Go…to…the…theater…kiddies–

Ready for the big shoooooooo…jaaaaa!

Pre-performance reading…quite tasty!

Aubrey Plaza, one of the chicks we all loved from the last White Lotus, is playing off-Broadway at the moment. This is her “stage debut” according to her Playbill bio. . .never been seen in a live stage play before ANYWHERE. . .uh-oh, we are concerned, but we give her a chance. . ..

. . .and BOOM she is not bad at all. This is a good part for her: Roberta in ‘Danny and the Deep Blue Sea’…put some of John Patrick Shanley’s words in her mouth, and she is interesting…possibly believable.

And the dude, Christopher Abbott, never heard of him…he gives it up as Danny. . .they both give it up. . .not a bad night out at the theater. . ..not a bad night at all.

Good sets, good lights, good sound, good direction. . .plus, some solid and fun stylized movement bits to move the emotional happenings along in a fantastical manner, and we are good-to-go with this little show.

It’s all happening right now and right here at the Lucille Lortel on Christopher Street. . .buy a ticket or three…check this baby out…you might like it as well. These actors…ALL solid actors everywhere…deserve your support.

I send you live theater vibes from the heart of the West Village. . .feel them. . .they can help you keep moving upward and onward–jaaaa!

It’s lovely out there.

Fort Myers jaunt–

Nicest part of town…Eddy and Hank chose well…mmhhmmm!

Nice shrubbery along the Caloosahatchie River…good job, fellas!

We love the Banyan tree garden/laboratory across the street…veddy tropical.

Hank brought his cars down for the winter…gotta be able to tool around, yes-indeedy-dee!

All this sight-seeing makes us hungry…stone crab claw time–jaaaaa!

So we pop over to Fort Myers, Florida for a little exploration, and BOOM we run smack dab into a lovely property where Thomas Edison and Henry Ford built houses used as winter getaways. . .let’s check these out and see what’s what.

Fort Myers is situated on the banks of the Caloosahatchie River in southwest Florida about 35 miles north of Naples. . .nice setting…chill little downtown area with easygoing eateries and bars along 1st Street…humble condos and shopping all along the river…and somewhat upper-scale houses along Mcgregor Boulevard just south of downtown.

The Mcgregor Boulevard area is where the Edison and Ford estates are located. Edison arrived in the late 19th century, liked the area and built his houses–a main house and a guest house–on a nice spot on the Caloosahatchie. He also built extensive laboratories and research facilities across the street from his houses so he could do his work while here. . .even planted Banyan trees from Asia to see if he could cultivate and produce rubber for the U.S. military. . .this guy was always trying to create and help in any way he could, as his nearly 1,200 patents indicate.

Edison’s buddy, Henry Ford, visited often. . .then fell in love with this area. . .and Thomas encouraged Hank to build a house on the property next to his so they could hang out, chit chat, work and play throughout the winter. . .so he did.

Ford’s house is solid and cozy looking…Edison’s houses are slightly grander and more open-airy looking. . .both are wonderful, but it is fun to see and explore the subtle differences between the structures that reflect the different personalities and vibes of these two past titans of industry.

We highly recommend a visit to this soothing plot of land along the Caloosahatchie River in Fort Myers, Florida. . .so much history…so much vitality…so much to discover…so much to feel and appreciate. . .mmm, aaaahh!

I send you inventive vibes from the heart of Lee County here in southwest Florida. . .feel them. . .they will make you go, “WOWEEWOWOW!”

Time for lunch. . .stone crab claws pleeeezzzzzz!

It’s lovely out there.

#1 fish ‘n’ chips, etc…NYC–

#1 fish ‘n’ chips in NYC…humble-looking, packed with goodness and FLAVOR–you want this!

Crabmeat and zucchini…aromatic and delectable–mmhhmmm!

Squid and shishito pepper skewers…super tasty–jaaaa!

Cod with tomatoes, beans and LOVE…soothing and wonderful!

Berries and cream and meringue and fabulousness…we love too much!

Dame…on MacDougal St. in Greenwich Village…seafood joint extraordinaire. . .you should eat here if you can. . .this place ROCKS!

The chef is a dude called Ed Szymanski…he is part of the team that also runs a place called ‘Lords’–super-tasty pub grub, really good. . .

. . .but if seafood is your thang, then you gotta make your way into Dame.

I am saying it right now: this place serves my favorite version of fish ‘n’ chips in all of New York City, period. The batter is light, tasty and crispy…the fish is delectable, juicy and flaky…and the chips are absolutely delicious–potatoey, golden, lightly salted and totally gobble-worthy. . .mmm, aaaah! You want this stuff in yer belly, trust me, you do.

