Today I thought I'd share a few thoughts on one of my favorite subjects, Christmas music done by 'our' artists. As many of you know, each day for a couple of weeks leading up to Christmas, I post one of these tunes on Facebook. I try to hit some of the best and most fun songs, and a few that are a little more obscure but still bring a smile to my face.
Now, like most of us 'born in the 50's' kids, my sister and I heard plenty of Christmas music in our home during the holiday season. Dad and Mom had musical tastes that were, for the most part, pretty much mainstream for their generation. Dad loved big band music, he especially had a fondness for Gene Krupa (as Dad had played drums for a time), and Glenn Miller. Mom was a Lawrence Welk fan, along with our Grandmother and Aunt (who lived with us at the time), and she also loved the traditional carols as done by Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis, and Dean Martin - whose show was really 'must see' tv in our house.
Ginny and I loved these songs as well, and we got to hear and sing them in school. I remember Miss Trutken (sp), the music teacher at Stratford School teaching us kids to sing "Silver Bells" when I was in maybe 5th grade. Some of the kids in class got to actually ring small bells during the song, and boy, that hooked me! To this day, that song is still one of my favorite Christmas songs.
So we listened to, and sang, the traditional songs - we even had a couple of Christmas songs on the player piano rolls that we played when our relatives came over. And every once in a while, we'd get a bunch of our friends together and wander through the neighborhood, ringing doorbells and assaulting the ears of our neighbors by 'going Christmas caroling'. Yeah, just what people getting ready for Christmas want; 8 to 10 kids standing in front of their door screaming "Jingle Bells" or "We Wiiiiiiish you a Merry Christmas" off key and at the top of their lungs!
And then, slowly, over time, there was a change. When I was about 10, Dad came home one day with a gift for me; a small, AM band Koyo transistor radio. It was green and tan, came with a 'leather' case which was perforated on the front where the speaker was, and included a 9 volt battery and an ear phone for private listening. I was thrilled! Like most kids of that age, I was instantly hooked, and radio became (and still is) a big part of my life. I spent countless hours running up and down the dial, listening to every station that the little 8 transistor circuit could pull in, learning what format each station played. It quickly became evident that the 'cool' kids listened to 3 stations; 570 WMCA (home of the 'good guys'), 770 WABC (home of the 'All Americans'), and 1010 WINS. Each of these stations played top 40 rock and roll, and man, back in '63, the music was really jumping! I remember distinctly when "My Boyfriend's Back" was running up the charts, you couldn't go more than 10 or 12 minutes without hearing it on one of those stations! And Dion, man, "Donna (the prima donna)", what a cool song that was! Some doo-wop mixed in, and these surfer kids, The Beach Boys, they sounded great also. The Crystals, Ronettes, all the great groups and their signature sounds, man, I walked around with that little radio glued to my ear for hours on end! One of my biggest challenges was to somehow acquire enough 9 volt batteries to keep the thing playing all day. Remember, this was way before 'alkaline' batteries hit the market, and a typical plain old 9 volt battery didn't last very long, especially when the radio was on for hours on end. That was alleviated a bit when Dad, who must have been really tired of my constantly whining that I 'need' a battery, brought home a combination battery charger/ac power source. You could put your dead or almost dead battery on this thing and it would sort of recharge it, and there was a wire coming out of the other end that you could use to power the radio while the battery charged. Of course, the thing had to be plugged in to an a/c outlet, so you couldn't wander around like you could when the radio was using the battery, but, still, it gave you some flexibility and reduced somewhat, the need for all those batteries.
The months roll on, and we go from summer to fall, tunes change, and we've got Randy & The Rainbows doing "Denise", Jan & Dean with "Surf City", Trini Lopez doing "If I Had a Hammer" - great stuff! And so many different styles of music! Right next to "Surfin' USA", you might hear Nat 'King' Cole's "Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer", then Rolf Harris with "Tie Me Kangaroo Down"! We really had it great, three stations playing all sorts of wonderful music, and while we really loved the rock, we learned to appreciate other styles as well.
Skip ahead to late fall, sometime after Thanksgiving. I'm sitting around my room one day after school, probably avoiding doing my homework while listening to the radio, and I hear an amazing sound. It takes me a minute, but I recognize the tune almost immediately - it's Santa Claus is Coming To Town - but man, does it sound DIFFERENT! It's got a major rock and roll backbeat, great drums and saxophone work - it's amazing! But who the heck is doing it? Yeah, on comes the DJ (probably 'Big' Dan Ingraham), who tells me it's The Cyrstals! A rock and roll group doing a Christmas song! And I'm hooked. Immediately. This is like way cool, it's a great, fun, traditional song, but with 'our' kind of tempo and rhythm! Over the next few days, one by one, I hear all the tracks of the now legendary "A Christmas Gift For You" album (mostly referred to as the Phil Spector Christmas Album). I hear The Ronettes doing "Sleigh Ride"; Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans with "Here Comes Santa Claus", and the incredible voice of Darlene Love belting out "Marshmallow World", "White Christmas", and "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)". And I fall in love with each and every one of them! I spend the next several weeks scouring the radio dial listening for these songs - 570...770....1010...back and forth I'd spin the dial hoping to hear one of these new, and somewhat cool, songs. This spinning the dial back and forth by the way, was great practice for what was to come early in 1964, when all we kids wanted to hear was this new group from England, the one with the unusual hairstyles; you know who I'm talking about!
Anyway, Christmas comes and goes, and so does this great music. Until next year, when, around the same time, I hear one of those songs, and I'm again in love with it. Then, a couple of hours later, there's a different one - something called "Merry Christmas Baby", and I immediately recognize the group, it's The Beach Boys! And on and on it goes, 1965 brings "The Ventures Christmas Album", featuring what is possibly the silliest (and coolest) song ever, their version of "Sleigh Ride" (done to the tune of "Walk, Don't Run"). Then along come The Royal Guardsmen with "Snoopy's Christmas", and on and on it goes, songs that express my love of all things Christmas, done by artists that I can relate to, just as Mom and Dad relate to their favorite artists.
Through the years, my love for these songs has grown to the point where I can't wait to pop my Ventures "Christmas Joy" CD into the car's audio system, and listen to those silly, but lovingly done, songs, over and over. Booker T. & The MG's doing "Jingle Bells"? Love it. Frankie and The Four Seasons "Santa Claus is Coming To Town"? Ditto. Bobby Helms, Brenda Lee, all those great 50's artists doing their songs, "Jingle Bell Rock", "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree", Chuck Berry's "Run Rudolph Run" - love 'em all!
And, now, also, I really appreciate a lot of the artists Mom and Dad loved. Yeah, The Ventures "Sleigh Ride" makes me smile and laugh each and every time I hear it; so does the original by Leroy Anderson (and the Johnny Mathis version); I love The Drifters "White Christmas" - and also Bing Crosby's. And nobody, nobody, does "Let It Snow" like Dean Martin, a truly great entertainer.
My sons have heard more times than they care to, how important music has been to me, how it's accompanied me in my life's journey, through good times, and bad. How it's added to my happiest moments, comforted me in my saddest moments, and how a day gone by without some joyous music in it seems like a wasted day to me. I know I got my love of music from my family, from the way we gathered around our old player piano, to the way Lawrence Welk, Dean Martin, and all of the great musical/variety shows played on our television set night after night, week after week. And that little 8 transistor radio that Dad brought home so many years ago, a simple little gift that fed my love of music, and really changed the way I look at life. Seems a little important to remember and reflect on things like that at this time of year. So, go crank up your record player, your cassette player (you young kids, send me a note and I'll explain what those are), your CD player, your MP3 player, or whatever device you use to listen to music, enjoy the music that YOU cherish at this time of year, and do your best to pass your love of that music, of all music, along to others in your life. Merry Christmas to you all!
Monday, December 22, 2014
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Welcome back to the blog! It's been a busy few weeks, lots of interesting 'stuff' happening with the business, some short road trips, and a few nice evenings out, so it's 'catch up day' (as opposed to ketchup day) here in blogland. Here we go!
The Association at City Winery: Couple of weeks ago, Karen and I got the chance to see The Association in one of their somewhat rare NY appearances. It's been a while since we last saw them at Westbury - at least several years - and as happens with the oldies groups, there have been some personnel changes, due to retirements and passings. Most recently, Larry Ramos, who'd been with the band since the early days passed away. His spot was filled by his brother, Del Ramos, who has been in the band for many years. Long time members Jules Alexander and Jim Yester, along with Jordan Cole, son of original member Brian Cole, and drummer Bruce Pictor round up the current lineup.
After an opening act that was about as far different from The Association as you could imagine (a depressing 'suicide song' folksinger), the band hit the stage for a very solid hour and a half show. They ran through all the hits, and sounded very strong on all of them. Their instrument work was solid, and vocally they were very close to the sound of the original group. "Never My Love", "Along Comes Mary", "Windy", "Cherish", and my favorite "Everything That Touches You" "Six Man Band", "Goodbye Columbus" were all well done. A medley of 60's hits, and some album cuts rounded out a very impressive show.
City Winery is a great, smallish venue in Chelsea, great acoustics and sight lines, and a decent menu. Wonderful place to grab a burger or a flatbread pizza and see a show. Highly recommended for a reasonably priced night in Manhattan.
"Hot Autumn Nights" at Westbury: And the oldies just keep on coming! The Saturday before Thanksgiving found us at the NYCB Theater at Westbury for this annual show. We've seen all of these acts many times in the past, and a couple of them are ones that we really like to see whenever we get the chance, as they have a great catalog of hits, and always do a great show.
Opening the night were The Buckinghams, with original members Carl Giammerese and Nick Fortuna, who've been carrying the torch since the late 1990's. Along with long time member Bruce Soboroff, and newer members Dave Zane and Rocky Penn, they sounded great. Carl's voice is a little softer (and more on key) than original lead Dennis Tufano, and the songs sound damn close to the originals.
Only thing I notice is that since they lost drummer Tom Schekel to Paul Revere & The Raiders a few years back, Rocky's drumming is more pedestrian than Tom's was; less rolls and staggered hits, which were kind of a trademark of their sound. Still, the hits sound great, and they got the crowd into the show early with a cover of Van Morrison's "Domino" and the sing along to "Susan". By the time they closed with "Kind Of A Drag", all was right in the theater.
Up next were "The Grass Roots", which I've put in parentheses, since the people on stage bore no resemblance to the real Grass Roots. As way of explanation, the Grass Roots were, much like The Monkees, a group assembled by the writers and producers of the songs they were given to perform. Through the years, over 50 musicians and singers have been in the group. Their most successful years, however, featured lead singer Rob Grill.
The guys on stage this time were lead guitarist and vocalist Dusty Hanvey, keyboardist Larry Nelson (both of whom 'joined' in 1984), drummer Joe Dougherty ('joined' in 1990), and lead singer and bassist Mark Dawson ('joined' in 2008). Now, if you look at the chart history of this band, their last successful record was "Two Divided by Love" in 1971 - 13 years before Hanvey and Nelson started performing with Rob Grill.I understand that as individuals pass on, either new members have to be brought in to keep the music going, or we lose the ability to enjoy these acts 'live'. My issue is that when there are NO original members in the band, it isn't "The Grass Roots", it's "The Grass Roots Tribute", and should be advertised as such. These guys played the songs very well, Hanvey's backing vocals mirror the records pretty well, and Dawson has some vocal range as well. The hits sounded great, but you know, there are plenty of bar bands that can play "Midnight Confessions" and sound great as well. Time for these promoters to start being honest with us as to who's really on stage when we plunk down our money!
Up next, Herman's Hermits featuring Peter Noone. Now here we have a group where the original backing musicians have all passed on, but the lead singer is still going strong - VERY strong! Backed by a great band featuring Vance Brescia (of the legendary NY band The Mosquitos) on guitar, this is a real high energy group that recreates the fun and excitement of the original British Invasion acts. Peter reminds me of the late Davy Jones with his boundless energy and romps around the stage. He rarely stood still, and really had the crowd worked up during his set.
The music was great, Peter's vocals are still strong, and overall, this might have been the best act of the night. With an amazing string of hit records, Peter and the guys could have stayed out on stage a lot longer than they did, they didn't get to all of their hits, but they did most of them, and did them well. We just noticed that Peter and the band are playing at BB King's in Manhattan on Feb. 6, and decided to go - yes, they're that much fun to see!
