Time for a Little Catch Up

 Well now, it's been a while since I added anything to this blog, and there have been several good reasons for that.
First off, just the title of this blog has been impacted by Covid. Can't really do any road trips, so the Road Food portion is kinda off the table. Classic Rock and Roll, also not really available, as concerts have been another victim of Covid. I think the last show Karen and I went to was Micky Dolenz here in Roslyn NY, just about a year ago. And as for the Classic Cars, well, again, most car shows and cruise nights were cancelled due to Covid. I only drove the Barracuda twice last summer before parking it on the driveway for the off season.
So it was a bad year for the topics I love blogging about, and as of this date, things are still pretty much shut down. We've got the vaccines available now, and we're all hopeful that as folks get them, things will slowly get better. For now though, we're still in 'sit and wait' mode.

And, as a lot of you know, I've had another little distraction to deal with, as I was diagnosed last September with colon cancer. During a routine checkup, a blockage was discovered in my colon, and it turned out to be cancerous. Quite an eye opener, especially for someone who's been blessed with good health for most of my life. No heart issues, no diabetes, no breathing issues; just the occasional little bump in the road.
So the last six months have been filled with a couple of surgeries, a round of chemotherapy, and a lot of praying. Happily, I'm at the point where the tumor has been removed, all margins and lymph nodes are clear, and it's just another round of chemotherapy and one surgery to get past this stuff. The chemo will begin in late March, and continue until early summer. With any luck, I'll be back on my feet by early August; still some summer left, and who knows, maybe by then we'll be able to travel a bit, or perhaps the car culture will kick off again. We'll see.

So now that I've updated things, I'll do my best to pop online and post every week or so. I've missed writing this blog, and am looking forward to getting back into the routine.

Happy Together, Again!

For many years now, there's been a series of summertime oldies shows touring the country under the 'Happy Together' name. These shows first kicked off in the mid 1980's, were sponsored by 'Chunky' candy, and quickly became quite popular.
I first saw this tour in 1986, when it featured the Monkees 20th reunion as the headliner. Along with the Monkees, there were Herman's Hermits (minus Peter Noone), Gary Puckett, and the Grass Roots.
Over time, the lineup has changed a lot, and the tour now carries more than four acts in any given year. Karen and I have gone many times and enjoyed the show each time. This year we thought we would have to miss the show, as we had pre-purchased tickets to see The Monkees Present the Mike and Micky Show. However, as most of you may already know, Mike became ill and the final four shows had to be postponed until January.
So, upon hearing this, I popped on to Ticketmaster and managed to get two tickets to see the Happy Together Tour at Westbury. Always a great venue, this show was terrific, with a couple of surprises. So, without further blather, here's the review!
The opening act was one that Karen and I saw a couple of years ago, and when we saw them we were blown away by how good they were. The Cowsills, now comprised of the remaining siblings, Bob, Susan, and Paul, do a really fun, high energy show which is perfect as an opening act.

They opened with "The Rain, The Park, and Other Things", and sounded great. "We Can Fly", "Indian Lake", the theme from "Love American Style" and of course, the closer, "Hair" were all terrific, and earned a standing ovation. I'm telling you, if you see these guys on a show, go and see them, you won't be disappointed.
Out next was one of those guys who's been sort of lost in the shuffle of things, the original lead voice of Paul Revere and The Raiders, Mark Lindsay. 

Now, Mark had a couple of hits on his own, as well as singing on most of The Raiders hits, so he has a large collection of songs to do. "Kicks", "Good Thing", "Just Like Me" all sounded good, but, for the second time seeing Mark, either his microphone volume was way too low, or he's lost a little power off his voice.There were times that although he seemed to be singing, you couldn't hear him at all. Several people shouted 'we can't hear you', and he adjusted a bit, but it was still frustrating. "Arizona", his solo hit, and "Indian Reservation" rounded out the set.
Up next was The Association, or part of them, at least. This tour runs with a great backup band, so larger groups don't get to bring all of their players. The Association is, when you see them solo, a six piece group. For this tour, however, only three of the guys performed; Del Ramos, Jim Yester, and Jules Alexander. Jim and Jules are 'originals', while Del joined in 1972 (his brother Larry was an original member).