All other items on the ever-changing menu are delicious as well…during our visit we gobble a crab/zucchini dish that knocks us out with aromatics and flavor….we devour grilled squid and shishito pepper skewers–could eat 800 of these with no problem at all. . .then we do fish ‘n’ chips and a cod served in a tomato/bean stew that is heartwarming and soothing…

…and for dessert we do berries with cream and meringue–this makes us go, “mmm, aaaahh!”

Everything is washed down with a lovely bottle of sauvignon blanc from Austria, yes Austria…crisp, flowery, dry…we love.

Dame is in a tight space on MacDougal…but the staff are smooth, efficient, professional and ever-helpful…we wanna eat here again and again…gotta get busy searching on Resy for another table for our next visit…see you here some time.

Time is short, eat well…

…it’s lovely out there.

Manet/Degas…The Met…NYC–

Heavyweights at The Met…the show of the season–jaaaa!

‘Olympia’…one of Manet’s masterpieces…never been out of France before…see it at The Met NOW!

Degas…ballerinas warming up…soothing and scintillating…BON!

Degas, woman seated by vase of flowers…vital and ALIVE!

‘Battle of Cherbourg’…Manet depiction of battle off coast of France during U.S. Civil War…WOW!

Who did this one?…c’mon, you know who…

‘Cheers’ from the roof of The Met where your presence is requested…mmm, aaaaaah!

KAPOWY! The biggest art show of the moment is happening at The Met NOW…Manet/Degas is totally worthy of your attention. . .check it out any time from now until early 2024.

Many heavy-hitting works are currently on display from these absolute heavyweights of 19th century painting. Manet, the lively bon vivant who painted freely and lived even more freely–he died of syphilis at the age of 51. . .and Degas, the sleek reserved dude who painted like an angel and seems to have lived like one as well…their works allow for great contrasts and lively comparisons of styles, subjects and qualities that all art lovers can appreciate.

There are around 160 works included in this show…many have never been seen outside of France before…and none have been seen side-by-side like this. . .so much eye candy, so little time. . .start lining up NOW cuz this thing is gonna be swamped…

…it was a huge hit at the d’Orsay in Paris earlier this year, and it’s gonna be gigantic here–jaaa!

I send you celebratory vibes from Manet/Degas at The Met. . .feel them. . .they will make you happy to be alive right here, right now.

It’s lovely out there.

Interesting Vietnamese grub…NYC–

Gringo wants some Vietnamese food…let’s get it!

Snail meat sausages wrapped in leaves and a clam salad…both delightful and full of flavor.

Gringo gobble it all…with tasty herbal beverages to wash everything down…NGON!

Platter of pressed noodles, fried tofu, fried intestines, sticky rice sausage and sliced pork…served with authentic shrimp paste dipping sauce…real flavors of Viet Nam…lovely.

Mam is full of good vibes and tasty grub. . .you gotta check out this joint–jaaaa!

BOOM! Pete Wells of the NYTimes loves Mam…so we gotta check it out and see what’s what.

Mam is located on Forsyth St. on the lower east side of Manhattan…very close to Dimes Square, east Chinatown, East Broadway, etc….perfect location for a Vietnamese feed place because it feels a tad like Viet Nam down here. . .they have little plastic stools and tables for seating…very much like street dining in VN, we feel like we are home. . .mmmm, aaaaahh!

A dude called Jerrald Head owns and runs Mam with his Vietnamese girlfriend/wife who he met in Saigon/HoChiMinhCity. This place is organized, efficient and delightful because of these two people…Mam is small…it requires a smooth and focused touch to make it work, and they are finding success because of their professionalism…

…AND because of their food. We gobble tasty appetizers of snail meat sausages and a tangy uplifting clam salad. . .after this we do their main dish: a meat/tofu/noodle platter served with authentic shrimp paste dipping sauce…very tasty, but they serve a small portion of the dipping sauce because gringos tend to be turned off by the pungent and intense nature of the shrimp paste. . .but my wife and I love it…we want more…maybe next time.

The platter is brought to us, and we are told that this is a traditional dish from Ha Noi. . .I have spent many months in Ha Noi over the years, and I have never seen or heard of this thing. . .but whatever, we eat it–pressed noodles, fried tofu, fried intestines, sticky rice sausage, sliced pork…served with herbal leaves and the shrimp paste…we gobble it all and wash everything down with tasty herbal drinks–no alcohol served–and all is quite good.

We will return at some point to try the chef’s pho ga–noodle soup with chicken, Vietnamese style…this is supposed to be delectable. . .we shall see.

