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Finally made a paw paw festival

I have an idea, actually

I brought the kid out to see Alison’s parents the other night for a quick weekend stay.

I literally just stayed for dinner and then came right back.

A frog kept me company at the train station.

I suppose this is what being in nature feels like.

Speaking of nature, a reader of mine, BNga, told me about a pawpaw festival just 30 mins from my pad after I missed the one in Brooklyn.

Again.

Me: Should I go? We didn’t sign up early enough to get a paw paw tree.
Her: We should still go – it’s something different.

So, off we went.

Me: It’s crazy to know that we’re still in Manhattan.
Her: Yeah – and that this is what Manhattan looked like a couple hundred years ago.

Sara was just thrilled to be in nature.

While I had no less than 4-5 of the fresh paw paw smoothies that they were offering.

What’s wild is that there were paw paw growing all over the place, but they had already harvested alla the fruit for the celebration.

Below is a picture of me surrounded by grove of them.

Sara was more interested in other, more common things, like this pepper plant…

…complete with a cute little pepper.

I, however, was reminded that I have to radically change my diet.

I was not pleased.

We signed up for the waiting list for the paw paw plants – of which there was a few dozen waiting to be picked up.

We actually were early enough on the waiting list to get two of them – which I was legit thrilled about.

Afterward, we were heading back home when we saw this place: La Pescaderia, which we’d seen before on a Tik Tok.

Me: Do you wanna try it out?
Her: Sure! I love scallops.

So, we went in and ordered the fried combo number 4. 

The platter we got was ginormous – and delish.

They told us that we just had to try their salmon soup so we did. Just as killer as everything else.

We were completely stuffed afterwards and headed back to take the train home.

Me: Well, that’s not something we do every day.
Her: Honestly, that’s all I ask for. Just a few hours here and there in the sun with nature. We should do this more often. Now, where are we gonna put these plants?
Me: I have an idea, actually.

Location: home in bed
Mood: sick, send soup
Music: mark this as our own land, yeah (Spotify)
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Last minute with Lea

My fave kinda nights

My dear friend Lea hit me up outta the blue the other night.

Her: Wildly, last minute invitation for this evening in the city – are you and wife are available to meet up at in midtown for an award ceremony?
Me: WHOA! When and where?
Her: 5:30 at the New York Yacht Club.
Me: We’re in!

The night before, Sara spent the night in the ER – she’s fine – so I wasn’t sure she was gonna make it.

But she was.

Her: Is it cocktail or eveningwear?
Me: I’m still a dude, baby.

So, off we went.

It was just two blocks from my old pad; West 44th Street has these exclusive clubs like the Cornell Club (which I was once proudly part of – now, less so), the Harvard Club, and, of course, The New York Yacht Club, which I’d never been inside of before.

Sara and I arrived first and immediately got some drinks.

After a while, Lea came by with about four of the people she managed – turned out that she had bought a whole table and had two seats for us.

It was for an Irish event.

Me: I’m pretty sure I could pass for Irish. Logan O’Lo.
One of Lea’s employees: You could definitely pass.
Me: (laughing) I’m sure. At least I’m the father of an Irish person.

Everyone was super nice…

Woman: We want to hang out for a bit in the city.
Me: Oh, go to Solas – it’s perfect for your ages.
Sara: Logan, we go there.
Me: Yeah, I’m way too old to be there now.

…and the food was great.

Me: It’s so strange that they only have fish.
Her: It’s fine, we both like fish and never order it.
Me: Oh, I get it – we’re at the Yacht Club. So, it makes sense that they would have fish.

Lea told us all about the happenings of her life, some good, some bad, some horrific – but those are all her stories to tell so I’ll end that part here.

There was a singer that played Jean Valjean on Broadway in the 90s who sat at our table and also sang for everyone.

Me: I might have seen you.
Him: I doubt it, I’m much older than you.
Me: Maybe not. When were you there?
Him: 1992?
Me: I went in 1993!

After we said our goodbyes to everyone, Sara and I took a short walk to Times Square where we caught the train home.

