Saturday, June 25, 2022
Clue 39 Down - Chain of churches
Sunday, June 26, 2022
A new report states that "[h]igh home prices and rapidly rising mortgage rates have created a rosy backdrop for the rental sector, with many prospective home buyers now priced out of homeownership or forced to purchase a smaller home in a less desirable area." https://www.
This is a national overview and it finds that Raleigh-Durham, Nashville and Denver tilt most favorably to renting. Meanwhile, "[a]bout 66 percent of the households around the United States own their homes. In New York City, that number falls dramatically to half that. In the Bronx, only one out of five households owns their homes." https://www.nytimes.
We Holy Landers are accustomed to renting, many never owning real estate. The search for affordable housing, therefore, may be an ongoing venture. Here is a little help. https://www.nytimes.com/
Finally, in closing this chapter on Looking at Real Estate to Avoid the Other Crap Going On Around Us, I offer this perspective, based on a comment from a real estate broker in today's paper: “$2,500 in the West Village doesn’t even get you a decent studio.”
My first rental as a grownup (after graduate school) was in the heart of the West Village. I lived at 55 Morton Street for over 2-1/2 years, paying $105 and then $115 monthly for a less-than-decent studio. It was small; it was dark; it had roaches; the window air conditioner did not work, but it cost $115 a month.
Monday, June 27, 2022
How to pull a fast one on the Nazis, lesson from an obituary:
"Michel David-Weill was born on Nov. 23, 1932, in Paris, to Pierre and
Berthe (Haardt) David-Weill. His father was a partner in the family
firm, Lazard Frères & Company, part of what later became Lazard Ltd. When Michel was 8, at the start of the World War II, he left Paris with
his mother and sister to escape the Nazis. The family went into hiding
in the South of France and converted from Judaism to Catholicism."
There was a certain symmetry in Gentleman Jerry, Stony Brook Steve and I going to Three Roosters, 792 Ninth Avenue, a tiny Thai restaurant that features chicken, chicken and chicken. It has been open onIy a short time, but has already spawned an outlet in Chinatown. I had The Basic, boneless fried chicken and ZAB fries (ZAB seasoning is "spicy, citrusy, salty with a hint of sweetness") ($13.95). Jerry had the ZAB Fried Chicken Set, ZAB seasoned fried chicken plate with tamarind sauce, corn salad, sticky rice and a cup of chicken soup ($15.95); Steve, the chicken salad bowl, ZAB fried chicken with mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onions and fried shallots with sesame dressing ($13.95) and a side of sticky rice ($2.95). Every dish had a choice of white or dark meat. All of the food was very good and can be recommended.
By happy coincidence, we were directly across the street from Holey Scream, 791 Ninth Avenue, a pillar of Western civilization, featuring 42 ice cream flavors and 7 frozen yogurt flavors, at $5.75 for a two-scoop serving. I kept it simple, Midnight Oreo, sandwich cookies in dark chocolate. Steve had chocolate peanut butter chip frozen yogurt; Jerry had Muddy Boots, vanilla ice cream with caramel swirl and (too few) brownie chunks. Much remains to be investigated.
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
In making my way from my periodontist to my vestibular therapist, I stopped for lunch at Dimsum Garden, 338 Lexington Avenue. The neighborhood is identified as Murray Hill, between Grand Central and Gramercy Park. Its south end is populated with two dozen or so South Asian restaurants, earning the label Curry Hill. Other notable landmarks are the Cuban United Nations Mission, now rarely surrounded by demonstrators, and Stern College, the women's branch of Yeshiva University.
Dimsum Garden is attractively furnished with amply-sized wooden tables with white marble(ish) inlaid surfaces; its wood-framed chairs have cream-colored padded leatherette seats. The high ceiling and one long wall are covered with pale laths. The overall effect is bright and airy.
It features a dim sum assortment of nine pieces for $19.95, which
seemed to appear on most of the other tables. I skipped it, because I was in a noodle state of mind and ordered seafood chow fen a/k/a chow fun ($14.99). I got a big bowl of nearly-overcooked noodles with lots of shrimp, squid and scallops, in order of appearance. A few splashes of the hot pepper sauce served on the side brought it up to snuff.
Thursday, June 30, 2022
It's not about the steering wheel.
. . .
Madame and I went to Wagamama, 605 Third Avenue, this evening. Temperature, humidity, pedestrian and vehicular traffic had all declined sufficiently to allow for comfortable outdoor dining and Wagamama has a dozen two-tops under large umbrellas on a recessed patch of sidewalk. My young bride pronounced her spicy salmon teriyaki with soba noodles ($18.00) excellent. I was even hungrier, so I started with Korean BBQ beef bao, spongy 3" discs folded over a couple of slices of juicy, broiled, marinated beef ($8.75 for 2 pieces) and then had a "Shiok" chicken banh mi, chicken marinated in turmeric, garlic and ginger on a too small baguette ($14). While $14 is a lot for a small banh mi, it was one of the best sandwiches that I've had in a long time and they threw in a dish of edamame, a virtuous substitute for French fries.
Friday, July 1, 2022
Housekeeping note -- We leave Saturday for one week in Iceland, returning on Saturday, July 9th. This may interfere with our normal publication schedule, requiring an extra day to chisel the words in granite.
Also, keep your eyes on the letters to the editor in this Sunday's New York Times.
. . .
Answer = ROSARIES
a apropos of your crossword references, I proudly (albeit with a touch of humility) announce that I have completed this morning 800 NY Times crossword puzzles, consecutively, on their app (which also keeps track of average completion times).
ReplyDeleteThe next time I can't remember a word, I know whom to turn to.
Delete