Closing the show was Tommy James and The Shondells. Tommy's been the headliner on these shows for a long time, and always closes the show. Unfortunately, there are only a few acts that could have followed Peter Noone that night, and Tommy isn't one of them. They started out well, with a great version of "Draggin The Line", but things bogged down quickly with a slow, acoustic version of "I Think We're Alone Now" which Tommy did as a tribute to the late Morris Levy, who owned Roulette Records, the label Tommy had all the hits on. It was done also to help promote Tommy's book and upcoming movie, "Me, The Music, & The Mob".
Unfortunately, after the high energy that Peter brought to the stage, this ill timed song really killed the crowd. As he (finally) finished the tune, several folks yelled out "Do it like the record" - which seemed to throw Tommy for a loop. The rest of his set was, unfortunately, nothing special, even though he did Hanky Panky, Crimson & Clover, and he threw in a 'proper' version of I Think We're Alone Now. We noticed that for some reason, the bass player and drummer had a particular shuffle type rhythm, which made all of the songs sound the same. Mony Mony couldn't even get the crowd up, and while we never leave early, as Tommy went 'round and 'round the stage shaking hands, we exited.
So, three pretty good acts and one disappointment. And a really surprising disappointment, as Tommy usually hammers the show closed with a great performance. Perhaps he was 'off' or a bit tired, but it wasn't the Tommy James we've come to expect.
That's more than enough for today, I'll try to catch you all up on the couple of short road trips I had over the past few weeks in the next day or two.
The Association at City Winery: Couple of weeks ago, Karen and I got the chance to see The Association in one of their somewhat rare NY appearances. It's been a while since we last saw them at Westbury - at least several years - and as happens with the oldies groups, there have been some personnel changes, due to retirements and passings. Most recently, Larry Ramos, who'd been with the band since the early days passed away. His spot was filled by his brother, Del Ramos, who has been in the band for many years. Long time members Jules Alexander and Jim Yester, along with Jordan Cole, son of original member Brian Cole, and drummer Bruce Pictor round up the current lineup.
After an opening act that was about as far different from The Association as you could imagine (a depressing 'suicide song' folksinger), the band hit the stage for a very solid hour and a half show. They ran through all the hits, and sounded very strong on all of them. Their instrument work was solid, and vocally they were very close to the sound of the original group. "Never My Love", "Along Comes Mary", "Windy", "Cherish", and my favorite "Everything That Touches You" "Six Man Band", "Goodbye Columbus" were all well done. A medley of 60's hits, and some album cuts rounded out a very impressive show.
City Winery is a great, smallish venue in Chelsea, great acoustics and sight lines, and a decent menu. Wonderful place to grab a burger or a flatbread pizza and see a show. Highly recommended for a reasonably priced night in Manhattan.
"Hot Autumn Nights" at Westbury: And the oldies just keep on coming! The Saturday before Thanksgiving found us at the NYCB Theater at Westbury for this annual show. We've seen all of these acts many times in the past, and a couple of them are ones that we really like to see whenever we get the chance, as they have a great catalog of hits, and always do a great show.
Opening the night were The Buckinghams, with original members Carl Giammerese and Nick Fortuna, who've been carrying the torch since the late 1990's. Along with long time member Bruce Soboroff, and newer members Dave Zane and Rocky Penn, they sounded great. Carl's voice is a little softer (and more on key) than original lead Dennis Tufano, and the songs sound damn close to the originals.
Only thing I notice is that since they lost drummer Tom Schekel to Paul Revere & The Raiders a few years back, Rocky's drumming is more pedestrian than Tom's was; less rolls and staggered hits, which were kind of a trademark of their sound. Still, the hits sound great, and they got the crowd into the show early with a cover of Van Morrison's "Domino" and the sing along to "Susan". By the time they closed with "Kind Of A Drag", all was right in the theater.
Up next were "The Grass Roots", which I've put in parentheses, since the people on stage bore no resemblance to the real Grass Roots. As way of explanation, the Grass Roots were, much like The Monkees, a group assembled by the writers and producers of the songs they were given to perform. Through the years, over 50 musicians and singers have been in the group. Their most successful years, however, featured lead singer Rob Grill.
The guys on stage this time were lead guitarist and vocalist Dusty Hanvey, keyboardist Larry Nelson (both of whom 'joined' in 1984), drummer Joe Dougherty ('joined' in 1990), and lead singer and bassist Mark Dawson ('joined' in 2008). Now, if you look at the chart history of this band, their last successful record was "Two Divided by Love" in 1971 - 13 years before Hanvey and Nelson started performing with Rob Grill.I understand that as individuals pass on, either new members have to be brought in to keep the music going, or we lose the ability to enjoy these acts 'live'. My issue is that when there are NO original members in the band, it isn't "The Grass Roots", it's "The Grass Roots Tribute", and should be advertised as such. These guys played the songs very well, Hanvey's backing vocals mirror the records pretty well, and Dawson has some vocal range as well. The hits sounded great, but you know, there are plenty of bar bands that can play "Midnight Confessions" and sound great as well. Time for these promoters to start being honest with us as to who's really on stage when we plunk down our money!
Up next, Herman's Hermits featuring Peter Noone. Now here we have a group where the original backing musicians have all passed on, but the lead singer is still going strong - VERY strong! Backed by a great band featuring Vance Brescia (of the legendary NY band The Mosquitos) on guitar, this is a real high energy group that recreates the fun and excitement of the original British Invasion acts. Peter reminds me of the late Davy Jones with his boundless energy and romps around the stage. He rarely stood still, and really had the crowd worked up during his set.
The music was great, Peter's vocals are still strong, and overall, this might have been the best act of the night. With an amazing string of hit records, Peter and the guys could have stayed out on stage a lot longer than they did, they didn't get to all of their hits, but they did most of them, and did them well. We just noticed that Peter and the band are playing at BB King's in Manhattan on Feb. 6, and decided to go - yes, they're that much fun to see!
Closing the show was Tommy James and The Shondells. Tommy's been the headliner on these shows for a long time, and always closes the show. Unfortunately, there are only a few acts that could have followed Peter Noone that night, and Tommy isn't one of them. They started out well, with a great version of "Draggin The Line", but things bogged down quickly with a slow, acoustic version of "I Think We're Alone Now" which Tommy did as a tribute to the late Morris Levy, who owned Roulette Records, the label Tommy had all the hits on. It was done also to help promote Tommy's book and upcoming movie, "Me, The Music, & The Mob".
Unfortunately, after the high energy that Peter brought to the stage, this ill timed song really killed the crowd. As he (finally) finished the tune, several folks yelled out "Do it like the record" - which seemed to throw Tommy for a loop. The rest of his set was, unfortunately, nothing special, even though he did Hanky Panky, Crimson & Clover, and he threw in a 'proper' version of I Think We're Alone Now. We noticed that for some reason, the bass player and drummer had a particular shuffle type rhythm, which made all of the songs sound the same. Mony Mony couldn't even get the crowd up, and while we never leave early, as Tommy went 'round and 'round the stage shaking hands, we exited.
So, three pretty good acts and one disappointment. And a really surprising disappointment, as Tommy usually hammers the show closed with a great performance. Perhaps he was 'off' or a bit tired, but it wasn't the Tommy James we've come to expect.
That's more than enough for today, I'll try to catch you all up on the couple of short road trips I had over the past few weeks in the next day or two.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Today it's a straightforward review of a restaurant here on LI, so if you're not from the area, or not interested, you might want to skip this post.
There's a new Mexican place in town! Well, a new 'sort of Mexican' is probably a better way to put it. Escorza Mexican Restaurant opened up on Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown in September, replacing 'Siciliana', an Italian eatery which had been there for a couple of years. Karen and I waited until the 'B.Y.O.B.' sign had been taken out of the window and been replaced with a neon 'Corona' sign before going to Escorza.
The restaurant is nicely decorated, simple and bright, with nice wood floors, glass top tables with Mexican serapes on them, and a few wall hangings, but nothing as gaudy as you can find in some Mexican restaurants.
Over came the waiter for our drink order, Karen had Sangria, I opted for a Negro Modela, a nice dark Mexican beer. Out came a small steel holder with a paper cone in it with red, green, and plain tortilla chips, and two small containers of salsa, one a bright green citrus based blend with a hint of banana, very mild, and the second, more of a green salsa verde, with a little hint of heat, but still mild.
The menu seems to be a little bit all over the place for a Mexican joint. Appetizers included fried Avacado, a couple of different nacho plates, a 'Mexican' shrimp cocktail - all pretty much standard Mexican fare. But, they also had fried calamari, which seemed out of place. They had a nice selection of salads on the menu, and of course, black bean soup, which we ordered and shared. Good call on the share, 'cause it was a big bowl;
The soup was very good, with a nice taste. It had bits of roasted red pepper in it, as well as onion and garlic. A bowl of this, along with a salad or a plate of nachos, would make a nice meal.
The entrees offered were a little odd, as there were probably just as many, or more, 'non-Mexican' entrees as there were typical Mexican ones. They offer burritos and tacos, flautas and fajitas, which you would expect. But, the also have things like a grilled pork chop served with broccoli rabe. A few seafood dishes, and a steak or two rounded things out.
Karen had the 'mixed' fajitas, which came with steak, chicken, shrimp, and the menu claimed, chorizo sausage;
They came out sizzling nicely, but we noticed there was no chorizo, so we asked the waiter about that, and he said they didn't come with it. When we said the menu indicated they did, he very nicely, and happily, went to the kitchen and brought us out a bowl of the chorizo meat. The fajitas were pretty good, like most places, the veggies weren't cooked quite enough, and both the meat and the veggies hadn't been seasoned. I don't understand how every Mexican place we go to can make fajitas and not season them! There are plenty of good seasoning blends available that can really make this dish 'pop', but nobody seems to use them. Odd. And, they served the fajitas with soft corn tortillas - which is just wrong - so we asked for a couple of flour ones, and they were happy to oblige us. Karen enjoyed the fajitas, but said if she got them again, she'd ask that they cook the veggies more.
I got the Shrimp LaDiabla, which was described as 'shrimp in a smoky jalapeno tomato sauce' - sounded yummy, and it was!
Six jumbo shrimp, nicely cooked, in a thick, spicy sauce. The waiter asked if I wanted it spicy, and they made it just as I wanted it - hotter than medium, but not all the way to hotter than hell. The shrimp were plump and well cooked, not at all chewy or tough, and the sauce was great, especially when I mixed my rice in with it. Each dish was served with a side of Mexican rice and black beans;
As we were finishing, the owner came over and introduced himself, a very pleasant fellow. The wait staff was very good, friendly and helpful - no request was met with anything other than a smile and 'certainly'.
Price for the evening was good, the portion size was good, the quality and preparation was also good, and overall, we enjoyed ourselves.
I don't know that I'd go here if I wanted a typical American 'Mexican' dinner, full of various tortillas and red salsa - for that, Pancho Villa's or Mangoes would be a better choice. But we will definitely come back, there are enough things for us to try, and enjoy on the menu.
There's a new Mexican place in town! Well, a new 'sort of Mexican' is probably a better way to put it. Escorza Mexican Restaurant opened up on Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown in September, replacing 'Siciliana', an Italian eatery which had been there for a couple of years. Karen and I waited until the 'B.Y.O.B.' sign had been taken out of the window and been replaced with a neon 'Corona' sign before going to Escorza.
The restaurant is nicely decorated, simple and bright, with nice wood floors, glass top tables with Mexican serapes on them, and a few wall hangings, but nothing as gaudy as you can find in some Mexican restaurants.
Over came the waiter for our drink order, Karen had Sangria, I opted for a Negro Modela, a nice dark Mexican beer. Out came a small steel holder with a paper cone in it with red, green, and plain tortilla chips, and two small containers of salsa, one a bright green citrus based blend with a hint of banana, very mild, and the second, more of a green salsa verde, with a little hint of heat, but still mild.
The menu seems to be a little bit all over the place for a Mexican joint. Appetizers included fried Avacado, a couple of different nacho plates, a 'Mexican' shrimp cocktail - all pretty much standard Mexican fare. But, they also had fried calamari, which seemed out of place. They had a nice selection of salads on the menu, and of course, black bean soup, which we ordered and shared. Good call on the share, 'cause it was a big bowl;
The entrees offered were a little odd, as there were probably just as many, or more, 'non-Mexican' entrees as there were typical Mexican ones. They offer burritos and tacos, flautas and fajitas, which you would expect. But, the also have things like a grilled pork chop served with broccoli rabe. A few seafood dishes, and a steak or two rounded things out.
