1718 to 2018–

WHO DAT!

New Orleans is three hundred years old this year, and the good times are rolling as magically as ever.

Since 1718 this town has welcomed people of every race, color and creed–sometimes under unhappy and repressive circumstances–into its arms and allowed them the chance to thrive and become something.  All of the history of this place–good and bad–is openly recognized, acknowledged and used to educate all residents and visitors with the hope of moving toward being more cooperative and more tolerant humans.

Great food, drink and music are the fruits of the past and ongoing hustle and bustle of New Orleans…everyone bumps into everyone else here at one point or another–it’s not a big place–and the Creole mish-mash of cultures has given us flavors and fragrances and sounds that are experienced nowhere else on Earth. . .mmm, aaaahh–this makes for extremely fun and interesting times each and every day here.

Please come on down to New Orleans some time…come on down for another visit if you have been here before…come on down from wherever for whatever. . .New Orleans is always ready to welcome you–especially as she celebrates her 300th birthday and anticipates at least 300 more…

…happy birthday, New Orleans!!

I send you tasty and invigorating vibes from NOLA. . .feel them. . .they will lift you higher.

To see more amazing images from around our teeny tiny planet simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .dive on in. . .so much to see and sooooo little time.

It’s lovely out there.

Sustainable sushi–

POW!  He’s a white guy from California…he went to school in Florida…he moved to Texas where he ended up working with a sushi master–he learned sushi well from this guy…and now he is in the East Village of Manhattan here in New York City serving up delectable omakase sushi and cooked items that are more sustainable than traditional omakase sushi and cooked items. . .oh, and he has only been to Japan once for a brief vacation–WOW–let’s check this dude out and see what’s what.

Jeff Miller is his name…he calls his joint Mayanoki…we ask what Mayanoki means, he says, “nothing, my friends and I just made it up one night while drinking.”  Love it!

While in Texas he developed a love for Japanese cuisine and sushi in particular…but, like many of us, he became concerned about the depletion of the most popular and traditional sushi ingredients: blue fin tuna, yellow tail tuna, snapper, uni, etc., and he is now trying to serve only local ingredients from the northeast U.S. in an effort to expand the palate of sushi lovers and widen the number of potential ingredients that will be acceptable to folks who love raw fish.

Jeff serves us triggerfish…in fact, he serves a wide variety of triggerfish that are all caught off the coast of New Jersey, and this stuff is good.  There are lots of triggerfish in the sea so depletion of this resource is not a worry at the moment. . .he serves us uni from Santa Barbara–good that he is avoiding uni from Hokkaido which are quite over harvested, but the Santa Barbara uni is also over harvested…ah, what to do, what to do?  This stuff is so delectable and tasty…I guess we can move on to the newer purple uni that is showing up in some restaurants…hmmmm.

Anyway, this guy is trying to do a good thing for the fish population while at the same time satisfying our appetite for tasty raw fish morsels, and we say that he is doing a fabulous job.

Everything the Jeff serves us is prepared with care, precision, and flare…we gobble every last morsel he presents to us.  He works alone in his preparation…his girlfriend, Brianna, serves us sake and keeps all of our plates and serving platters fresh and clean as the meal progresses.  We are very happy here…many thanks to both Jeff and Brianna–you guys ROCK!

Make your way down to Mayanoki located on East 6th Street between Avenues B and C…but make sure you reserve online ahead of time.  There are only 8 seats at Jeff’s counter…he does two seatings per night…book your space, arrive on time, and ENJOY!

Hai, y’all!!

It’s lovely out there.

#1 sushi dude…NYC–

MMM!  This guy gets our vote for the current number one sushi master in all of New York City…his name is Ichimura…he plies his trade at a joint called Uchu…if you love sushi, then you should eat here some time before you or he passes.