Karen and I have seen The Association several times over the past year and a half, and they always do a great show. With songs like "Windy", "Along Comes Mary", and "Cherish", how can you miss? Even without their 'regular' backup singers, the songs sounded just like the records. Seems like Jim's voice has lost a little of it's strength, he struggled a bit, but overall, another really good act.
Gary Puckett is another performer that we've seen multiple times, including just this past spring, when he appeared with The Association and The Lettermen. Lots of hit records, and a very recognizable sound, Gary and The Union Gap were really popular in the late 1960's.

Today, his voice isn't as strong as it was way back then (whose is?), but he's a great performer, who really connects with the audience. All the hits "Woman, Woman", "This Girl Is a Woman Now", and "Young Girl", lots of interaction with the crowd, just a nice guy. Some of the songs have had their phrasing slightly changed, to accommodate his 'now' voice, but they still sound good.
Up next was a performer I really didn't have a lot of interest in, only because I was never a big fan of his group; Chuck Negron, former lead singer of Three Dog Night. Never cared for their songs much, but I was happily surprised by Chuck's performance.
 

For those who don't know, Chuck has been through more than a lifetime of nightmares; heavy drug and alcohol addiction; being fired by TDN in the midst of his addiction; and a near death car accident which left him with all sorts of mobility and breathing difficulties. He needed assistance getting on stage, and was connected via heavy cable, to what I guess is a breathing machine. Still, he did all the hits, "Mama Told Me Not To Come", "Eli's Coming", "Celebrate", and of course, "Joy To The World". He sounded fine, engaged the audience very nicely, and really showed the amazing inner strength some humans have. I'm still not a fan of the songs, but I am a fan of his, and I would go see him again in a heartbeat.
Finally, the 'closer' of the show, as they've been for many years, the group whose song the tour is named for, The Turtles. Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan have been carrying the Turtles music through the years, from their time as "Flo and Eddie", to all the Happy Together tours.
So we were shocked when out came Mark, and someone who was definitely NOT Howard!

A familiar face, but neither Karen nor I could place it immediately. Whomever he was, he sounded fine in singing lead on "Eleanor", "You Showed Me", and "It Ain't Me Babe". Finally, Mark introduced him, explaining that Howard had recently undergone serious back surgery and was unable to tour this year.The man of mystery was the lead voice of a bunch of records and commercials, the great Ron Dante! Ron, of course, was the lead voice on The Cufflinks 'Tracy', and more famously, the voice of The Archies on 'Sugar Sugar'. He sounded good in harmony with Mark (whose voice has gotten somewhat weak), and did 'Sugar Sugar' as well.
As they've done the past few years, all the acts came back on stage and did a short version of one of their songs, and all sang Happy Together to close the show.
Although they get a little older each year, and some of their voices show it, this was a really good show. Each act had plenty of hits to perform, all were done well, there was good audience interaction, and damn, these songs are FUN! All in all a great night, one to look forward to each summer. If the Happy Together Tour comes through your town, do yourself a favor and go!