Me: These are my favourite kinda nights – the ones that happen outta nowhere with good friends. Did you have fun?
Her: So much fun! But now, I’m beat and need to crash.
Me: Same. Perfect night – good drink, good food, good friends, and now we’ll be in bed in 20 minutes.

Location: In front of an oven, helping to bake some sourdough pizzas
Mood: headache-y
Music: let′s have a drink – or one too many (Spotify)
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Beneath an orange sky

If only for a little bit

Her: (taking bag) What is..donuts! Oh man, you know me so well!
Me: Yup, I really got your number.
Her: Yeah – 1.800.LOG.ANLO
Me: (thinking) No, it would something like 800.SaraLow because then I would have your number.
Her: You really like to ruin everything, doncha, Logan Lo?

The nor’easter didn’t do much in my particular neighborhood – although it did really mess up other parts of the city.

But it did make for some truly jaw-droppingly beautiful skies around here.

Like when I exited the subway the other night, I saw alla these people looking up and wondered what they were looking at.

But then I looked up and was greeted with the views you see above.

The pictures don’t really do them justice.

Honestly, it was a little surreal walking around the city and seeing it lit up that way.

I wasn’t the only one as I saw so many people just staring up and admiring the beauty of the sky.

Probably cold comfort for people that had a lotta things go south because of alla the water and wind.

But it was really pretty here in the city for a little bit.

If only for a little bit.

Years ago, I told you about Orange Sky by Alexi Murdoch.

I immediately thought of that song as well as my brother and sister when I saw the sky above.

In any case, while the original song is amazeballs, there’s a really nice cover by Kat Cunning that I’ve been listening to lately.

Have a listen?

And I really should give my brother and sister a quick call…

Well I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
Yes, I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
With my brother standing by
With my brother standing by

[Chorus 1]
I said
Brother, you know, you know
It’s a long road we’ve been walking on
Yes it is, yes it is, you know it is
Such a long road we’ve been walking on
Oh, brother, oh, brother

[Verse 2]
And I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
With my sister standing by
With my sister standing by

[Chorus 2]
I said
Here is what I know now, sister
Here is what I know now
Goes like this
In your love
My salvation lies
In your love
My salvation lies
In your love
My salvation lies
In your love
In your love
In your love

[Bridge]
Oh, but you know I am so weary
And you know
My heart, my heart’s been broken now
Sometimes
Sometimes
My mind is too strong to carry on
Too strong, too strong to carry on

[Verse 3]
But when I am alone
When I’ve thrown off the weight of this crazy stone
When I’ve lost all care for the things I own
That’s when I miss you
That’s when I miss you
You who are my home
You who are my home now

[Chorus 3]
And here is what I know now, brother
Here is what I know now, sister
Goes like this
In your love
My salvation lies
In your love
My salvation lies
In your love
My salvation lies
In your love
My salvation lies
In your love
My salvation lies
In your love
My salvation lies
In your love
My salvation lies
In your love
In your love
In your love
Your love now
[Outro]
Well, I had a dream
I stood beneath an orange sky
With my brother and my sister standing by
With my brother and my sister standing by now
With my brother and my sister standing by

Location: my kitchen, making a huge vat of kefir
Mood: nostalgic
Music: Sometimes, my mind is too strong to carry on (Spotify)
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What’s there, while lovely, isn’t the same

A quarter-of-a-century

Me: I’m sorry, can you turn that off?
Sara: Oh! I’m sorry, I was just listening to a podcast about it.
Me: I know. I just…I’d rather not, if that’s ok.
Her: Sure. I’m sorry.
Me: (shakes head) Nuthin to be sorry about. It’s a me thing. I’d just rather not.

It’s been a quarter-of-a-century since we were attacked on 9/11.

That seems like so long ago but…it doesn’t feel like it was so long ago.

Like everything else in my life these days, it was “just a few years ago.”

Except it wasn’t.

The buildings themselves had always loomed large in my entire life – literally and figuratively.

