Haiku #286, 287 - Hurricane Sandy

traffic is brutal
exercise in pranayam 
and bladder control

blockbuster movies
apocalypse on the news
it's all the same now

I missed Hurricane Sandy because I was out of town for the weekend, which turned into nearly-a-week. I have to work tomorrow, so I ended up renting a car and driving from Baltimore, which was as close to New York as my original flight itinerary could get me under the circumstances. 

I'm very grateful to be able say my apartment and its inhabitants are fine. Quite a few uprooted trees on the way back in, and of course I've seen enough pictures and read enough status updates to know how easily I got off. 

Haiku #285 - Cafe Ollin

cure for common cold:

Cafe Ollin's chicken soup

straight from the carton

Haiku #284 - NY Pizza - Artichoke

my margherita, Lacey's artichoke, and Rod's dainty little vodka slice

Artichoke pizza

passersby salivating

looking at my slice

Haiku #283 - Cold

can never catch up
there's always so much to do
so instead catch cold

Haiku #282 - Fall Day

angular city
clear air and autumn sunlight
ev'rything looks sharp

Haiku #281 - Edwin Drood

went with my friend Christy to the 1st preview of the Drood revival  -
Didn't know the show and it turned up to be
right up my Anglophile, mystery-loving alley.
Cast great, staging, design and music beautifully done - go see it!

so many choices

how to spend a Friday night?

clap and cheer for Drood!

People, Places, Things:

Roundabout Theatre 

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Haiku #280 - City Hall Park

ketchup-alism 

and liberty coexist

in City Hall Park

People, Places, Things:

City Hall Park

Common Ground art exhibition (thru Nov. 30 2012)

‎"It must not be forgotten that the park is still the refuge of the people, the cradle of liberty."
-Henry B. Dawson

Haiku #279 - Freelance Feast/Famine

when it rains it pours
land of opportunity 
I'm not complaining!

Haiku #278 - Relentless

for the ambitious
in the city of New York
life is relentless

Haiku #277 - NY Pizza - $1 Pizza!

see dollar pizza?

don't get scared and run away

it's really quite good!

People, Places, Things:

Dollar pizza places can be found all over NYC. The one pictured above is on 3rd Ave in Spanish Harlem. There are a lot in Hell's Kitchen. Dollar pizza slices are a little smaller then average, and have not too much cheese (so you aren't dabbing away 3 napkins' worth of grease), and, because of the high turnover, are always fresh! Conclusion: Dollar pizza sounds like a bad idea, but isn't (though I don't recommend it more than once a week or so...)

Haiku #276 - Conservatory Gardens Sunflower

in the Conservatory Gardens

radiant light shines

from the sunflower itself

on a fall morning

Haiku #275 - Doo Wop Guys

they sing and then say,
"smile - it won't mess up your hair!"
get some change, move on

Haiku #274 - Dreamers

only the dreamers

can slog through city nonsense

and not get weary

Haiku #273 - Chaplin

The band room door for Chaplin the Musical -
they call themselves the Flickers

playing for a show

inside jokes fly 'round the room

work is work and play

Haiku #272 - Zombies

people look at their
electronic devices
not at each other

Haiku #271 - Birthday Bash

the birthday boys: Ray (at the piano), and Brandon (on the mic)

Brandon and Ray share

October birthdays, ergo

drunken birthday bash

Haiku #270 - NY Pizza - La Nostra

Seriously. This is a small. 

i'm going to need
my roommate's help to devour
this "small" spinach pie

People, Places, Things:
La Nostra Pizzeria in my neighborhood - 110th and 2nd Ave. Nothing fancy, just average New York pizza - exactly what the doctor ordered for a cloudy, working-from-home, staying-in-my-PJs kind of day.

And probably three days thereafter, judging by the size of that pie. 

Note on linguistics/immigration/stratification: The menus and other material for this place say "La Nostra" (Italian)... the signage outside says "La Nuestra" (Spanish)...

 I don't think this place is very old, so I don't know what the scoop is behind that discrepancy, but it made me think of the different waves of immigrants who have come through this neighborhood.

Haiku #269 - Music Directors

music directors
meet over beers and discuss
nerdy things and life

Rachael, Emily, me

Steven, Brittany, Geraldine, Sarah

People, Places, Things:
Theatre Music Directors
Valhalla

Haiku #268 - Amigo Duende

amigo duende

let your imagination 

carry you away

Haiku #267 - Uncorked

deep in discussion
about the finer points of 
drama over wine

People, Places, Things:
Uncorked (cute midtown East wine bar)
creative meeting with Nat!

Haiku #266 - Metro Diner

Metro Diner, 100th & Broadway

what better on a

rainy Manhattan evening

than Metro Diner?

Haiku #265 - NY Pizza - Patzeria

Grandma slice from Patzeria.
That it doesn't look so great is due entirely to my lack of photography skills.

if I had to pick

one slice for the rest of life

it would be this one

People, Places, Things:

Patzeria on 46th St between Broadway and 8th Ave -

My go-to pizza joint when I'm in the theater district. Approx the size of a postage stamp. They also have a sit-down Italian restaurant with a small bar a couple blocks away. 

Juan usually serves me my pizza.
The place is filled with show memorabilia (eg upper left corner)