Uchu is located on Eldridge Street near Stanton Street down in the lower lower east side of Manhattan.  Back in 1991 I did my first play in New York City in this section of town. . .it was mostly empty, run down, with only Katz’s Deli nearby serving up the best pastrami sandwiches in town–perhaps the world.

And now this neighborhood has high-rises, sleek apartments, tons of delectable restaurants, lots of great bars, a Whole Foods, Katz’s is still going strong, AND Ichimura is here serving up fabulous omakase meals of sushi and cooked dishes in Uchu…we are all so lucky to have him here–mmmm, aaaahh!

Ichimura is a sushi master, period.  There are only ten seats in this place where it is an honor to have him prepare everything right before our very eyes with skill, joy, and precision…and even more of an honor that we get to ingest everything that he presents to us with even more joy. . .hai!

There is no better sushi being served in New York at the moment. . .get on down here and gobble this stuff–you will love it all, I gar-ron-taaaaayy!

You gotta reserve online to eat here…go to uchu.com to learn more.

I send you soothing and tasty vibes from Uchu. . .feel them. . .they will set everything right for you.

It’s lovely out there.

Brunch with a punch–

BAM!  Our new favorite brunch spot in New York City is Lure Fishbar located on the corner of Prince and Mercer Streets in the Soho section of Manhattan. . .mmm, aaaahh!

Oysters, crab claws, thick bacon, and traditional eggs benedict with crispy hash browns and bitter greens are all delectable here. . .plus, when we wash everything down with bloody marys and a bottle of rose everything becomes magical.

Lure is great for dinner–everyone knows this…but we think it is even greater for brunch. . .come on down here yourself some time and try it–I am willing to bet a large splodge of wonga that you will LOVE IT!

To see more amazing images from around our teeny tiny planet simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .dive on in. . .so much to see and sooooo little time.

It’s lovely out there.

Raucous live theater–

“I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!”

Run on over to the Belasco Theatre here in New York Citaaaay and see ‘Network’ NOW!

Bryan Cranston is great…the play is crisp, lively, and impactful–all based, of course, on the wonderful Paddy Chayefsky story/movie from way back when…the set and technology serve the story well with magic and pizazz…but the cast is a little “uneven” as they say in the biz.  No worries though cuz Cranston is spot on and full of power, pathos, and humanity.  Well worth the effort to get here, put down some ducats, and get razzed by this fun production.

Live theater and all of the arts are the only things that separate us humans from the animal kingdom. . .you should support them all in whatever way that you can.  Cheers!

It’s lovely out there.

Midwest chillin’–

YES!  We are chillin’ in the chilly midwest. . .autumn is in the air, brooks are babbling, falls are falling, and the air is sweet and clean. . .mmm, aaaahhh!

Governor Dodge State Park is just up the road from the Lands’ End world headquarters…nice to pop in here and see what’s what every now and them.  This park was created from land donated to the State of Wisconsin by a farmer who died back in the 1930s or so.  Streams were dammed, lakes were created, and sand was trucked in to create beaches for folks to enjoy in the summer…veddy nice!

Stephens’ Falls are a good example of typical ‘driftless’ landscape.  This is part of the “Driftless Region” of Wisconsin. . .the Driftless Region is an area where the ice age glaciers did not cover and mash down the landscape ten thousand years ago like they did in many other areas of the midwest.  This land remained glacier-free, and this allowed the cliffs, bluffs, and other rock outcroppings to remain for our hiking and viewing pleasure through all of the years leading to today.  We love the Driftless Region, and you should too.

To learn more simply Google ‘driftless region’ and ‘Governor Dodge State Park.’  By the way, Governor Dodge is a dude called Henry Dodge. . .Henry signed the documents that made Wisconsin a state back in the 1830s, and he was subsequently made the first governor of the Badger State.  Cheers to Henry Dodge…jaaaaa!!

To see more stupendous images from around our teeny tiny planet simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .dive on in. . .you can go just about anywhere that you like right here, right NOW.

It’s lovely out there.