if I wasn't so darn thirsty. So I said goodbye to the group, including a family of four ladies. One was around my age, so of course, I spent some taking with her.
I walked a half hour south past City Hall, where the USA women's World Cup soccer parade had just happened. I walked past literally hundreds of cops and confetti had covered the sidewalk like snow. I continued past the Financial District and the Staten Island Ferry and into Battery Park, the southern tip of Manhattan. They had a beer garden, where I enjoyed a nice local brew and I then walked over to the beaches on the shore. It was such a pleasure to sit and tan in the sun while barefoot and my shirt off.
I watched the ferry boats go in and out and I had a great view of the Statue of Liberty too. Around 4, it was coming on chow time. I decided to head into Coney Island. I took the R train into Brooklyn, where I connected to the N. I decided, instead of Nathan's hot dogs, to try Totonno's pizza, which I saw featured on the Food Network as the best in America. This place literally does nothing but pizza and they're only open four days a week. So I ordered a 14 inch with half cheese, half sausage and mushroom. It had a great charred crust and fresh mozzarella cheese. The sauce was very zesty, it was good, but not the best. The disappointment was the bottom of each slice, where it was soggy in the middle. Maybe it was from the oil, but to me, a good crust needs to be crispy all the way through.
I left and headed into the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. It's become a hipster area and it used to be quite rough. I wanted to check out the Brooklyn brewery. Little did I know there was a twenty dollar cover charge. I merry up with my friend Peter, and we decided not to stay. Instead, we drank three pitchers at a different bar. He's a decent guy, but it's obvious we have very different worldviews. Our views on women, God, and people are just radically different. I guess our similarities are the Rangers, the Jets, and being single. It was ok, but I'm in no rush to see him again. Eventually, I headed back to Mahan Ave, arriving around 1 am.
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