I’ve picked up the habit of posting the most popular search terms used to find my other blog, Migrant Blogger, and I think I’ll do it here. Wandering Blogger is finally picking up some momentum! Well, since launching, the most popular search term appears to consist of variations on “Cafe Mozart closed,” often including “Manhattan” or “New York” in the query. Yes, the restaurant did close, much to my chagrin (but not my father’s). The place lost its lease, which is why it shut down (to answer one search engine-based question).
For those of you looking for absinthe in Naples, FL, your SOL– at least if you’re looking for real absinthe. You can’t get it anywhere in the United States. But, if Naples, FL is on your mind, you might want to check out the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort. I spent a weekend there and loved it. Learn more at TraderDaily.com or TripAdvisor. Gare du Nord, a train station in Paris, Albert Maes, and foreign street signs are popular as well.
Also, someone was looking for “Blue Lagoon Spa fucking.” I get it. The Blue Lagoon Spa is a great destination not far from Reykjavik, Iceland. I assume they frown upon sex in the lagoon, but I guess it’s worth a shot.
It’s nice to be having dinner back in Manhattan. Everything tastes better when I’ve been gone for a few days. So, tonight, I’m headed to Cafe Luxembourg, on W 70th, just past Amsterdam Ave. I’m in the mood for a burger.
The restaurant is pretty cool. It looks and feels like a Parisian bistro– only the waiters aren’t smoking.
This has to be one of my favorite subway systems in the world. Don’t get me wrong, I do love New York– and our subways. But, when you have as many people riding it every day as we do, it’s going to get tired quickly. Since D.C. is, to a certain extent, our nation’s showplace, they do seem to invest heavily in a clean and advanced subway system. It is nice, fast and has cool digital signs telling you how far away the next train is.
This city makes it easiest to take the subway from the airport into the city. In Boston, you have to take a shuttle bus from the terminals to the subway station. It’s not convenient, but not bad. New York is a genuine pain in the ass. To get from JFK to the city, you have to take a weird train to the subway (it costs more and takes a while). Then, you have to go from the outer reaches of Queens through all of Brooklyn, then up Manhattan from the bottom. Brutality. From LaGuardia, you have to take the Q47 or Q48 bus (depending on terminal) to the F train, V train or 7 train in Jackson Heights. After that, the subway ride isn’t bad, but the bus can be a major PITA.*
But, from Reagan National, the trip is easy. I got off the Delta Shuttle and was able to walk to the metro station from within the airport. It was easy. Seven stops later, I was at McPherson Square.
I hate it when people see that you’re trying to take a picture and linger. So, I made this asshole part of it. Fuck him.
Aside from this prick, I had a great time at the Museum of Modern Art over the weekend, and I recommend the Dali exhibition highly. The mix of sketches, paintings and video came together perfectly.
If you haven’t seen his Destino film, check out the video below. It isn’t nearly as wild as the projection in MoMA, but at least you’ll get a feel for this masterpiece.
To those of you on the Upper West Side, I walked by Cafe Mozart (on W 70th St) yesterday and saw that it’s not open any more. It was a fun restaurant. The prices were reasonable, and the food was pretty good. I loved the steak and eggs. Also, their selection of pressed coffees was fantastic. Unfortunately, few seemed to agree with me, otherwise the place would still be open.
Well, there must be somebody to blame. This time, it seems more like LaGuardia’s fault than Delta’s.
[a considerable amount of time elapses]
Someone’s gotten his shit together. I’m back in Manhattan and happy. The flight home was a pain in the ass. The flight wasn’t able to land in New York, because there was too much traffic. So, we had to circle until we were too low on fuel. The plane was sent to Baltimore, where we waited until some sort of “hold” on LaGuardia was lifted. At least the cab ride back into the city was easy.
It’s starting to feel like, whatever I do, I get screwed on the flight. Montreal was the exception … the only exception.