Visiting an Old Barn

No secret to any of you who read this blog regularly, I love hockey. Loved playing it, whether roller hockey or ice hockey. Fast, fun game, great to play, and great to watch. I first became a fan watching the old Long Island Ducks out at the L.I. Arena in Commack. Rough games, very physical, chances were better than even that you'd see a fight or two (sometimes involving the fans) during a game, but the games were fast, spirited, and great fun. After the Ducks folded, the L.I. Cougars moved in, but only lasted 2 seasons. Of course, our Islanders got started in 1972, and I quickly became a fan of the Isles. And have had loads of fun going to their games through the years, as well as seeing some other NHL teams while I've been on the road.
But my heart has always been with the minor league game, and so to this day, I try to go to games whenever I'm in a city that has a team. Unfortunately, the last couple of years, I've been a bit snakebit when it comes to seeing games. Seems every time I'm in a city with a minor league club, the team is off on a road trip. But, happily, this past weekend, the stars aligned, and I found myself in Syracuse NY for the annual NYS Recreation and Park Society Conference; and on Saturday night, the Syracuse Crunch had their final home game of the season. Yes! Finally, a chance to get to a game!
I went online last week, and being that it was the final home game, there weren't a lot of tickets left. But since I only needed one, I managed to snag a really good seat in the second row, for just $22 - a bargain!
Now, the Crunch play in a great old building, the Onondaga County War Memorial. Built between 1949 and 1951, the building is a great example of a WWI and WWII Aroostock War Memorial. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and has seen some great events through the years. In fact, the 1961 NBA All Star Game was played here, and in 1976, Elvis performed here!
From my hotel window, you can just see the building, about a block away:

You can just make out the arched roof in the distance. Less than a five minute walk from the hotel - how's that for planning? From the street level, the building blends in with the surrounding area, and as you get closer to it, you'd be hard pressed to identify it as a 6,000+ seat hockey arena.

Once you enter, however, you know you're in a great old building. Lovingly preserved, clean as a whistle, and filled with fans there to support the local team, as soon as you hit the lobby you get the feeling of community, at a very grass roots level. This isn't millionaire hockey, slick and 'professional', it's the local kids teams selling baked goods in the lobby. Older folks wearing jerseys of teams that played here decades ago, with their grandkids, who are wearing 'Crunch' jerseys. 
I stop at one of the tiny concession stands, and order a dog and a Molson on draft. Total cost, $10; at Barclay's, the beer alone would be $11.50! The dog is certainly nothing special, a 'Hoffman's' natural casing dog that's been heated up, put in a roll, wrapped in a foil sleeve, and left to sit in a warming drawer until I came along. It's good and hot, the roll is soft, and topped with yellow mustard, it's on the salty side. Don't think I'll be going back for a second. Pass the nice folks handing out Crunch team photos (which the team will be signing for the fans, after the game), and I head into the arena.

Been a lot of changes since the last time I was here, some 20 years ago. First off, they've installed LED lighting - the first professional hockey arena to do so, back in 2012. And the old wood ceiling has been covered up by insulation, while the interior has been cleaned up and given a fresh coat of paint. It really looks sharp inside, while maintaining that great old 'Quonset hut' look of the old arenas (like the L.I. Arena). On the one end of the building, in very cool art deco letters, it says 'In Memory of Our Service Veterans'. Very nice. I show my ticket to the usher, and am led to my seat, right by the face off circle, in the second row. Immediately I realize I should have chosen a seat a little further off the ice, as the row I am in, and the one in front of it, are tiny; they're temporary seats that can be rolled back when the ice is taken up. I'm having a hard time squeezing my 6'5" frame into the seat, but I manage, and am thrilled with the view I have:

