The Costly Side of Being a Car Guy

Sometimes, I'm never as dumb as when I'm trying to be smart. Love that saying, and it sure applies to some of the dopey stuff I've done in my life. One of the really silly things that hasn't worked out as I imagined it might, is the two plus years of fun and frolic I've had with the little piece of crap (the '69 Fiat 850).
When I decided to have my Barracuda 'restored', I knew, based on what needed to be done, and the extent to which I wanted it repaired, that it would be costly. Heck, the new interior alone was pricey, not to mention all the bodywork and full paint job that I wanted.
But the little 850, I figured, wasn't going to be as bad. First, I had no plans to bring it up to the same level of repair as I had done with the Barracuda. I figured a cheap Maaco paint job, new seat covers, maybe new floor mats, you know, simple stuff. It's a tiny car, how much could it be?
Well, I still haven't figured that out, because as I've found, just keeping the damn thing running has cost a lot more than I ever thought it would. For example:
Had an issue with the car stalling and refusing to restart after it'd been driven a while. Finally figured out it was 40+ years of gunk, rust, and corrosion in the little 6 gallon gas tank. Mechanic said the tank was beyond flushing and re-coating, so I had to look for a 'new' one. Now, back in the day, when I had my first 850, a gas tank would probably have been around $100 brand new from the local Fiat dealer. So, imagine my shock when I found out that decent used gas tanks were going for well over $600!
The muffler on the car is not the correct one. It's way too small, the pipe coming out of it is tiny, and I'm convinced that this too small muffler is restricting the exhaust, therefore causing the engine to be 'choked', which is resulting in a loss of power. And since the engine was only rated at 52 hp when it was new, this is an issue. Back in 1973, I bought a brand new set of headers with a dual chrome tip exhaust for about $50 from J.C. Whitney. Again, shock set in when the same set up today was priced at $750 (imported from Italy).
Even simple things, like the balky, cheesy, unreliable window cranks, which used to be about $4.50, are now $50.
Everything has increased in price by a ridiculous amount, it's way worse than parts and repairs on the Barracuda - and at first I couldn't understand why.
And then it hit me. Chrysler must have made, and sold, several million Valiants, Darts, Barracudas, etc., with those old 225 cu. in. slant six engines between 1960 and 1976, when they were finally discontinued. And there are probably a couple hundred thousand still being pushed around the roads; so parts, some at least, are still being made, and are still readily available. Yes, they're a bit more costly than they used to be, but nothing like the Fiat parts.
On the other hand, Fiat sold only about 125,000 850 Spiders in the USA from 1967 to 1973. Not a huge amount, and since most of those cars arrived here pre-rusted from their long journey on ships from Italy, there aren't many left. Resulting in very low demand for parts - most of which haven't been manufactured since 1973. So what you have, is the 'perfect storm' to make keeping these little pieces of crap on the road a very expensive proposition! Now, of course, I've doped this out, but only after making the purchase of the car - which was, obviously, a bit of an impulse purchase. If I'd have given any real logical thought to the potential costs of this fiasco before I bought it.....well, you all can figure out the rest.
But, I didn't, and while the car is currently actually running pretty well (!), my mechanic has already informed me that the rust issue has reared it's ugly head, and the bottom of the car is in pretty bad shape. Which means there's decisions ahead in terms of fixing or dumping. Which would have been a simple call had I not put those expensive parts into the damn thing.
So, I suppose, live and learn is the lesson here; but I live, and never quite seem to learn. At least not where these dopey cars are concerned. The little piece of crap is under the cover for the winter, the new muffler safely inside the car, awaiting installation in the spring. The rust will have to wait, and hopefully nothing will fall off the car before I can get that repaired. And meanwhile, please, don't anyone send me any Ebay auto listings again!

Short Shot to Florida

My cousin in Florida tragically lost her husband last week, cancer, and so on Sunday I took to the skies on JetBlue to visit with the family and celebrate his life. A short, barely two day trip, but I managed to hit a good road food spot while I was there, and even got in a visit to a classic car museum!
First, the food. While driving in Sarasota, looking for the car museum, I passed a "Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers" restaurant. I was a bit surprised to see this, as Freddy's is pretty much a midwest chain; but a little further up the road I spotted a "Culver's", so I guess some of the regional chains are expanding into Florida (I know there are also some "Whattaburger" places here).
After visiting the car museum, it was lunch time, so in I went.

Gotta love a place that has a giant ice cream cone on the building! The place was very clean, with a sort of throwback look to it inside. Checked out the menu, and decided on a #10, chili cheese dog with fries and a drink. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a good chili dog! And this one was pretty good:

The dog, the drink, and the fries were $6.20, not a bad price, considering the dog was on the large side, and there were enough fries in the basket for two people. picked up the dog, and found a pleasant surprise, it's served in a "New England" style top split roll - something you do not see every day. We get these here on Long Island at the places that serve Lobster Rolls, and of course, this type of roll was served at the legendary "Nedick's" hot dog joints many years ago. I plopped it on top of the fries so you could see it better.

The dog is served with a decent amount of chili, and chopped onions. You can ask for ketchup (!) or mustard as well. I went with mustard, and was a bit disappointed that they only had the yellow type; a little Gulden's would have helped the whole endeavor. Surprise #2, the dog was pretty good; grilled to order on the flat top, not sitting in a pot of slimy water (Burger King), or shoved in a microwave (Dairy Queen), it was cooked perfectly. And, even better, it was a Vienna Beef dog. Known mostly in the Chicago area, Vienna Beef is probably the closest thing you'd find to a brand name dog like Nathan's is in NY. While it was not a natural casing dog, it did have a good texture, and a nice smoky flavor. Of course, if they'd put a little garlic in the thing, they'd really have something! Overall, a good dog, properly cooked, and nicely dressed.
The french fries were the mini shoestring variety that you find in a lot of these places, like Culver's or Steak and Shake. They are probably 2/3 as thick as a McDonald's fry, and they came out hot and crispy. I held one up to give you a little perspective on the size of the things:

They were fine, but came out completely unsalted, so that needed attention. Hot, crispy, and with good potato flavor, they were fine both naked and dipped in ketchup. Overall, dog and fries were well worth the trip.
And then, there was the star of the show; Freddy's Frozen Custard. I've had custard in a couple of places through the years, but somehow managed to miss it at Freddy's. Well, I won't make that mistake again! This was some of the best, creamiest, deeply chocolate custard I've ever had.

