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Steve R.

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  1. Steve R.
    Okay, now we're on a topic I can weigh in on. Going to H.S. in Bklyn from 67-70 meant, for me, going to the Fillmore East at least weekly and to Central Park's outdoor concerts (Schaeffer sponsored) all summer (approx. 5x/week). Add to that the fact that there were concerts at the NYS Pavillion in Flushing Meadows, Forest Hills Tennis Stadium and a couple of other venues (even MSG for Cream and the Bangladesh Benefit), and that there were usually 3 performers/concert. Lots of music. Then I went to college in Stony Brook, where the student government had access to the "student union fees" & used a lot of it to bring concerts to campus (including the 1970 Halloween night New Riders/Dead show). And that just gets us to 1974. Overall, I think I saw The Dead well over 100 times, starting with the Pig Pen days & into Garcia's week on Broadway in the '80s, up until his death (which I'm still reeling over). My guess is that Mark Slater and I were at a # of concerts together, since his listing are all performers I saw. Stories (upon request - although all my friends and family leave the area when I start) include sneaking down to an "empty" front row seat at Town Hall during a Richie Havens concert only to find myself between his mother and the rest of his family (they were very nice & it turns out we were all from the same Bklyn neighborhood), waiting on line for a table at an Indian food place (Mitali on E.6th St) with Joe Cocker (who, surprisingly, had no odd body movements off stage), being nude with Mick Jagger (well, okay, it was in a squash club's locker room &, to my wife's chagrin, no I didn't look or take a picture), & sitting next to Jack Cassidy at a bar in Tarrytown before his Hot Tuna concert. Everyone stop reading yet?
  2. Steve R.
    Early show or late? Which row were you in? Maybe we met.
  3. Steve R.
    If the tribute band "The The Band band" is ever playing at a place/time when you can go, definitely go. And I'm not just saying that because the lead guitarist is a good friend of mine. Well, partially... but they are really very good at this.
  4. Steve R.
    I had/have tickets to see him late Jan in Clearwater, Fla.
  5. Steve R.
    Well, I can tell you that the Theater District is not exactly a culinary hot spot for home cooking. However, these are the places that I remember being "good enough", with the type of old stool red sauce menu that you're looking for: Da Tommaso Carmine's: (family style food meant for tourists/theater crowd, but actually pretty okay - one plate/3 people, that's why the prices are as they are) Now, if you want to go a little out of the area, there's Monte's. This place has been there forever and I'm always surprised that I like it as much I wind up liking it whenever I go. And, also in the West Village, there's Piccolo Angolo which I've always liked. Both places will try to upsell you but stick to what you like on the menu & it'll be exactly what you want. Both are very easy to get to from the Theater District. And, if you want to venture out of Manhattan, Parkside in Corona Queens is the place. --- Piccolo Angolo (washingtony)
  6. Steve R.
    I can see how JT fits the "Medieval Folk Rock" category but, as someone who liked Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Incredible String Band, Renaissance, Steeleye Span, etc I see JT as the black sheep of that family.
  7. Steve R.
    I'm very forgiving of myself for liking a # of groups back in the day. I rationalize that, since I was only in my teens back in the sixties/early seventies, I was open to more & less critical. Add to that the fact that I was going to concerts 2-3x/week so that many musicians were seen live, a much more exciting method. At any rate, except for all too brief flute solos by Anderson (with their "take a breath" sound effects), Tull was a boring, mistake riddled, weird (& not in a good way, even given the times) group. "Stand Up" might've actually been a better album than "Aqualung" if one chooses to get past the wonder of a "concept album". Overall, given the abundance of great music I was listening to & seeing, they were mediocre & "ehh". And, yeah, you can tell a lot about me by this, as well as my less than enthusiastic response to Yes & Rush. Now, King Crimson... that was good shit.