Karen had the 'mixed' fajitas, which came with steak, chicken, shrimp, and the menu claimed, chorizo sausage;
I got the Shrimp LaDiabla, which was described as 'shrimp in a smoky jalapeno tomato sauce' - sounded yummy, and it was!
Price for the evening was good, the portion size was good, the quality and preparation was also good, and overall, we enjoyed ourselves.
I don't know that I'd go here if I wanted a typical American 'Mexican' dinner, full of various tortillas and red salsa - for that, Pancho Villa's or Mangoes would be a better choice. But we will definitely come back, there are enough things for us to try, and enjoy on the menu.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Today's post, or rant, or whine, whatever you choose to call it, is going to focus on "Classic Cars", or maybe "Classic Racecars" if you prefer.
Last night, here in Charlotte NC, we had the opening social for the NRPA Congress, and for once, it was at a place that I probably would have gone even if they weren't holding the social there - the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Located directly next to the Charlotte Convention Center, the Hall of Fame is a four story building filled with artifacts, displays, interactive challenges, and most importantly, loads of actual NASCAR cars from the past, and the present.
I really enjoyed some of the more technical displays, including a couple of cabinets filled with some of the more 'creative' ways that teams tried to fudge the rules. The old line 'it ain't cheating if you don't get caught' sure came to mind as I looked over the displays. Some were pretty simple; coil springs just a little taller than allowed; carburetors with their openings bored out a little so more fuel went in; body panels and windows shaved thin to save weight. But the best one I saw was really creative. A driver's drink bag, which is a totally legal device, usually hung on the left hand side of the car and filled with water or Gatorade, and hooked to the driver's helmet with a long tube; but this one wasn't filled with a drink, it was filled with lead! The lead filled bag, hung from the crash cage in the driver's compartment, gave the car more weight on the driver side and allowed it to 'lean' better into the turns. Just amazing!
Got a little bit of a whine to get out however. The Hall of Fame was cool, and honestly, I'd go back again if I'm in the area in the future, it's a great place.
But.....well, you know me, Mr. Mopar, I couldn't help but notice that although the Chrysler guys, both Dodge and Plymouth, won a ton of races, and a lot of championships, they were severely underrepresented here. I mean, come on, Richard Petty, 'The King', 7 time NASCAR Champion - in a Plymouth - and the only one of his cars you have is a '76 Chevy that he drove after Chrysler got out of NASCAR? There were plenty of Chevys and Fords, and even a Hudson that was driven back in the 50's, but the only MOPARS were these:
This one is the twin to Petty's famous #43 "Superbird" that won so many races (along with the Dodge Daytona), that NASCAR had to outlaw it because Ford and Chevy couldn't make a car to compete with it! These could be purchased at your local Plymouth dealer for about $4,000, and they'd easily do 190 mph right out of the showroom door!
Here's the driver compartment of the Superbird. Notice how little there is inside; these were truly 'stock cars', manufactured on the assembly lines in Detroit, and modified to be run on the tracks. Compare that to current NASCAR rides, which are all custom manufactured as race cars, and which bear little or no resemblance to 'stock' cars. To me, that's one reason NASCAR has lost some of it's appeal. You can't tell a Chevy from a Ford from a (gasp) Toyota! My suggestion is that someone start a new circuit, called the Real American Stock Car League (RASCL - pronounce rascal), and the rules are simple:
Any rear wheel drive sedan is eligible to race. The car must come off of a mass assembly line and must be modified to meet certain minimum safety regulations. Other than that, it's run what you brung, all engine modifications and 'cheats' are okie dokie. Let's see who's really the best engine builder, the best suspension guy, and the best driver. Now...who's got a billion or two laying around to get me started?
And here's the second MOPAR, the #9 Dodge Intrepid, driven by the great Bill Elliott upon Dodge's return to NASCAR in the early 2000's. This one was special to me, because for the first time in many years, with Dodge in the game, I had a reason to watch NASCAR again. Unfortunately, Dodge again withdrew from NASCAR after the 2012 season, amazingly, just as they won the manufacturer's championship for the first time since the 70's. Well, you know Chrysler, there are some things that they just never seem to get right.
Last night, here in Charlotte NC, we had the opening social for the NRPA Congress, and for once, it was at a place that I probably would have gone even if they weren't holding the social there - the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Located directly next to the Charlotte Convention Center, the Hall of Fame is a four story building filled with artifacts, displays, interactive challenges, and most importantly, loads of actual NASCAR cars from the past, and the present.
I really enjoyed some of the more technical displays, including a couple of cabinets filled with some of the more 'creative' ways that teams tried to fudge the rules. The old line 'it ain't cheating if you don't get caught' sure came to mind as I looked over the displays. Some were pretty simple; coil springs just a little taller than allowed; carburetors with their openings bored out a little so more fuel went in; body panels and windows shaved thin to save weight. But the best one I saw was really creative. A driver's drink bag, which is a totally legal device, usually hung on the left hand side of the car and filled with water or Gatorade, and hooked to the driver's helmet with a long tube; but this one wasn't filled with a drink, it was filled with lead! The lead filled bag, hung from the crash cage in the driver's compartment, gave the car more weight on the driver side and allowed it to 'lean' better into the turns. Just amazing!
Got a little bit of a whine to get out however. The Hall of Fame was cool, and honestly, I'd go back again if I'm in the area in the future, it's a great place.
But.....well, you know me, Mr. Mopar, I couldn't help but notice that although the Chrysler guys, both Dodge and Plymouth, won a ton of races, and a lot of championships, they were severely underrepresented here. I mean, come on, Richard Petty, 'The King', 7 time NASCAR Champion - in a Plymouth - and the only one of his cars you have is a '76 Chevy that he drove after Chrysler got out of NASCAR? There were plenty of Chevys and Fords, and even a Hudson that was driven back in the 50's, but the only MOPARS were these:
Any rear wheel drive sedan is eligible to race. The car must come off of a mass assembly line and must be modified to meet certain minimum safety regulations. Other than that, it's run what you brung, all engine modifications and 'cheats' are okie dokie. Let's see who's really the best engine builder, the best suspension guy, and the best driver. Now...who's got a billion or two laying around to get me started?
Monday, October 13, 2014
Monday, back on the road, just a short hop from Roanoke VA to Charlotte. I-81, which parallels I-95, but further west, is a nicer ride than 95 in some ways. First, there seems to be a little less traffic on this road. 95 is such an iconic route from NY to FL that it gets more than it's share of pinheads. Not that 81 doesn't have them as well, such as the 'gentleman' from South Carolina who moved across four lanes of fast moving traffic, from left to right, without so much as attempting to turn his head or signal, so he could fly up an exit ramp. Much better to do that, and endanger the lives of dozens of people, rather than go on to the next exit and carefully get off and come back to the exit you missed. Oh well....
Lunchtime! And what do we have here? Well, it's a "Cook-Out" shop!
Now, of course it wasn't night when I got there, this shot is off the internet. Cook Out is a fairly local chain which is carry out only, sort of like Checkers is. Nothing inside the building other than the food prep area. Picnic tables are scattered around the outside of the place, but most folks simply eat in their cars. Either walk up and order, or go through one of the two drive through aisles.
Cook Out boasts that their food is 'grilled', and their logo actually features a spatula made out of flames, indicating, I guess, that the food is cooked on a fire of some sort. I opted for the #1 tray, 2 hot dogs, fries, cole slaw and drink. As you can see, for $5, you get a pretty good value, just enough to fill you up without going over the top. The dogs are smallish, like the Oscar Meyer ones you'd get at the grocery - small enough so that they don't quite fill up the bun. They're not your typical bologna dogs, they have a nice smoky taste, with a little garlic and spice to them. Nothing like the King of dogs, Nathan's, but better than most. The bun seemed especially fresh and soft, and had a nice flavor to it. The fries are thicker than most of the shoestring variety you see at McDonalds and the rest of the usual places, and they were cooked to a satisfying brown, served hot, and with just enough salt on them. No ketchup was needed. The cole slaw recipe must be from the same person who invented sweet tea - got my sugar rush for the day from this stuff! Chopped up similar to KFC slaw, nothing but white cabbage and a VERY sweet, thin liquid at the bottom of the cup. Too sweet for my taste, it needed a shot of vinegar for sure!
And here's the reason you go here - check out the grill marks on the dog. They actually do cook over a flame griller; probably gas fired, but nonetheless, it does impart a nice charcoal flavor to the food. Washed it all down with a Mellow Yello (what can I say, it's a Coke house), and it was a decent, quick lunch.
On to Charlotte!
Lunchtime! And what do we have here? Well, it's a "Cook-Out" shop!
On to Charlotte!
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Rainy day near Roanoke, VA, so a good time to do a little catch up from the trip to Portland, and get in the mood for the next few days in NC.
I got to Portland last Sunday afternoon, and stayed until early on Thursday. Real early. I was there for a CPO Instructor School, something I've been doing since 1999, and which I really enjoy. We had a large class, 50 students, including 15 Spanish speaking students from Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Colombia. For those who don't know, this is a very unique educational setting. Students are split into groups of five, and spend their two and a half days with the same people at their table. Instructors rotate through the tables, so each student has close up interaction with four different instructors. Students have to do four chapter presentations, and are evaluated on their knowledge of the subject matter, ability to communicate, to answer questions, and on their presentation skills and general classroom ability. Additionally, there are several presentations made to the entire student body by different members of the Instructor Committee. Overall, a very intense time for the students, but positive and supportive at all times. I am very proud to have been asked to participate in these schools, and am always very impressed with the students, and even more impressed by the rest of the Instructor Committee!
While we were in Portland, we mostly stayed in the hotel, which was a Doubletree, with a nice restaurant, good meal service at our functions, and a nice Lobby Bar, with several interesting beer selections. The 'usual gang', was assembled there as I checked in, so I just took my things to the room and came back down. Portland has a plethora of brewpubs and other craft breweries, so it's a good beer town. We tried a beer from the Deschutes brewpub, Black Butte, a nice porter, which was creamy smooth, with a nice little nutty/smoky/chocolate taste, and no bitter end at all. That's what we settled on for most of the week.
Since we were pretty much being fed during the Instructor School, we didn't get out to eat but once, for dinner on Tuesday. A happy group of 14 of us went to the Deschutes brewery, home of the aforementioned Black Butte. We nibbled on some cheese fries, and a big fat 'German' pretzel with a very nice cheese dip. To drink, most of us went for a slightly darker Porter than the Black Butte, which they called Obsidian. This version was even closer to a Stout than the Butte was, but once again, it was very tasty, with a nice finish, and it went very well with the 'Black and Blue' steak salad I had.
After dinner, some of us popped over to "Rogue" brewery, just a few blocks away from Deschutes. Both are located in the "Pearl District" of Portland, which seems to be a very popular restaurant/pub area. At Rogue, Brian and Michelle each had a 'hoppy' brew, while Wayne and I were intrigued by, and ordered, the house brewed Root Beer. And it was a good choice, it was cold, creamy, had nice overtones of licorice and anise, and really refreshed.
Portland seemed to me to be similar to Seattle in some ways. Lots of very nice people, many of whom have that upper left coast tree hugger attitude, and lots of places to poke around. Unfortunately, it is also like Seattle in that it's cloudy a lot, and it rains a lot. I'd go back, but I'm not sure I'd just head there for a vacation.
Home on Thursday, caught up on emails and such on Friday, ran errands on Saturday, and back on the road on Sunday! This time, it's off to Charlotte for the National Recreation and Park Association Annual Conference. I stopped in Roanoke, VA for the night, and will get to Charlotte around lunch time on Monday. Got to Roanoke around 3:30, and decided to get a late lunch.
Sometimes, you take one for the team. Today's lunch choice was made strictly due to advertising. Little Caesar's (who actually makes a reasonably edible deep dish pie), has been advertising a pie with a layer of cheddar sauce underneath the mozzarella and pepperoni, and a 'buttered & salted pretzel crust".
"A Family Company", says the box, complete with very cheesy graphics. Open it up and..
