songbird's crazy world

Spent the night at a Days Inn in Fayetteville.  Dinner at Shoneys last night.  And then back on the road, through the corn fields of North Carolina. We make jokes as we drive. We're driving in Ft. Myers and we see a sign for "Bay Shore Road" and we wonder how we got back to Long Island.    Later we see a sign for "Newport" and wonder  how we got to Rhode Island. In Georgia we saw a sheriff's car on the highway, resulting in a lot of bad "Smokey and the Bandit" jokes. First time we saw cattle, one of us did a "Twister" imitation, you know, where she say "We got cows."  It becomes a running joke.   Worst part of the day?  Looking for Biscuitville.  I had heard it was the best fast food breakfast around and had to try it.  Stupid GPS took us to the wrong side of town.  Fortunately the good folks of Rocky Mount were able to set us right .   Seriously, we were inside Biscuitville and the GPS told me I was 8 miles fro...

In the middle of nowhere, on the border of North and South Carolina, rises the temple of kitsch and shlock  known as South of the Border. You can't drive I-95 and not know about this place.  The ads start popping up along the side of the road about 60 miles before you get there. Of course we had to stop.  Took a ride up the sombrero tower to see the view.  Shopped for souvenirs.  None of the restaurants looked appealing, so we hit the toad again.

So we decided to make a stop in South Carolina to see the Tuskegee Airmen Monument.  The airport in Walterboro was a busy military base in WWII.  I didn't realize some of the Tuskegee airmen were stationed there!  The second monument is a beacon used at the airport during the war.  Pay close attention to what it says on the plaque.

So we made it to Jacksonville last night.  Stayed at an Econolodge.  Cracker Barrel and Econolodge, definitely a low budget trip. Thete's a Chinese take out place in Jacksonville called Ying Chinese Takee Outee.  No I am not making that up! This morning we got back in the open road.    Before long Florida citrus and pecans gave way to Georgia peaches and boiled peanuts.  Yesterday we saw lots of cattle pastured alonv the highways, today it's nothing but trees. Life in a truck means we get to play with the big boys, the 18 wheelers.  That means stopping at weigh stations and agricultural inspections.  Oh joy. Ate at a Waffle House.  Might as well try chains we don't have in New York. Georgia peaches give way to South Carolina fireworks.

There is no graceful way to get into out out of a ten foot truck.  Somebody get me a ladder! The truck has manual locks and hand cranks for the windows, features I haven't seen in a car in decades.  No tape deck or CD player in the radio.  At least it has automatic transmission and air conditioning! It's been beat up on, too.  Makes weird noises when you accelerate in low gear.  And the driver's side door sticks. Not the most comfortable ride, to say the least .

Up at dark thirty, quick ride to La Guardia, clear check in, hike to our gste (Drew joking that we have yo walk all the way to Kennedy). . . And before you know it we are in the air and Florida bound.  Small plane, the E175, no music on this flight, but I have my iPod.  Jimmy Buffett is my traveling companion. There's a family across the aisle, mom and dad and a baby and a toddler.  The little one had a bad flight -- she cried.  A lot. Reminds me of when Drew and I took Jen and Becca to Florida to visit his parents in Florida, summer 1993.  Becca was a year old and Jen was a few months shy of 3.    And we brought our dog Molly.  Coming home we had a direct flight from Ft. Myers to NYC.   But going down, we had to change planes.  You should have seen us walking  from one gate to the other, with two kids, a car seat, stroller, baggage . . .and all the while Drew is looking out the window at the baggage cart to make sure Mo...

 This place hasn't even opened yet -- it will have the grand opening Wednesday -- but I'm already reviewing it. How? Well, did you know that restaurants do "mock" nights before they open, so their staff can practice beforehand? Drew's been watching them build the place, in the brand new Gallery at Westbury Plaza, convenient to the shopping mecca of Bloomingdale's Outlet, Nordstrom Rack and Saks Off Fifth. So we were able to snag an invite to their mock night.  It's an interesting concept, a menu that is based on noddles and pastas from around the world. Most of the noodle dishes are vegetarian, but you can add a protein for an additional fee. You can also ask them to leave out an ingredient if you prefer.  Soups, salads and sandwiches complete the offerings on the menu. They have a Coke Freestyle machine -- pick your soda combinations! And there are beer and wine options as well. There's no children's menu, but all of the noodle...

Not really a vacation, but Drew and I are traveling next week.  It's an errand for Drew's father. Background:  Drew's parents relocated from Long Island to southwest Florida in 1990.  The bought a  house in Cape Coral.  Drew's mother passed away in 1994, but his father continued to live in the house until 5 or 6 years ago, when he sold the house and moved into an assisted living facility,  and then a few years later to a nursing home in Florida.   A few months ago Drew helped his father relocate to a nursing home her on Long Island.  Everything Drew's father owns was put into storage in Florida.  We think there's some furniture, a few paintings, and some clothes in the storage unit.  So on Monday we're flying down to Ft. Myers.  We're going to rent a truck, empty out the storage unit, and drive back to New York. It will be the first time I'm doing the Florida-to-New York drive.   I've taken road trips as far s...

