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A Diner for Every Borough

A Diner for Every Borough published on 2 Comments on A Diner for Every Borough

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Entertaining Jewish seniors (mom is visiting) means lots of diners. We hit diners in 4 out of 5 boroughs over the past two weeks. We only missed The Bronx, but I’ll include that anyway.

Staten Island. New Dakota Diner on Richmond Avenue was everything you would expect a diner to be. Parking lot, back rooms, booths. We met cousins here and ended up staying for 3 hours. The service was great. The bathroom was pleasant enough for my 3 hours of coffee refills. Know what I’m sayin’? The food was really good too! I had a wrap with fries. Neither boring nor greasy but jusssst right.

Manhattan. Hollywood Diner doesn’t have the greatest reviews on Yelp, but screw ’em. I like going here. The food is ok, but I love the atmosphere. Old school diners are hard to come by in the city these days and Hollywood is a no-frills Greek diner. Service is perfect if the manager is there to scream at his employees. It sounds like the old Saturday Night Live Olympia Restaurant skit. Cheezbuger, cheezbuger! Chips! No Coke! Pepsi!

Brooklyn. I’m not putting my favorite Vegas Diner here because I finally tried a place I’ve always wanted to go. Hinsch’s Confectionery in Bay Ridge is like taking a step back in time. The exterior is still intact from 1949 and the interior does not disappoint. The food is pretty average. I thought it was awesome that there were only a few old people in there who come everyday and know each other by name. Then I heard them talking and remembered what I didn’t like about Bay Ridge of the past. The conversation was pretty ignorant and racist, the waitress being the worst offender. “This President is brainwashing the kids today.”

Queens. Pop Diner in Elmhurst is not old school, but not a completely hip new style eatery either. The decor is pretty cool and the menu is more eclectic than your average diner. They feature Latin, Asian and Caribbean dishes as well as good ole’ eggs, wraps and burgers.

The Bronx. As stated, we didn’t get to The Bronx. I don’t even remember having a wonderful Bronx diner experience from my past. I chose Riverdale Diner to recommend just because I had to come up with something. Sorry, Bronx. I like you, I really do. Just didn’t get around to it this time.

Need a Good Psychic?

Need a Good Psychic? published on 1 Comment on Need a Good Psychic?

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Psychic medium Bobbi Allison is based in NY and Florida. My mother and I chose to visit her in Wantagh, Long Island, where she works out of a suburban apartment in a private home. She came highly recommended by a cousin. Not to be confused with the other cousins whom suggested the other psychic two years ago. Let’s just say that my family likes to keep up with deceased loved ones.

Bobbi charges $150 for a full hour. She’ll tape the session for you if you bring a cassette. This woman is gifted. She read three people back to back and although her energy was totally drained, she was right on target.

Ms. Allison crams a bunch into her sessions too. She fires off information quickly. Who’s M? Why did you have a falling out with J? Oh, I see a birthday coming up. So, who is your nurse friend with the children? I couldn’t keep up, but it’s on the tape and she takes notes so she can just keep going and her clients can figure it out later. About 45 minutes into the session I finally figured out who this M was (full name not given to protect the innocent) she kept talking about. Once I did, what he had to say really fell into place.

Bobbi asks the spirits not to see death, so no worries about really scary predictions. She sprinkles tips here and there on how to manifest  goals and stay protected. The reading validations are fairly personal, meaning not things she can pick up from a google search or by asking too many questions. My husband’s family dominated part of my reading and she gave details, so I’m saying this chick is the real deal.

You want a reading? I think she gets pretty booked up, so do it waaaay in advance. You won’t be sorry!

Sukkah Structures

Sukkah Structures published on 6 Comments on Sukkah Structures

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The Cute Sukkah

Driving through Williamsburg on Yom Kippur, I saw the sukkahs starting to pop up and thought what a cool post it would make if I photographed the various structures. Well, I don’t have time to do that, so I’m grabbing some from the web.

