so last night....

made the decision to go to Standing and watch the baseball games (Yankees and Mets, both in important games) and the football game as well. Free wings at 8:30---stuffed myself (no surprise there)  but did I make the right choice to reject the Readings at Franklin Park in favor of Standings. Standings is a good place; many people know me and like me there, bartenders friendly and courteous, but again, it is very male oriented (is there a sports bar that isn't?) and only works on certain of my needs. Would I have had a better time at Franklin Park, where I knew one of my facebook friends (also a Friends graduate) would be? Did I not want to risk being there by myself, in a sea of younger faces and relationships? Usually I have no problem being "older" when I go to plays or events that mostly include younger people, but these are people I know. If I had been strongly familiar with one of the writers, I might have felt less ambivalent about going.But now, the morning after, I do feel a little disappointed that I did not take the risk. Well, maybe there is a lesson learned here---have to consider this the next time I am faced with" major" choices.
That leaves the rest of the day---no real plans, no tutoring, will probably try to get a rush ticket to Sibyl's play this evening. Which leaves me with what? Not sure, might travel to Brooklyn, tonight is the eve of Yom Kippur, the most serious of the Jewish Holidays (which, as you can see, I don't observe) so streets should be empty. Just remembered that someone I met at Cobra Club runs a trivia contest on Tuesdays; if Sibyl's play does not work out, could end up there.
The strongest memory of Yom Kippur that I have concerns two Saturdays in September of 1960, and 1963. These were my freshman and senior years in Baltimore. The first, was actually about 10 days after I arrived at Hopkins for the first time, and only three days after classes began. My friend Jeff and I, found ourselves on Park Heights Avenue, the main street of one of the strongest Jewish neighborhoods in Baltimore. It was towards the end of the services, we walked form synagogue to synagogue (there were many of them on that length of street, about a mile) seeing if we could experience the last service. All of Jewish Baltimore, mostly families, was there in their finery---I watched as many kids my age, male and female, congregated around the Shuls. Felt very much like I wanted to be part of this, everything seemed so serene and well programmed. Finally, Jeff and I found a synagogue that had room for us for the final service---the rabbi spoke about Kennedy, then running for President, and some support for him that made the rabbi angry. This was my first glimpse into the Jewish section of Baltimore, in the next few years, I made many friends, double dated a lot in the area, had crushes on High School girls, all who may have been out that Saturday as I observed, wild eyed, the families before me.
Three years later, much more relaxed about Hopkins and myself,  I went back to Park Heights avenue, and this time did not go into a synagogue, just watched the procession, remembering my callowness from three years earlier. I guess at 20, I was amazed that the same procession was taking place as the one when I was 17.
Did I really want a girl friend from that area...? Never happened.
Left Hopkins the next year, returned only sporadically until the mid seventies. Not long after, Park Heights Avenue underwent a radical change, as the Jews moved out and north, their children went far and wide, and the black community replaced them. The splendor of those early sixties days was gone forever, storefronts boarded up and unsafe conditions replaced them. Similar to what happened in the Bronx, Brooklyn and probably other cities at that time.
Nevertheless, the memories still seem to me incredibly strong.
Will figure out what to do with the rest of the day.