They offer all kinds of sundaes, and a 'concrete', which is like a DQ Blizzard, and  had loads of toppings available. But I wanted to really taste the custard, so I had it bare, just a single dish of chocolate. The custard is extremely dense, thick, and creamy. Think of the consistency of creamy peanut butter, and you're in the ballpark. The chocolate was very strong, sweet, but not overly so, with a nice finish and aftertaste. It's a rich dish, and honestly, as good as it was, I think I'd stick to just a single serving, as more than that would probably have been too much.
Overall, a good spot to stop. While I didn't have one, the hamburgers here look good to me. They're the same type that you get at Smashburger and some of the other places, a really hot grill, the meat smashed down to develop a slight crispy crust, and nicely topped with fresh lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle. Plenty of other options as well, including the ever popular chicken tenders, and a couple of salads. If you pass a Freddy's while you're on the road, stop in, I'd call it 'highly recommended'.

 

Middle American Mexican

Back on the road early today, riding I-94 eastbound. Haven't driven this route before, I'm usually further south on 80, or 70, but since I went through North Dakota, this was the closest and most efficient way home.
As you might imagine, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are pretty much flat and the road runs mostly straight, which makes for an easy, fuel efficient ride. 'Course, you do get to see a lot of scenery, loads of cattle farms, miles and miles of corn (remember Iowa? Corn...more corn....corn....even more corn....corn!), and many acres of deep green grass. Really a pretty ride, highlighted by a sunrise in N. Dakota that would be right at home out at Montauk point! 
With the easy ride, good weather, and the car that is comfy and easy to drive, I did about 700 miles today before calling it a night. I had planned to stop in Madison WI, but went a little further on to Janesville. Looks to be a fairly typical Interstate Stop/Suburban area. You get off and you're immediately on a long stretch of retail, food, and professional buildings. Most of the usual suspects here, along with one or two that you don't always see, like Fuddrucker's, Famous Dave's, and not one, but two buffets - Hometown and Old Country. Checked in to a nice clean Microtel Inn, and out to dinner I went. Decided to take a chance and get some Mexican, so I took the short ride over to Cozumel.

Pretty typical menu, lots of 'combination plates', the usual burritos, enchiladas, tacos, etc. While I was contemplating the choices, the salsa and chips arrived.

We're off to a good start, the chips are fresh, crispy and warm; they need salt, but when dipped in the salsa, they're fine. The salsa is also very fresh tasting, with a hint of lime juice, good tomato flavor, and a nice kick; several pieces of chopped jalapeno add to the heat level. Quite good. Washed the chips down with a cold Negra Modelo on draught, served ice cold in a frosted mug, and topped with a lime wedge.
For my dinner, I chose the Deluxe Chimichanga. I haven't had a good Chimi for a while, I think the last one I had was the disappointing one at South Of The Border last winter. A few minutes wait, and here it came.

As they sometimes say, the photo doesn't do it justice. This is one HUGE chimichanga, loaded with chicken, and sauteed onions, peppers, and tomatoes. It was topped with a dollop of guacamole, a load of pico de gallo, a huge amount of sour cream, a good pile of lettuce, refried beans, and a serving of Mexican rice. 
The rice was good, savory and moist, not dry and crumbly as it is at some places, while the refried beans were nothing special. The pico was fresh, had a mild Cilantro flavor (good, as I'm not a fan of Cilantro), while the guac was pretty much just a tasteless green paste; it could have used some jalapeno, salt and pepper. 
As for the Chimi itself, it had been fried to a nice crispness, but all the 'stuff' they loaded on the plate quickly turned it from a crispy, tasty wrapper into a soggy, mushy mess. The filling was okay, but, like most of these places, they don't understand that you have to season your ingredients while you're cooking them to get the flavor to come out. The peppers, tomatoes, and onions, while cooked nicely, needed some help. As did the chunks of chicken, which were nicely cooked, but bland. Overall, a very impressive looking dish that didn't quite live up to expectations. 
Best part of the meal was the chips and salsa, and the Negra Modela. For a total of $16 and change, a reasonably good meal at a decent price. Decent Mexican in Wisconsin - who'da thunk!


 

World's Best Hamburger (?)

Heading East after a great Instructor School in Denver, a good days drive landed me in Bismarck, North Dakota. That's state number 49 for me, with only Alaska remaining as the last of the fabulous 50! 
Nice ride today, sailing up I-25 coming out of Denver, crossing into Wyoming, on to US 85 through South Dakota, and the beautiful Black Hills - what a tremendous drive through the National Forest - and finally into North Dakota and I-94 eastbound to head for home.
Bismarck seems like a nice enough city, not what you'd call big by any stretch of the imagination, but it seems to have a pretty nice downtown area, some good recreation spaces, and lots of restaurants. 
Unfortunately, as hard as I searched, the "Raccoon National Cemetery" was nowhere to be found; sort of like the time I went to Kansas City and found that '12th street & Vine" don't intersect!
Checked into the "Kelly Inn", a nice, large, highly rated local motel, which has a restaurant and a bar on the premises. Usually a nice feature, not having to run around to eat, but tonight I was captured by a small restaurant across the street from the motel;

Not sure if you can see it, but they've got a big green and white banner that says "Home of The World's Best Hamburger". Hmmmmm. Now how could I possibly pass that up? You all would never forgive me! So, across the street, and in I went. I get the name now, as the entire interior is wood; wood paneling, wood trim, wood ceilings, wood gable roofs over the booths; wood.

"Seat yourself" the sign said, so I found a nice clean booth and sat down. Waitress brought over a glass of water, and indicated the menu posted on the wall, along with a telephone. Yeah, a telephone. Just the receiver, no dial or push buttons. Ahhhh, I get it, you pick up the phone and give your order to whomever answers; cool!

 So I peruse the thing, and decide on just a cheeseburger and fries. Pick up the receiver, I can hear a 'beeping' back in the kitchen. A young girl answers and asks what I'd like, then would I like onions and pickles on the burger. Hang up the phone and wait. Couple of minutes later, out comes my burger and fries, each on a small dessert size plate. First, the fries;

Surprise, they're fresh, not frozen! Nice and crispy on the outside, fluffy and hot on the inside. Don't think they're twice cooked, but they must fry them at a pretty high temperature, as the exterior was on the brownish side, and they were not at all soft or soggy. Just needed a little salt, and with ketchup, they were really good. Next, the burger;

First thing I notice is the bun. The bottom is positively fat, very thick; the top, also thick, and with a nice deep brown color. Along with the nice bun, a small surprise, the American cheese, besides being yellow, is real deli style cheese, not the usual slimy processed cheese food. That alone makes the burger better than average. The toppings, onion and pickles, aren't on top at all - they're on the bottom!

