LauraB

The culprit was the restaurant. They threw you under the bus because they did not manage their reservations well and valued this party more than yours.

You don't say what route the train takes, but I assume it's around northern India? 1. Rain could very well be a problem, given that September is the 3rd most rainy month in New Delhi. I went to New Delhi in December, which has the lowest amount of rain. My husband, however, travels to India regularly and has been there during the rainy months and describes it as absolutely miserable. 2. You don't say where your train tour leaves from, but I would arrange for a hotel and have the hotel send a car to the airport to pick me up. 3. If it were me, I would stay at the Imperial Hotel, but given the short length of your stay, you may want to opt for something less expensive. Other DR members will probably have better suggestions. 4. I would. It makes no sense to go to the Delhi airport early. Most overseas flights depart late in the night and they don't open up security and allow you through to the part of the airport that has some amenities until late in the evening. You don't want to be stuck sitting in the pre-security area where there are virtually NO amenities. 5. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/India.html We used a private company to get our visas. It cost more money, but was a lot faster. I can't recall the name of the company, but they have an office in Foggy Bottom.

I've given up trying to find pine nuts that are not from China in my local grocery stores. Wondering if anyone has a source of non-China pine nuts that can be bought online?

Pat, where are you buying pine nuts...i can’t find any that aren’t from China. Even at Whole Foods.

It should, but it doesn't. It's always been a mystery to me. --- Market Lunch (Kev29)

Unfortunately, DC isn't a breakfast town, unlike, say San Francisco. The best breakfasts are found in fancy hotels. Personally, I've always loved the breakfasts at the St. Regis.

There is an independently-owned kitchenware store near where I live. I was recently there and the salesperson and I got into a discussion about All-Clad cookware. (My kitchen has housed a large contingent of All-Clad for at least 20 years, if not more.) She claimed that the quality of All-Clad has seriously declined and they are now selling a brand called American Clad, which she claimed was vastly superior to the current iteration of All-Clad. I'd be interested in any thoughts you all have about this.

I take your point, Eric. However, funkyfood has a sample size of one. I have a sample size of at least 12. And I can tell you that the age range at the bar is all over the map. It is not just old people. I have been there with my 20-something daughters and I have seen many other young people there.

I no longer live in DC, but the bar at Corduroy was a favorite dining spot when I did. So, I was eager to see your post until I actually read it. I have no idea how old you are, but I am really curious why you felt the need to point out the age of the other diner at the bar. Would you have done so if he were in his 30s? And, by the way, you misspelled "septuagenarian" when describing when he left. If he were in his 30s would you have said, "Once my Millenial barmate left." How about just saying, "When the other guest left"?

To Senator John McCain. I didn't often agree with his policies and I've had a hard time forgiving him for foisting Sarah Palin on the nation. However, he was a Senator who reached across the aisle and served with dignity, honor, integrity and heroism. Sadly, there is no one else like him in the current Congress. America has lost a true American hero.

The NYT's article also reports that Russia stepped in to introduce the resolution and, guess what? Russia was NOT subjected to threats and intimidation from the United States! Hmm, what would account for that, do you think?

Keith, thanks so much. We are staying at the Hilton on 6th Ave between 53rd and 54th. On Saturday night (8:00 pm) we have tickets to see Hamilton at the Richard Rodgers theater on 46th between 7th & 8th Aves. We're arriving Friday morning and leaving Monday evening. Hope to go to MOMA. Other than that, our schedule is open. When I say casual, I don't mean flip-flops and T-shirts, I mean something a little less fancy/expensive than Eleven Madison Park -- although, on our last visit to EMP we saw a guest wearing a sweatsuit.

MrB and I will be spending a long weekend in NYC in July. We used to go to NY fairly frequently, but haven't been in a number of years, so we're not up-to-date on restaurants. Looking for dinner, lunch and brunch suggestions for casual places as opposed to fancy. Preference for restaurants that take reservations. We'll be staying in Midtown. Would appreciate your suggestions. Thanks!

'West Wing Weekly'! Yes! It caused MrB and I to start watching 'The West Wing' from beginning to end again. We're halfway through. It often causes us to cry, contrasting it with how things are now. When we're finished we'll probably start over again from the beginning. I also like 'Pod Save America'.

Jose Andres is an American hero. He has been feeding the AMERICAN CITIZENS of Puerto Rico since the hurricane, since the Trump administration didn't find it necessary to do more than toss a few rolls of paper towels at them. Oh, but wait, Andres is an immigrant. So maybe the administration doesn't consider him a real American. I don't know if Spain falls into the category of S-hole countries.