Pop on down to Forsyth St….check out Mam…you might like it if you can deal with authentic shrimp paste while gobbling nicely-prepared food in a soothing Vietnamese atmosphere…

…then you can head over to Dimes Square for adult beverages, fascinating people-watching and more delicious dining options…

…so much to sip and eat, and so little time…get to it NOW!

It’s lovely out there.

Buddha galore…The Met, NYC–

The gringo is excited to view rarely seen Buddha stuff from India…om shanti.

Dharma Wheel…here long before gringo, and here long after gringo…ommmm…

Smooth Buddha depiction…first time outside of India…om mani padme hum.

KAPOWY! There is a hot exhibit of Buddha images and relics at The Met right now…we gotta check it out.

This show is full of stone statues, pillars, friezes and chunks of stupas that display a full range of Buddhist imagery in India from 2,000 years ago or so–many never seen outside of India before. . .plus, there are solid gold goblets and ceremonial jewelry that all make us go, “WOW!”…really lovely stuff.

Walking through this show brings back memories of the many temples, monasteries and stupas that we have visited all over the world. . .the atmosphere…the feel…the vibes…the mysteries of existence…the attempts to bring order to the chaos of the universe–it’s all here. . .mmmm, aaaahh!

And then on the way out we get to visit with our old friends Gauguin, Monet, Van Gogh, Cezanne, etc.. . .great museums of the world are wonderful. . .keep supporting and visiting them all wherever you are.

Now we gotta find some lunch…cheers!

It’s lovely out there.

Emilio’s Ballato…as great as ever–

Gettin’ primed for lunch at Ballato…mmm, aaahh!

Caprese…lovely choice for antipasto…mmhhmmm!

Clams oreganoto…another lovely antipasto choice…lemon with pricetag is free-of-charge.

Veal parm that makes you go, “WOW!”

Spaghetti pomodoro…totally worthy of your attention–YES!

Happy boy.

The owner, Emilio/Mario, grants us a photo…magnifico!

WOW! It’s true, Ballato on Houston Street here in beautiful New York Citaaaaaay is still as great as ever. Top notch southern Italian grub served up in a room full of charm and coziness and magic. . .mmm, aaaahh!

Ballato opened in 1956…EVERYONE you have ever heard of has eaten here…why?…because the food is fabulous, that’s why. If you love devouring delicious Italian food, then you must eat here at some point, period, end-of-story.

The staff are chill and totally switched-on…the atmosphere is low-key like Louis-in-the-Bronx from The Godfather…everyone keeps to themselves, sips beverages generously and gobbles the extremely delicious grub knowing that there is nothing better being served anywhere in this big city. . .we all know that things are good here, no need to show off or wonder where else we should be. . .we are here, we are in it, we are lunching at Emilio’s Ballato–jaaaaa!

We start with delicious martinis, then we get busy with our antipasti: caprese and clams oregenoto. . .both wonderful and delicious.

Next we do the magical veal parm–STUPENDO!…and the classic spaghetti pomodoro–delectable and delightful.

We wash everything down with a tasty bottle of montepulciano…perfecto.

To finish, double espresso with a little warm milk on the side. . .lovely.

The current owner, Emilio…or is it Mario?, is here holding court with friends and colleagues at a table in front of the house. . .ever watchful…ever vigilant…making sure that everything is perfect from the delicious warm bread served to every table to the presentation of every bowl of spaghetti pomodoro. . .he even begrudgingly does a photo with us. . .grazie, Emilio/Mario, grazie mille!

So, all of you, know this: you gotta eat here once or twice or three times. . .Ballato wants to put grub and drink in yer belly, sooth you a bit, then send you back out into the wilds of Houston Street to do battle as you do your best to enjoy the passage of time.

Come to Ballato…you will love it–I gar-ron-taaaaaayy!

Now, on to our next lunch…

…it’s lovely out there.

Amagansett has it–

Beach time is the right time for tranquility-ness…jaaaa!

Snack shack attack…mmm, aaaahh!

Breezy grassy sandy tundra of the northeast…okeedokee, if we must.

Nice joint for a short stay…Google to learn more.

Bloody and rose for brekky…always an uplifting choice.

Chicken hash…GOBBLE!

Lobster roll…not too shabby at all…INHALE!

Amagansett branch of one of our favorite dining joints…magnifico!

Cozy Il Buco vibes…stupendo!

Pizza and rose…all day, baby, allllllll daaaaaaaayyyyyy looooonggggggggg!!

KABOOMY! Time for some summer fun in the northeast of the U.S. of A.. . .how about the village of Amagansett out in “The Hamptons” of Long Island? We say, “YES!” Let’s check it out.