Generous amount of chopped white onion, and three good dill chips. And you can see the patty has been seared nicely on the griddle, which is usually a good sign. And in we go!

Unlike most places that serve these thin burgers, they didn't overcook it until it was grey and tasteless, it still had a touch of pink inside. Well cooked, nicely topped, good cheese, excellent roll - not a bad burger at all. "World's Best"? Nah, not by a long shot. But compared to many of the other burgers you find out there, one of the better ones. Oh, and while not the World's Best, they were apparently voted Best Burger in Bismarck in the local newspaper multiple times.
Back to the motel, plan my route for tomorrow, looking for a stop in Madison WI, which, if I recall from past trips through, has some pretty interesting food choices. Check back Wednesday night to see what transpires!


 






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Riding West on I-80!

Well gang, here we go again! Headed out to Denver for a Certified Pool Operator Instructor School, which is being held this weekend. And, of course, why fly when you can drive? Loaded the Blue Cuda up and got on the road at 5 am on Wednesday, and managed to get off Long Island and over the bridges before traffic got too nasty, which resulted in a good days drive of about 650 miles. Landed just about 8 miles from South Bend IN, nice clean spot right off the Interstate. Settled in, took a little power nap (didn't want to miss the Yankee game!), and then it was time to get dinner and gas up the car. Much to my delight, there was a "Culver's" just a mile or so from the hotel. I've stopped in these places before, and reviewed them, so you may want to skip down to the Thursday report.
Culver's is a family owned chain, mainly in the mid-west that features fresh beef hamburgers served on rolls slathered with butter and toasted (thus, butterburger), pork tenderloin sandwiches, chicken sandwiches, salads, and killer custard. I chose a "Butterburger Deluxe", which had a double patty burger, a side, and a drink:

Ahh, I hear you now, what is that odd looking side item? Certainly not fries? Nope, those are 'curds', Wisconsin cheddar cheese curds that have been battered and deep fried.

The curds are served hot, crispy on the outside, and melty-stretchy on the inside. A little bit of chew, sort of like a stick of Mozzarella string cheese, and OH, so tasty! Good solid mild cheddar flavor, tasty, crispy coating, a nice combination. They didn't need ketchup, but they were crying for salt, which really improved the taste of the coating. And they're really into curds at this place; they're running a contest to name the biggest 'curd nerd'! You have to send them a pic of you pulling a curd apart, showing the stretchy goodness. Grand prize? Well, among other items, free curds for a year!

On to the burger, which in the past has always been very good. And this one didn't disappoint. Culver's cooks to order, you never get an item that's been sitting under a heat lamp for hours on end, so the food is very fresh and hot. And as I always say, the food actually looks like the photos on the menu, it's never served all squashed down. The folks who work here take pride in what they do, and it shows.

I took this photo of the bottom of the burger for a change to show you how good the beef patty is. Perfectly seared with a barely crispy outside, it's a very tasty burger - one of the better fast food burgers you can get. I think because Culver's is a family operation, they have very high standards, much like Chick-Fil-A. The restaurants are always extremely clean, the help friendly, and it's enjoyable going in there for a meal. They've recently expanded a little further into the South and Southeast, but no signs (yet) of them getting into the Mid-Atlantic or Northeast. Shame.
And then it was Thursday. Left South Bend at 6 am, for what was the long day of the trip. Aiming for a stop at North Platte NE for the night, I had about 850 miles ahead of me. Fortunately, the speed limit in most of Indiana and Illinois was 70, and entering Nebraska, it went up to 75! At those speeds, the Blue Cuda just eats up the miles, averaging a very nice 26-27 mpg on the cruise control, with the engine barely working at 1,800 rpm!
Crossed into the Central time zone, and landed at the hotel at 5 pm local time. On the way, I'd seen a lot of signs for "Runza's" Restaurants, and of course, that made me curious. How nice to find one just a couple of blocks from the hotel! Before I went, I checked out their website, and found that they serve a slightly different version of a 'Mid-west loose meat sandwich', which you find in Ilinois, Indiana, Michigan, and a few other locations. If you're curious, do a search for "Maid Rite", which seems to be the most popular of the loose meat joints. Basically, it's ground beef that's simmered with chopped onions and spices, served on a hamburger roll with yellow mustard. Runza's, puts a bit of a twist on this dish, by adding chopped cabbage to the meat, and serving it on a store baked club type roll.

Ooooh, the delicious mystery meal all wrapped in waxed paper! I chose the "Runza Cheeseburger", which is their simmered meat topped with cheese, pickles, ketchup and yellow mustard.

Looks innocent enough, doesn't it? Well, the photo doesn't tell the story; this thing was packed with meat, and was quite heavy for it's size. The roll had a nice crust to it, was dense without being heavy, and had a good flavor. Well worth trying this place just for the roll! As for the fillling....

Kinda hard to tell from the photo, but there was a LOT of meat on that thing! Plenty of toppings, too, they didn't skimp on anything here! As for the taste...not bad. The onions and cabbage weren't overcooked, and added a nice little crunch to the whole thing. The meat, tender, juicy, nicely seasoned with what seemed like a good amount of white pepper, salt, and maybe a touch of paprika. With the pickles and cheese, a pretty rich, heavy meal. While I liked it, I didn't finish it - just too much for one sitting!

As my side, I got 'frings', a combination of onion rings and fries. The fries, as in a lot of these mid-west places, were crinkle cut. Frozen, for sure, but nicely cooked, and with a little salt and ketchup, pretty good. The onion rings were pretty good, nice full onion rings, not those chopped things, with a crunchy corn meal coating. Good choice.
Overall, an interesting place. They also serve 'regular' hamburgers, and were voted 'best hamburger' here in North Platte over this past summer; not sure who voted, but what the hell. If I do stop again, I'll probably try a more traditional burger.
That's it for the first two days, tomorrow it's a 'short day' of about 240 miles to Denver, where I'll be until Monday or Tuesday of next week. I'll do my best to get out and about while I'm there and keep you up to date.
Oh, yeah, one more thing - GO YANKS!



 

It's Classic Car Time Again!

Just a quick, short post today, sort of a 'tease' for the upcoming nice weather. As the calendar turns from March to April, gearheads and car nuts all across the region begin to drool in anticipation of the best time of the year - Car Show Season!