I went there in 1990 to go to TKTS to get tickets for Les Mis with my then girlfriend to see instead of going to my prom.

The above picture was taken from the Staten Island ferry on December 28, 1989.

And in the below picture, taken by my mom I believe, I was in her belly when it was taken in 1973.

That’s my grandma with my older brother in the lower right; he’s less than 18 months old here.

He was just here for a quick visit; he left today for Pasadena again.

My grandmother’s long gone. She was the one I told you about decades ago.

I miss her, I already miss my brother, and I miss those building.

Don’t have enough digital ink to tell you everything and everyone I miss, although I’m sure you can guess a lotta them.

The mark of youth is the idea that you can always fix things and always go back and try something again.

But, when you’re an old man like me, you realize that those days are gone.

That you can’t fix things or revisit things once they’re gone.

There’s a whole generation that has never laid on those two giant slabs of concrete and steel and never will for reasons that I still struggle to understand 25 years later.

I was just down in the area for work the other day.

The city seems the same to most people but not to people like me, who’ve been here our whole lives.

For people like me, there’s always something that feels like it’s missing.

And what’s there, while lovely, isn’t the same.

Actually, that would be a good description about everything in my life right now:

It’s all quite lovely. It’s just not the same as I remember it.

And I’ll always, always, always, miss the things and people that aren’t here anymore.

Because there’s always a hole left behind when something you love and loved is gone.

Assume all links in this blog are monetized.
Location: the kid’s new school
Mood: morose
Music: Whistling a new tune, hoping it would come soon (Spotify)
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Old (to me) New York

Ghost Signs

Me: Can you send me a message using that voice record thing you have on your phone?
Her: (puzzled) It’s just text-to-speech Logan.
Me: Well, I dunno if I have that on my phone.
Her: You definitely have that on your phone.
Me: You’re so snobby with your fancy advanced technology.
Her: It’s text-to-speech!

Probably one of my favourite things about living in NYC is seeing bits of old New York City peek through our modern lives.

Like, look at the old ferry terminal downtown against the modern skyscrapers behind it.

Or this ignored subway station entrance that looks like it came right outta the 1970s:

Or the cobblestone streets built with stones from at least 250 years ago:

Like when Sara and I took our walk downtown and we walked past alla these cast-iron buildings.

Some of which would tell you more about them if you looked a little closer.

I mean, even the coffee shop that Rain used to live above looks like it came from a different era.

Actually, walking around the city, I always try and if I can echoes of old New York.

Like this old school diner, we ran across in Tribeca the other day…Or this building below – which I found out later is the Corbin Building at the intersection of John Street and Broadway (13 John Street and 192 Broadway) – which I found on another one of our walks.It’s not mentioned in its Wikipedia entry, but I noticed that it had faint lettering that said, “Optical Journal.”

So, then I spent a good amount of time trying to figure that out – it turns out that there wasn’t an “Optical Journal” that operated there, it was literally just an ad according to this paper.

And those faint letterings of past NYC are called ghost signs.

Honestly, I love seeing ghost signs when I run across them, for reasons that I can’t really explain.

Maybe it’s because, after living in NYC for so long, I run into old ghosts on the regular and this feels like another form of that?

Dunno. But I like it.

Lemme know if you know of any ghost signs or glimpses into Old NYC?

Location: in my head again, wondering
Mood: alone
Music: Smoke my cigarettes – I should quit, I know (Spotify)
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Three meals in a night

Hanging out downtown

My kid and Sara’s kid are coming back from their respective summer months away.

Her: This is our last weekend to be DINKs.
Me: Then let’s go out.
Her: I’ve got just the place.

We started the night pretty early at this gorgeous rooftop restaurant called One40 Rooftop that Sara picked out.

We were surprised that it overlooked Ground Zero.

Her: I wasn’t expecting that. It’s beautiful. So crazy that so much happened right there.
Me: I’d gone there so many times in my life. I remember so much about that day.