  8. Steve R.
    My opinion of this is that there really is no such thing as an easy drive from & back to JFK. You can't predict how long it will take getting from JFK to any point in Queens &, even worse, you might spend a lot of unexpected time trying to get back if the traffic backs up (as it regularly does). Secondly, there is not any place with high level cuisine in the area. There's an iconic old style red sauce place on Lefferts (Don Peppe) that I don't think is good but was always a CH favorite 20 years ago but nothing else is on that side of Queens -- even Rego Park/Forest Hills' down home Russian places or Flushing C'town's small regional places (that wouldn't be considered high level but are rarely found in other cities) are at least 25 minutes away by car without much traffic (as if you wouldn't get "much traffic" at lunchtime). Sorry. Instead, maybe read the following and pick something: "Where To Eat at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)" by Marguerite Preston and Serena Dai on ny.eater.com --- Dining at JFK Airport (DonRocks)
  9. Steve R.
    Other than Fantasia, I can't think of another movie I've seen more times. Since I started High School in '67, this was my soundtrack & the backdrop to much of what I did throughout my HS & college years (besides tennis & squash). Even wound up hitching to Boulder one summer with a friend, carrying only a duffle bag & a map. Some great Easy Rider stories from that escapade. As an adult, my 1st visit to N.Orleans had to include a visit to the cemetery spot where they spent a trip. I love that movie!!!
  10. Steve R.
    Had a lot of fun this year. Hit the quals. twice during the week before the tournament (they're free & easy to get into) & saw some really good players that probably will never get far enough to be noticed but were fun to watch. Only Ryan Harrison really stood out. Went opening day Mon & then Wed. On Monday, we were able to watch Hingis, Djokovic & Murray practice and see parts of matches like Isner squeaking by 19 year old Tiafoye in a 5th set tiebreak, Monfils entertaining on Court 17, etc. Then, on Wed, we were in the new Grandstand for Ryan Harrison's upset of a cramping Raonic & caught lots of great doubles including Hingis/Paes teaming up and winning against Tiafoye & his partner (who was excellent but I can't recall her name) & Mahut/Herbert showing how it's done in men's doubles. Back again Saturday & watched as Hingis/Paes lost to Ram/Vandeweghe while Vandeweghe/Hingis teamed up & won in the Women's Doubles. Thought that was the end of my attendance this year & was pretty content with it. However... I had already kissed off today's free "Community Day", figuring it'd be an overcrowded shitshow, where everyone comes to see the 2 or 3 doubles matches being played and there'd be nothing else going on. This morning I realized that our once every 2 weeks apartment cleaner would be here this afternoon, Ginny was going off to play tennis with her friends in Central Park &, since I played yesterday & have a game tomorrow, I had already turned down a couple of offers for today. So, against my better judgment, I decided to be brave & to visit the US Open one more time. Sometimes things just work out. No traffic driving there at 10:30am & found a parking spot literally one block from the entrance to the park. That's another $30 savings (I always park on the streets on the side of the park nearer the back entrance to the Open). Walked to the gate before 11:30 (matches started at noon today) and found no line. Went in and found no crowd. Court 6 had the first "Champions Doubles" match about to start: Martina Navratilova/Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario vs Tracy Austin/Gigi Fernandez. Went there and found easy viewing from courtside. Took pictures, watched the match. Very entertaining &, damn, are they still good. Figured I'd push my luck and see if I could get into the new Grandstand, where the Woman's Doubles Semi's were being held, featuring Hingis/Vandeweghe (#5 seeds) vs Garcia/Mladenovic (#1 seeds). Not only did I get in, but there were lots of seats in the shade, only one section up from the court. Great viewing, although I only stayed one set, since I didn't like the fact that Hingis/Vandeweghe were getting their butts kicked. Back to the Court 6 retirees matches, where I again stood courtside, this time watching Lindsay Davenport/Mary Jo Fernandez win over Iva Majoli/Dinara Safina, then watching the first set of Philippoussis/Pat Cash vs Michael Chang/Rick Leach. Nice. Enough easy watching, I left around 4pm, drove my car the 4 or so blocks to Corona's Lemon Ice King & scarfed down a great vanilla chip ices. Drove home thru moderate traffic. As I said, sometimes things just work out.