Yes, it's time to get out the car wash soap, chrome polish, armor all, etc., and shine up the old rides. Here on Long Island, there's a really large car culture, and once we hit summer, there are multiple 'cruise nights' each night. On some evenings, we have 3 or 4 different places to choose from!
For me, the season always starts with the Garden City Easter Show and Parade. Sponsored by the GC Chamber of Commerce, this one is lots of fun. We take our rides and park them in one of the big lots on the East side of Franklin Avenue, usually around 10 am. A big crowd of spectators wanders around checking the cars out, there are bands, food vendors, folks in rabbit costumes - a lot of fun for all, especially the kids. 

At around 1 pm, we fire up our engines, and 'parade' down Franklin Avenue to Seventh Street. Up Seventh we go, to Hilton, where the parade ends. Now, the thing to understand is the size of the crowd. All along Franklin, and Seventh, the crowd lines the sidewalk 6 or 7 deep. There are literally thousands of people watching this parade! Lots of us who participate carry bags of candy in our cars and we toss it out the window to the kids who are watching. And you hear folks commenting along the way; 'Wow, a 'Cuda, I haven't seen one of those in years!' 'Hey, look, a Fiat 850!' and the like. It's really a fun time, and it's become a tradition for Tom and I to be there. Karen usually goes as well, and usually one of her children is there with their kids - a fun family event!
Last year, we showed both the Barracuda and the Fiat, and that was fun. The Fiat attracted quite a crowd around it, since back in the day these things were all over. But most of these cars rusted away, or just came apart, and you rarely, if ever, see one. Ours looks pretty good, and folks just like looking at it. Of course, the fact that it's tiny (Karen calls it a Matchbox car) is part of the attraction.
This year however, it's just the Barracuda. The Fiat, as is it's habit, has become maddeningly unreliable, and has been getting us stuck whenever we take it out. A gas tank full of gunk and dirt seems to be the culprit, and I just don't have the time to get it worked out before the parade. But I'm sure we'll drag the little piece of crap out to some show this summer, it'd be a shame to just leave it sitting on the driveway.
So if you're anywhere near the Garden City area on Sunday April 16, pop on over to GC Parking Field 9E. Wander through the cars and enjoy a look back to when cars were stylish and simple. Then line up on the streets and watch a parade that's so 'middle America' it could be mistaken for someplace out in Iowa. And bring the kids - classic cars are a great hobby that's fun, interesting, and a lifetime pursuit.
And now, back to cleaning the old buggy up!
 
 

Music, Music, Music!

Now there's a great song title (done by Theresa Brewer), and a good title for this edition of the blog. Today it's "Vintage Rock and Roll" time, as I review four artists that Karen and I had the pleasure of seeing recently.
On St. Patrick's Day, we scooted up the Wantagh Parkway to the NYCB Theater at Westbury (Westbury Music Fair), for a double header; The Lovin' Spoonful and Johnny Rivers.
You've all seen how fond Karen and I are of the Spoonful, they've become one of our favorites. We first saw them about 7 years ago, when they came through as part of "HippieFest". They were on the bill with about 10 other acts, and to be honest, I wasn't expecting a lot from them. My friend Neil Marrin had booked them into one of his parks for a summer concert, and I'd heard that they were 'okay'. Well, we were pleasantly surprised, as they came out and did their 3 or 4 songs, and really sounded good. Yes, they're without John Sebastian, but the guys who are left from the 'originals', Joe Butler, Steve Boone, and Jerry Yester sound just fine. Joe and Jerry do the vocals, they have a great guitar player and fabulous drummer, and the band sounds great.

 Now, when you get two acts on the same bill, usually the opening act will do 20-25 minutes, and then out comes the 'headliner'. But on this occasion, the Spoonful did pretty much their full show - about an hour and change. All the hits; "Didn't Have to Be So Nice", "Six O'Clock", "Jug Band Music", "Nashville Cats", "Darlin' Be Home Soon", "Daydream", "Summer In The City", and "Do You Believe In Magic". Absolutely wonderful songs, played to perfection by a really good set of musicians, they left the stage to a long standing ovation.
Intermission, a little long, as the stage crew was having some issues with the sound, and out came the second act, Johnny Rivers.
Johnny doesn't tour a lot, and it's been a good 4 or 5 years since he came through New York. Back then, we saw him at BB King's, and he was so good, I put him on the 'watch list' over on Pollstar and "Bandsintown". When we saw he was coming to Westbury, we knew we had to go. At 74 years of age, he shows no signs of slowing down. 

With a good three piece backing band, he played three different guitars, and sounded just as good, if not better, than he did on his records. Johnny never really had what you'd call a 'strong' voice, and he was fighting a little bit of a sore throat, but except for a slight volume problem on the first song or two, he hit all the notes, and sounded pretty good. The guitar work was, as we'd hoped, excellent. All of his hits sounded great, and he did a few songs that had been hits for others, and made them sound like he could have done them back in the day. The show closer, "Secret Agent Man" really screamed, his guitar work on that one alone was worth the price of admission. Again, he doesn't come through this area often, but should you spot him performing near you, go. You'll be glad you did.
Next up, a week later, another favorite, the lead voice on so many Monkees hits, Micky Dolenz. Back again at Feinstein's 54 Below, Micky was doing his "A Little Bit Broadway, A Little Bit Rock and Roll" show. We'd seen him at this venue once before, and were very happy to see him playing here again. Feinstein's is a terrific spot, very intimate, with seating for 124, and no seat further than 25 feet from the stage. You've got a great view wherever you sit, and the sound system is about as good as you'll hear. This club is a throwback to the old nightclubs, with a full dinner menu, and good drinks. Tickets are anywhere from about $50 to $95, which, for what is essentially premium seating in a small club, is reasonable.

I've reviewed Micky, and the Monkees, lots of times, you all know that his voice is still great, and he always does full versions of his hit songs, which fans really appreciate. In this show, he does lots of Monkees songs, and he mixes in songs which he's done either in Broadway shows, or has used as auditions for shows, plus one or two that the just likes. Of course, "I'm a Believer", "Clarksville", and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" are great to hear, but he also does "As We Go Along", a beautiful Carol King song from the movie "Head". And he does a very nice, ballad like version of "Some Enchanted Evening", a song his father used to sing around the house. "Don't Be The Bunny", from the musical "Urinetown", which Micky has used as an audition piece in the past, is a great tune that he has a lot of fun with. 