For non Jews (or non New Yorkers), a sukkah is a temporary structure with a roof of leafy boughs and straw built for the holiday of Sukkot to commemorate the tabernacles of the Exodus. I cut and pasted that definition, so don’t ask me anything else.

Raise your hand if you’re new to NYC and you’ve seen these “boxes” on people’s terraces and front lawns and wondered WTF. Now you can impress your friends with your knowledge.

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The Portable Sukkah

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The Modular Sukkah

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The Apartment Sukkah

Beacon’s Retro Arcade Museum

Beacon’s Retro Arcade Museum published on 1 Comment on Beacon’s Retro Arcade Museum

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The Retro Arcade Museum opened up about a month ago on the west end of Beacon, NY’s Main Street. OMG, OMG, OMG, you have to go!! We’re talking completely cool arcade games from the 50’s-80’s.

Here’s how it works. It’s $10 per hour and then all the games are free. No quarters involved. Pinball machines from the 60’s and 70’s, back when they were good. Speed racing. Shooting games. Awesome.

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But that’s not all folks! The digital juke box has every imaginable forgotten band of the 70’s. Oh yeah, other decades too, but I’m focusing on my own childhood. David Soul’s “Don’t Give Up On Us”! John Travolta’s “Let Her In”! Cher’s “Bang Bang”!

And there’s video too. You can put on old Lucy or Honeymooners episodes while playing. Or Chips or Starsky and Hutch. It’s pretty much like taking a step back in time.

We spoke to Fred, the owner while we were there. He’s originally from Canarsie, then Manhattan, and is now living in Hopewell Junction up here. He started collecting 6 years ago and already has a warehouse full of stuff, plus all the games in the shop. He restores them himself. I’m, like, totally jealous.

Retro Arcade can be rented out for parties. There’s a 50’s era kitchen in the back. It’s just too much fun! Forget DIA. Just go to the arcade!

A Bunch of Hippies on Boats

A Bunch of Hippies on Boats published on 3 Comments on A Bunch of Hippies on Boats

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Brooklyn street artist Swoon’s latest project is currently floating down river to a dock near you. Swoon and her buddies created seven boats from salvaged materials to take on the road sea. Swimming Cities of the Switchback Sea started out in Troy on August 15th and have already hit Albany, Saugerties and Kingston. I don’t see Beacon on the official list, but here they were last Sunday. Guess we were hard to resist.

Musical and theatrical performances take place from the boats, which themselves are works of “art”. Oh, did I use quotations? My bad. Actually, Swoon’s prints are real perty. It’s the pile of crap I have a problem with.

They’ll be stopping in Croton on the 27th, Nyack on the 28th and finally landing at Deitch Studios, LIC September 7th through 13th.

Performance collaborators include Lisa D’Amour, Dark Dark Dark and Sxip Shirey.

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What’s Up With Jews and Diners?

What’s Up With Jews and Diners? published on 1 Comment on What’s Up With Jews and Diners?

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Thank you for your patience during my time off for my mother’s visit. I sent her packing back to Florida yesterday, hurricane threat and all. Two weeks, she was here. Two weeks.

These old Jews, all they want to eat is diner food. In Florida, they go to dinner at 4pm for their early bird specials. They fill up on the bread and salads that are out on the table. After eating the soup, they take a few bites of their huge meal and leave some room for desert, also included in the price. Then the entree gets boxed up and they get another meal or two out of it. Or sometimes, it sits in the fridge until the children visit a few months later to throw it out.

I’ve had diner food nearly every. single. day. that my mom was here. (I won’t bore you with my protein deficiency. I can’t do veggie burgers every night. I just can’t.) We ate at Junior’s on Flatbush, El Greco in Sheepshead, Alexis in Newburgh and Historic Village Diner in Red Hook to name a few. I’ve become a diner friggin connoisseur.

The diner list I posted here back in March still makes sense, although I wasn’t all that impressed with El Greco this time around. We both made the mistake of ordering falafel plates because we were exicited to see them on the menu. They were dry as fart and when I asked for tahini I got tsatsiki instead.