Wowza Yowza, that's a happy looking pretzel pie! And a real bargain at $7 and change! Like most of the national chains, it's certainly not a big pie, maybe 14 inches in diameter, as opposed to a typical NY large pie, which is usually 18 - 20 inches. Take away a good 2+ inches in diameter for the pretzel edge crust, and it's a pretty small pie.
And here's two slices - thin as a frozen pizza might be; and you might think it IS frozen, but no, Little Caesar's mixes up the dough fresh in each store each day. This dough has a lot of cornmeal on the bottom, and I think it's given a little baking soda wash to give it that pretzel look and taste. Taste....well, the crust is pretty bland, but does indeed have a pretzel like flavor, especially the edge with the butter/salt on it. I couldn't really get much of the 'cheddar sauce' flavor, it was pretty overwhelmed by the mozzarella and pepperoni. As far as that goes, not bad. The sauce is not as sweet as Domino's or Papa John's is, and although the pepperoni is sliced as thin as a kleenex tissue, you can taste it. Overall, for what you pay, not a bad snack - but it's nothing like a real NY pizza. I'm not sure I'd get it again; I prefer their Deep Deep Dish pepperoni pie, but I give 'em credit for trying something a little different. I can see this reappearing on the menu each October, that would make sense to me. Dinner tonight, I think, will be something light, perhaps a small salad from Hardee's or Bojangles.
Tomorrow, off to Charlotte!
I got to Portland last Sunday afternoon, and stayed until early on Thursday. Real early. I was there for a CPO Instructor School, something I've been doing since 1999, and which I really enjoy. We had a large class, 50 students, including 15 Spanish speaking students from Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Colombia. For those who don't know, this is a very unique educational setting. Students are split into groups of five, and spend their two and a half days with the same people at their table. Instructors rotate through the tables, so each student has close up interaction with four different instructors. Students have to do four chapter presentations, and are evaluated on their knowledge of the subject matter, ability to communicate, to answer questions, and on their presentation skills and general classroom ability. Additionally, there are several presentations made to the entire student body by different members of the Instructor Committee. Overall, a very intense time for the students, but positive and supportive at all times. I am very proud to have been asked to participate in these schools, and am always very impressed with the students, and even more impressed by the rest of the Instructor Committee!
While we were in Portland, we mostly stayed in the hotel, which was a Doubletree, with a nice restaurant, good meal service at our functions, and a nice Lobby Bar, with several interesting beer selections. The 'usual gang', was assembled there as I checked in, so I just took my things to the room and came back down. Portland has a plethora of brewpubs and other craft breweries, so it's a good beer town. We tried a beer from the Deschutes brewpub, Black Butte, a nice porter, which was creamy smooth, with a nice little nutty/smoky/chocolate taste, and no bitter end at all. That's what we settled on for most of the week.
Since we were pretty much being fed during the Instructor School, we didn't get out to eat but once, for dinner on Tuesday. A happy group of 14 of us went to the Deschutes brewery, home of the aforementioned Black Butte. We nibbled on some cheese fries, and a big fat 'German' pretzel with a very nice cheese dip. To drink, most of us went for a slightly darker Porter than the Black Butte, which they called Obsidian. This version was even closer to a Stout than the Butte was, but once again, it was very tasty, with a nice finish, and it went very well with the 'Black and Blue' steak salad I had.
After dinner, some of us popped over to "Rogue" brewery, just a few blocks away from Deschutes. Both are located in the "Pearl District" of Portland, which seems to be a very popular restaurant/pub area. At Rogue, Brian and Michelle each had a 'hoppy' brew, while Wayne and I were intrigued by, and ordered, the house brewed Root Beer. And it was a good choice, it was cold, creamy, had nice overtones of licorice and anise, and really refreshed.
Portland seemed to me to be similar to Seattle in some ways. Lots of very nice people, many of whom have that upper left coast tree hugger attitude, and lots of places to poke around. Unfortunately, it is also like Seattle in that it's cloudy a lot, and it rains a lot. I'd go back, but I'm not sure I'd just head there for a vacation.
Home on Thursday, caught up on emails and such on Friday, ran errands on Saturday, and back on the road on Sunday! This time, it's off to Charlotte for the National Recreation and Park Association Annual Conference. I stopped in Roanoke, VA for the night, and will get to Charlotte around lunch time on Monday. Got to Roanoke around 3:30, and decided to get a late lunch.
Sometimes, you take one for the team. Today's lunch choice was made strictly due to advertising. Little Caesar's (who actually makes a reasonably edible deep dish pie), has been advertising a pie with a layer of cheddar sauce underneath the mozzarella and pepperoni, and a 'buttered & salted pretzel crust".
Tomorrow, off to Charlotte!
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Okie Dokie gang, time to hit the road again! Off to Portland, OR, for a CPO Instructor School this week. Due to time constraints, I'm taking the 'friendly skies' this trip, so all the posts will be Portland based.
Not looking forward to the flights, you all know by now how I feel about air travel. Fortunately, I got decent flight times, and reasonable stopover times. Denver stopover going out, and ugggh, O'Hare on the way back, and having the trip broken up into two relatively short trips beats the 6 hour nonstop run.
Now, I've not been to Portland before, I had a chance to go there back when I worked for Mid Atlantic, and we represented products by Columbia Cascade, which is based in Portland. Had a conflict on the trip dates and couldn't go, and was told "you'd really like Portland, it's a real 'hippie city'. Now, why anyone would think I would enjoy a 'hippie' anything is a mystery to me, but I'll play along. Fortunately, one of my buddies who works for the Swimming Pool Foundation has spent a lot of time in Portland, and we'll have him to guide us while we're there. Looking forward to some good meals and craft brews.
I'll say so long to Portland on Thursday, come home, and have a quick turnaround before heading out next Sunday for the NRPA Annual Congress for Parks, which is being held in Charlotte, NC. No time issues on that one, so the Bluecuda and I will take I-81 south and enjoy the fall scenery on the trip down and back.
NRPA is always a good conference, I usually find a couple of good educational sessions to attend, I run into people that I've known for a long time, and the exhibit hall is always fun to walk through. I'm giving a session on Wednesday the 15th, and heading back home on Thursday. NRPA has some good socials planned, including one at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, so I'm hoping to get some good posts up from NC. And, of course, there will be some fun food posts as well - and yes, for those who are wondering, I will be within the sphere of influence of Jack In The Box; and you all know what that means!
So keep your eyes peeled for the blogs, I'll let you all know on Facebook when a new post is up.
Not looking forward to the flights, you all know by now how I feel about air travel. Fortunately, I got decent flight times, and reasonable stopover times. Denver stopover going out, and ugggh, O'Hare on the way back, and having the trip broken up into two relatively short trips beats the 6 hour nonstop run.
Now, I've not been to Portland before, I had a chance to go there back when I worked for Mid Atlantic, and we represented products by Columbia Cascade, which is based in Portland. Had a conflict on the trip dates and couldn't go, and was told "you'd really like Portland, it's a real 'hippie city'. Now, why anyone would think I would enjoy a 'hippie' anything is a mystery to me, but I'll play along. Fortunately, one of my buddies who works for the Swimming Pool Foundation has spent a lot of time in Portland, and we'll have him to guide us while we're there. Looking forward to some good meals and craft brews.
I'll say so long to Portland on Thursday, come home, and have a quick turnaround before heading out next Sunday for the NRPA Annual Congress for Parks, which is being held in Charlotte, NC. No time issues on that one, so the Bluecuda and I will take I-81 south and enjoy the fall scenery on the trip down and back.
NRPA is always a good conference, I usually find a couple of good educational sessions to attend, I run into people that I've known for a long time, and the exhibit hall is always fun to walk through. I'm giving a session on Wednesday the 15th, and heading back home on Thursday. NRPA has some good socials planned, including one at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, so I'm hoping to get some good posts up from NC. And, of course, there will be some fun food posts as well - and yes, for those who are wondering, I will be within the sphere of influence of Jack In The Box; and you all know what that means!
So keep your eyes peeled for the blogs, I'll let you all know on Facebook when a new post is up.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Today it's a quick 'road trip' post; well, more like a quick 'railroad' trip post, as I review Friday night's trip to the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn to see the Islanders pre-season game.
Most of you know that my sons and I are the true definition of 'fans' of the Islanders (remembering that 'fan' is a derivative of 'fanatic'), we bleed orange and blue - which has our physicians greatly concerned!
Since this is the last year of a full regular season at the Nassau Coliseum, we wanted to see the new home ice before the team moves there, so we can decide if we take another partial season ticket plan next year. Doesn't make sense to spend big dollars on a place you've never seen. So thanks to 'Stubhub', we picked up three tickets at a reasonable price to the Islanders vs. Devils game last Friday. Here's the rundown:
The trip to Brook-A-Leen: Met Bill and Tom at the Hicksville LIRR station to catch the 5:29. Tom very thoughtfully had 3 24 oz. cans of Bud waiting for us, so that was a nice way to start the trip. The train was on time (well, at least according to the LIRR's definition of on time), we got seats and settled in. We noticed that there were a LOT of Islander fans on the train. Quick trip to Jamaica, change to the train to Brooklyn on track 3; LIRR had people on the platform directing us to the correct train. On to East New York, Nostrand Avenue, and finally Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn. Less than an hour from when we boarded in Hicksville.
The walk to Barclay's: Up the stairs at Atlantic Terminal, hang a left, go half a block or so, and you're at Atlantic Avenue. Look across the street - there's Barclay's Center.
Spotted lots of pubs, restaurants and other interesting places around Barclay's, it'll be an easy place to grab a bite before, or after, games. Cross Atlantic Avenue, and you're on a lovely, large spacious plaza leading up to the building. Plenty of room to meet your party, benches to sit on, food carts to grab a snack, a very well done approach to the building, and very different from the Coliseum, which sits alone in the midst of all those acres of parking. Speaking of which, we didn't see much parking near Barclay's, and would have to agree that driving there probably isn't the way to go.
Barclay's Center: Well, you're not at the Coliseum any more. Long line to get into the building at the main entrance, due to security screening. At Nassau, the security guys stand outside the building and use the 'wand' to clear fans to go in. At Barclay's, security is just inside the door, and consists of airport style walk through metal detectors. Each person has to empty their pockets and place their stuff in a basket, then walk through. A guard with a wand does a second check if you set the thingy off (as Bill's steel toed work boots did). Immediately beyond the security checkpoint is the ticket taker, who lasers your ticket and passes you in. Considering that we were at the entrance almost an hour prior to game time, and it was not a sellout, I wonder how long we'll be waiting outside in the cold of winter once the Isles move here and we get a big crowd?
Okay, inside we go, and it's quickly apparent that this place is NICE. Wide, spacious attractive concourse, loaded with all sorts of concessions and fan friendly kiosks.
Got on line for food, and was impressed with the quickness of the service, the line moved very quickly. Three 'jumbo' Nathan's dogs, two orders of Nathan's fries, and three beers; $60. About what you'd spend at Yankee Stadium, but at the Stadium, the dogs are much bigger, and they give you about 3 times as many fries. Over to the condiment stand, disappointed with the 'Gold's' mustard, the same poor quality blend we get at Duck games; relish, ketchup, sauerkraut, and sliced banana peppers round out the choices. MINUS: one mustard pump already not working.
Off to the seats. Wow, there's an escalator up to our seats in section 221! Of course, as we rode it up, we realized that we're about three times as high off the ice as we'd be in the 300 section of Nassau. Walk three or four sections over, and we arrive at our section. Nice usher insists that he needs to see at least one ticket before he'll let us up to our seats. Lovely, but all three of us are juggling beer and food in our hands. Tom finally manages to get his ticket out, and up we go to aisle 12, seats 1, 2, & 3. Oh my, I wonder how many people will get nosebleeds up here? Yeah, it's one of those steep/high arenas, like so many others that we've been in (Dallas, Anaheim), but this one doesn't seem to be angled as badly as those are. Seats are nice, comfy, well cushioned, and we're in a section that has a good view of the goal the Isles will shoot at twice.
Because Barclay's was built specifically for the Nets, it's a basketball arena, and the hockey rink has to be set up off center to fit within the footprint of the main floor. The result is that the scoreboard is slightly off center, and there are a LOT of seats behind the Isles goal that are very obstructed - you can't see anything between the end board and the face off circle without standing up - yes, that includes the goal.
