Monday, January 23, 2017
OK, I'm woke. I had my self-indulgent spell of moping, crying in my beer (Diet Pepsi, actually), but Saturday got me going again. I got off my tuchus and joined hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers marching against the new president (and we know him best). I started at 69th Street and Broadway with many members of West End Synagogue after services ended. We then merged with a stream of West Siders coming down Broadway. We proceeded to 42nd Street and Ninth Avenue, turned east on Forty Second Street and then north on Fifth Avenue, heading for Trump Tower between 56th Street and 57th Street. At 50th Street, abreast of St. Patrick's Cathedral, it was impossible to move forward, so I peeled off down 50th Street to the subway, feeling renewed after almost three hours on the street.
It's not just about policy; it's the leadership style that dwarfs any previous lapses of civility or honesty in the White House in my lifetime.
Of course, the millions of people worldwide who came out to oppose the new regime were overshadowed by the BILLIONS of people who came to the inauguration with the HIGHEST IQ of any crowd anywhere ever.
The list below provides a reasonable collection of Chinese restaurants. My list would add a few and delete a few, but, given that it starts with Wo Hop, I am not chagrined. http://ny.eater.com/maps/nyc-
Another food list that might interest you deals with the "best bites." http://gothamist.com/20
Here, I can neither commend or amend, since I have never been to any of these places, but the source is credible and you are perfectly able to fly solo.
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
While my spirits have been buoyed by the quality and quantity of the opposition to the new regime, I can't entirely shake the idea that we are on the road to ruin. So, the Upper West Side's Power Couple decided to travel it in style and we went out and bought a Lexus Hybrid sedan, thereby combining bourgeois self-indulgence with a twee environmental concern.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
I first read an article today in the physical New York Times about the economic value of law school attendance. In brief, according to a new survey, graduates of some law schools, on the average, overcome their debt burden more readily than the graduates of others. Not surprisingly, the biggies do best, but some plebeian institutions, such as Brigham Young University (it pays to be a Mormon), rival the Ivies for return on investment.
I went on-line afterwards and confirmed what I hoped for. The electronic version of the story contained a link to the underlying survey, rich with detail not found in the print version.
Stony Brook Steve and I headed uptown for Chinese food at Xi'an Famous Foods, 2675 Broadway, one of a growing chain of deservedly successful joints. Starting with a kiosk in a mall in Flushing's Chinatown, the second of 5 or 6 such discrete enclaves in New York City, Xi'an now has a half dozen locations in Manhattan. I first went to their two-by-nothing spot under the Manhattan Bridge; after that closed, I migrated to their Bayard Street location. Now, you can choose from East 34th Street, West 45th Street, West 54th Street, East 78th Street, among others. They range from tiny to small, the aggregate space to sit and eat about as large as a shuffleboard court.
The 16 or so stools pulled up to ledges around the uptown joint were kept occupied by young people of both European and Asian ancestry. I ordered "spicy cumin lamb hand-ripped noodles" ($10.69), which lived up to its name in all respects. Xi'an is noted for its cumin-spiced lamb, presented several different ways. Xi'an has defined its own path, quite apart from more familiar Chinese menus, and I am a devoted fan.
I am also a fan of the New York Rangers and Gary M. and I headed to the game tonight at Madison Square Garden. First, as an appropriate introduction to the evening, we had dinner at Ben's Kosher Delicatessen, 209 West 38th Street. When baseball season begins, I will be visiting Ben's Best - Kosher Gourmet Delicatessen, 96-40 Queens Boulevard, Rego Park, on the way to CitiField. Then, pedantically, I will explain the difference between Ben's and Ben's.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Welcome to the Year of the Rooster, actually the Year of the Fire Rooster, since the Chinese Zodiac combines 12 animals with 5 elements, Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. That produces a 60-year cycle of personality types, based on birth year. A Fire Rooster supposedly has a "strong sense of time, trustworthy; good at managing money." This contrasts with the Earth Rooster, who will emerge in 2029, "active, perceptive, like[s] traveling and making friends.
To celebrate the new year, the Boyz Club met at Jing Fong, 20 Elizabeth Street, the enormous dim sum palace. As usual, the food flew fast and furious, so I cannot repeat the exact contents of our lunch. However, out of consideration for the symbol of the new year, we had only one chicken dish. Five of us consumed 15 dishes, including 3 second portions. With generous gratuity, we paid $15 each.
Friday, January 27, 2017
Today was Steve Cohen's funeral, the Steve Cohen who just published The Go-Between, his memoir about shuttling back and forth among major figures in the Middle East cauldron. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/
Steve, an observant Jew, dedicated himself to prying open lines of communication between Arabs and Israelis, aiming for mutual understanding as a first step on the long road to peace. His efforts were often frustrated, but he kept chipping away against the fear, resentment and hatred that surround the issues at stake.
Illness removed Steve from the scene (really from behind the scene) far too soon, although I got the impression that he found Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu harder to deal with than Yassir Arafat, offering little hope for the easing of tensions. Read his book and pray that others try to fill his big footsteps. https://www.amazon.com/Go-Bet
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