Bye-bye Brooklandia

Leaving Brooklyn. Most perfect weather we've had here... blue blue blue sunny skies after two weeks of mostly rain, wind and cold. But of course I don't complain. Just report.

The wedding was a great success... beautiful, sweet, tender, sad and, well, cold which will make for a warmer memory. Pictures to follow, probably.

So...next stop Wilson, North Carolina and a "tasty" dinner tonight at the Golden Corral because we can piece together a cheap vegetarian meal there. If you don't know what that is consider yourself fortunate.

Rainy day, Brooklyn

We've been in New York for a week now and have spent most of that time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's huge. They have over two million objects in archive. I am beginning to wonder if we are not, in fact, masochists. The Smithsonian already kicked our asses. We went to 15 out of the 17 museums, but still left DC beaten, heads bowed, oodles of art yet unseen.

Our Brooklyn airbnb apartment,
the three windows above the grocery store.
That's M. going in the door.

Yesterday, we took a quick pass through Strawberry Fields, the John Lennon memorial in Central Park. In all, it's a couple of acres but most people just stop long enough to take a photo of themselves by the "Imagine" mosaic embedded in the sidewalk. Naturally the place has a self-appointed, Yoko approved, "Mayor of Strawberry Fields" and yesterday the Mayor was in. M. Lee hates guys like this so, when the Mayor began rounding up the tourists for his schtick, he wanted to immediately leave. I thought about staying to take a couple of photos but then decided against it. The memorial feels sweet, sad and empty. Seemed best to leave it at that.

View of the street from our apartment

As usual, we eat breakfast and lunch at home and take sandwiches with us when we're out during the day. For treats, we found a bakery in Chinatown that sells excellent red bean buns and mochi balls. And here in Flatbush, only two blocks from our apartment, Kabir's Bakery sells most delicious giant samosas for a dollar so this rainy Sunday we stayed home, had samosas for lunch and did laundry.

Small but nice, with a kitchen.

I have yet to find a place to read poetry. Places favor rap and spoken word, which I don't do, and most readings start late here in the City that never sleeps. Anyway, New York is already listed on my world tour. I read here in the '60s in the basement of St. Mark's in the Bowery before it was taken over by academics. Yes, Gingburg and Orlovsky also read that night and no, they did not speak to me, a mere girl.

Kabir's Bakery, Brooklyn
Great samosas, one dollar.

Tomorrow, MOMA.

Cirque du Soleil and Big Elvis

Cirque du Soleil's O turned out to be every bit as spectacular and amazing as it's claimed to be. Dazzling. Impossible. Thrilling. Wonderful. Okay the narrative, the love lost and found story, is almost totally eclipsed by the spectacle. Or was it found? I don't know. It didn't matter. The show is, simply put, fantastic. Yes, tickets are really expensive, but it's incredibly expensive to produce and the level of performance is world class so they earn it. While it didn't linger like a play would, it is a circus after all, I would not hesitate to recommend O to anyone wanting a something special evening. OTOH, do I think this fabulous spectacle is worth the millions and millions of gallons of water? All due respect to the artists but...no.

Anyway, next time you're in Vegas, check out Big Elvis. Pete Vallee is a very talented guy who does a free show daily, 2 to 4, at Harrah's on the Strip. So far, he's logged over 7,000 performances. It's a sweet, sad, fun show. If you're in the neighborhood, check him out. He's worth it.

This unedited excerpt is a peek into what I think of as a true Las Vegas moment. The sound guy has trouble cueing up the signature song Big Elvis wants to treat us to so he pulls "Sweet Carolina" out of the hat. Then, just as he rocks into "All Shook Up", my battery runs out. I had another one but M. Lee and his mom were already looking for an escape. The music was so loud. They offered to wait on the street but it seemed more fitting, more respectful to The King and the Forces That Be, to leave something on the table. I hope Pete has better luck than Elvis. I hear he's on a diet and down to 450 lbs. That's something.

Along the way

Texas gas station


Motel in Marfa TX. Besides the mysterious, unexplainable "Marfa Lights", motel Yo La Tengo is one of the more interesting places in this little-bit-famous wide-spot-in-the-road.


Cactus, up close but not personal



Across the street from Judge Roy Bean's office. (The hangin' judge)