George Washington Slept at the Morris-Jumel Mansion

I may have mentioned once or twice that there is a mansion in my neighborhood. But this is not just any mansion; this is the oldest house in Manhattan, and was George Washington's NY headquarters during the Revolutionary War. A couple of Sundays ago some friends and I went to the museum, and I saw George's actual bedroom. In a way, it was very awe inspiring to think that a Founding Father lived and slept in that actual house--a house that is a stone's throw from mine. Other famous residents include Aaron Burr (the guy who shot Alexander Hamilton in a duel).

While at the house my friends Adam and Steve (a picture of Steve is found in this blog, but FYI he is just a friend with a girlfriend in Utah) saw a sign advertising a jazz festival at the mansion in August. Adam and Steve are huge jazz fans, and were talking about how cool the jazz fest would be when the museum concierge overheard them. She informed them that the lady who puts on the event lives across the street (on the other side of the mansion--not my street) and every Sunday afternoon she invites her jazz musician friends to her house to jam. And this event is open to the public. My two friends were giddy with excitment and I knew we would be heading there after our tour of the museum.

So on we went. I posted the picture of the event above. I tried to get it right here, but I am still figuring this thing out.

Anyway, I like jazz, but not nearly as much as Adam and Steve who have visited many a jazz club this summer, nonetheless this mini-jazz concert was probably the coolest thing I have done in New York thus far. It was the quintessential New York activity. This lady's apartment was by no means lavish (it is in Washington Heights), she had very little artwork on her walls--mostly just newspaper clippings about various jazz artists in the area. Fans were blowing to keep the audience cool. There was quite an audience, too. The little flat had folding chairs and benches packed into every nook and cranny so that everyone could have a seat; good thing too, as every seat was full. The audience was a rather diverse crowd of all ages, races, and salary level. It looked like there were even a couple of tourists. Our hostess was friendly, and made certain everyone had a good time.

That particular Sunday she invited a bass player, trumpter, and flute/saxaphone player. She accompanied them on the piano. They started out with some gospel stand-by's like Amazing Grace and This Little Light of Mine, and then they switched to jazz standards that I had never heard before, but my friends sure had. They were enjoying themselves immensely, and I was extremely glad that we found out about this place. To all my readers who eventually come out to see me, I intend to take you to this place, whether you like jazz music or not. It is just something that you have to do.

Last week I was able to hear a new British band. As many of you know this is my favorite genre. A guy in my ward, Richard, told me about a band called The Feeling. Their sound is classified as 70's soft rock with an edge. I checked out their MySpace site, and heard a few songs before Richard and I went to see them. Their songs were a little on the cheesy side, but totally catchy. I knew I had to see them to know that they were a good band. For me, if a band is not good live, then they are not a good band. So a week ago Wednesday, Richard and I went down to the Mercury Lounge to see them. This lounge was probably the tiniest venue I have ever been to (besides the jazz lady's flat), and I think there were only 50 other people at the show. For all those who didn't make it, they totally missed out. What a fun band. First of all, they were dressed nice. They came out wearing nice trousers, button downs, and the lead singer even wore two-toned wing tip shoes. They were great live. Everyone played/sang on key and their energy was contagious. Their songs seemed more edgy live than the 70's soft rock sound on the disc. Check them out!

Good news folks. I get to see Keane in September. My boss Ian told me about the show, and said he would buy my tickets if I got two more editors to come to our event last Tuesday. I completed my task, and I get to see the band. You can imagine that I am super-ecstatic about the show. They are actually going to play two nights, so I may try to see them both nights. You may think that it is overkill, but I don't...it's Keane! It could be taken as a sign that I have been working with Ian too long. He saw every Madonna performance in NYC (about five + shows), Philly, and Vegas. He also plans to see her in England. Now that is obsessed. I'm just borderline obsessed. Ha! Get the joke? Madonna has a song called Borderline.

Across the street from my place.
My building.
My side of the street.

I thought I would add some more pictures to my blog. I know most of you probably equate Washington Heights with the ghetto, and honestly there are places around here definitely apply. For example I have some guy friends that live on 160th between Broadway and Amsterdam. The Broadway side is very ghetto-esque. The music is loud, there is garbage and graffiti everywhere, and young kids travel around in packs. I don't know what the crime scene is, but my friends have complained of fights outside their window at 5:00 a.m. The Amsterdam side is different. Sure it is not like Central Park West (super ritzy), but even with the graffiti and garbage it is a lot nicer. Somehow it just feels better. (My guy friends agree.) There are a couple of churches on Amsterdam, and I get the impression that there are a lot of families around.

And then there is my street in the Morris-Jumel historical district. It is a quiet street with trees. (a rare sight around here). No graffiti, and no garbage. I hope the pictures give you and idea of my street.

