DEVIL ON HORSEBACK

I had never heard of Devil On Horseback before.

Devil On Horseback is a dish offered at Freemans. Freemans is the restaurant at the end of Freeman Alley at Rivington, between The Bowey and Chrystie. NYC.

We didn't have it , but the waitron told us what is was.

A date stuffed blue cheese wrapped in bacon.

I'm gonna cook my bacon half way, let it cool then wrap the date and put it on the grill. By the time the bacon finishes the date and cheese should be just right.

104 Perry St, Day 3

Thursday we wake to the sounds of walls crashing down. The apartment next to ours, we share a wall, is being gutted and prepped for renovation. It is 7:15 and it is loud. Same thing happened Wednesday morning. This morning they are beating on the wall between us and the art is about to fall off the wall. I have to remove the art from the wall. We sleep on and off til about 9:30. We have coffee and hit the streets. We are gonna go to the High Line and find a big chase lounge and sit in the sun for awhile. The photo above is of an art installation at the High Line. The High Line is a raised park 0n the lower west side of Manhattan. Currently it is about a mile long and runs along old, unused train tracks built above roadways. It starts in the Meat Packing District and runs north to 20th street. It runs between 9th and 10th ave. When completed it will run up to 34th street. It runs above buildings, under buildings and between buildings. Some parts have great views of the East River, some parts have views of the traffic on 1oth street. There are gardens, cafe style chairs, tables and huge chase lounges resting on the old railroad tracks.

104 Perry is about 4-5 blocks from the Meat Packing District entrance to the High Line. On the way we stop at a deli and get water, toasted bagels, cream cheese and magazines. We are early enough to get a couple of lounge chairs, we spread out and eat our food. We listen to the portable radio and read. We read about places to go in NYC among other things. We sit back and enjoy the sun, getting a little burn. Hell, we probably nap a little I can't remember. I do know we spend about 2-3 hours on the lounge chairs, on the High Line just chillin like Tracy Morgan.

We leave wanting to find a cold beer. I had just read about Bill's Bar & Burgers, neighborhood type place with a hamburger / hot dog menu. Bills Bar & Burgers also have good beers on tap. Bill's Bar & Burgers is about three blocks from where we exit the High Line. When we arrive it's about 2 p.m. so it's not real busy. We have a couple of beers and I have a hot dog. Chili cheese. The dog was split and grilled and perfect. Simple, not so much shit on top that it's a mess. Just right. We left very happy.

We didn't go far when we come across The Spotted Pig. It's a famous gastropub. One of the first in NYC. It's very popular. It's a funky building with tons of plants out front. Lot's of herbs, I'm sure used in the kitchen and bar. The young lady who is the chef/owner once cooked at the legendary Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif. She opened the Spotted Pig in 2005 and was an instant hit. She has also earned a Michelin Star at the Pig. We only had a drink, as this was the kinda of place we did not want to pay for. We had two drinks for $22 before tip. $25 for two drinks. That's stupid and I'm tired of. I wish we had not stopped there. I should have know better.

Back to the apartment for a while to rest our feet. Drink some beer and tequila. We then decide to go out and get a falafa sandwich. We go back to Taim, the falafa there were so good the first time we had to have more. So we did.

Later that night we head out to get a couple Bao sandwich's at BaoHaus and then to Nurse Bettie for the show. Like I said before click on BaoHaus and read this guys neat story. Eat there if you ever find yourself in the hood. 137 Rivington Street (near Norfolk), NY, NY 10002 the lower east side.

Around the corner on Norfolk St is Nurse Bettie. Nurse Bettie is a cool little bar where you can eat you BaoHaus if you want to. We did and we also wanted to see the burlesque show we had read about. So we sat at the bar and the young lady tending bar remembered us from last time cause we brought her a BaoHaus. Later we grabbed some seats that looked like they would have a good view. The place was starting to get crowed. The ladies in the show were in a corner getting ready. One danced in the window to get thinks going. It was a pretty good show, the best act was a young lady singing a sassy song accompanied by a saxophone player. There was about 5 or six little shows. It was cool and the crowd was into it. Seemed lot's were regulars for this show.

Then day 3 was done. The bar tender chick treated us to our last round and sent us on our way. We walked back to Perry St. in no time and crashed.