Fuimos al estadio Citi Field miércoles por la noche para ver a los Mets juegan los Bravos de Atlanta. Goya Food Company patrocinó una noche de entretenimiento hispano . Había una banda de mariachi y un grupo de bailarines latinos , y una película sobre Roberto Clemente , el primer pelotero hispano en ser inducido al Salón de la Fama . Había incluso un invitado locutor de megafonía , una mujer de Telemundo , quien presentó a cada jugador en español . Lo único que faltaba era Marc Anthony cantando " God Bless America" ​​. Which means: We went to the Citi Field ballpark Wednesday night to see the Mets play the Atlanta Braves. Goya Food Company sponsored an evening of hispanic entertainment.  There was a mariachi band and a group of Latin dancers, and a film about Roberto Clemente, the first hispanic baseball player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.   There was even a guest public address announcer, a woman from Telemundo, wh...

What can I say about Benihana that I haven't already said? Plenty, actually. We love Benihana, it's one of our favorites.    Yes, it's a chain, and yes, other places do the whole teppanyaki routine just as well as they do, but it's always fun to go to Benihana.     Did you know that Benihana offers a program where you can learn to be a teppanyaki chef? Yes, you can Be The Chef .  The package includes a lesson with a Benihana chef, and the opportunity to cook dinner at Benihana for yourself and three of your friends. Drew likes to cook, and he loves to watch a teppanyaki chef do his thing.    So of course he had to try this.  He signed up for a lesson in how to be a teppanyaki chef. On  a recent Wednesday night we ventured out to see the results.  Our meal began with soup and salad, and then it was time for Drew to do his thing.  He cooked the entire meal himself -- under the watchful eye of the chef who taught him....

thought this video would be perfect:

First time this summer that we didn't see a blockbuster the weekend it opened, but we finally got to see "Man of Steel". I liked the movie, it is an interesting twist on the Superman story.  would have been fun in IMAX 3D, but it's good even without the extra special effects. What I liked the most was how the young Clark growing up in Smallville, develops his abilities slowly and has to learn how to deal with sensory overload.  And how he has issues fitting in.  And how his "secret identity" isn't so secret...

Becca was offered a paid internship for the fall.  In a public relations firm.  4 college credits and minimum wage, but it's exciting. She had several other interviews for similar positions, and she's waiting to hear from those companies.

I work for a living.  I have obligations as a member of the synagogue board of trustees.  I have a social life. There, I've said it, I am a terrible person. Apparently I am "not doing anything" for the family, I am selfish, I am horrible. My dad is going to be in rehab for most of the summer.  My mom and my sisters are spending hours and hours every day at the nursing facility.  I'm there 2-3 times a week. Big fight with my sister H yesterday.  I had a work commitment that I could not get out of.  Apparently I "chose" my work commitment  over family because I didn't leave work to pick up my mother at the rehab facility.  Reason I had to pick up my mother?  H wanted to check out a grad school program and A had a dental appointment.  F went with A to the dentist, leaving my mom all alone in the rehab. F could have stayed with my mom, A is not a child who needs supervision at the dentist  --  for a cleaning.  The ...

Saw them at Jones Beach last night.  They played all their hits and a lot of their early stuff.  Songs I didn't know well. Drew and I had see Felix and Dino and Gene on tour back in the 80's, and Drew got to meet Dino and Gene back then. But this was our first opportunity to see Eddie with them. We has floor seats. It was a great show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kOLGXq0Xio&feature=youtube_gdata_player

things recently posted on my facebook page: Uh oh . . I was walking through the parking lot at the train station when I spotted a Volkswagon with its lights on. Someone is in for a nasty surprise when they get off the train tonight.  (And I am so glad my Toyota has a feature that turns my lights off when I get out of my car.) So mom and I got home around nine tonight, to find two lonely, hungry kitties sitting right by the front door with that "It's about time you came home" look in their eyes. Don't teenage girls look at themselves in the mirror before they leave the house? Young lady in the subway. Cropped top and low cut denim Capris. Pants were so tight it looked like she bought them two sizes too small. And the view from the rear...you know the old joke about what you see when the plumber bends over? You could see the young lady's even when she was standing up. No, it does not look sexy or cool. It looks like you're wearing you...

  Ruddigore, or the Witch's Curse. Typical  Gilbert & Sullivan froth. The plot involves a baronet cursed by a witch, who must commit crimes in order to stay alive, a madwoman whose affections have been trifled with, portraits of the baronet's ancestors that come alive, and a pure and noble heroine who cannot marry the man she loves until a plot twist makes it possible.  Drew's sister is in the ensemble of a community theater production of this musical, so of course we had to head out to see it.    It's not one of G&S's better shows, and being community theater it was very low budget, but there are some very talented people in the cast, so overall it was an enjoyable evening. Our evening began at J&R's Steakhouse, a local chain. We had eaten here before, the food had been good, so my expectations were high. My expectations were not met. Service was a bit slow.  Our waiter apologized for the delay.  But he did keep my soda glass ...