Other than that, we find the acoustics to be worse than awful; we're catching one out of about every five or six words the p.a. announcer says, and the seating area is rather dark. A quick look around shows there are NO lights up above us as there are in the ceiling of Nassau, so even during intermission, you're in a very dimly lit area.
Game action is pretty good, despite rather chippy ice (it hasn't been down long), the scoreboard is huge, very clear, and really dominates the building. The crowd tries to get noisy a few times, but even though they claim 11,800 fans were there, the building swallows up all but the most hearty and loud chants - this place is cavernous, a dramatic change from the very low ceiling at the Coliseum.
Between periods we go out to the restrooms. The wide, spacious concourse is now a bad twin of the ones at the Coliseum, as the lines from the many concession stands have swelled to close down the walking space to one barely wide enough to accommodate one person at a time. It seems as if the service which we found to be quick and efficient at the stand downstairs, is not being maintained upstairs! The restroom however, is a pleasure. Large, well lighted, clean, and with no line at all. They appear to have more than 3x the number of urinals that the ones at Nassau have, which should make getting in and out somewhat faster.
Food stands we spotted included the typical hot dog/fries/pretzel/popcorn stuff, plus the following; Brooklyn Burger; Calexico (Mexican); David K's Deli; Fatty 'Cue BBQ; Paisanos The Butcher Shop; L&B Spumoni Gardens (!); Buffalo Boss; Junior's Cheesecake; Fresco by Scotto; Habana; Nathan's; Abigael's Brooklyn; Boomer & Carton Kitchen. Quite a selection, and all supplemented by many portable carts, selling everything from craft brew beers, to popcorn, peanuts, you name it.
Beer guy comes around, $9.50 for a 12 oz. Bud or Bud Light - same as the Coliseum last year, and .25c less than Yankee Stadium.
The game: Pretty good game, the Isles, as they usually do, get off to a 2 goal lead, then get caught from behind, and regulation ends 2-2. A scoreless overtime leads to a shoot out (which the boys and I decide we all HATE), and the Isles win it on Brock Nelson's goal. Success, we saw them win!
Going home: Out of the building, easy access through a staircase at the back of the concourse, and on to that great plaza. Now, at 10:15, there's even more activity there, as the number of food carts has increased, and with it being a lovely late summer night, it's more like being in a public park than coming out of an arena.
Quick two minute walk to the LIRR terminal (which also has the 2,3,4,5,B,D,N,Q,R subways), catch the 10:29 to Hicksville, and we're on our way. After having too few trains last year for the pre-season game, the LIRR has committed to adding several 'extra' trains to the schedule after Isles games. We get seats, there are lots of happy Islander fans on the train (and a few pissy Devil fans), and we ride straight through to Hicksville without having to change at Jamaica.
Overall? Well, as Bill said, after going to the game at Barclay's, he was even more irritated and annoyed that the local pinheads let this team get away. As nice as Barclays is, and it is indeed very nice, it's not 'our' building yet. And it's not truly representative of Long Island - which is where this team was born, raised, and lives. It's a shame that what once was the center of the highest level of professional sports, an arena that hosted one of the last great dynasties in the NHL, which was "major league" all the way, is now 'hoping' to get a minor league team. Really? Talk about lowered expectations and a real lack of commitment to excellence. Thank you Kate Murray and the rest of the two bit politicians who lost this team.
But I digress. Will we go back? Of course - we are fans (see above for what that means), and this is our team. Loyalties don't fade like the old felt pennants we buy and hang on our walls, instead, they grow stronger over time, and old memories fuel the hopes for the new season; something we share with our sons and daughters, and eventually grandchildren. The true fan never loses their passion for the game, and for their team, it becomes a lifelong endeavor, rooting for 'your' team. So yes, we'll be taking that partial plan at Barclay's, maybe not 22 games again, but something that will bring us to see Our Team on a regular basis.
Most of you know that my sons and I are the true definition of 'fans' of the Islanders (remembering that 'fan' is a derivative of 'fanatic'), we bleed orange and blue - which has our physicians greatly concerned!
Since this is the last year of a full regular season at the Nassau Coliseum, we wanted to see the new home ice before the team moves there, so we can decide if we take another partial season ticket plan next year. Doesn't make sense to spend big dollars on a place you've never seen. So thanks to 'Stubhub', we picked up three tickets at a reasonable price to the Islanders vs. Devils game last Friday. Here's the rundown:
The trip to Brook-A-Leen: Met Bill and Tom at the Hicksville LIRR station to catch the 5:29. Tom very thoughtfully had 3 24 oz. cans of Bud waiting for us, so that was a nice way to start the trip. The train was on time (well, at least according to the LIRR's definition of on time), we got seats and settled in. We noticed that there were a LOT of Islander fans on the train. Quick trip to Jamaica, change to the train to Brooklyn on track 3; LIRR had people on the platform directing us to the correct train. On to East New York, Nostrand Avenue, and finally Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn. Less than an hour from when we boarded in Hicksville.
The walk to Barclay's: Up the stairs at Atlantic Terminal, hang a left, go half a block or so, and you're at Atlantic Avenue. Look across the street - there's Barclay's Center.
Barclay's Center: Well, you're not at the Coliseum any more. Long line to get into the building at the main entrance, due to security screening. At Nassau, the security guys stand outside the building and use the 'wand' to clear fans to go in. At Barclay's, security is just inside the door, and consists of airport style walk through metal detectors. Each person has to empty their pockets and place their stuff in a basket, then walk through. A guard with a wand does a second check if you set the thingy off (as Bill's steel toed work boots did). Immediately beyond the security checkpoint is the ticket taker, who lasers your ticket and passes you in. Considering that we were at the entrance almost an hour prior to game time, and it was not a sellout, I wonder how long we'll be waiting outside in the cold of winter once the Isles move here and we get a big crowd?
Okay, inside we go, and it's quickly apparent that this place is NICE. Wide, spacious attractive concourse, loaded with all sorts of concessions and fan friendly kiosks.
Got on line for food, and was impressed with the quickness of the service, the line moved very quickly. Three 'jumbo' Nathan's dogs, two orders of Nathan's fries, and three beers; $60. About what you'd spend at Yankee Stadium, but at the Stadium, the dogs are much bigger, and they give you about 3 times as many fries. Over to the condiment stand, disappointed with the 'Gold's' mustard, the same poor quality blend we get at Duck games; relish, ketchup, sauerkraut, and sliced banana peppers round out the choices. MINUS: one mustard pump already not working.
Off to the seats. Wow, there's an escalator up to our seats in section 221! Of course, as we rode it up, we realized that we're about three times as high off the ice as we'd be in the 300 section of Nassau. Walk three or four sections over, and we arrive at our section. Nice usher insists that he needs to see at least one ticket before he'll let us up to our seats. Lovely, but all three of us are juggling beer and food in our hands. Tom finally manages to get his ticket out, and up we go to aisle 12, seats 1, 2, & 3. Oh my, I wonder how many people will get nosebleeds up here? Yeah, it's one of those steep/high arenas, like so many others that we've been in (Dallas, Anaheim), but this one doesn't seem to be angled as badly as those are. Seats are nice, comfy, well cushioned, and we're in a section that has a good view of the goal the Isles will shoot at twice.
Other than that, we find the acoustics to be worse than awful; we're catching one out of about every five or six words the p.a. announcer says, and the seating area is rather dark. A quick look around shows there are NO lights up above us as there are in the ceiling of Nassau, so even during intermission, you're in a very dimly lit area.
Game action is pretty good, despite rather chippy ice (it hasn't been down long), the scoreboard is huge, very clear, and really dominates the building. The crowd tries to get noisy a few times, but even though they claim 11,800 fans were there, the building swallows up all but the most hearty and loud chants - this place is cavernous, a dramatic change from the very low ceiling at the Coliseum.
Between periods we go out to the restrooms. The wide, spacious concourse is now a bad twin of the ones at the Coliseum, as the lines from the many concession stands have swelled to close down the walking space to one barely wide enough to accommodate one person at a time. It seems as if the service which we found to be quick and efficient at the stand downstairs, is not being maintained upstairs! The restroom however, is a pleasure. Large, well lighted, clean, and with no line at all. They appear to have more than 3x the number of urinals that the ones at Nassau have, which should make getting in and out somewhat faster.
Food stands we spotted included the typical hot dog/fries/pretzel/popcorn stuff, plus the following; Brooklyn Burger; Calexico (Mexican); David K's Deli; Fatty 'Cue BBQ; Paisanos The Butcher Shop; L&B Spumoni Gardens (!); Buffalo Boss; Junior's Cheesecake; Fresco by Scotto; Habana; Nathan's; Abigael's Brooklyn; Boomer & Carton Kitchen. Quite a selection, and all supplemented by many portable carts, selling everything from craft brew beers, to popcorn, peanuts, you name it.
Beer guy comes around, $9.50 for a 12 oz. Bud or Bud Light - same as the Coliseum last year, and .25c less than Yankee Stadium.
The game: Pretty good game, the Isles, as they usually do, get off to a 2 goal lead, then get caught from behind, and regulation ends 2-2. A scoreless overtime leads to a shoot out (which the boys and I decide we all HATE), and the Isles win it on Brock Nelson's goal. Success, we saw them win!
Going home: Out of the building, easy access through a staircase at the back of the concourse, and on to that great plaza. Now, at 10:15, there's even more activity there, as the number of food carts has increased, and with it being a lovely late summer night, it's more like being in a public park than coming out of an arena.
Quick two minute walk to the LIRR terminal (which also has the 2,3,4,5,B,D,N,Q,R subways), catch the 10:29 to Hicksville, and we're on our way. After having too few trains last year for the pre-season game, the LIRR has committed to adding several 'extra' trains to the schedule after Isles games. We get seats, there are lots of happy Islander fans on the train (and a few pissy Devil fans), and we ride straight through to Hicksville without having to change at Jamaica.
Overall? Well, as Bill said, after going to the game at Barclay's, he was even more irritated and annoyed that the local pinheads let this team get away. As nice as Barclays is, and it is indeed very nice, it's not 'our' building yet. And it's not truly representative of Long Island - which is where this team was born, raised, and lives. It's a shame that what once was the center of the highest level of professional sports, an arena that hosted one of the last great dynasties in the NHL, which was "major league" all the way, is now 'hoping' to get a minor league team. Really? Talk about lowered expectations and a real lack of commitment to excellence. Thank you Kate Murray and the rest of the two bit politicians who lost this team.
But I digress. Will we go back? Of course - we are fans (see above for what that means), and this is our team. Loyalties don't fade like the old felt pennants we buy and hang on our walls, instead, they grow stronger over time, and old memories fuel the hopes for the new season; something we share with our sons and daughters, and eventually grandchildren. The true fan never loses their passion for the game, and for their team, it becomes a lifelong endeavor, rooting for 'your' team. So yes, we'll be taking that partial plan at Barclay's, maybe not 22 games again, but something that will bring us to see Our Team on a regular basis.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Back when I was 'just a kid', I joined the Boy Scouts, with a few of my buddies. There were several troops in our little Village, most of them had been in existence for a long time, and they met mostly in various churches or small private schools. Of course, the troop I joined was a fairly new one, and met not in a church or small place, but in the gymnasium of Stratford Avenue School, the place where I attended grades 3 - 6.
I'm not sure if it was due to the fact that we were a 'new' troop, with fairly new, inexperienced leaders, or because we met in a large room that was conducive to running around like a bunch of wild indians (yes, I know, not politically correct - too bad), or because we had mostly a bunch of kids who were too familiar with each other from living in the same neighborhood, but this was one WILD troop! Meetings would start out innocently enough, with the presenting of the flags, announcements, etc., and the leaders would usually make an attempt at a demonstration or lecture about some Scout skill that we needed to learn, but most weeks that deteriorated pretty quickly into a non-authorized game of 'keep away' with someone's hat, neckerchief, shoes, or whatever.
Despite all of the stuff that went on, or maybe because of it, we had a pretty good time, and not too many kids ever dropped out; none of us ever advanced very far either, but we gained an appreciation for some of the things we learned, and some of us developed a lifelong love of going camping and enjoying the great outdoors.
So what brought on this little treatise about the Scouts? Well, I had a short road trip this week, out to Buffalo NY to do some tweaking on the Buffalo State College pool. Now, from Long Island, it's close to 430 miles each way to Buffalo, and you can route yourself out through NJ and PA (80W to 380N to 81N to 90W), which a lot of folks do, since all of those roads are large, fairly straight interstate roads, and you can make decent time on them.
