The Replacements

I've come to realize that my life here in New York is similar to Cleveland in a few ways, I have just "replaced" a few things

The Replaceables:

Instead of Bruno's I have The Coral, the food and service is NOTHING like Bruno's, but that it is right by my place and I go there the same night each week (such a creature of habit)



Instead of I-90 I have "The 1 train" ...everyone knows I cannot get anywhere the same way twice if it's not along 90, it's the same here, if I can't get there on the 1, I can't get there, well, atleast not without some creative detours



Instead of a bag of cheez its every morning at work, I eat scrambled eggs with tabasco and 2 sausage links

Instead of going through a drive thru for dinner, I stop for a slice

Instead of BW3's NTN trivia, Tuesday night team trivia at an irish pub, complete with name that song

Instead of the public square tree it's the rockefeller tree

Instead of jaeger bombs, ummm, nothing, I just don't do hard liquor anymore

Instead of sassy leather boots, rain boots with cute designs and leather boots that no longer have heals

Instead of lugging my laundry 3 floors I lug it three blocks

Instead of my mom's great turkey dinner and a day of forensic files with my dad, a night at a seminary cooking the same meal for those that couldn't afford to make it themselves....


The Irreplaceables:

You.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND ALL OF MY LOVE

Missing 3-ways....

Get your mind out of the gutter! I mean I am missing my skyline chili 3-ways (for those non ohioans that is spaghetti, cinci chili and shredded cheddar) that I used to eat every sunday. It's about 6:30p and if I were in Cleveland right now I would be gearing up to go in about a half hour...so I just spent the past half hour on Google looking for Cinci chili, there is a rumor online that a place called Chili Mac's (from chicago) is opening here near Lincoln Center, which, is literally right where I work...can't be true...if it is I guess Santa must heave read my list early.



A lot has happened over the past couple of weeks (I've been slacking on the blog)...I had my first overnight guest...Wendy!! She spent the weekend with me a couple of weeks ago and we had a blast. She brought me meatballs from Bruno's!!! Her first night we decided to get lost in Greenwich Village and find a place to eat, turned out to be a monsoon that night so we ran into the first restaraunt we saw that looked warm, it was a place called Spain which was, ummm..interesting. As soon as we sat down they put a bunch of food in front of our faces that we didn't recognize but enjoyed just the same, it was an experience. After, we dove into every little neighborhood bar we could find and then ended up at some nightclub, it was a blast. Saturday we had tix to see The Drowsy Chaperone on Broadway but because of the strike we couldn't see it so we ate at a steakhouse in the Theatre District instead Frankie and Johnny's...it was awesome, very cozy, great steak (although I think they were offended when I asked if they had any sauces for their steaks (atleast I didn't ask for A-1!!

The thing I am still getting used to here, well one of them, is the fact that you are practically sitting with the table right next to you in most of these places which kinda stinks when you are trying to catch up on girl talk. I saw something bizarre that the table next to us did. One of the guys asked the server to cut his steak for him....what the frick? The server did it as if it were a common request...is it??? Let me know....it was creepy to me.



Sunday we watched the Browns lose to Pittburgh at the Brown's Backers bar and then decided to walk around and venture into some other watering holes while we waited for dinner (we made reserevations at an Italian restaraunt). I was in the mood for Sake (flashback to New years with the Kretch's and Meatball when I tried Sake for the first time in times square!!) So we ordered some Wasabe dumplings to go along with it, HOLY SHIT! I like spice, but that, that was just wrong, it was the worst tasting dumpling EVER, it literally took my breath away. I have had wasabe before but this was ridiculous.

We then went to an Irish pub and chilled out, a couple of minutes later, someone from another country, or planet, sat down next to us and ordered a picher of beer, for himself. No matter how I describe this guy it is not going to do him justice.



He was this bald, skinny, pale white and tall. He sat there inspected his beer like some sort of message was going to appear through the foam. He took a sip and then walked over to the mirror to check himself out. After a few minues of staring at himself while the bar snickered, he walked back over to his 30 pound backpack and pulled out some sunglasses wrapped in plastic. After begging the poor bartender for some scissors, he finally opened them up. He walked over to the mirror again and put them on...these weren't just your average shades, they were Elvis shades, complete with gold trim and built in sideburns. So by now wendy and I are crying we're laughing so loud, but he doesn't stop there..by this time wendy and I decide we're gonna have to be later for our reservation just to see what he was going to do next.
He goes back to his bag and grabs a wig, an elvis one, and then goes back to the mirror. I start asking the bartender if there is a hidden camera in the bar, and then I eventually ask him if he is wearing one....he wasn't. Turns out he was wearing that stuff because he wanted to have hair for a day and couldn't think of a cooler do than Elvis's....he was here on vacation and heading back to Berlin a few hours later.... I told Wendy she just had her first "New York Moment."

Letters from home

I am in! Made the big move, (all 2 suitcases) and I am already wondering how I am going to fit in here. The first thing I did? No, I didn't unpack...I grabbed a towel and took the longest bath I have ever taken, I lit a candle, then a cigarette, and relaxed for, I think, the first time since I have been here. Then I walked arounds in my towel for awhile, just because I could.
I now have 3 dishes, all of which are wine glasses, I bought one piece of furniture, a wine rack from a street fair (priorities)
There is one thing in my cupboards, a box of welch's fruit snacks...
And six things in my fridge, al diet cokes.....
I'm set!!!!

This weeks celebrity sitings:
Jerry Seinfeld (who asked me if he could have some of my potato chips which I was shoving in my face when he saw me)
Bob Saget
And finally Barbara Walters (she tapes in a different part of the building so this is the first time I have seen her) I stood behind her in lunch line, for those keeping track, she had an omelet and paid for her assistant's lunch. Maybe I should look into that job.