Now where are you gonna get a better seat for $22? Just great. I'm sitting next to a Crunch fan, and behind a Rochester Americans fan - they're the opposition tonight - and I'm getting an education about the upcoming game. Seems it's 'rivalry night' in the AHL, with teams from adjoining areas playing each other, so this is fun game. It's a good matchup, as both teams have made the playoffs. The Syracuse fan lets us know that their 'top 6' skaters are not playing tonight, neither is their #1 goalie. The Rochester guy tells us that they're not playing their top goalie either. 
The puck drops and off they go. Good, fast game, I'm impressed with the speed of the skaters, and their effort; nobody's gliding into the puck, they've got their legs moving hard and fast the whole time. Syracuse scores first, on a power play, but Rochester puts two in and after one period it's 2-1 Rochester.
The Syracuse guy tells me it's actually better for the Crunch if they lose tonight, because that would give them an opening round matchup with Rochester, and apparently the Crunch have beaten the Amerks pretty badly all season long. In his reasoning, the Crunch will easily beat the Amerks and go on to the next round.
Lots of fun stuff during the game, and between periods, the puck toss, couple of guys doing a puck slalom, and instead of a T-Shirt toss, they have folks walking around the rink tossing out Hostess Twinkies and Choc-A-Diles (chocolate covered Twinkies)!
Couple of scuffles happen, the p.a. announcer screams needlessly and continually, the crowd chants all kinds of fun stuff at the opposing players and the refs, and the whole night is just a damn fun time. Loads of kids at the game, families, couples on dates, the kind of crowd that makes you glad you showed up.
Syracuse loses, 4-2, but they're in it right to the end, until they let up an empty net goal. I join the nearly sellout crowd in making my way out of the building, feeling good that places like the War Memorial are still around, and that people appreciate these venues and the teams that play in them. Out into the rain I go, making a mental note that I need to get back here a lot more often.

 
 

Another Obsession Addressed

Well now, it should come as no surprise to most of you that I love music. Lotsa different kinds of music; Big Band, Doo-Wop, Surf Guitar, Pop, Rock, even some Country; I love music. Always have, always will. And through the years, I've been fortunate enough to see a lot of terrific performers, and even more amazing, I've met quite a few of them as well. A few stand out as ones I really love; Jay Black, from Jay And The Americans; The Ventures; The Monkees, collectively, as well as individually; The Buckinghams; and a few others.
Today though, it's about a Monkee. I've seen every reunion tour the guys did, starting with the 20th anniversary in 1986, right up to their final perfomance with Michael in September of 2016. And of course, I've been to all of their solo shows that came through the NY area, all of them good in their own way.
When I was a kid, I'd listen to their albums over and over. Loved all the songs, the hits were great, and some of the 'filler' material was really good. Through all those years, the songs that appealed to me most of all were the ones written by, and sung by, Michael. From "Papa Gene's Blues", to "You Just May Be The One", those songs hit my sweet spot. Of course, Monkeemania had a pretty short run, and after the show ended, with no internet to research, finding news about the ex Monkees was rough. Jump ahead to late 1970/early 1971. I always had the radio on when I went to bed, loved drifting off to the music. Normally, I'd have listened to 770 WABC, NY's big top forty station. However, a small station in Jersey, 970 WWDJ had recently switched over to playing top forty with some 'oldies' mixed in, and I was enjoying that station. So one night, I go to sleep, and some time between like 1:30 and 2:00 am, I hit a semi conscious state, and hear this beautiful, haunting tune. I'd never heard it before, but there was something about the singers voice. Heard a bit of it, and then fell back to sleep. Next morning, I couldn't figure out if I'd actually heard that song, or if I'd been dreaming. Frustrating. About two weeks later, again, late at night, here comes the song again....and this time, I'm awake. I listen intently, picking up that voice again - it's Michael! And the song, "Joanne". 

Wowza, how cool! Hadn't heard anything from Mike, or any of the other Monkees, since their last couple of albums came out in late 1969, so this was a real treat.
Next day, I'm up in the record store, poking through the only resource available in those pre-internet days, the great Schwann catalog. And there, in the "N's", I see it; "Magnetic South", Michael Nesmith and the First National Band. And the journey began. There were three initial albums done by the FNB, which formed a sort of trilogy. Great songs, played by great musicians, these albums really opened the door of "country rock", paving the way for artists like Poco, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt.
Through the years that followed, I obsessively chased down every album Mike did, savoring each one, and wishing that I could catch him in concert. Unhappily, he only played one time here in NY, at the old Lone Star Roadhouse; of course, I was in Florida at the time, and missed the show.
Then, in 2012, the sad news that Davy Jones had passed hit all of us Monkee fans quite hard. But then, we got little clues and teases that something was afoot. Michael posted a short "we may be coming to your town" on his Facebook feed, and it was out; the three remaining Monkees would tour. As it turns out, even before Davy passed, all four were in the initial stages of planning a full blown reunion tour. Of course, being the obsessive nutjob I am, Karen and I went to all three NY area shows. Friday at the State Theater in NJ, Saturday at the Paramount in Huntington (with Tom and Lindsay), and Sunday at the Beacon Theater in NYC, which was the last show on the tour. And the shows were magical, having Mike onstage with Micky and Peter was like a dream come true!
Then, after touring with the guys again in 2013, the big news; Mike was doing a solo tour! The fantastic "Movies of The Mind" show, which came through NY twice. Karen and I were  there for both of them, at Town Hall in NYC, and at the Boulton Center in Islip. And at the Town Hall show, Karen and I got to meet Mike after the show!