The Alternative is to go over the Tappan Zee to the NY Thruway, and pick up old Route 17 through the Catskills, hook up with 81N at Binghampton, then grab 90W at Syracuse. This route is about 1 mile longer, and MapQuest says 10 minutes slower than going out through NJ and PA. But I always take this route, even though there are some slow zones, and you need to watch carefully for the State Troopers who do speed enforcement along the way.
Why do I go this way? Simple, when I was in Scouts, we'd go camping several times a year at Camp Onteora, in Livingston Manor NY, right off exit 98 on Route 17. And Dad, who was one of the Assistant Scoutmasters, would drive us up and back to camp on 17.
I can remember it like it was yesterday. He'd have worked his usual 50 - 60 hour week, come rumbling up the driveway in his little Valiant station wagon, and instead of popping a beer or two and finally relaxing a bit and resting up from the week's work, he'd start packing tents and sleeping bags, camp stoves, all sorts of stuff in the car.
Mom would have dinner ready, or we'd get a pizza, and right after we ate, off we went to meet the Troop. Dad would take one or two additional Scouts and their gear into the car, and the journey began.
Leaving Long Island on a Friday evening to go upstate was as much or more of a challenge back then than it is today. Traffic was awful, the car wasn't air conditioned, all you had to listen to was an AM radio, and with Dad's chain smoking and short temper in traffic, well, it was an experience that not too many kids are going to have today!
Now, Livingston Manor is about 140 or so miles away, and driving at the speed limit, you can get there in maybe 2 hours, 2 and a half if you go slow. But back then, with 50 mph speed limits on most of the roads, and the limitations of the cars, it was always four hours or more to get there. And not much to do on the way up there, either. Not a lot of roadside attractions to look for; in fact, not too many service stations either. We'd have our landmarks along the way, the Throgs Neck bridge, then the Tappan Zee (right by Sleepy Hollow!). Then there was a castle like building on the Rockland County side, way up on the mountain; Monticello Raceway, the hospital; the VFW post on the west side of 17; then finally Willoweemoc Creek and the Willoweemoc Motel, and we're there!
Turn right off of 17, follow the road for about 5 miles, then left into the camp. Come up on the narrow old wooden bridge, Dad would say "I hope it doesn't collapse like it did to those guys last month", and then we'd hear the wood creaking and silently hope he was kidding!
Pitch the tents in darkness, hoping that we'd wake up and find we had a 'good' campsite, one equally close to the lake and the latrines, and away from the stream that runs through the place, loaded with trout, and known to attract black bears.
Run ourselves into exhaustion on Saturday, get to bed late after a campfire and some silly 'horror' stories, and on Sunday morning, wake up to Dad's coffee, sausages/bacon and eggs. Of all the Scoutmasters, Dad was the only one who insisted on cooking breakfast both Saturday and Sunday. Other kids would be having corn flakes and milk, and we'd have this great hot breakfast. He always said, especially when you're outdoors, that hot breakfast set the tone for the day.
Pack the cars, and now we'd get to fight the traffic going back towards NYC. Remember, this was the mid 1960's, and lots of the Catskill resorts and camps were still very active, and the traffic on 17 on a Sunday could be as bad as it is today on the Belt Parkway at rush hour. So the trip home would be not four hours, but closer to five or five and a half. Finally back on Long Island; drop the other kids off, get home, unpack the car, take the tents into the back yard, clean them, hang them on the clothes line (you young kids can ask me for a definition of 'clothesline'), clean the cooking gear, and finally, just around dinner time, he'd be done, and he'd get his Schmidt's or Rhinegold as his reward.
And so, I take 17 whenever I can. And I look for the sights just like I did when I was a kid. The Throgs Neck is $7.50 one way now, instead of .50c; the castle place is long gone, the hospital is a lot bigger, Monticello Raceway now has slot machines and other 'casino' games; there are gas stations and convenience stores along the way, and the VFW Post is also gone; having been remodeled into a faux log cabin, it's been 'for rent' now for several years; the Willoweemoc Motel has closed it's doors, and even the "Lazy Beagle" pub, which was a Livingston Manor landmark for years is gone.
The camp is still there, and better than ever. The Nassau Council helped fund a new dining hall several years ago. The lake is still pristine and beautiful, the stream is still loaded with trout, and that old wooden bridge is still scaring kids with it's creaking and squeaking when a car rides over it. I know, because years later, I drove my sons, and their Scout buddies to that very same camp. And I hope that one day, they'll be blogging, or whatever they'll call it in the future, about some fun memories they have of going up good old 17 with their Dad.
As for me, once in a while, I look in the rear view mirror of the car, and I can swear I see a little wisp of cigarette smoke and a faint smile looking back at me.
I'm not sure if it was due to the fact that we were a 'new' troop, with fairly new, inexperienced leaders, or because we met in a large room that was conducive to running around like a bunch of wild indians (yes, I know, not politically correct - too bad), or because we had mostly a bunch of kids who were too familiar with each other from living in the same neighborhood, but this was one WILD troop! Meetings would start out innocently enough, with the presenting of the flags, announcements, etc., and the leaders would usually make an attempt at a demonstration or lecture about some Scout skill that we needed to learn, but most weeks that deteriorated pretty quickly into a non-authorized game of 'keep away' with someone's hat, neckerchief, shoes, or whatever.
Despite all of the stuff that went on, or maybe because of it, we had a pretty good time, and not too many kids ever dropped out; none of us ever advanced very far either, but we gained an appreciation for some of the things we learned, and some of us developed a lifelong love of going camping and enjoying the great outdoors.
So what brought on this little treatise about the Scouts? Well, I had a short road trip this week, out to Buffalo NY to do some tweaking on the Buffalo State College pool. Now, from Long Island, it's close to 430 miles each way to Buffalo, and you can route yourself out through NJ and PA (80W to 380N to 81N to 90W), which a lot of folks do, since all of those roads are large, fairly straight interstate roads, and you can make decent time on them.
The Alternative is to go over the Tappan Zee to the NY Thruway, and pick up old Route 17 through the Catskills, hook up with 81N at Binghampton, then grab 90W at Syracuse. This route is about 1 mile longer, and MapQuest says 10 minutes slower than going out through NJ and PA. But I always take this route, even though there are some slow zones, and you need to watch carefully for the State Troopers who do speed enforcement along the way.
Why do I go this way? Simple, when I was in Scouts, we'd go camping several times a year at Camp Onteora, in Livingston Manor NY, right off exit 98 on Route 17. And Dad, who was one of the Assistant Scoutmasters, would drive us up and back to camp on 17.
I can remember it like it was yesterday. He'd have worked his usual 50 - 60 hour week, come rumbling up the driveway in his little Valiant station wagon, and instead of popping a beer or two and finally relaxing a bit and resting up from the week's work, he'd start packing tents and sleeping bags, camp stoves, all sorts of stuff in the car.
Mom would have dinner ready, or we'd get a pizza, and right after we ate, off we went to meet the Troop. Dad would take one or two additional Scouts and their gear into the car, and the journey began.
Leaving Long Island on a Friday evening to go upstate was as much or more of a challenge back then than it is today. Traffic was awful, the car wasn't air conditioned, all you had to listen to was an AM radio, and with Dad's chain smoking and short temper in traffic, well, it was an experience that not too many kids are going to have today!
Now, Livingston Manor is about 140 or so miles away, and driving at the speed limit, you can get there in maybe 2 hours, 2 and a half if you go slow. But back then, with 50 mph speed limits on most of the roads, and the limitations of the cars, it was always four hours or more to get there. And not much to do on the way up there, either. Not a lot of roadside attractions to look for; in fact, not too many service stations either. We'd have our landmarks along the way, the Throgs Neck bridge, then the Tappan Zee (right by Sleepy Hollow!). Then there was a castle like building on the Rockland County side, way up on the mountain; Monticello Raceway, the hospital; the VFW post on the west side of 17; then finally Willoweemoc Creek and the Willoweemoc Motel, and we're there!
Turn right off of 17, follow the road for about 5 miles, then left into the camp. Come up on the narrow old wooden bridge, Dad would say "I hope it doesn't collapse like it did to those guys last month", and then we'd hear the wood creaking and silently hope he was kidding!
Pitch the tents in darkness, hoping that we'd wake up and find we had a 'good' campsite, one equally close to the lake and the latrines, and away from the stream that runs through the place, loaded with trout, and known to attract black bears.
Run ourselves into exhaustion on Saturday, get to bed late after a campfire and some silly 'horror' stories, and on Sunday morning, wake up to Dad's coffee, sausages/bacon and eggs. Of all the Scoutmasters, Dad was the only one who insisted on cooking breakfast both Saturday and Sunday. Other kids would be having corn flakes and milk, and we'd have this great hot breakfast. He always said, especially when you're outdoors, that hot breakfast set the tone for the day.
Pack the cars, and now we'd get to fight the traffic going back towards NYC. Remember, this was the mid 1960's, and lots of the Catskill resorts and camps were still very active, and the traffic on 17 on a Sunday could be as bad as it is today on the Belt Parkway at rush hour. So the trip home would be not four hours, but closer to five or five and a half. Finally back on Long Island; drop the other kids off, get home, unpack the car, take the tents into the back yard, clean them, hang them on the clothes line (you young kids can ask me for a definition of 'clothesline'), clean the cooking gear, and finally, just around dinner time, he'd be done, and he'd get his Schmidt's or Rhinegold as his reward.
And so, I take 17 whenever I can. And I look for the sights just like I did when I was a kid. The Throgs Neck is $7.50 one way now, instead of .50c; the castle place is long gone, the hospital is a lot bigger, Monticello Raceway now has slot machines and other 'casino' games; there are gas stations and convenience stores along the way, and the VFW Post is also gone; having been remodeled into a faux log cabin, it's been 'for rent' now for several years; the Willoweemoc Motel has closed it's doors, and even the "Lazy Beagle" pub, which was a Livingston Manor landmark for years is gone.
The camp is still there, and better than ever. The Nassau Council helped fund a new dining hall several years ago. The lake is still pristine and beautiful, the stream is still loaded with trout, and that old wooden bridge is still scaring kids with it's creaking and squeaking when a car rides over it. I know, because years later, I drove my sons, and their Scout buddies to that very same camp. And I hope that one day, they'll be blogging, or whatever they'll call it in the future, about some fun memories they have of going up good old 17 with their Dad.
As for me, once in a while, I look in the rear view mirror of the car, and I can swear I see a little wisp of cigarette smoke and a faint smile looking back at me.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Today, we're going to take a little time and review a pretty good concert that came through Westbury last night.
Billed as the "British Invasion Tour", the show celebrates the 50th anniversary of the introduction of The Beatles, and all of the British acts which followed 'the lads' across the pond. This tour has been making the rounds of the East Coast, and looks like it's about over; they have a couple of more shows here in the east, then head out to CA.
Upon entering the Theater last night, we were greeted with a sign that said "Gerry Marsden of the Pacemakers will not be appearing at tonight's show; Terry Sylvester of The Hollies will be replacing him". Well, that was a disappointment, as Gerry & The Pacemakers were one of the best groups to come over after The Beatles. It was later announced that Gerry has had to miss the entire tour due to being hospitalized. During a break in the show, a video clip of an old performance by the Pacemakers was played.
So, off to the show! First up, Terry Sylvester, long time member of the Hollies, who joined that group when Graham Nash left. His set was pretty short, just 5 songs, and only three Hollies tunes; I Can't Let Go, Bus Stop, and Carrie Anne. His last two songs were ones he'd performed as a member of the Swingin' Blue Jeans, You're No Good (the Ronstadt song), and Hippy Hippy Shake. Unfortunately, Terry was not in great voice, particularly on I Can't Let Go. His rather off pitch performance was made even more noticeable by the excellent background vocals provided by the band. Still, the first and last songs he did were good, high energy tunes, appropriate for the 'opening act'.
Up next was Mike Pender, lead vocalist for The Searchers. Now 73 years young, he played a nice lead guitar and did most of the Searchers hits; Sweets For My Sweet, Don't Throw Your Love Away, Sugar and Spice, When You Walk In The Room, Take Me For What I'm Worth, Needles and Pins, and Love Potion #9. Mike sounded pretty good, and though he seemed to be having problems hearing his guitar on stage, it sounded fine to the audience, especially the cool licks on When You Walk In The Room. Good performance of some very popular hit songs; the only one some of the audience was unfamiliar with was Take Me For What I'm Worth, which I don't recall as getting a lot of airplay here in the States.