  11. Steve R.
    We had a good dinner at Alligator Soul in Jan while passing thru. Their online dinner menu has a section offering to prepare a vegan meal for those interested. Might be worthwhile calling them as well. http://alligatorsoul.com/our-menus/dinner/#dinnermenu
  12. Steve R.
    Listen to this advice. Too many people that I've known have taken the other JFK Air Train to the A train to Penn Station, since it seems like the best "public transportation" option. It takes forever and wends thru Queens, then Brooklyn, then into lower Manhattan before getting to Penn Station. It saves you just over $4 from the LIRR, which zips from Jamaica right to Penn Station.
  13. Steve R.
    I agree. By the way, Tignor is a member of the small Brooklyn tennis club where I play (The Knickerbocker Field Club). Very good player himself.
  14. Steve R.
    First of all, did you really mean that you think Venus is the best woman's player of all time? Not Serena? Why? Secondly, I just can't see why folks, yourself included, seem to rank Andy Murray up there with Nadal, Federer & Djokovic. Not that he hasn't become a major force on the current tennis tour, but has he really shown himself to be that much of a consistent player or a top winner? I'd need some convincing to accept his inclusion with the other 3.
  15. Steve R.
    It's a very good article and the author is on the money. It's now a decidedly non-hip neighborhood with hold out Italian, Irish (& some Jewish) Americans being replaced by a growing Arab American & Asian community. Not that these new ethnic settlers dislike disco balls either.
  16. Steve R.
    Yeah, the Brits have a big problem with rude -- pretty much explains why they couldn't beat a ragtag bunch of upstarts in the Revolutionary War. "Damn them... they won't line up like proper soldiers so we can shoot them". At any rate, although my personal taste for Johnny Mac is way less than adoration, I really do have to admit that he has an unbelievable feel for the game that's almost (if not totally) unrivaled, including by Federer (my favorite player ever). McEnroe has consciously built his brand, so I don't think anyone really knows the person (unless, of course, you know him) and he's always on stage in public. However, even when the games are scripted (as the exhibition sets I've recently (2 years ago - with the WTF now defunct Sporttimes) seen him play against Borg and Agassi have clearly been), he comes thru with some unbelievably creative shots and has court sense above and beyond. BUT... I just can't agree that "McEnroe will also be remembered for his game much longer than his comportment". I know too many younger players (younger being relative & I, regrettably, have to include those around 40 in this category) who have no idea how he played, but know all about his personality. Maybe once he stops being a commentator and is completely gone from the tennis scene his comportment will fade to the same remembrance level as his playing, but that won't be for awhile. And his brand is as vibrant and colorful as Bud Collins' is/was so I won't hold my breath.
  17. Steve R.
    I'm honestly not sure which Brooklyn I've liked less during my lifetime (so far) -- the current hipsters or the Bay Ridge disco crowd.
  18. Steve R.
    Thanks. It was you I was thinking of.
  19. Steve R.
    We spent a month in Florence a couple of years ago & accidentally wound up eating at their place. I say accidentally, as we were just wandering around the area aimlessly (very unusual for us not to have had reservations somewhere) and decided we were hungry while we were passing by. The place looked very touristy, even for Florence, but we went in and were seated at a front communal table (my wife speaks Italian and probably fooled them enough for us not to be placed in the other room, where all the non-Italians seemed to be headed). At any rate, we were next to an outgoing group of Alitalia staff, who very vocally urged us to try the "blueberry steak" and the "balsamic steak", 2 items that we wouldn't normally go near. Seemed like tourist bait to us but we did as instructed and had 2 very good steaks with flavors that didn't detract from the meat and actually enhanced the meal. The waitress was happy and informed us in English (yep, by then we were clearly known to be American) that they have a place in DC. When we returned, I remember chatting with someone on this board who is (was?) the chef at the DC location. Am I right... isn't he a DR.com member?