Her: I read that they’re about to break ground on Two World Trade Center. I have no idea where they’re going to put it.
Me: I didn’t even know that. (thinking) We should probably change the subject.

There’s something that will – for me and many lifelong New Yorkers – always be quiet and sacred about that place.

So, I’ll stop talking about it now and leave you with our view.

We were the only ones there, which is part of why I like to eat so early.

Her: You’re so old. Eating so early.
Me: I have my intermittent fasting deadline!

The food was delicious…

…and while it was enough for her, it was not for me.

Her: Do you wanna get something else?
Me: Yes. But not here. Let’s just see what’s around.
Her: (checking her phone) Oh, The Malt House looks nice.
Me: Done – let’s go.

But, as we were paying the check, the waiter leaned over our table.

Him: You know, before you leave, you should really go over to the other side. The views there are even better than the view here.
Me: Oh man, thanks! We’ll do that.

So, we did.

He was right, the view did not disappoint.

Afterward, we made our way to the other bar and ordered some more drinks.

Me: I’m still hungry.
Her: Big surprise.
Me: Oh, they have sweet potato fries. That’s paleo.
Her: Well, it’s not the worst thing.

We had a few more drinks and continued to chat.

Her: I like it down here.
Me: Me too – it’s a lot different here than when I was a kid. But the major issue is that it’s at sea level or below.
Her: This is true.
Me: It’s ok. We can visit.

Afterwards, it was still pretty bright outside – see, the benefits of eating early – so we went for a stroll.

Sara made a new friend.

But he was too busy staring at his paperwork to notice her.

His loss, really.

As we started to go home…

Me: I’m still hungry.
Her: I would say I’m surprised, but I’m not.
Me: Look! Dollar pizza.
Her: It’s $2.
Me: I’m still getting one. Maybe two.

It was a nice way to wind down our time without the kids for a spell.

We still had one more thing to do, though.

But I’ll tell you all about it in the next entry.

Location: my humid room, interviewing someone
Mood: hungry
Music: down this empty street, let’s walk in the cool evening night (Spotify)
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Meeting with the Boss(es)

Half of it’s gone

Me: Hey, I gotta meet up with my boss after work this week. Do you wanna join us?
Her: Sure! (thinking) Actually, can you leave a little early and swing by my new office? You haven’t seen it yet.
Me: Bet!

My first apartment in Manhattan was on 46th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues, on a street called Little Brazil.

Back then, I worked at 42nd and Broadway, so I could literally wake up 30 minutes before work and be at my desk before anyone.

Like I said, I had so many lives before I started this blog back when I was 32.

Now, the thing is that my current gig is just southeast of my old pad, and Sara’s new gig is just northeast of it.

So, I decided to check out her new digs before we met up with my boss to discuss a case that I was working on.

Her: What do you think?
Me: (shielding my eyes from the bright afternoon sun) Too bad you don’t get any light or views here.
Her: (laughing) Yeah, the windows are awesome, but the sun can be a bit much – that’s why we always have the shades drawn.

We walked past my old pad, and I was shocked to see that half the block was demolished.

Me: WHOA! Everything’s gone!
Her: Is your old building still here?
Me: Yeah, but most of the buildings to the east of it are…gone. (sighing)
Her: Are you ok?
Me: (nodding slowly) Yeah. Everything I knew and loved is fading away. (pointing off across the street) Man, I spent so many nights in my 20s in that Barnes and Noble.
Her: I didn’t even notice that was there.
Me: At least some things I remember are still here.

The place we were meeting my boss was called Valerie, which wasn’t there when I lived there some three decades ago.

We got there first and ordered a few drinks, before my boss came.

But he showed up pretty soon after.

After some pleasantries…

Him: I’ve been here before. Don’t remember what for but I’ve definitely been here.
Me: I think I may have come with you.
Him: What made you pick it?
Me: It’s one of the few places left in NYC where you can still get dollar oysters.
Her: That tracks.

…we settled into a nice conversation where we discussed my case…

Me: What do you think?
Him: It’s interesting. There might be something there. I’ll dig a little bit and let you know what we find.
Me: Sweeeeet.

