Reinventing ourselves
My particular area of the law has been busy lately so I met up with my boss to just talk shop.
He had reservations for us at Capital Grille; I’d never been before.
The ribeye was calling out to me…
…along with a drink…
…or two.
Can’t really discuss what we talked about due to the nature of the work but I suppose I could tell you story instead.
Him: Let me bring you back 15 years, Logan…
Me: Oh, sweet! Storytime!
When I was a kid, there was a Woolworth’s in Flushing Queens that I used to go to alla time.
It was one of the bigger ones out there, so it had the full diner inside, complete with the classic counter stools. Think I ate there a few times, when I had a couple of bucks.
It wasn’t bad but it definitely wasn’t no Capital Grille, lemme tell ya…
In the basement was a petstore, with some of the most ratty and messed up animals you’d ever see.
I remembered that there was once a one-eyed parakeet for sale, and I remember thinking, who on earth would want that?
Turns out, no one did, which is why they’re not around anymore.
It closed in 1997.
Actually, that’s not true.
Woolworths is still around, if you know where to look. In fact, you might have been in one recently.
See, the company is still around, they just changed their name to: Foot Locker.
It’s funny.
Woolworth started in 1879, bought Kinny Shoes in 1963, and created Foot Locker outta that in 1974, and then – because it was its only division doing gangbusters – just decided to change their name from Woolworth to Foot Locker.
That’s kinda how I feel.
I assume you know me because of this blog I’ve had for close to 20 years, so maybe you think of me first as a writer.
And my former clients and coworkers know me as a pretty good lawyer.
But 423,000 people know me as the guy that teaches people how to fight with weapons on Scenic Fights.
And I’m alla those things and more.
After all, we reinvent ourselves over and over again.
But, I like to think that the core of who we are is consistent.
Boss: …anyway, that’s what I thinking. So, how’s your son?
Me: (big smile) He’s…great. So great. We’re a family of two. It’s not what I planned but he makes it all worthwhile.
Location: being pulled out of a bar on Amsterdam by the Firecracker because someone was asking to see what I could do
Mood: complex
Music: Had me at hello, 你好 (Spotify)
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3 replies on “Capital Grille and Woolworths”
Woolworth! There was one in my neighborhood in the Bronx. It’s where my mom went to buy thread. It’s classic!
I definitely think they had a time and place for us. It’s a shame that they’re gone.
[…] A few days later, I got invited to my own law firm party at Capital Grille at the Chrysler Center – we’d been there a few times before. […]