In Sickness and In Health

Monday, March 9, 2020

Coronavirus hits Palazzo di Gotthelf. 
Don't worry, neither of the Upper West Side's Power Couple has fallen ill.  Rather, it is the idea of the coronavirus that has disrupted our normally frictionless decision making.  We planned to visit London for one week, leaving March 24th; airline tickets purchased, an excellent hotel booked, dinner reservations made at Ottolenghi Spitalfields, tickets secured for two major plays.  

 

Now, America's Favorite Epidemiologist points out how little information is available about this dangerous disease and, while we are remarkably healthy specimens, spending hours in a sealed metal tube breathing recirculated air surrounded by strangers substantially increases the risk of infection.  Even if we personally remain germ-free, we would be subject to a 14-day quarantine away from home if a fellow outbound passenger tests positive for coronavirus.  The comforts of the nicest hotel room would wear thin if it became the boundaries of our existence.  So, unless Mike Pence can pray the germs away, we will continue to shine our light only on this side of the Atlantic Ocean for now.
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Another attraction of London is good friends, who would have been our company for various of the planned activities.  However, I need not travel far to find boon companions; I was joined at lunch today by Stony Brook Steve and Tom Terrific.  We visited Farida Central Asian Cuisine & Grill, 498 Ninth Avenue, a tiny joint serving Halal food from Uzbekistan and surrounding areas.  The menu has full-color illustrations making it easier to choose among dishes with unfamiliar names. 

We shared two orders of mini Umkas, 12 puff pastries filled with chopped meat, chicken or spinach, 4 each, $15 an order.  Additionally, we had "Mix spread," babaganush, humus, eggplant caviar, zucchini caviar, and "traditional tomato-onion spread," very tasty, but over-priced at $19.  The menu had many other interesting items worthy of another visit, shashlyks (kebabs), soups, salads, lamb dishes, at reasonable prices.  The presumably native-costumed servers were very friendly.  You have three votes in favor.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Madam and I had an experience this morning that should help bury a cliché, at least temporarily.  We went to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles to secure "enhanced driver's licenses," an exaggerated response to an exaggerated problem.  We took advantage of our mobility and went to the Bronx County office, 696 East Fordham Road, avoiding the reported crowds at the Manhattan office.  Unfortunately, this option really requires access to a motor vehicle, which may seem redundant, because at least one train and one bus are needed to get there from any Manhattan location.  

The good news is the efficiency of the busy operation in the half-block square room that handles motor vehicle registrations, driver's licenses, and traffic tickets.  Yes, really.  We were in and out in about 25 minutes, filling out forms, presenting documentation, answering questions and getting a picture taken.  How about that?

Going up to the Bronx also gave us the opportunity to shop in the nearby "Little Italy" neighborhood, where we bought manicotti at Borgatti's Ravioli & Egg Noodles, 632 East 187th Street, and pastries at DeLillo Pasticceria, 610 East 187th Street.  Mission very accomplished. 

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Why I won't ride in an elevator with a Republican. 
The Pew Research Center has released its March 5, 2020 survey of 6,395 adults on the president's personal traits and behaviors.  https://www.people-press.org/2020/03/05/few-americans-express-positive-views-of-trumps-conduct-in-office/

86% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said Trump is "intelligent"; 71% said “honest” describes Trump very or fairly well, while 62% said “morally upstanding” describes him at least fairly well.

Thursday, March 11, 2020

Instead of just idly chattering about Kosher delicatessens, I decided that I had to spend more time out there where the mustard meets the roll.  So, in the company of Good Michael and Stony Brook Steve, I went to the 2nd Avenue Deli, 1442 First Avenue, not the one at 162 East 33rd Street, off Third Avenue.  In fact, the 2nd Avenue Deli hasn't been on Second Avenue since 2006, which reminds me of a favorite riddle: What do the Park Avenue Liquor Shop and the Park Avenue Synagogue have in common?  They are both on Madison Avenue.

I had not patronized the 2nd Avenue Deli after it left its original location and I probably will not be returning after lunch today.  My pastrami sandwich was $22.50, medium-large, good meat, ordinary rye bread -- not a good value.  Michael had matzoh ball soup, Steve mushroom barley, each $10.95.  I'm almost glad that Mother Ruth Gotthelf wasn't around to see that price.
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When I got home, I suggested that America's Favorite Epidemiologist take a break from the ever-more depressing coronavirus news that she understands far too well and watch a movie recorded on our DVR.  "Yesterday" is a magical tale of a young British musician who channels the music of the Beatles to a world that has forgotten them and it will chase the infectious disease blues away for at least a couple of hours.  What lingers after the movie ends is a renewed appreciation of the marvelous legacy of the Beatles, one fabulous song after another.  The memory of Lennon and McCartney will be treasured long after people stop spitting in the street at the mention of Trump and Pence.

Friday, March 13, 2020

"By late 2019, through nearly seven straight years of decline, national bus ridership in America was at its lowest level since the mid-1970s."  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/13/upshot/mystery-of-missing-bus-riders.html

 

How strange and unwelcome this information is.  There are certainly not fewer Americans.  Are they more sedentary, waiting home for the Fresh Direct grocery delivery, telecommuting, ordering dinner from GrubHub, riding bicycles to work?  As the article graphically illustrates, the decline is steep, widespread and not easily explained.

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What happened to the free exercise of religion?  All my houses of worship have been closed down because of coronavirus:

Madison Square Garden 

West End Synagogue 

Jing Fong Restaurant