A good joint for a quick stay out here is a B-n-B called ‘434 on Main’…we highly recommend this place, a house, on Main Street, with simple bedrooms and tasty breakfast served up by the owners: Cam and Victor Gelb. . .Google to learn more…you will love this place, I gar-ron-taaaayy!

Staying on Main Street means we can park the car and walk everywhere we want to go during our entire stay in Amagansett…

…we can walk to Christian’s by Wolffer Estate in the village for brunch–very tasty…

…we can walk to Il Buco al Mare for din-din–totally delicious…

…we can walk to Atlantic Beach for soothing beach time–wonderfully lovely…

…we can walk to Fini for pizza–surprisingly gobble-worthy…

…we can walk to Amber Waves for supplies–super convenient…

…etc. and so on.

Amagansett is a chill town located between bustling Easthampton and overrun Montauk…

…great choice when you wanna be in ‘The Hamptons’ with minimum effort and maximum enjoyment.

Come on out here when you gotta be in the northeast during the summer…

…Amagansett is ready to welcome you right NOW!

It’s lovely out there.

Dark, light, bright…Liebes loveliness–

Always nice to pop uptown and see what the heck is goin’ on…mmhhmmm!

Check it…this lady is all around us, and we don’t even know it.

You probably have her “Look” somewhere…Google to learn more.

Museums lure us in, and BOOM we learn something new.

Dorothy Liebes rocked fabrics back in the 40s, 50s and 60s…created her own feel and vibe, and folks ate it all up.

She designed fabrics for airline seats, furniture, clothing and so much more…

…she established thriving studios in San Francisco and New York City…

…hard enough to do as an up-and-coming designer, even harder as a woman back in the male-dominated mid-20th century.

Google to learn all about this dynamic design force: Dorothy Liebes…

…even better, check out this show at the Cooper-Hewitt here in NYC…

…and maybe you can get her “Look” for yourself, if you are determined and plucky.

Now we gotta go get some lunch for ourselves after all of this museum viewing…

…what would Dorothy eat after viewing fabrics?…hmmm, let me see…

…possibly something light, bright and DELECTABLE.

It’s lovely out there.

Top lunch…Milano–

Time for lunch in this fabulous joint…let’s put a feed on!

First gotta do a negroni just around the corner to get warmed up…slurrrrp!

Burrata and tomatoes for antipasti…my favorite in Milan.

Melon and ham…especially delightful in this joint.

Risotto alla milanese…heavenly, absolutely wonderful…I’m in love.

Seafood pasta extraordinaire…stupendo!

Branzino baked in salt…yes, you may serve it, signore.

Branzino removed from salt and bone…veggies…GOBBLE!

The gringo is totally satisfied here…bellissimo.

This…restaurant…ROCKS!

il Salumaio di Montenapoleone is my favorite lunch joint in Milan…WOW…love it here.

Located in a high-end shopping section of town this place reeks of comfort, style and soothingness…which is what all of the clientele here want…desire…crave.

We walk the streets before lunch, and they are charming…filled with lovely clothing shops, shoe shops, jewelers, etc.. . .we are seduced. And to make things worse there is a chill little aperitivo joint right around the corner from the restaurant…we pop in, slurp down a couple negronis, then head on over to lunch.

We have reservations, we announce ourselves, and we are whisked to a relaxing outdoor table in the magnificent courtyard…this place is busy, there is no room for us on the inside…tables are filled with business people, fashion people and loungers like us all looking to enjoy the passage of time over good food and drink. . .we feel at ease here…mmmm, aaaahh!

We start with Prosecco and fizzy water…then we get busy with food…

…for antipasti we do burrata with tomatoes and melon with ham…both are delicious, the burrata is huge–oblong–delectable…maybe my favorite burrata in all of Milan.

For primi we do risotto all milanese and seafood pasta…both are wonderful…my risotto makes me go, “YUH-MEEEEEEE!”…we love both of these dishes.

For secondi I do whole branzino baked in salt…the meat is juicy, tasty and fabulous…all fish should be cooked this way…really good.

Everything is washed down with a solid Etna bianco…we could not be happier at this moment.

WOW…this is my favorite lunch experience in Milan thus far…this restaurant is really really good. The owners are flitting about making sure people are happy…the whole joint is filled with a fun mix of business folks from all over the world…the staff are extremely helpful and welcoming…the vibe is soothing and scintillating…and the grub and drink are outstanding…we love it here–MWAH!

I strongly recommend that you do lunch at il Salumaio di Montenapoleone if you ever find yourself in Milan. . .you will love this place–I gar-ron-taaaay!

On to our next lunch…

…it’s lovely out there.