PICTURES! The first is one that I forgot to add to my Coney Island pics. (L-R: Hillary, Steven, JT, and yours truly.) Picture #2 is my living room. Last, is my bedroom...sideways. I'm still learning about this picture thing. Soon I will be more technologically advanced. If you have any tips for me, please send them with your comments.

Happy Fourth of July! I hope that you all had nice barbecues and watched some fireworks. Today I went to Coney Island with some people in my ward. The trip to Coney Island was supposed to be some kind of church activity, but I did not see too many church people, but I saw HORDES of other people, most of whom did not speak any English. Coney Island is kind of a dirty, kitschy place. It has all the obligatory carnival rides, food, litter, and even a freak show.

My two friends, Hillary and Steve, and I arrived at Coney Island in time to catch the end of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Championship. Perhaps you caught it on ESPN. Anyway we see saw the last minute or so, and in case you are wondering, yes the Japanese kid won again. This time he broke a record: 53 3/4 hot dogs. Well, we couldn't let those guys be the only ones to enjoy hot dogs, so we stood in a very long line to get our own Nathan's Hot Dog. P.S. they are pretty tasty.

While we digested we headed to the beach. I brought my bathing suit, but to be honest I really didn't want to have to put it on. I was in so much luck. First of all the beaches were jam packed full of people. I am not lying. There was no place to sunbathe or swim. And if you closed your eyes for a brief moment, when you open them it would be like you were in another country. The other reason I didn't put the suit on was because the lines for the bathrooms were horrendously long. (Seriously, I paid money at a karate studio to not stand in line. The added bonus was that the restroom was also clean. Best $1 I spent.) We continued to walk around and enjoyed the occasional breeze and finally met up with JT, one of Steve's friends.

The main draw for the activity was a ride on the Cyclone--an old, wooden roller coaster. It has been awhile since I've been on a roller coaster, and I must say it was fun. I rode in the same car as TJ who asked me not too laugh if he screamed like a girl. Lucky for him, he did not scream like a girl. I did. It was a quick ride, and lucky for me it was free. Otherwise I would have had to pay $6.00. I don't think it was worth $6.00. But it was an essential activity for a Coney Island nonetheless.

The weather was unbearably hot. I am not sure of the exact temperature, but it was also muggy. Compound that with the amount of bodies in that small area...and you get one hot outing to Coney Island. I think I lost three pounds of sweat. I was glad that I got to go to Coney Island, but I will not be sad if I don't go back. It is kind of an icky place. Fortunately, I got to do the important stuff: the Nathan's hot dog and the Cyclone. Now I don't have to go back. And the first thing I did when I got home was shower and wash it all off of me.

I don't think I adequately conveyed how icky Coney Island is. It used to be the place that everyone went visited, but it is not that way now. Most people say that you have to get a hot dog and ride the Cyclone--which I did--and then there is no reason to go back. Obviously it is still a draw for some people because the beach was packed. But I think it is just the people who can only afford to go to Coney Island. The subway fare is $2, which is normal subway fare.

If I am lucky, my next trip to Long Island will take me to the Hamptons, by way of the Long Island Rail Road.

I am pleased to announce that I am an aunt...again. My baby brother's wife just had their second child on June 30th. If you want to see pictures of little Wyatt Carter Clifford, check out their blog: www.cliffordgoestothecountry.blogspot.com. He is adorable, and so is my other nephew Ezra.

When you get done reading their blog, come back to mine.

New york is famous for its fine dining options...or so they say. There are tons of restaurants, and I do not even plan to eat at all of them. Since I have a limited cash flow, I try not to eat out often. I will usually allow myself one night a week. When I do eat out, I try to find an inexpensive place that isn't fast food. On busy evenings I usually pick up a sandwich at a grocery store, but that can sometimes run a little pricey. But of all the cheapest places I've eaten, here are my favorites:

You may have heard of Grey's Papaya on a few different pro-New York films like Fools Rush In or You've Got Mail. Grey's Papaya is basically a hot dog restaurant. There isn't a place to sit down, but there is a shelter with doors. I guess that is what differentiates them from a cart hot dog. Hot dogs are very typical New York, and these are not bad tasting. (I hear the cart hot dogs are also very tasty. I have yet to try one.) The best thing about Grey's is that is it SUPER cheap. For $2.75 you can get a full meal. This meal is called the Recession Special and it is basically two dogs and a good sized cup of juice. I get papaya juice. It is good, filling, and to reiterate: CHEAP. It is close to the temple so I stop by there to grab a quick dinner before going to the temple.

A few weeks ago my roommates and I decided to go out on a Saturday night, and we headed to the Shake Shack at Madison Square Park. This little establishment is a hamburger/hot dog stand that also makes yummy shakes with frozen custard. I ate a Chicago-style hot dog (dog with a "salad" on top), the best crinkle-cut fries known to man, a diet Coke, and a shake with a vanilla custard base and mixed with peanut butter and chocolate truffle cookie dough. I know...YUM-O!