Part of the way through the show, Micky is joined on stage by his sister Coco, and they perform a couple of songs together. Coco has been singing professionally most of her life, and in addition to being a featured singer on the last couple of Monkees tours, actually sang backup on some of their original recordings back in the 60's. Her voice blends well with Micky's, and they sounded great, especially on the old Everly Brothers tune, "I'll Do My Crying In the Rain".
The show ran about an hour and 20 minutes, and was fun from start to finish. In addition to still having that great voice, Micky comes across as a really good guy, his patter with the audience in this intimate setting is great. Rumor is he's coming back to Feinstein's some time this summer. Another performance that's highly recommended!
And finally, the night after we saw Micky, it was back to Manhattan for another legendary group, The Zombies. As with the Lovin' Spoonful, Karen and I first saw this group on that HippieFest tour, and they just blew us away. Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone still sound great, and the rest of the band is very talented as well - they sound just like they did on the records some 45-50 years ago!

This show was at Town Hall, where we'd seen Michael Nesmith on his solo tour, and Micky and Peter doing The Monkees shows. Great theater, it seats about 1,500, and was completely sold out, with a very high energy and enthusiastic crowd. The show was split into two halves. The first half featured the current 'touring band' doing the old hits, some new material from their 2015 album, and other favorites. That portion went about an hour, and was really well received. You can't go wrong with songs like "I Love You", "She's Not There", and "Tell Her No". A short intermission, and out came a slightly different band - all the surviving members of the original group, plus the touring band. The second half of the show was a note for note recreation of their "Odessey And Oracle" album. Original bass player Chris White, and drummer Hugh Grundy, current lead guitar Tom Tooney, Argent and Blunstone provided the bulk of the material, ably backed up by the others. This was billed as the "Finale" performance of the album, as Rod Argent told the crowd, there are some songs from the album that sound fine when the five piece touring band plays them, but there are others which had so much multi tracking, that they can't really be done by only five people. So for this tour, they found a way to recreate that sound using the extra players and singers. And it was marvelous! Odessey And Oracle is one of the truly great late 60's albums, the songs and the playing on it are wonderful. "A Rose For Emily", "This Will Be Our Year", and "Time of The Season" are just some of the tunes that brought the crowd to their feet. Overall, the show ran close to two hours, and left everyone feeling good. Standing ovation after standing ovation, you could see that the guys were really touched by the response to the performance. Another group which we highly recommend, especially if you are lucky enough to catch this "Finale" tour, which is going to be in the U.S. for a few more months.
So there you go, four terrific acts in a little over a week's time. Think we'll take a break for a bit; oh, wait, I see a great "Happy Together" show coming to Westbury...and The Spoonful is going to be at Suffolk Theater in July..and there will be plenty of other great shows for us to see. We truly are blessed to live where all the great acts show up and play, and so fortunate to be able to get to see them. I'll keep posting the reviews, and let you all know who's worth your money, and your time.


 

The March Whirlwind!

They say March is the month for strong winds, and from my perspective, it's been a month that's already seen a lot of travel.
The travel actually began in February, as Tommy and I decided to head over to Detroit to catch a Red Wings game. It's the final season for the team at the Joe Louis Arena, and we both thought it would be cool to see a game there, the Arena has been home to so much history. Tommy had his winter break, and luckily for us, there was a home Red Wings game on Tuesday the 21st. And, even better, it was against our beloved NY Islanders! So early Tuesday I picked him up and off we went, flying west in the Bluecuda. The trip took a total of 9.5 hours, with a leisurely stop for lunch and gas someplace in Ohio. We got to Detroit early enough that we were able to relax in the hotel for a bit before heading to the rink. Once it was time to go, we walked two or three short blocks and found the station for the "Detroit People Mover", an automated light rail that runs around a loop in the downtown area. Paid the .75c fare, and off we went. Followed some nice people from the train to the main entrance of the rink.

"The Joe", as they like to call it, is one of the older NHL rinks, having opened in '78 or '79. It's being replaced next season by the "Little Caesar's Arena", which is going to be even closer to the downtown area. The Pistons of the NBA are also going to play at the new building, and it's hoped that having this new building in downtown will help with the revival of that area. Into the rink we went, and the first thing that crossed our mind was, 'its a dump'. And it is. It's a lot like the old Nassau Coliseum was, although we both thought it had a little more seating capacity than the old barn did. it's a similar design though, one main concourse around the outside, and when you enter, you either go down to the good seats, or up a staircase to the less expensive ones. It's got a similar low ceiling as Nassau has, and so the place gets loud; real loud! And the sightlines are great, you can see everything very easily. I took this shot just before the boys skated out.

Good seats for the price we paid ($40 each I think), and we sat with some very nice people, who were polite even though we had on our blue Islander jerseys; there weren't too many of those in the crowd that night, though we did see a few. We enjoyed a couple of good cold LaBatt's blue on draft, and a so-so hot dog (with the typical cheap yellow mustard) and saw a great game that the Islanders won, so the out of towners went home happy! We popped in to a local Irish pub after the game for a celebratory pint of Guinness, then back to the hotel, as we wanted to get on the road early the next day. I probably should say something about Detroit, since we've all heard so much about how nasty a place it has become. I can't talk too much about the entire town, but I can say that the downtown area is really starting to come back. There are lots of shops, cafes, pubs and the like that have opened up in some of the vacant spaces. They had a small ice rink set up in the town square, and to be honest, the immediate area around our hotel was clean, well lighted, and felt safe as we walked to and from the People Mover. However, on our way out of town on Wednesday, we saw the other side of Detroit, as we passed literally block after block of abandoned, semi wrecked, burned out houses. It seems as if the really bad areas are on the outskirts of the city, where people have just picked up and left. Many of the houses have been burned, or partially burned, they've been picked clean of any copper pipes and wiring, and are pretty much just waiting to be knocked down. Tom and I heard that the city has about 13,000 houses that it wants to demolish, but they don't have the funds. I don't know about all that, but I do know that when the new arena opens up, we just might take a return trip.
On our way home we took a slight detour up towards Cleveland and spent a few hours with Tom's aunt Mary and her husband Bill. Two really fun people, we had a great time, including a terrific lunch that Mary prepared for us. We're going to have to scoot past their house more often!
Next up, a trip to sunny Florida to visit my Aunt and Uncle, and to attend a George Reeves/Adventures of Superman friendship weekend.
Headed out on Wed. March 1, with the west coast of Florida as my destination. The fellow who published "The Adventures Continue" fanzine, and who operates the Facebook group of the same name, put together a great event for us. It was scheduled for Saturday March 4 in Sarasota, so I decided to stop and see my Aunt Audrey and Uncle George on Friday March 3. The trip down was pretty uneventful, I made my 'halfway' stop at the usual place; South Of The Border.

Located just as you enter South Carolina, S.O.B. has always been a good spot to stop. Yes, it's a tourist trap, and they make no bones about it. But they have clean, comfortable rooms at a good price. I had a 'king' room, and it was just $65.

