Beautiful day...

in the city, and cityboy has finished his work at Friends early, so here I am at Lincoln Center Library able to make an entry. It looks like I will be able to attend the BAN meeting at the Church on East 37 street this evening. It is supposed to be an educational forum for members of a community of homeowners in east Flatbush, who are unaware of the city's rezoning vision. That vision might bring high rises to their otherwise low rise community. Glad that I will have the time and energy to make it.
  Not much to say about yesterday, after one session, was very tired, so just returned home. By 7 I was feeling better and so ran through my mind the restaurant and bar possibilities where I had friends, and where I could watch the very important Yankee-Red Sox game. Thought that I might go to La Flaca, or to Lansdowne Road to see my friend Mel, but I was tired, and when I saw the the Amsterdam Ale House, only a block away from my apartment was not too crowded, i decided to go there. The bar was actually filled, so I chose a table that was facing the TV that I wanted to watch. So I had a nice,  not too expensive, hummus plate (nothing to drink except water)  while I watched both the Yankee game and, on an adjacent tv, the Mets game. The hummus was very good, and did exactly what I wanted it to do for my stomach--that is did not overload it in any way. But I find the Ale House very antiseptic, there is a coldness about it--the people at the bar seem to be business people, not interested in bringing neighborhood types into their world---pretty enclosed. The service, considering that the bar and restaurant was pretty crowded was quite effective--I did not have to wait a long time for my hummus---but I could take no warmth or feeling of satisfaction from the place. Should I have gone to the Dive Bar, on 96th and Amsterdam instead. They have hummus there too, but that is a sloppy place (albeit far more friendly) but I really did not feel up to a trip too far away from the apartment---so I went to the Ale House.  This morning when I woke up to prepare my day I felt kind of barren---I think it was the experience at the Ale House that created that.
   So the forum begins at 6:30---I should be out there by 5:45---maybe earlier to do some exploring of the neighborhood---looking forward to going out to Brooklyn, will report soon.