10.90$ Bagels, fruit & water

23$ Bills bar & burger

25$ Spotted Pig 2 stupid cocktails

12.50$ 2 falafa and 1 drink at Taim this was such a awesome deal compared to Stupid Pig

18.51$ 4 bao sandwich at BaoHaus

66$ Nurse Bettie drinks and a girly show

155.91$ total

104 PERRY ST, DAY 2

So we get up Wednesday have coffee and hit the streets about 10:30 a.m. We are going round the corner to pick up a package we sent Fed Ex to ourselves. Sheets and towels and a few other things.
After that our plan is to go to the New Museum. It's a new museum of contemporary art on the Bowery. We are gonna walk, it's not to far and we enjoy NYC best on foot. You can take your time and stop if you want. You miss a lot in a cab. If we had not walked we never would have been able to stop at Murray Cheese Shop. Where we grabbed a small flat bread with cheese and meat. Murray's is a great shop and we didn't need to know what kind of cheese or meat was used, we new it would be good. The monger threw it on the grill for a moment and that made it even better.

We get to the New Museum, it's not hard to find. The Bowery is not surrounded by giant skyscrapers so it's easy to pick out the shiny new 7 story museum. We go to pay our $12 each fee and the guy tells us they have just been awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize for their shiny new building and to celebrate admission was free for the day. I thanked the man and ask how he new we were broke and on a tight budget. He said everybody was and also gave us two passes to join a tour of the building with one of the award winning architects. The tour was to start in a few minutes. Hell yeah, our lucky day.

The tour was the best part of our visit to the New Museum. The art on display was ok. Maybe we looked a few pieces that were interesting, but the tour with one of the guys who helped design this building was the best. This building that just won the Pritzker Architecture Prize. I think this is a huge deal. This is what I found on wikipedia.

The Pritzker Architecture Prize is awarded annually by the Hyatt Foundation to honor "a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture"

Above is a photo Stacey took. It shows the screen used on top of the sheet metal that was used to clad the exterior of this building. Like I said it was a seven story building and each floor is a cube set on top of, but not directly on top of, the cube below. From what we learned it was quite a feat of engineering. Lot's of weight that needed to be distributed all over the place.

Like I said, our lucky day. After the tour Stacey and I decide to go around the corner and eat, come back and take a second look around the New Museum. We knew Rivington St. was just a block up the Bowery and BaoHaus came to mind. BaoHaus is a small sandwich shop that sells nothing but Bao. A Bao is a small sandwich. You can choose from pork or beef. In this case the best pork or beef available. You should really click to their sight and read up on the product and Eddie, the guy behind it. Neat story.

Any way we are making our way to BaoHaus and come across Freeman Alley. I know don't shit about Freeman Alley except a thing I read in Gun And Garden Magazine about southern spots in NYC. Freeman's at the end of Freeman Alley at Rivington. Here is what I read in the magazine.

Freemans At the end of a nondescript alley on the Lower East Side, a mix of glam and hipster diners feast on Southern-skewed specialties like shrimp and grits and creamy corn pudding. The decor is part Victorian, part Southern sportsman, part colonial tavern, with taxidermy and antique regimental paintings given equal billing. Plus, it’s one of the only places in town that serve juleps in real silver cups. Try the seasonal blackberry variety. End of Freeman Alley; freemansrestaurant.com

This happened a few time this trip. We have a place on our list to find and all the sudden we are standing right in front of the place. That's how we came across Freemans.

So we had a beer and a little food at Freeman's instead of going on to BaoHaus. We had plans to eat at BaoHaus and see a burlesque show at Nurse Betties the next night any way.

We had a soup, Leek with a lemon zest. We had 3 cheese macaroni. With toasted bread crumbs on top. Good food, and a really cool room. I also enjoyed 2 Victory, Hop Devil beers. Good beer, gonna try and find it in Atlanta.

We return to the New Museum, we go up to the 7th floor and take pictures. We then walk down checking the art as we go. The tile in the men's bathroom was awesome. Take a look.

We head back to 104 Perry and rest for a while. We have a beer and drink some of the tequila left over from our last trip. Than it's back out. We are gonna go do a falafel comparison.