Last night my roommate Angie and I ate at Peanut Butter & Co. This is kind of a cute idea for a restaurant because the main dishes are all peanut butter sandwiches. They have classics like PB&J or PB and marshmallow cream. They also have a few odd ones like "The Pregnant Lady" - PB and pickles. Yeah I know, ew. I had the Elvis: pb, bananas, honey, and cinnamon. It was very delicious and sticky. Angie had the Jerry Seinfeld: pb with honey and cinnamon on a bagel. Both sandwiches were served with potato chips and carrot sticks, and we both opted to wash down our meal with a glass of milk.

One of these days I will make enough money to eat at One if By Land, Two if By Sea (a spendy and haunted restaurant). But my next dining adventure will mostl likely be street food. Hot dogs, soft pretzels, kabobs, ice cream, and maalox. Sounds good!

TOURmoil. That is what I am feeling right now. Today is the start of my absloute favorite sporting event - The Tour de France. I know some of you are totally immersed in World Cup Fever; I think real football is fabulous, but I love the Tour. However that being said, I am in TOURmoil. This year was predicted to be exciting due to Lance Armstrong's retirement, but I don't think anyone would have predicted the fallout of the past couple of days. Last May Spanish authorities found instruments, blood, steroids, and information about many top riders who may be involved. For the most part the information implicated mostly Spanih riders, so I didn't follow it too much. My favorite was Ivan Basso, and I planned to put all my support behind the talented Italian. He came in 2nd at last year's Tour, and third the previous year. This year he continued to be in good form and even won the Giro d'Italia (a major stage race) as a promise to his mother. Yesterday horror struck when he was sent home from the Tour under suspicion of doping. He was not the only one; two other top riders were sent home for suspicion of being involved in the Spanish doping scandal--including Jan Ullrich a BIG name in cycling.

Cycling has had a terrible history with doping problems because it is an incredible feat of strength and endurance to ride a bike for twenty one days, and some of those days over some of the most challenging mountains. Every year there is shock when another cyclist tests positive for some type of drug. Worse than the cheating soon everyone who wins is automatically suspected of doping. Take Lance Armstrong. During his reign of the Tour he was tested more than any other cyclist, and even though he never tested positive people want to accuse him of cheating. When big names test positive they automatically fight to save their innocence and often blame faulty testing. It is easy for cycling fans and media to become jaded by the whole sport.

I read some letters to the editor at Velo News, and I was pretty disappointed by the reaction. Practically everyone wanted to burn Ivan, Jan, and all the others at the stake even though none of the cyclists have ever tested positive. Citing guilt by association, fans want to make sure these men never see a bike again. Maybe I am naive, but I want to believe these guys are innocent until there is hard evidence that performance enhancing drugs are racing through their bloodstream. Lance was associated with a doctor infamous for giving his clients illegal cycling aids, and although this led to large amounts of suspicion and random tests, Lance did not test positive. He also severed ties with the doctor once he was convicted. So with that little bit of logic that is my opinion of the cyclists who have just fallen from grace.

Despite Ivan's departure, I will still be glued to the tv and internet absorbing all I can about my favorite sport. I woke up early this morning to watch the pre-show and the prologue on OLN. I do have other cycling favorites: Floyd Landis of Phonak and Dave Zabriskie of CSC (Ivan's teammeate). I think Floyd will win. So far this year he has won the Tour of California, the Paris-Nice, and the Tour of Georgia. He is in excellent form this year, and I am hopeful that he will win. A good portion of the US cycling world feels the same way (even when Jan and Ivan were in the picture). The only people who need to be convinced is OLN. This cable channel has the only coverage for the Tour and even though Armstrong has retired, the network still acts like the Only Lance Network. To cut them some slack, OLN is a part sponsor of the Discovery Channel team, so they are going to spend most of their time promoting the them. Granted, George Hincapie could pull a surprise and win the whole thing--he did come in 2nd place at today's time trial--but I wish OLN would stop focusing so much on the Discovery Team, and mentioning Lance every five seconds. It is time to crown a new cycling king, but they need to realize that it is quite possible that the crown could go to a cyclist from T-Mobile.

That's why this tour is going to be exciting. The last few years the winner was going to be Lance. Even though my allegiance shifted to Ivan last year, I knew that Lance was going to win. This year it is anyone's game, and I cannot wait to see how it develops. You will probably see some postings about the Tour because I don't have any Tour friends here. My friends in Seattle would either indulge my constant Tour updates or at least let me discuss my opinions, but I don't really have that now. Yesterday was tough because I wanted to talk about my opinions with someone - anyone. I am glad that my roommate Angie was willing to listen, but I need a fellow fan.