He was amazingly nice to us both, and though I was somewhat tongue tied at first, I had a wonderful conversation with him - he even asked me what my opinion was of the set list! Thank goodness Karen was able to speak for me at first and let Mike know what a fan I was!
After that, things were quiet for a while, until Micky and Peter hit the road for the Monkees 50th anniversary tour. Mike did not join them, although he did "Skype" in to their show at Town Hall in NYC, which was very cool. Then, the announcement came; Michael would join the guys for one show only, his 'retirement' show, at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles. September 16, 2016 was the date, and as crazy as it sounded, I decided I had to be there. and so I went. And it was just amazing, fun, great songs, full of emotion, not a dry eye in the house as Mike came out solo during the show and spoke to us all. Wonderful.

And that, we all thought, was that. Micky went off on a string of solo dates, Peter began playing with his band, Blue Suede Shoes, and Mike finished up his latest book, an  'autobiographical journey', Infinite Tuesday.
Then, another odd Facebook posting by Mike; he was looking for a 'gifted' pedal steel guitar player. For what? A new album? Perhaps an online show at his web site, Videoranch? Or maybe...maybe a tour?
Just before Christmas, we found out. Mike was, as the Blues Brothers might have said, "putting the band back together". He posted that he wanted to revisit the First National Band recordings, and perform them in concert! Double Wowza! Unfortunately, two of the original members of the FNB, Red Rhodes and John London, had passed, and so a new group would need to be formed. Upon finding his pedal steel player, into the group came Mike's sons Johnathan and Christian; Christian's significant other, Circe Link, and a couple of their buddies. And the tour was announced, a short five date jaunt, taking place solely in California. And the last show, at The Chapel in San Francisco, would feature a guest star - Ben Gibbard, of Death Cab for Cutie. Ben wrote the great song "Me And Magdalena" which Mike and Micky sang on the Monkees "Good Times" album in 2016. This one would be truly a once in a lifetime show.
I was disappointed that the shows were all on the west coast, as I was hoping to see it. But as I'd already done the ridiculous trip out to CA to see the show at the Pantages, I didn't really give much thought to going out there again. You all know how I feel about California. And then, I spotted a podcast interview with Mike, and gave it a listen. It was a rather long one, almost an hour, and it touched on so many topics, it was really a great interview. And as Mike spoke, and talked about the genesis of his songwriting, the FNB, and what was coming up in the shows, it hit me; I had to see if I could swing going to one of these shows.
Long story made even longer, thanks to Karen's amazing love and her support, I will be flying to San Francisco this coming Saturday, and will be at the final show at The Chapel this Sunday, Jan. 28th. Sort of one of those lifelong quests (or obsessions) coming true. A fan posted a couple of short videos from the show this past Sunday, and the L.A. Times gave the show a terrific review, so I'm really pumped for this one.
Mike has since opened the door to possibly bringing the show east, depending on the attendance and response to the California shows, and if that happens, yeah, I'll find a way to go to those as well.
The 18 year old kid who still lives inside of me is having trouble hiding my excitement over this show. Hopefully I'll be able to grab a couple of photos, and maybe a video or two that I can post once I get back. As they used to say on 'Batman', stay tuned for more!

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!


 






:

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.