A great day in Harlem!

This is the name of Art Kane's 1958 photo depicting 57 jazz musicians, posing on the stoop of a brownstone around 10am at 126th Street, between 5th and Madison.

You may not be able to pose for that photo, but you can still have a great day in harlem with the following walking map, provided by Mount Sinai School of Medicine (located at 100th and Madison!)

http://www.mssm.edu/cmca/initiatives/pdf/east_harlem_walking_map.pdf

From Vegas to the Village ....

... is where a boatload of toiletries with the names of casinos on them went. (Or maybe from Atlantic City.)

I found a Macy's bag filled with conditioner, bath gel and the like in the area in my building where we put reusable items for our neighbors instead of just throwing them out. There were names like Ceaser's, Harrah's and Bally's on them. Seriously, what did thi sperson do -- try to make up their gambling losses by raiding all the housekeeping carts they could find?

Anyhow, I don't need that many toiletries for myself, so I packed them up and delivered them to the Bowery Mission at 227 Bowery in the Village.

The man at the desk who accepted them said "I know these guys can use THIS!"

Then, when I got home, there was a letter in the mail from the Bowery Mission asking me for a donation. It's like they knew!

www.bowerymission.org

Angelo and Sons Bakery

Despite living practically around the corner from this great place since 2004, and it's being in existence since 1983, I only discovered it last fall (2008).

I love this place! It's clean and nice and pretty. The people are so nice! I heard it got renovated after a fire in late 2007/early 2008 and that's why it's so spacious. There are also little cafe table and chairs on the enclosed porch outside, so you can look at the street. (I have never figured out why people want to do that anywhere.)

And of course who can beat great food at low prices? Nobody, that's who!

My favorite is the cannoli cookie - cannoli filling on a shortbread cookie, topped with tiny chocolate chips and some drizzled chocolate. This treat is a mere $1.50. The coffee is so good, I come here before my morning commute now. For $1.25, why not?

I also pick up 6-inch cakes for less than $20 ---- that's at least $10 cheaper than the hyped-up Magnolia and Buttercup Bakeries of Man-Hurtin'. And one such cake is the cannoli cake --- with almonds!

Angelo & Sons Bakery/Cafe - 22-09 Astoria Boulevard, Astoria, NY 11102
718.278.2332
N/W Train to Astoria Blvd

I find it funny .....

... when people in New York City say they are going "upstate".

There is no "downstate" when you are in NYC. We are the southernmost point in New York state, an archipelago of people in sight of New Jersey.

The Great Urban Race is ON!

Today I volunteered for 5 hours for the Great Urban Race in NYC. (www.greaturbanrace.org)

This scavenger hunt charges $140 (donated to charity) per team (at least 2 people) to run around any given city looking for clues, taking digital photos of them performing their tasks, and coming back to the finish (where they first started) to check in. They are allowed to skip one clue without penalty, and get 30 minutes added for each clue they miss or do incorrectly.

Almost everyone I checked in completed all that was needed. Apparently, so many people hit the same gas station for the task of filling up a stranger's tank that the managers got mad. (Though I am very impressed by the one girl who gassed up someone's U-Haul!)

And I discovered a great new park called Teardrop Park with a huge slide (via the photos). I am going to go there soon.

It all reminds me of the cheesy 1980 movie I love "Midnight Madness", which features a 20-year-old Michael J. Fox playing someone's 14-year-old bratty brother.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081159/

Tompkins Square Park stone

Over a year after I first sent in to do it, my stone in Tompkins Square Park was put at the foot of the Temperance Fountain there last week! Here it is!

It is a shout-out to everyone: "To love, money, happiness and time to enjoy them all! Saima"

Coolest. prize. EVER!

Well, I can't say I never win anything anymore.

My name was pulled out of a raffle I randomly entered on the New York Post website (nypost.com).

The prize?

A seat back from the old Yankees Stadium, signed by Mariano Rivera who pitched the last game there on 21 Sept 2008.

Holy CRAP!

NY Cake!

I was walking in Chelsea when I saw the cutest store, devoted to cake-making and baking accessories!

NY Cake is located at 56 W. 22nd Street.

www.nycake.com

Awesome and true quote

'ONE belongs to New York instantly. One belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years," Thomas Wolfe once wrote.

I wish I could go do this!

You find the greatest things on craigslist! I would love to do this but am all the way uptown at my new full-time job:

Need witness now for wedding ceremony at City Clerk's office (Downtown)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2009-08-03, 9:09AM EDT
Reply to: gigs-ppgdz-1303056857@craigslist.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


We forgot to bring a witness. Please have a state ID and be 18 over.

Compensation: 20