I’m sad to report on the passing of our much loved Sea Garden restaurant on Neptune Avenue in Brighton Beach. Rumor has it the place was shut down for violations PLUS non payment of rent or taxes. It was a pit, but it was OUR pit.

Also, in non diner related news, Mrs. Stahls on Coney Island and Brighton Beach Aves is gone! Apparently, it’s been gone for a few years now, but I just found out when we went looking for it. It’s a Subway now. And Brighton Beach Avenue has Starbucks and many, many new facades. Oh Brighton, what happened to you?

Good Psychic on Long Island

Good Psychic on Long Island published on 14 Comments on Good Psychic on Long Island

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You just can’t seem to find a good psychic these days. When I was growing up, my mother’s BFF was gifted in this area so we kind of got spoiled. When she passed, we were on our own. I consider myself a skeptical believer. Skeptical of the psychics, not the afterlife. So I was really excited when I got 3 separate referrals (all from my family members) for psychic/medium Glenn Dove out on the Island.

My mother and I went yesterday. She went in first and had the better reading. My father dominated both of our readings and wouldn’t let anyone talk even though they were there (Glenn called them by name), but I guess Dad was excited to talk to us. For my reading, he kept harping on the same subject (work and business) which is something he did when he was alive too. I would’ve thought maybe he got some new material by now.

Of the three relatives who had readings prior to us, two were believers and one was a skeptical husband. None of them had had much experience with the other side, so I wanted to see for myself if this guy pulled the wool over their eyes. From what they were telling me, there was no way he could’ve come up with the personal relationship tidbits he was presenting to them.

And the same went for my reading. Yes, if he looked up my name and birth date, which he had knowledge of beforehand, he might have found out my brother’s name on some online family tree. But a-ha! How did he know that we’re like ying and yang and never got along?

Maybe I say my mother’s reading was better because she doesn’t have a blog. Many things he said about me, I was like “Well, he could have read that on my blog if he looked me up.” The “changing room colors”, “creative career” and the anniversary. But he was giving my mom little stories of things that only she shared with my father.

So my psychic meter gives this guy a high score and I fully recommend him. Glenn Dove is based in Baldwin but does phone readings as well. He charges a hefty $175 for a 40ish minute taped reading (bring your own cassette for $5 off) and throws in some numerology at the end of the session. He is also a Certified hypnotherapist.

Montauk Monster: WTF?

Montauk Monster: WTF? published on 3 Comments on Montauk Monster: WTF?

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When I first saw the images of the Montauk Monster, I thought it was a hoax. It’s been nearly a week since the creature washed ashore and people are still befuddled as to what it is. I must confess, I’m kind of fascinated.

If it’s an alien from Mars (where there IS water, so it’s possible), THE MAN would’ve hidden it from the public. I think it was just left to decompose. One video had some guys playing with the skeleton. I don’t know if it’s the same creature.

Witnesses are now saying that they saw “monsters” elsewhere, some alive. More practical opinions: a water rat, a turtle without the shell, a dog. Ok, dogs don’t have beaks. I’m going with turtle. Or hoax. What say you?

The Borscht Belt: Then & Now

The Borscht Belt: Then & Now published on 9 Comments on The Borscht Belt: Then & Now

My family did the Catskills well into the 80’s. During the 70’s, they left me at a bungalow colony with my grandmother summer weekdays while all my Goyishe friends were at camp. We had family reunions at the big hotels until that whole generation moved down to Florida.The first year of my marriage (1988), the in-laws were invited to one of these reunions. They’re probably still haunted by the memory of it. Proper Dubliners integrating with a bunch of loud mouth New York Jews for the entire weekend. It wasn’t pretty. My immediate family alone is enough to scare anyone off, but the cousins make us look GOOD!

20 years later, we’re still married and you know what? At least my family realizes they’re nuts. I’d rather wear it on my sleeve than sweep it under a rug.

Anyway, The Borscht Belt….yeah, I’m getting to that! I was all set to do a post on the abandoned hotels, but now it looks as if some of them are reopening.Continue reading The Borscht Belt: Then & Now

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