I’m an equal opportunity offender. Since I’ve had fun with street signs in Canada, Finland and Reykjavik, it’s time to put my hometown on the chopping block! My wife and I went down to the East Village for breakfast on Saturday, and on our way home (barely missing getting stuck in the rain), I stumbled upon these gems.
They’re not all that clear– apologies– but I only had my blackberry camera handy.
I guess they do it all. “All types of hair cuts” and watch batteries … what else is there? Well, the real question probably is: who’d go for either?
If you stand right beneath this awning, you’re in the middle of … oh, never mind.
Thai Me Up! I suspect it’s just food, but if they ever need to expand, they’re ready.
Well, it took more than 24 hours, but I am finally home. It could have been a lot worse. Had I not been traveling on business– with a very understanding hotel– I could have spent the night in the Fort Meyers airport, sleeping on the floor and trying to subsist on fast food as both my Blackberries lost their remaining battery juice. Instead, I was comfortable, ate and drank well and was lent a Blackberry charger. So, I have few real complaints– excpet when it comes to JetBlue.
I never thought I’d write about this outside the United States. Aside from my hitch in South Korea in 1997-8, I’ve never thought about hot dogs outside my native land– not even in Canada! Yet, I stood in a short line (considered long by local standards) for the best hot dog in Reykjavik. I was assured that it’s the best in the country. But, in a nation of 300,000 inhabitants, that’s hardly a major score. With my first day in Iceland behind me, it’s time to play “taste test” from memory.
I don’t know what the name of the place is, but I hope the attached photo somehow contains it. Fortunately, the people who work there do speak English, so I didn’t have to raise my voice (which somehow makes non-English speakers fluent … it’s an American thing). I ordered two hot dogs with mustard and crossed my fingers.
I was not pleased with what I saw. I was given two boiled hot dogs (or steamed, whatever) in untoasted, unbuttered hot dog rolls. The rolls would not normally be a problem, but the dogs have to be pretty amazing if you’re not going to dress it up like that. With boiled hot dogs, you’re not likely to get the best taste. So, the combination of unadorned role and boiled dog had me concerned. But, I kept an open mind.
My first bite surprised me. The hot dog itself was good. I’d put it ahead of the average dirty-water stand in Manhattan, but it does not keep pace with the likes of Gray’s Papaya. The hot dog tasted like the many Oscar Mayer’s I had eaten as a kid.
The mustard? That was a different story. Amazing. It is hard to describe what exactly decorated my dog, but I assure you, I entered a new dog dining dimension. Somehow, there was a slight taste of cheese, and it had to come from the mustard. Specifically, it tasted like the cheese that one would find artificially squeezed into an Oscar Mayer cheesedog. Well, it was like that but tasted much better. The entire dynamic worked. I checked the middle of the hot dog, and it was not infused with cheese. Clearly, it wasn’t coming out of the roll. So, the mustard had to be responsible. Wherever the hell it came from, I was pretty happy. I may return to this spot before I leave Iceland.
While this hotdog was a pleasant surprise and could be the best in the country, it does not compare to the expertly prepared hotdogs I have eaten elsewhere. Popo’s of Swamscott, MA remains the best I’ve ever had– without any serious competition from the rest of the world. After Popo’s, I’d give a nod to Gray’s Papaya (on W 72nd St). I have fond memories of the pushcart that used to park in front of the Gaslight restaurant in Portsmouth, NH, but I don’t know if it even exists any longer. Also, “Ajumma’s Slaw Dogs”– at least, that’s what we called it– was great on many a beer-stained night when I was stationed in Korea. But, that was a decade ago, and I was loaded (likewise in Portsmouth). So, I really have no idea how good they were.
I’ve picked up the habit of posting the most popular search terms used to find my other blog, Migrant Blogger, and I think I’ll do it here. Wandering Blogger is finally picking up some momentum! Well, since launching, the most popular search term appears to consist of variations on “Cafe Mozart closed,” often including “Manhattan” or “New York” in the query. Yes, the restaurant did close, much to my chagrin (but not my father’s). The place lost its lease, which is why it shut down (to answer one search engine-based question).