…and then all chatted.

Her: How many oysters did you get?
Me: 24? Protein!

Nuthin like protein and alcohol for dinner.

Afterward, I snagged the check.

Him: I’ve got it, this is a business dinner.
Me: Nah, it’s my case and I invited you out.
Him: (laughing) OK, next time.


The place was empty when we got there but, by the time we left, the whole place was hopping.

He went east, back to the office or home, while Sara and I walked west to catch our ride uptown.

Her: I’m really impressed with how intelligent your boss is.
Me: He’s literally one of the only people I could ever work for.
Her: Why is that?
Me: Because I respect him. He’s an excellent lawyer and good guy. That’s why I’ve worked for myself for so long – there aren’t too many people I respect enough to do that.

Location: the UWS, narrowly missing a thunderstorm
Mood: humid
Music: So cool, she was like jazz on a summer’s day (Spotify)
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Cosplaying as DINKs

Very questionable

Her: What do you wanna do for dinnner?
Me: I can always do Persian/Arab food; we also haven’t done Slavic food since we went out to eat with [the Frenchman and Bryson] on the east side. I will literally eat almost anything, though. Maybe no Italian/pizza? But otherwise, pretty flex. Sushi?
Her: I’ve been wanting to try Mezze on the River, downtown?
Me: Great choice, let’s do it.

We’re continuing to cosplay as DINKs, so we hopped the train to head downtown as adults, sans children.

First, we had to navigate the Oculus…

…which is always super cool. Literally and figuratively.

Me: Man, that air conditioner is on point!
Her: Yes, but now we have to walk outside.
Me: Rats.

There was a lotta construction down there and there was this HUGE private pool that was sealed off that was blocking our path.

So, I hopped the fence to open the gate for her so she didn’t have to.

Her: I don’t think this is a good idea.
Me: (hopping over) Too late. (opening gate) Come on in.
Her: You’re 53!
Me: Eh. I’ll never act it.

The restaurant and views were gorgeous.

As was the food…

…and company.

Me: Man, I’m stuffed.
Her: Really?! You so rarely say that.
Me: I’m just not used to this amount of carbs.

So, we decided to take the long walk to the express train home to work some of that off.

Me: Hey, that’s Century 21. I haven’t been there in years. Did you know that I first went in there back in high school? I was trying to find something to wear for the prom?
Her: Really? Did you?
Me: Yep. It was very unfortunate as it was the late 80s/early 90s so my clothing choices were very questionable.

She ended up buying a few things for herself and I got a shirt for the kid for his new school before we continued our walk and then caught the train home.

All-in-all, it was a perfect summer day.

I’ll take as many of those as I can get.

Location: smokey NYC
Mood: cough, cough
Music: feeling ok, don’t let it get away (Spotify)
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Day Tripping

DINKs

Oh, because of the stupid rat drama, I forgot to tell you that the kid did another recital right before his school ended.

He decided to play a cover of the Beatles Day Tripper – he’s singing but you can’t really hear it.

He was upset because he messed up a tiny bit in the middle, but I still thought he did great.

Now, just like we’ve done for the past few summers, while both kids are away, Sara and I got to live a DINK (dual income, no kids) lifestyle for a couplea weeks.

Her: What are you in the mood for?
Me: (thinking) Sushi? We haven’t done that in a while.
Her: Yes! Let’s do that. I know just the place.

So, off we went to a place just to the east of us called Momoya. I’d never been but have walked by a million times.

I got my usual, which is a dragon roll, and something to drink.

But it definitely wasn’t enough for me.

Me: I’m still hungry.
Her: I’m not surprised.
Me: Tikki Chick is close to us, how’s about we get some sandwiches and another drink?
Her: Sure!

So, off we went.

Ended up getting two chix sammies and cider – I didn’t expect it to be red.

Her: Do you want my umbrella?
Me: …Yes. Thank you.

Afterwards, we took a walk home.