A little disappointing, as most of the 'faux Mexican' stuff has been removed, along with the ugly shag carpeting, and they now have cable television in the rooms, so you can get more than 3 or 4 channels. Decent Wi-Fi and a renovated bathroom with a good, hot shower, a nice restful stop on the way.
Hit the "Sombrero" restaurant for dinner, chimichangas and a cold beer.

First time I've had a meal at the Sombrero that wasn't really great. The chips and salsa were fine, but the refried beans were close to cold, and the rice wasn't much warmer, and was lacking in flavor. The Chimi's were okay, but the beef filling seemed to have been overcooked a bit, it wasn't as 'loose' and tasty as it usually is. Still, not a bad meal for a reasonable price. Wandered through the gift shop (must have a dozen different backscratchers!), but amazingly, didn't buy anything. I'll just have to stop in again and pick something up!
Thursday, back on the road, a nice easy drive down to the Port Charlotte area. Arrived just before dinner time, found a nice local spot for dinner, then settled in for the night.
Friday, did a little shopping for a few things I'd run out of, grabbed lunch, then over to Audrey and George's for a nice long visit. Cousin Patty came over after she finished work, along with her husband Paul, and we had a really nice visit. I hadn't seen them all in a couple of years, and it was good to spend time with them. Not a lot of Dad's family left, and Audrey and George were always so close to he and mom, it means a lot to me to see them whenever I can.
That night, I decided to treat myself to a hockey game. The Florida Everblades, the minor league affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes, play at Germain Arena in Estero, about half an hour south of Audrey's house. I had bought a ticket online, and so off I went to find the place. Fortunately, the arena is just off of I-75, in a mix of gated communities and industrial parks. Found it and parked, and inside I went.

It's pretty much your standard minor league rink, a one level bowl, with the concourse running around underneath the stands. Nice clean, well lighted building, with decent concession stands. Got a LaBatt's Blue on the way in (although the keg kicked just as I ordered it!), and found my seat. The East Coast Hockey League is one level below the American Hockey League, so you get a good mix of young prospects and older experienced pros. The visiting team was the Atlanta GA Gladiators, which is the affiliate of the Ottowa Senators. For my $22 ticket, I had a great seat!

And, more importantly, I saw a great game. Well, it was a great game for the Everblades, who are one of the top teams in the ECHL this season. They came out flying, and had the visitors on their heels from the first puck drop 'til the end of the game. I was really impressed with how fast the game was; the Everblades play a very aggressive forecheck, they skate hard at all times, and really force the play. I think even some NHL teams might have trouble containing such a fast, mobile team. By the second intermission, it was pretty clear that the home team was gonna win.
I wore one of my prized possessions to the game, the replica L.I. Ducks jersey that Billy and Tommy gave me a couple of years ago. Proud to be reppin' that legendary franchise at all the minor league games I attend!

The Everblades blew the game open in the third period, and eventually won by a 7 - 2 score. It was a fun game, in a nice rink, with a small but intense crowd. Lots of fun! I took a photo of the scoreboard, you can see how one sided the game was by the number of shots on goal each team had.

46 shots to just 13 for the visitors! All in all a fun night.
Back to the hotel, a good sleep, and up and out early for my ride back up the coast to Sarasota for the George Reeves Friendship Luncheon.

There were about 80 of us who met for this event, people from all over the country came to celebrate the life of George Reeves, and the friendship we share with each other. I saw lots of familiar faces that I know from the 2014 event in Hollywood, and from our dinner in NYC in 2015. The program was great, there were guest speakers, a panel discussion, a trivia game, and what some would call 'the holy grail' for TAOS fans, two authenticated costumes that were worn by George during the filming of the show!
For me, one of the highlights was the chance to hear Al Vacio speak.

 Al is the son of Natividad Vacio, a well known character actor, who also happened to be one of George Reeves closest friends. George and Natividad met while both were attending college, and remained friends until George's untimely passing in 1959. It was interesting to hear stories of George, not from a fellow actor or co-worker, but from someone who knew him as "Uncle George". In fact, when speaking of him, Al still refers to George as "Uncle"; very touching. Al spoke for about 40 minutes, filling in so many blanks in George's life, telling stories of the man, not the actor. it really brought to life some of the things we'd heard about George, about his generosity, his love of children, and the way he lived his life. Al said George had three principles that guided him; Charity, Benevolence, and Friendship. George spent many days at the Vacio house, arriving in the late afternoon after shooting, and staying late into the night. George and Natividad would play their guitars and sing, along with Natividad's wife, who was also a professional singer. Even after 58 years, the love that Al has for George, and that he obviously felt from George, was evident. I won't repeat all that was said, I'll just say that it was quite touching, full of love, and for me, deeply moving. After listening to this man, looking in his eyes as he spoke, and considering all the very personal things he said about George, I can no longer accept the idea that George willingly killed himself. Before listening to Al, I was of the opinion that a case could be made either for suicide, or for foul play. After listening to Al, I can not accept the idea that George would end his own life.
After Al spoke, we had our panel discussion, trivia contest, and some video presentations, all of which were fun. And then, we were invited to visit two tables, one at each side of the room. One table was full of memorabilia from the estate of Jack Larson, who passed away last year. There were loads of personal photos, letters, business documents, and even Jack's original contract to portray Jimmy Olsen. Really cool stuff! One contract was for his guest appearance on "Gomer Pyle, USMC". Jack appeared in one or two episodes as a favor to a friend. For these shows, he was paid $200 per day for each day he worked, up to a maximum of four days each show. Big money, eh?
The second table contained what many in the room had come to see, George's Superman costumes. Jim Hambrick, and his daughter Morgan, who own and operate "The Super Museum" in Metropolis Illinois, were kind enough to bring these suits for us to see. And, much to my surprise, to touch - they were not behind plastic, not sealed up in a bag, we were allowed to (gently) touch the suits! 

This photo was taken before the suits were put out on display. There is one suit from the black and white seasons, and one from the color seasons. The b&w suit was made of those colors because the actual red and blue suit would not photograph well on the black and white film. When they started to film the series in color, they went to the red, blue, and yellow costume. Incidentally, the yellow belt is a reproduction and not authentic to the uniform.

This particular black and white suit is a bit special. It was given to Mr. Hambrick by Thol Simonson, who was the special effects person on most of the shows filmed. Initially, the special effects were done by a gentleman named Danny Hayes, but he was replaced after there were a couple of accidents, including George falling some 8 feet when the wires that were used during his takeoffs broke. This suit is one that George wore while he was 'flying'. There are two holes on the pants, one on either side of the hip, where the wires went through and were attached to the harness that lifted George.
The cape, 100% virgin unprocessed silk, shows a lot of wear and tear, from the flapping around in the breeze when George 'flew'.