  20. Steve R.
    http://mouthfulsfood.com/forums/index.php/forum/38-asia/ There are quite a few threads written by mongo on Delhi restaurants and they link to his blog https://myannoyingopinions.com As insufferable and annoying as he can be (I know him), he's also very knowledgable and you can probably contact him directly with questions. Tell him I sent you and you'll get nothing (just joking). Have fun. eta: you should also check the slow travel boards & web sites. Although mostly used for Western Europe, I think there will be some stuff that you can use.
  21. Steve R.
    Total agreement. Admittedly, we don't use hotels very much, usually staying at airbnb or vrbo rentals. But, during this past winter, when we slowly drove down to Florida then back up to NYC 3 months later, I needed one or two nights of places to stay in quite a few different cities. I started with the discount sites & TripAdvisor but changed over to booking directly with hotels pretty quickly. I found that, in just about all cases, I got better prices by getting the hotel's site up on line alongside one or two of the discounters and then calling by phone and speaking to a person. They found me loyalty & membership discounts for various reasons (everything from AAA/AARP to hotel chain memberships to airline memberships) & gave me room upgrades easily. Sometimes threw in free parking when it was generally an added cost online. When we arrived, we sometimes found even more upgrades & perks. We never had a problem with any of the arrangements as they were always confirmed in writing and sent to us by e-mail directly after the phone call. Some of these phone calls were with the general chain #s (like for Hilton properties), others were with specific hotel front desks. That didn't seem to matter. Friends who have recently used discounters have had the opposite experiences. Hotels have canceled or not admitted that there were reservations even made by the discounter, some have downgraded the room or perks based on non foreseen lack of "availability" or miscommunication with the discounter. Since the written confirmation is with the discounter and not the hotel itself, the recourse is then an after the fact 3rd party nightmare. Big difference from when we started seriously traveling 25 or 30 years ago, when my venere.com code was as important as my credit cards in Europe.
  22. Steve R.
    Since men's doubles has been, for a very long time, at a level that I couldn't even imagine emulating, I used to watch women's doubles to better understand the things I should do better in my own game. I can't do that anymore. Nothing that either women's team did in the finals was even remotely in my wheelhouse. They hit 10x harder than I ever will, they see the court incredibly well, they can hit a dime thru a small window opening and they are just fantastic athletes, trained and knowledgable in all aspects of the game. And I was floored by just how much fun they were having while doing this. And how much fun I had watching them having fun.
  23. Steve R.
    I was at my tennis club waiting to get on a court when the 4th set was moving toward the tiebreaker. We all sat around the tv mesmerized as Federer first blew the put away shot to win the set, then proceeded to battle Cilic point for point to win the tiebreak. With the score tied 2 sets apiece, I had no doubt Federer would squeak thru (well, maybe some doubt) and went off to play some doubles.
  24. Steve R.
    Forgot to follow up and report that Nargis was pretty damn good. Very crowded on a Friday evening but one of our party knows the owner and we got 8 of us seated as reserved (not always the case, as I understand it). All the food was above average, with special mention going to both the steamed and fried manti, with meat or pumpkin fillings. Also the skewers of lamb and of chicken hearts. And the salads. I'm not a plov guy, but this version was good. Would've liked to try more but we were all stuffed. Looking forward to a return visit, although its really tough for me to not go to my favorite Turkish place, Taci's Beyti, when I'm in this area.
  25. Steve R.
    Just to add: if looking for a good Austrian place instead, Cafe Katja in Manhattan has always been good when we've gone. As for the beer halls, the Bohemian Beer Hall has always been a great big outdoor place to drink & used to be pretty much the only place of its type in NYC. Now, there are many outdoor beer halls, including a decent one attached to the New Prospect Hall in Bklyn (the catering place that does the tv commercial "we make your dreams come true") so its not so special anymore. And the food is just not anything other than a good way to soak up the beer. I'm not sure about the Istrian Sports Club in Astoria. It may be worth a look as well. I'll just sit here and live vicariously while you do the field work.
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