last night...

well, an interesting one to say the least. What happened? First decision---to go to Standings to check out the three important baseball games in the American league---and stay most of the night. So, before dropping in there, I got a nice slice of pizza, then arrived, was greeted warmly by bartender Aaron, got my beer and took my place. But it did not work. After about 45 minutes I found my hunger growing, and quite frankly, the games wern't holding my interest. So the next move was obvious. The Gramercy tavern, about 14 blocks north, a nice little bar that usually is not crowded and where the bartender was friendly---but when I got there the place was packed a party! For some company, or so I was told. Loud, loud, loud, and when a nice guy at the bar told me that the party would end in about an hour, I felt I should leave.
   Thus began a strange walk, north on 3rd avenue, looking for a bar that would a) not be too expensive, and b) where I would be comfortable walking in as a stranger in a bar that wold probably be mostly filled by younger people. How many bar-restaurants did I pass? How many menus did I check? Might have decided to go to Brooklyn but my stomach was growling, so I sought immediate relief. What did I find? 1) that every menu had almost nothing less then $10.00 (that is before the tax)  and 2) somehow, cityboy did not feel comfortable going into any of them, even the ones that were not so crowded. So, with the stomach growling, I must have walked from 20th street to 31street on third, then east to 2nd, in the hope of finding less crowded bars---but again, nothing I wanted to go into. I even stopped off at the Kips Bay movie house--maybe I would just take out a sandwich and go to a movie, but their price for a movie:$13.99 for senior ticket, just seemed to much for me at this point. So I now continued south, in the hope that the gentleman sitting at the bar at the Gramercy tavern was right---that the party would now be over, and the bar would be habitable, but no, the party was still going on, the sound, ear splitting, and once again, I left quickly. So, a compromise had to be made. I went into the Greek diner on 23rd and 2nd, and had a BLT---for a reasonable $6.45 (with tax). Kind of boring, but it got the job done, and cityboy had to consider his place in the (bar) world--often he looks into a bar, but stops before going in---let's face it---cityboy likes bars where he is known.
Looking back at it now, the voyage north on third avenue and then back again on second, seems almost like a harsh,  dark, dream---a trip in a netherworld of luxury buildings and bars (forbidden) on every street. Luckily, I was tired when I got home and fell right to sleep, although when I awoke around 5, the harsh coldness of the past night, seemed to remain with me.
   Today, after the library, a breather, then dinner with my friend Robin, here from Baltimore. Tomorrow the trip to DC, and on Sunday, a visit with Tessa, My next blog report will probably be on Tuesday, so hold on.