Closing out the first half of the show was Chad and Jeremy, who did another short set of 5 songs, including an a capella version of You Are She, followed by Distant Shores, Yesterday's Gone, No Other Baby, and A Summer Song. Upon entering the stage, Jeremy, dressed to the nines in a lovely black suit and Chad, dressed in a fine "Canadian Tuxedo" as he called it (faded jeans, faded jean jacket, black shirt, casual shoes) picked up the excellent harmonies from 50 years ago as if they'd never been apart. Intertwined with some cute stories of appearing on 'Batman' and 'The Dick VanDyke Show', the performed their hits perfectly sounding almost exactly like their records. It was obvious to all that they were enjoying themselves as well, which only enhanced their performance. I was only disappointed in the shortness of the set, as they were easily the best vocalists to appear.
The second half of the show was opened by Billy J. Kramer, who his hits with the band The Dakotas. Several of these were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and Billy told a few short tales of being in the studio with John when he gave Billy "Bad To Me", and of being managed by the late Brian Epstein, who was also The Beatles manager. Billy has been living here on Long Island for the last 30 or so years, and I actually met him years back when we had him appear at the Garden City Gazebo. His set opened with a song he just recorded called I Won The Fight, which he explained had to do with being able to survive in the music business as long as he has. I'll Keep You Satisfied, another Lennon-McCartney tune was up next, followed by From A Window, Do You Want To Know A Secret (which he recorded before The Beatles, and which was a #1 hit in England), I Call Your Name, Trains & Boats & Planes, Liverpool With Love (a tribute to Brian Epstein & The Beatles), Little Children, Bad To Me, and The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore. All in all, Billy sounded okay; his voice has gotten deeper over the years, and he can't quite sing in the keys the songs were originally recorded in, so they sound a little 'off'. But he had a lot of energy on stage, and was really giving it a great effort. His closing song, The Walker Brothers Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore was easily his strongest, and best, vocal of the night. Great ovation for him, the crowd really took to him.
Closing the show was Denny Laine, original lead singer of The Moody Blues, and later on, a founding member and lead guitarist with Wings. Denny did a short, but energized set, comprised of I'll Go Crazy (James Brown cover), Say You Don't Mind, and Go Now. His voice was good, Go Now was spot on, and his guitar work was excellent. For his closing number, he did the Wings tune Band On The Run, and for the final verse was joined onstage by the rest of the performers. Band On The Run was a dead on cover of the Wings version, albeit lacking in Paul's familiar vocal. Too short a set would be my only complaint about Denny's performance.
Can't go without mentioning the excellent backing band, who played behind each of the 'stars'. They were a very tight knit band, with a terrific drummer who had the 'British Beat' down pat. The guitarists were all quite good, and the fellow who played guitar and keyboards was very talented.
It may have been 50 years since these artists first came over here, and the years have certainly caught up to them in some ways, but for a couple of hours on Sunday night, it WAS 1964 again, and the songs, the memories, and the smiles came flowing back easily and with great joy. This is a show which is highly recommended!
Billed as the "British Invasion Tour", the show celebrates the 50th anniversary of the introduction of The Beatles, and all of the British acts which followed 'the lads' across the pond. This tour has been making the rounds of the East Coast, and looks like it's about over; they have a couple of more shows here in the east, then head out to CA.
Upon entering the Theater last night, we were greeted with a sign that said "Gerry Marsden of the Pacemakers will not be appearing at tonight's show; Terry Sylvester of The Hollies will be replacing him". Well, that was a disappointment, as Gerry & The Pacemakers were one of the best groups to come over after The Beatles. It was later announced that Gerry has had to miss the entire tour due to being hospitalized. During a break in the show, a video clip of an old performance by the Pacemakers was played.
So, off to the show! First up, Terry Sylvester, long time member of the Hollies, who joined that group when Graham Nash left. His set was pretty short, just 5 songs, and only three Hollies tunes; I Can't Let Go, Bus Stop, and Carrie Anne. His last two songs were ones he'd performed as a member of the Swingin' Blue Jeans, You're No Good (the Ronstadt song), and Hippy Hippy Shake. Unfortunately, Terry was not in great voice, particularly on I Can't Let Go. His rather off pitch performance was made even more noticeable by the excellent background vocals provided by the band. Still, the first and last songs he did were good, high energy tunes, appropriate for the 'opening act'.
Up next was Mike Pender, lead vocalist for The Searchers. Now 73 years young, he played a nice lead guitar and did most of the Searchers hits; Sweets For My Sweet, Don't Throw Your Love Away, Sugar and Spice, When You Walk In The Room, Take Me For What I'm Worth, Needles and Pins, and Love Potion #9. Mike sounded pretty good, and though he seemed to be having problems hearing his guitar on stage, it sounded fine to the audience, especially the cool licks on When You Walk In The Room. Good performance of some very popular hit songs; the only one some of the audience was unfamiliar with was Take Me For What I'm Worth, which I don't recall as getting a lot of airplay here in the States.
Closing out the first half of the show was Chad and Jeremy, who did another short set of 5 songs, including an a capella version of You Are She, followed by Distant Shores, Yesterday's Gone, No Other Baby, and A Summer Song. Upon entering the stage, Jeremy, dressed to the nines in a lovely black suit and Chad, dressed in a fine "Canadian Tuxedo" as he called it (faded jeans, faded jean jacket, black shirt, casual shoes) picked up the excellent harmonies from 50 years ago as if they'd never been apart. Intertwined with some cute stories of appearing on 'Batman' and 'The Dick VanDyke Show', the performed their hits perfectly sounding almost exactly like their records. It was obvious to all that they were enjoying themselves as well, which only enhanced their performance. I was only disappointed in the shortness of the set, as they were easily the best vocalists to appear.
The second half of the show was opened by Billy J. Kramer, who his hits with the band The Dakotas. Several of these were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and Billy told a few short tales of being in the studio with John when he gave Billy "Bad To Me", and of being managed by the late Brian Epstein, who was also The Beatles manager. Billy has been living here on Long Island for the last 30 or so years, and I actually met him years back when we had him appear at the Garden City Gazebo. His set opened with a song he just recorded called I Won The Fight, which he explained had to do with being able to survive in the music business as long as he has. I'll Keep You Satisfied, another Lennon-McCartney tune was up next, followed by From A Window, Do You Want To Know A Secret (which he recorded before The Beatles, and which was a #1 hit in England), I Call Your Name, Trains & Boats & Planes, Liverpool With Love (a tribute to Brian Epstein & The Beatles), Little Children, Bad To Me, and The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore. All in all, Billy sounded okay; his voice has gotten deeper over the years, and he can't quite sing in the keys the songs were originally recorded in, so they sound a little 'off'. But he had a lot of energy on stage, and was really giving it a great effort. His closing song, The Walker Brothers Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore was easily his strongest, and best, vocal of the night. Great ovation for him, the crowd really took to him.
Closing the show was Denny Laine, original lead singer of The Moody Blues, and later on, a founding member and lead guitarist with Wings. Denny did a short, but energized set, comprised of I'll Go Crazy (James Brown cover), Say You Don't Mind, and Go Now. His voice was good, Go Now was spot on, and his guitar work was excellent. For his closing number, he did the Wings tune Band On The Run, and for the final verse was joined onstage by the rest of the performers. Band On The Run was a dead on cover of the Wings version, albeit lacking in Paul's familiar vocal. Too short a set would be my only complaint about Denny's performance.
Can't go without mentioning the excellent backing band, who played behind each of the 'stars'. They were a very tight knit band, with a terrific drummer who had the 'British Beat' down pat. The guitarists were all quite good, and the fellow who played guitar and keyboards was very talented.
It may have been 50 years since these artists first came over here, and the years have certainly caught up to them in some ways, but for a couple of hours on Sunday night, it WAS 1964 again, and the songs, the memories, and the smiles came flowing back easily and with great joy. This is a show which is highly recommended!
Friday, September 12, 2014
Happy "Monkees Day" everyone! No, it's not an official holiday (yet), but today is the anniversary of the broadcast premiere of The Monkees television show back in 1966. For many of us who were young kids at the time, 7:30 on Monday nights became appointment television for the two seasons of first run shows.
Unlike many other shows which featured teenagers or kids, The Monkees broke new ground in several ways.
First and foremost, there was no 'parent' or 'adult figure' involved in the show. Yes, the pilot had an adult type record shop owner who acted as the guys manager, but that plot feature was quickly abandoned, and the four young men were on their own.
Second, this was the first show to bring the 'mod' look into America's living rooms. Young men with long hair, wearing hip clothes, using current slang, and all in a positive light. Until The Monkees hit, most portrayals of 'hippies' and 'mods' were as troubled or trouble making kids on shows like "Ben Casey", "The Defenders", and the like. These shows did not cast these characters in a good light; in most cases, they were portrayed as troublemakers, or juvenile delinquents. The Monkees may have gotten into some sticky situations, but they were never mean, evil, or intentionally caused trouble.
Their effect on the culture of the country was immediate and strong.
Of course, it didn't hurt that all four guys were so likable, and strong performers. Say what you will, the show still stands up today because of these talented individuals. And for the most part, they stayed away from really strong topical humor, so the episodes aren't as dated as shows like "Laugh In", which contained much material based upon the news of the day and the current events.
Lastly, there was the music. While much has been made of the fact that the guys were not featured on the first two albums, that story is very overplayed, and doesn't reflect that many of the top groups of the day were represented by studio musicians on their recordings. Given the opportunity to write, produce, and play, some pretty good music was turned out by the guys. And give Kirschner and his gang their due, they crafted some of the very best tunes of the era, such as "I'm A Believer", "Clarksville", "Daydream Believer", and "Pleasant Valley Sunday".
For those of us of a certain vintage, The Monkees were, and for some, still are, a big part of our growing up process. Their music remains popular to this day, and although Davy has passed on, Micky, Mike, and Peter, through their solo and group concerts, allow us to relive those special times.
So give at least a passing thought today to four guys, who were thrown together almost randomly, in a business proposition that should probably have failed, but which went amazingly right.
And enjoy this clip of the guys doing "Mary Mary", written by Mike, on their 1967 USA Tour. This cut is from the Phoenix AZ show in January of that year.
Unlike many other shows which featured teenagers or kids, The Monkees broke new ground in several ways.
First and foremost, there was no 'parent' or 'adult figure' involved in the show. Yes, the pilot had an adult type record shop owner who acted as the guys manager, but that plot feature was quickly abandoned, and the four young men were on their own.
Second, this was the first show to bring the 'mod' look into America's living rooms. Young men with long hair, wearing hip clothes, using current slang, and all in a positive light. Until The Monkees hit, most portrayals of 'hippies' and 'mods' were as troubled or trouble making kids on shows like "Ben Casey", "The Defenders", and the like. These shows did not cast these characters in a good light; in most cases, they were portrayed as troublemakers, or juvenile delinquents. The Monkees may have gotten into some sticky situations, but they were never mean, evil, or intentionally caused trouble.
Their effect on the culture of the country was immediate and strong.
Of course, it didn't hurt that all four guys were so likable, and strong performers. Say what you will, the show still stands up today because of these talented individuals. And for the most part, they stayed away from really strong topical humor, so the episodes aren't as dated as shows like "Laugh In", which contained much material based upon the news of the day and the current events.
Lastly, there was the music. While much has been made of the fact that the guys were not featured on the first two albums, that story is very overplayed, and doesn't reflect that many of the top groups of the day were represented by studio musicians on their recordings. Given the opportunity to write, produce, and play, some pretty good music was turned out by the guys. And give Kirschner and his gang their due, they crafted some of the very best tunes of the era, such as "I'm A Believer", "Clarksville", "Daydream Believer", and "Pleasant Valley Sunday".
For those of us of a certain vintage, The Monkees were, and for some, still are, a big part of our growing up process. Their music remains popular to this day, and although Davy has passed on, Micky, Mike, and Peter, through their solo and group concerts, allow us to relive those special times.