Mamouns is known as the falafel King of the West Village. We have enjoyed a falafel sandwich from Mamouns many, many times. They are deliouis and only cost $2.50. It's a walk up, small spot with a few seats. Most get it to go. You don't wait but a minute or two and they are open 11 a.m. til 5 a.m. every day.

The other falafel shop in our comparision was Taim. The lady who own's this spot worked for Bobby Flay, so I figure she's gonna do good stuff. Also, I have read good things about Taim.

Both Mamouns and Taim are in our hood. So we take a walk, get a falafel at Taim and eat it as we walk to MacDougal St for Manouns. After eating Mamouns falafel we decide Taim is best. It is also more expensive at $4.50 to Mamouns $2.50. But, Mamouns is good and open late/early.

There is a lot more to Taim other then falafel. They have no web site right now. You can read a bit about them here. I had a ginger lemonade that rocked. I'm gonna make some at home.

After falafels we walked around for about an hour and then crashed.

18$ Fed Ex Package

4$ flatbread Murray cheese

37$ Freemans

8$ six pac beer and 2 limes

4.50$ Taim falafel

2.50$ Manouns

74$ total spent on Wednesday.

GOODNIGHT MOON

This is a photo of a painting I was commissioned to do. Click on photo and it gets big.

I had never heard of the children's story, Goodnight Moon. After looking at the book online and speaking with my client this is what I came up with.

He liked it.

104 PERRY ST

Stacey and I have been all over the place this year.

After Mardi Gras we went to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Next we went to New Orleans. We also went to NYC. Then back to Mobile for Easter. Then back to New York last week.

On our last visit to Manhattan our host, AD2, informed us she was done. Kaput. Enough. She was moving to L. A. So as we departed 104 Perry St. a few weeks ago, AD2 tossed us the keys and told us we better do it while we can. She was gonna be in Hawaii for the month of May and if we wanted to use her West Village apt. now was the time.

So last Tuesday we head back to NYC. Can't afford it, but we got to use the apt. on Perry st one last time, before AD2 moves west.
Stacey and I have decided to see how much money we spend on this trip. We fly for free and sometimes we have a place to stay for free, but we still seem to spend a lot. Most folks, upon learning Stacey works for a major airline, say "hey, cool you fly for free you must travel all the time". I wish. It's expensive to travel, just check this out.

$9. That's a round trip for two on MARTA to and from airport.
$3. We get to the depart gate and need food. Two chocolate chip cookies.
$2. Cookies make ya thirsty. 7.7 o.z. H2O
Haven't got out of Atlanta yet and were at $14

Around midnight we get to LGA international airport. We get a cab. We tell cabbie 104 perry st. and step on it. Cabbie gets going and ask "Williamsberg"? "What" I ask. "Williamsberg Bridge?" he ask. "Sure, sure" I say "Williamsberg".

This guy drives like a mad man. FAST. We get to Perry St. and the meter reads $28. Cool, that's cheapest ride from LGA to Manhattan, ever.

So we arrived back at 104 Perry St. around midnight last Tuesday. We drop off our bags, put on shorts and head right back out for a walk around the neighborhood and to pick up a few provisions. Our Apt is a half block off Bleeker St. One of the most popular streets in NYC. So we head the other way, towards Hudson. We find a place to buy water and half and half for coffee. We head back to 104 Perry St. and crash.

$35. Cab ride with tip.
$ 5 half and half and a bottle of water

Total spent day one - arriving in NYC $ 54
Wait a minute, the dog sitter! $80 for 8 visits. So we are actually at $134.
DAMN DAMN DAMN

OH WELL!

I was just turned down for a $3000 job. I've been hungover for two days now, how much did I drink and what was it? I got a busted finger and have no idea how that happened. I'm broke and not motivated. Fuck it. I'm going to NYC for a few days to get things straightened out. Whatever that means.

jubliee

Today the very sad news of the oil getting in to the grass of the wetlands of lower Louisiana was broadcast. BP has really done something bad. Like a chef ask me the other day "what are they doing to our gulf coast?". The only thing to fix this will be time, many, many years.

I have been lucky enough to be present for a few jubilee's. It truly is a phenomenon that only happens in Mobile Bay and somewhere in Africa. I have tried to find out about it occurring else where and have had no luck. Check out this piece Stacey found. I guess this is the end of the jubilee's also.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/05/17/alabama.jubilee.oil/index.html?hpt=C