But it is soft and shiny, and you can see how the light weight of the silk would make the cape move so nicely when George was in the flying rig.
As much history as there is in the black and white suit, we all were struck by the color suit. Manufactured by Western Costume (which is still in business), like the b&w suit, it's made of a very heavy woven wool fabric. We know this one is George's, due in part to the tag.

The costume IS very heavy, I can attest to that from lifting the top up. George wore long underwear under the suit, as well as some padding, and with all of that, and the hot wool, it had to be agony in that thing under the hot lights, or filming outdoors under the sun. It's been said that George was also somewhat allergic to the suit, and would begin to break out in a rash after about 20-25 minutes.

Add in the fact that George did most of his own stunts, and you realize that it couldn't have been any fun running around in that thing all day.
The cape from the color suit was, for many of us, just a breathtaking piece of cloth.

Like the b&w suit, it's 100% virgin unprocessed silk, and it is one hell of an eye catcher. It's bright crimson, a true, deep, bright red; with the yellow and red emblem, it looks fantastic. The feel is, like the b&w cape, smooth, silky, almost watery. Lightweight, long, and somewhat elegant. The color shows, as good as they are, do not do this cape justice; it is a beautiful piece of work.
Our luncheon began at 11:00, and we stayed in the function room until well after 5:30. And I doubt that six hours ever passed so quickly in anyone's life. Between the great program that was put together, and the opportunity to speak with Al Vacio one on on, with Jim Hambrick, and the other dignitaries and guests that were there, the time flew past. We did gather later on in the lobby bar for drinks and a light dinner, and the conversations there were informative, fun, and enlightening. I know that to some people, this is 'geek central' stuff, my goodness, The Adventures of Superman? That old show? Yes, that old show. The show that impacted millions of baby boomers here and around the world. It's still being shown, the DVD's are available everywhere, and the sight of George launching himself out of the window of the Daily Planet building still excites us to this day.
One of the people who spoke at the luncheon is a college professor, and he occasionally hosts students at his home for social gatherings, discussions, and movie nights. He said that he's begun showing TAOS to these kids, usually one b&w episode and one color episode each night. Amazingly, while many of them had no idea that there had even been this television show, he said that each group is totally taken in by the opening credits to the show. That 59 second opening captures the idea of the show so perfectly, that even these kids, who have seen all kinds of high tech camera work and computer generated images, are mesmerized. It's been 60+ years since folks first saw George go flying out of the window, and apparently we're still captured by the charm, the drama, and the excitement this show brings into our homes.
That's the wrap on this trip, it was great fun, I left Sarasota on Sunday morning, and was home a little after lunch time on Monday. Not the kind of trip I prefer, I didn't get to do a lot of wandering, but the people I saw, and the places I visited, were swell. And now, I think I'll pop in one of my Superman DVD's. I'd suggest you do the same, and catch one of the classic shows; perhaps "Panic In The Sky", or "Around The World With Superman", or one of the last shows, "The Perils Of Superman", directed by George.



 









 

