The White Horse

This tavern in the West Village was
opened in 1880. Dylan Thomas drank
(and drank and drank) here, and supposedly
Jack Kerouac was kicked out more than
once. Other famous patrons included
Thomas's namesake Bob, Jim Morrison,
Norman Mailer, and James Baldwin.
When I went by on this summer Sunday,
it looked like a nice mix of locals and
tourists, and the usual bridge-and-
tunnel crowd.

Alice

Every small child's favorite statue
(mine too) in Central Park— Alice
and friends are 50 this year.

kid food?

Monday I showed you a store on
Sullivan Street in the Village that sells
hookahs. And now for something
completely different: This place is
right across the street from City
Underground. I'm not about to
go in and order a $6 PB&J, but I'm
a bit sorry I didn't get a jar of
their "The Heat Is On" peanut
butter, blended with chili powder,
cayenne, and crushed red peppers.
Move over, Peter Pan!

Skywatch Friday

A couple of years ago, to celebrate the
21st birthday of a very special young
man who didn't make it quite that far,
his family wrote messages of love on
balloons and we sent them up to him.

Hot dog!

Must admit, I've never understood the appeal.
But it's a big deal here in Brooklyn. Last year's
winner broke his own record at this year's
4th of July contest—go, Joey!
I stopped in at this flagship Nathan's the
weekend before the contest and ate
precisely ONE (1) hot dog. It did have
sauerkraut on it, though. They have to
post calories on the menu (more than
2,000 for a double cheeseburger!) and
the hot dog has 309. So at 68 dogs,
Joey consumed 21,012 calories (and
1,360 grams of fat) in 10 minutes!
(That's about how many calories I
consume in 2 weeks! How about you?)

abc wednesday - Z is for "zucchini blossoms"

These were for sale at the Mercato Centrale,
in Florence. Some people like them stuffed
with rice or ricotta cheese. I prefer them on
their own, dipped in a light batter, fried,
then sprinkled with a tiny bit of sugar.
How about you?

Allons, enfants!

Happy Bastille Day to all francais
and fellow francophiles! Here's my
Parisian offering for this special day!