Me: I’m still hungry.
Her: How is that even possible?
Me: Oh, it’s possible. (stopping) Whoa, these guys have a $9 chopped cheese!
Her: Are you sure you wanna do that?
Me: I dunno.

In the end, I didn’t, but it was nice having the flexibility to do that.

Plus, it’s nice being just the two of us for a bit.

But I miss the kid.

Me: Heya, are you free to video chat?
Him: I’m actually going out with my cousins soon, can we chat tonight?
Me: Oh, ok. Sure.
Him: Great, bye!

I’m not gonna enjoy when he leaves for college.

Location: 207 West 75th Street, NY, NY 10023
Mood: forever hungry
Music: got some time on my hands if we both ride together (Spotify)
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My second baseball game

But my first with the kid

Me: Do you like that I don’t watch sports?
Her: Oh yeah, I couldn’t be with someone who was locked into the TV every weekend watching some sports ballgame.

The last time I saw a baseball game was a Mets game that I saw when I was about 11 or so with my brother and his buddy Ira.

I brought a canteen for water and was mercilessly mocked by the people around us – my brother was (rightfully) embarrassed.

But people regularly walk around with 32-ounce water bottles so maybe I was just ahead of the curve?

In any case, after 42 years, I caught my second one the other day with both kids, Sara, and *50* of ABFFs friends and family.

It was kinda a surprise for the kid the day before the last day of elementary school but he figured it out.

Me: Why can’t you let me have these things?
Him: But you told I could guess!
Me: I didn’t think you’d figure it out!

So, this past Thursday, we all hopped the train for a 90-minute ride to Coney Island to check out the minor league team, The Cyclones, at Maimonides Park.

The first thing I did was get a beer and some food – essentially a burger and fries cost $20 and things went from bad to worse from there, food wise.

Me: I can’t get full. I’m gonna have to get a second mortgage and some more food.
Her: Are you even watching the game?
Me: There’s a game on?

I have to admit that it had its moments, but I was really there because the kid loves sports so much.

I wanted him to have some memories of the two of us going to a game together so that was really my main impetus.

He was definitely into it.

And the fact that Sara and the ABFF’s kids were there just made it that much better.

Oh, the tickets we got included some food, a hat, and a ring – all together, it wasn’t a bad deal.

It had some fun moments here and that we all enjoyed.

The stadium was about half empty, which I appreciated as I don’t like crowds, or people in general.

It was nice seeing the kid so into the whole experience.

I liked checking out the rest of the stadium and all of the cool things at Coney Island that I never get to see.

Ultimately, the Cyclones lost – they gave it their all in the 9th inning.

Her: They have nothing to lose so they’re going for it.
Me: Makes sense. Do you like that you have to explain sports to a man?
Her: I love the strategy of the end of the game – it’s super exciting. I’m happy to explain it!

The ABFF’s sister was the one that came up with this idea in the first place as she’s a teacher that’s really into baseball, so she figured it was a nice thing to do the day before school let out.

And she picked this particular game because (a) it let the kids round around the bases when the game was done and (b) there was a fireworks display at the end.

Of course, the kid was thrilled at these two extras at the end.

It was close to 10:30PM by the time we left…

…which meant that it was dark and relatively cold as we made our way to the station.

We were all pretty exhausted.

And, unfortunately, the trains went local for a good part of the way so that meant we got home even later than planned.

Him: Can we take a car home?
Me: We’re not made of money, kid. Plus, we’d literally just save like 20 minutes at most.

The kids tried to go to sleep but no luck.

They were too wired from the experience and the copious amounts of junk food they had while there.

It well after midnight when we got home.

Me: Did you have a fun time?
Kid: Yeah. But now I just wanna go to sleep.
Me: Good call – tomorrow’s your last day of elementary school!
Him: (sleepily) Yeah.

But he was actually excited to finish up elementary school, which I’ll tell you about in the next entry.

Location: Somewhere over Pennsylvania, I would guess
Mood: hungry, what else is new?
Music: You know I think it’s time to give this game a ride (Spotify)
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