On The Road, Again

Well gang, it's been quite a while since I posted here, and I'm long overdue! Got a couple of trips coming up, but before I get to that, I want to comment on a few shows that Karen and I have gotten to in the last couple of months.
Back in early January, along with her sister and niece, we made our annual pilgrimage to BB King's in Manhattan to see the great Darlene Love's annual 'Love For The Holidays' show. We've been going to this show for many years now, and Darlene never disappoints us. In addition to doing her Christmas tunes, she performs all of her 'moldy oldies' as she calls them, from her time as a solo artist, as well as singing lead for The Crystals. At 75 years young, she still has those great pipes, her voice is amazing; she brings great enthusiasm and love for what she does to the stage, and the show is really wonderful. Highly recommended!
Next up, on MLK weekend, we drove up to Connecticut, to Mohegan Sun, for 'Bowzer's Rock and Roll Party'. Jon Bauman, 'Bowzer' to fans of the old group Sha Na Na, has been doing these shows at Mohegan for 16 years, and they're always fun. This year, the lineup included a few acts we hadn't seen before, so we decided to go. Tickets were very reasonably priced, I think they were $35 or $40, and we had good seats, in the first few rows of the upper level, just off to the side of the stage. Good view of the acts, the band, and a little behind the stage action as well. For those of you who many not be familiar with these shows, they're a lot like the old Murray The K or Dick Clark shows; lots of acts (10) who each do 3 or 4 songs, with the headliners doing 5 or 6 songs.
The show kicked off with 'Kid Kyle', a young man who first came to fame about 10 - 12 years ago, when, as a very young child, he sang doo wop songs in the style of Frankie Lymon. he appeared on one of those PBS doo wop specials singing with The Students. Now age 21, he opened the show doing some of those great Frankie Lymon songs. His voice, now a little deeper, still has the sound of Frankie, and he did his couple of songs well, to good audience response.
Up next, Lala Brooks, one of the original lead singers of The Crystals (along with Darlene Love). Lala sand the lead on 'Da Doo Ron Ron' and 'And The He Kissed me'. She's still got a great voice, and did the songs well, got the crowd going, and was fun to see.
Out came Freddy 'Boom Boom' Cannon, who I'd never seen prior to this show, but I had heard that he really wasn't much of a vocalist. Well, at age 76, he may look a little frail, but he sounded a lot better than I was expecting. "Tallahassee Lassie", "Palisades Park", "Where The Action Is", he nailed them all! And he really got the crowd up and rocking, a fun act with lots of energy. Not sure I could sit through a full hour of his stuff, but for 3 or 4 songs, he was great.
The Capris came out next, and I was curious to see how they sounded, since thy lost their original lead singer, Nick Santo, to cancer a few years ago. No worries, the new lead has a terrific voice, the original guys backed him up well, and the music was wonderful. They nailed "There's A Moon Out Tonight", and "Morse Code of Love". Well worth going to see if they show up in your neighborhood.
The hits just kept coming, with Terry Johnson's Flamingos, and they sounded just like the records. "I Only Have Eyes For You" brought the house down, this group was one of the highlights of the show for me. I'd seen them way back in 1976 or 1977 at the old Long Island Arena, and to me, they sounded better this year than they did back then.
The first half of the show finished up with Jay Siegel's Tokens, one of the really legendary groups of the early 1960's. We'd seen them many times in the past, and they didn't disappoint us this time. Jay can still hit the high notes on "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", "Portrait of My Love", and "Tonight I Fell In Love". As one of the featured groups, they did a few more songs than the other acts did, and took the crowd into intermission with a rousing ovation.
After a short intermission, we had the final three acts, all of them real legends. Starting off with "Lightning" Lou Christie, who is always fun to watch, and if you don't think so, he'll sure remind you that he is. He did all his hits, from "They Gypsy Cried" to "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", "Rhapsody Of The Rain", "Beyond The Blue Horizon" (from Rain Man - although I like Mike Nesmith's version better!), and, of course, "Lightning Strikes". The crowd really responded to him, and I figured it was gonna be impossible for the next act to follow him. I was wrong.
Up next, Bill Haley's Original Comets. The two remaining members of the group that actually played on "Rock Around The Clock". Now, that song was recorded in April of 1954, so these gentlemen are not kids; sax player Joey Ambrose is 83, and drummer Dick Boccelli is 93 years young! Along with their lead guitar player, who actually sounds a bit like Bill Haley did, and backed by Bowzer's house band Rocky & The Rollers, these guys rocked the place like nobody else! "See You Later Alligator", "Shake Rattle & Roll", and of course, "Rock Around The Clock" all sounded terrific! And Joey and Dick sure can play! They each did solos, and were excellent; 93 year old Dick did a drum solo that was over 3 minutes long, and really rocked! It's always a bit of a gamble when you go to see acts that are real legends, but who may have passed their time; we've all seen them, and it's sad. These guys, however, can still bring it. If they pass through your area, go see them.
Sadly, the closing act, who we had really come to see, was disappointing. it's been several years since I saw Jay Black, former lead singer of Jay and The Americans. Most of you know he's been my favorite since I first saw him, way back in the early 1970's. Karen saw him in his last performance, back in November of 2014 at Westbury, where he had a really rough time, due he said, to a cracked windpipe. Bowzer announced that while Jay is actually 'retired' and no longer performs, he agreed to do this show, and only this show, for Bowzer. Jay had closed this show several times in past years, and always brought down the house. Unfortunately, upon being introduced, as he went into his traditional opening number, Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman", it was clear that he just couldn't do it. I started videotaping the song, but stopped after about 20 seconds - Jay sounded awful, and frankly, I didn't want to have that to remember him by. He struggled through a few more songs, apologizing between tunes, saying "I'm sorry, I can't sing". Fortunately, with the exception of some who walked out on him, the crowd was gracious, and gave him good applause, and, upon both his attempt at "Cara Mia", and his exit, long standing ovations. At the conclusion of Jay's set, Bowzer came out and made some very heartfelt remarks about Jay that really touched us all. As upsetting as it was to see and hear Jay this way, I was glad that I got the chance to stand up, applaud, and cheer him one last time.
And that was the show. Three plus hours of really good entertainment, with a little touch of sadness. Bowzer announced that next year's show is already scheduled, again on MLK weekend, and Karen and I will be back - great fun!
Next up, we saw The Association out at the Suffolk Theater in Riverhead. We'd seen them a couple of times in the past year or two, as they've been celebrating 50 years together. And as we hoped, it was a great show. All the hits, plus some familiar songs that were done by other artists, all played well, with those great harmonies that the band is known for. With the exception of some minor microphone/sound issues, they did a great show.
And finally, last weekend, for Valentine's Day, we ventured to the Patchogue Theater for "A Celebration of Dino", a 100th birthday tribute to Dean Martin. Starring Andy DiMino, and an 11 piece band, the show was absolutely great. Andy looks a bit like Dean, he has a similar voice, and has perfected Dean's mannerisms. A few times, if you closed your eyes, you'd have sworn it was really Dean on stage. From carrying a cigarette in his right hand, to the ever present glass of 'booze', nattily clad in a tuxedo, 'Dean' entertained us for almost two hours, with all the classic songs, including "That's Amore", "Sway", "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime", as well as some other tunes that were popularized by other members of the 'Rat Pack'.
Dean Martin was not, of course, one of 'our' generation of performers. But you know, back in the day (I hate that expression), when we were kids, there was only one television in the house. And so, everyone watched what was on. And in our house, and in Karen's, on Thursday night, it was The Dean Martin Show. And you know what? It was a great show, and I think I enjoyed it as much as my Mom and Dad did. Dean was a great entertainer, he had terrific comic timing, he could sing almost anything (how about "Houston", a great country tune that he took into the top 20!), and the show was fast paced and funny. Dean was cool. Doubt me on that? It was Elvis Presley himself who once said to Dean, "you were cool before anyone knew what cool was!" So to be sitting in that theater, re-living a lot of those memories was great fun for both Karen and I. Couple of times we both had those damn moist eyes that seem to afflict us from time to time. At the end of the show, they announced that Andy would be back again as Dean in the next year; we will definitely be going!
That's it, the last few shows we got to, and happily, not a clunker among them! In the coming weeks, we have a couple of good ones lined up, and I'll sure do a better job of posting them closer to when they happen.
And, the road trips are starting up again. This Tuesday, Tommy and I are heading off to Detroit for an Islanders road game. We both sort of wanted to get to a game at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena this season, as it is scheduled to close at the end of the season. A new arena is being built in downtown Detroit, and so it's the last chance to see 'the Joe'. Opened in 1979, it's now the oldest operating rink in the NHL. I looked into getting tickets back in November, but the prices were crazy. Since then however, the Red Wings have fallen to the bottom of the standings, and prices have come down. While watching the last Isles-Red Wings game, when they announced that the Isles would be back in Detroit during Tom's winter break, I knew we had to go. So we'll head out early Tuesday, catch the game that night, and head back on Wednesday. Gonna stop and see my sister in law Mary and her husband Bill on the way back, they're near Cleveland, and we're going to be passing right by, so the old two birds with one stone rule applies here.
Next up, I'll be leaving on Feb. 28 or Mar. 1, not sure, to head down to Sarasota Florida for one last "Adventures of Superman" gathering. Jim Nolt, who organizes these events, has said this is the last one he's doing, and so I really want to be there. Some special guests will be there, and the fellow who runs the Super Museum in Metropolis (Illinois silly, not the comic book city), is bringing two actual George Reeves Superman costumes from the show, one of the black and white costumes, and one of the color suits. To see these in person, up close, sounds pretty cool to me. There's going to be a luncheon, a video presentation, and a few guests who knew George well, so I think it's gonna be fun. And hey, I'll get to stop at S.O.B. either going or coming! So keep your eyes on this spot for the usual trip reports in the coming weeks.
That's all for now!