So give at least a passing thought today to four guys, who were thrown together almost randomly, in a business proposition that should probably have failed, but which went amazingly right.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Hi gang, just a short post to bring you up to date on things here in blog-land. I've been back in NY for almost two weeks now, and doubtless you've noticed that I hadn't posted anything new.
For those of you in the family, you know why; for those who don't, we had a very sad passing the weekend before Labor Day. My brother in law Bob was involved in a canoe accident near his home in PA, and tragically drowned while attempting to swim to safety.
In addition to being a great brother in law to me, Bob had also been a good friend. He gave me lots of good advice through the years, about business dealings, computer issues, and just life in general. Although we hadn't visited in person much in the last couple of years, we were in touch through email and messaging. In fact, until just this past March, Bob had been helping me out with my business web site.
Bob's family put together a lovely memorial service for him last weekend, and it was as we all think Bob would have liked; family and friends celebrating his love of life, of exploring new things, of 'adventuring'. So we're doing our best to move on, all the while remembering how important it is to keep memories of him alive.
As the days move on, I'll be getting back to posting thoughts on the usual topics that I cover here, though it may take a little while before things are really back to 'normal'; whatever that is.
For now though, I hope all of you who read this blog will take a moment or two to reflect on all of the blessings you have in your lives, to give thanks for them, and to commit to not wasting one precious moment of your lives on silly, inconsequential, or hurtful things. Embrace and enjoy every second of every day, as we all have seen in our lives, one never knows when those seconds will run out.
For those of you in the family, you know why; for those who don't, we had a very sad passing the weekend before Labor Day. My brother in law Bob was involved in a canoe accident near his home in PA, and tragically drowned while attempting to swim to safety.
In addition to being a great brother in law to me, Bob had also been a good friend. He gave me lots of good advice through the years, about business dealings, computer issues, and just life in general. Although we hadn't visited in person much in the last couple of years, we were in touch through email and messaging. In fact, until just this past March, Bob had been helping me out with my business web site.
Bob's family put together a lovely memorial service for him last weekend, and it was as we all think Bob would have liked; family and friends celebrating his love of life, of exploring new things, of 'adventuring'. So we're doing our best to move on, all the while remembering how important it is to keep memories of him alive.
As the days move on, I'll be getting back to posting thoughts on the usual topics that I cover here, though it may take a little while before things are really back to 'normal'; whatever that is.
For now though, I hope all of you who read this blog will take a moment or two to reflect on all of the blessings you have in your lives, to give thanks for them, and to commit to not wasting one precious moment of your lives on silly, inconsequential, or hurtful things. Embrace and enjoy every second of every day, as we all have seen in our lives, one never knows when those seconds will run out.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Last night on the road, so this one will be a short post. Good day on the road, except for some nasty thunderstorms and heavy rain from about St. Louis to just outside of Indianapolis.
PIZZA
Toss in a few lane closures for repairs, and I was about 45 minutes late on my estimated arrival in Columbus OH, where I was stopping to see my niece Mara and her family. But, before that,
Lunch!
This is a well known chain here in the mid west, which has grown rapidly since being founded in the 80's, now with over 500 locations.
PIZZA
They're known for 'Buttterburgers', fried chicken, and frozen custard (which is really popular in the KS and MO areas.
Here's the burger (well, okay, this is off the internet, 'cause I didn't shoot photos today);
My burger actually looked like that picture, as if someone gave a damn when they put it together and packed it in the wrapper!
PIZZA
And it was so good! What makes this a 'Butterburger' is the heavily buttered and toasted roll that it's served on. And it's a good roll, the butter actually brings out some flavor in the bread, which goes well with the burger.
PIZZA
The burger itself is sort of like a 'Smashburger', a patty that's smushed under the spatula on a very hot grill. This creates a little 'crust' on the burger and brings a lot of flavor with it. Toppings were a nice slice of a deep red actual tomato, not the orange wax you usually find, lettuce, pickles, and a thick slice of red onion.
PIZZA
I had them hold the mayo, because by now all of you know my feelings on that horrible stuff. All in all, this is a damn good burger.
Now those are fries! Again photo from the internet, but that's what mine looked like, nice thick crinkle cut fries, well cooked until they were brown. Hot, and properly salted, they were among the best take out fries I've had.
PIZZA
Of course, I've always had a preference for those crinkle cuts, but these were so good that no ketchup was used. Between the burger and the fries, this meal certainly will bring me back to Culver's on another trip.
After lunch, back on the road, headed to Dublin Ohio to see Mara, Greg, Leah, Lillian, Simon, and Max the pooch dog.
PIZZA
Had a lovely visit, it was so good to catch up with them, the kids are getting big, Max is a howl, and all is good in Dublin! I'll have to ride out this way more often, getting to see family is always such fun!
On the last leg now, should be back home late on Thursday, plenty to do for our family reunion at Ginny's house on Saturday, which is going to be such fun! And I think I'll send out to Frantoni's on Friday for a nice saucy sicilian pie, I've had this craving the last few days for...
PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA!
PIZZA
Toss in a few lane closures for repairs, and I was about 45 minutes late on my estimated arrival in Columbus OH, where I was stopping to see my niece Mara and her family. But, before that,
Lunch!
This is a well known chain here in the mid west, which has grown rapidly since being founded in the 80's, now with over 500 locations.
PIZZA
They're known for 'Buttterburgers', fried chicken, and frozen custard (which is really popular in the KS and MO areas.
Here's the burger (well, okay, this is off the internet, 'cause I didn't shoot photos today);
PIZZA
And it was so good! What makes this a 'Butterburger' is the heavily buttered and toasted roll that it's served on. And it's a good roll, the butter actually brings out some flavor in the bread, which goes well with the burger.
PIZZA
The burger itself is sort of like a 'Smashburger', a patty that's smushed under the spatula on a very hot grill. This creates a little 'crust' on the burger and brings a lot of flavor with it. Toppings were a nice slice of a deep red actual tomato, not the orange wax you usually find, lettuce, pickles, and a thick slice of red onion.
PIZZA
I had them hold the mayo, because by now all of you know my feelings on that horrible stuff. All in all, this is a damn good burger.
PIZZA
Of course, I've always had a preference for those crinkle cuts, but these were so good that no ketchup was used. Between the burger and the fries, this meal certainly will bring me back to Culver's on another trip.
After lunch, back on the road, headed to Dublin Ohio to see Mara, Greg, Leah, Lillian, Simon, and Max the pooch dog.
PIZZA
Had a lovely visit, it was so good to catch up with them, the kids are getting big, Max is a howl, and all is good in Dublin! I'll have to ride out this way more often, getting to see family is always such fun!
On the last leg now, should be back home late on Thursday, plenty to do for our family reunion at Ginny's house on Saturday, which is going to be such fun! And I think I'll send out to Frantoni's on Friday for a nice saucy sicilian pie, I've had this craving the last few days for...
PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA!
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Back on the road, sailing east in the 'Cuda, having a blast, time for a couple of updates.
First, I stopped on Sunday night in Cedar City, Utah. Sort of a blip on the map kind of place, not a lot there, but for some reason, in that tiny place, there were five, count 'em five Subway sandwich shops!
This area of Utah is strikingly beautiful, with it's deep tan and dark red rocks. You're near the Zion/Bryce Canyon area, and the mountains and the sky look like very vivid oil paintings. Plus, it looks like the backdrop for about 100 old western movies!
Monday took me through Utah and into Colorado, through the Rocky Mountains, past the legendary ski areas of Vail, Breckenridge, and Steamboat Springs. These mountains are different from those you see in California and Utah, they're taller, steeper, and have a deep green covering from the ground up to the tree line. Winding roads, tunnels through the mountains, and fluffy white clouds were the scenery for the afternoon as I rolled into Denver.
I went north and east of Denver to Brighton, and visited Karen's Brother and Sister in Law, Artie and Lorraine, and their daughter Lauren. Had a nice visit, Artie is, like me, a car guy (he drives a Mustang Bullit), so I got him in the Cuda and ran him around a while. I got the nickel tour of their new house, had a great home cooked meal, which was a great change from all the restaurant food, and swapped some tall tales. Back to the hotel for some rest before a good long days' drive on Tuesday.
Tuesday brought a long ride through eastern Colorado, all of Kansas, and into Missouri. The transition from mountains to the flat wheat and corn fields was nice, as you can make more miles on that flat, straight path.
Lunch on Tuesday:
Freddy's, a mid western chain bills itself as "Steakburgers" (sound familiar Steak &Shake?), and is famous for their frozen custard. As this was a quick stop only, it was a light meal 'to go', with no frozen custard.
Yeah, there ya go, a nice 'light' chili dog! Smothered in the typical meat sauce chile, melted cheddar, and chopped onions. Amazingly, between all those toppings, a squirt of mustard, and the dog itself, the darn thing was pretty flavorless! Additionally, like most places, they seem to think anything with cheese on it needs to be microwaved, which does melt the cheese, but also ruins the bun, and turns the entire thing into a gloppy, squishy mess. If I went to a Freddy's again, I'd skip the dog and try a burger.
Another similarity to Steak & Shake are the extremely skinny fries. Like the ones at S&S, they're served properly hot, salted, and are pretty tasty. Didn't even put any ketchup on 'em, and they were just fine that way.
Back on the road, and into Missouri, past Kansas City, and on to Blue Springs. Nice little dot on the map with a few hotel choices, and plenty of food options. As noted before on this blog, you generally get good ideas from the locals. The clerk at the hotel noted that they have a 'terrific' Mexican place a few minutes away, Las Playas. So off I went.
You can pretty much tell what you're going to get on the inside from that subtle sign, eh?
Not a bad way to start a meal, Dos Equis Amber on draft (with a lime), made on site chips, and good, garlicky salsa. The chips were extremely crispy and light, good flavor, and complemented the salsa nicely.
Everything looked pretty good, but since it's been mostly 'burgers and chicken so far on the trip, I decided on the Camarones el Diablo. Excellent choice! The shrimp were properly cooked, and the red sauce and onions were spicy but not mouth burning, and had a nice tomato flavor. The rice was typical Mexican restaurant rice, but the refried beans were not - they were great! Unlike most refrieds, these had a nice little smoky flavor, cumin, I suspect, and the texture was not all mush, there were actual pieces of bean in the beans! Overall, a great meal to end a good long day on the road.
Tomorrow, on to Columbus, where I hope to see my Niece Mara and her family.
As they used to say, stay tuned for more!
First, I stopped on Sunday night in Cedar City, Utah. Sort of a blip on the map kind of place, not a lot there, but for some reason, in that tiny place, there were five, count 'em five Subway sandwich shops!
This area of Utah is strikingly beautiful, with it's deep tan and dark red rocks. You're near the Zion/Bryce Canyon area, and the mountains and the sky look like very vivid oil paintings. Plus, it looks like the backdrop for about 100 old western movies!
Monday took me through Utah and into Colorado, through the Rocky Mountains, past the legendary ski areas of Vail, Breckenridge, and Steamboat Springs. These mountains are different from those you see in California and Utah, they're taller, steeper, and have a deep green covering from the ground up to the tree line. Winding roads, tunnels through the mountains, and fluffy white clouds were the scenery for the afternoon as I rolled into Denver.
I went north and east of Denver to Brighton, and visited Karen's Brother and Sister in Law, Artie and Lorraine, and their daughter Lauren. Had a nice visit, Artie is, like me, a car guy (he drives a Mustang Bullit), so I got him in the Cuda and ran him around a while. I got the nickel tour of their new house, had a great home cooked meal, which was a great change from all the restaurant food, and swapped some tall tales. Back to the hotel for some rest before a good long days' drive on Tuesday.
Tuesday brought a long ride through eastern Colorado, all of Kansas, and into Missouri. The transition from mountains to the flat wheat and corn fields was nice, as you can make more miles on that flat, straight path.
Lunch on Tuesday:
Another similarity to Steak & Shake are the extremely skinny fries. Like the ones at S&S, they're served properly hot, salted, and are pretty tasty. Didn't even put any ketchup on 'em, and they were just fine that way.
Back on the road, and into Missouri, past Kansas City, and on to Blue Springs. Nice little dot on the map with a few hotel choices, and plenty of food options. As noted before on this blog, you generally get good ideas from the locals. The clerk at the hotel noted that they have a 'terrific' Mexican place a few minutes away, Las Playas. So off I went.
Tomorrow, on to Columbus, where I hope to see my Niece Mara and her family.
As they used to say, stay tuned for more!
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