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.

Sippin’ on the Hudson–

Dis is da place for riverside sippin’…jaaaa!

Riverside sippin’ for the win.

And always gotta do a little gobblin’…mmhhmmm!

C’mon now…spring has sprung…the sun is tryin’ to break through…and we are ready for beverages and grub–jaaaa!

This is the perfect time to hit a joint called Grand Banks on Pier 25 way down on the lower west side of Manhattan.

Grand Banks is a restaurant/bar owned and operated by two dudes from New Orleans: the Pincus brothers, Alex and Miles.

They have built this establishment on the deck of a old schooner…their website says the boat dates back to 1942…niiice! The schooner is docked on Pier 25 right on the bank of the Hudson River…offering us views of New Jersey, Hudson River Park, Statue of Liberty, etc….it is a lovely spot for some sippin’ and snackin’.

We love to pop over here during weekday afternoons for roe-zay-all-day and a few victuals like caviar hash browns, French fries, lobster rolls and whatever else tickles our tastebuds…this timing is best because there are no crowds…

…but at night and on weekends this place is packed…not fun for us, but you might like if you are on the prowl for action beyond eating and drinking.

In any case, Grand Banks is totally worth your attention as the temperature warms and your appetites come alive. . .

. . .do this joint some time, you will love it–I gar-ron-taaaay!

On to our next meal…

…it’s lovely out there.

Rose and air show…salud!

Niiiice! The Fly Boys are flyin’ by, and we are sippin’ away. . .quite exhilarating–jaaaa!

We got transport planes and fighter jets and escort jets and sonar/radar planes and helicopters and a great big stealth bomber. . .WOW!

It’s so silly, I know, but I really wish none of this stuff was necessary. Humans are ridiculous when they form groups of more than 2 individuals, so it is wise to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Might as well create and own the most powerful stuff if you’re gonna participate in this game, right? Right…blaaaaaah.

The rose goes well with this display of air capabilities…I highly recommend it.

I send you secure vibes from the eastern coast of North America…feel them…they are mildly distracting.

It’s lovely out there…believe it or not.

Read, snack, sip, repeat–

JAAAA!  We made it through week 89 of the lockdown, or at least it feels like 89 or 72 or 95. . .oh, wait, it’s only week 6…ok, got it, hangin’ in there nonetheless.

A great lockdown routine includes good readin’, good eatin’ and even better sippin’. . .all with a loved-one close by. . .mmmm, aaaaahh!

Here are some recommendations for you if you are lookin’ for good stuff to consume:

For readin’ I strongly recommend “The Stories of John Cheever”…WOWEEWOWOW!  I had never read this guy before, and I gotta say, Cheever ROCKS!  Compact, tense, hard-hitting and poetic are some of the adjectives that apply to these stories.  Cheever loves adjectives and uses them with power…yet uses them only when needed.  Thank you for not overdoing it, Mr. Cheever…hope you don’t mind my usage here.

This collection won the Pulitzer back in 1978 or so…also a number of other awards.  Most of the stories first appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, etc. in the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. . .they are organized chronologically giving you a good taste of his evolution as a writer over the years.  Plus, there are no duds in the collection–none…nearly every story made me go, “YAMMALAMMADINGDONG!  Get this collection, read it…it’s perfect for the lockdown…you will enjoy.

After reading a few of the Cheever gems make yourself a snack of sliced tomatoes and sliced mozzarella just for the heck of it…season with salt and pepper to your liking, generously douse with olive oil, lightly douse with a good vinegar, then sprinkle with lots of fresh basil.  Gobble this down with a loved one. . .

. . .then find yourself a nice bottle of wine and chug-a-lug away.  We are already into the rose routine–‘rose-all-day’ and all that–even though it’s still not warm outside yet.  But who cares, our hearts our warm with love for the universe, we have good things to read and eat and drink…we have indoor plumbing…electricity is still on giving us lots of wi-fi and television and light…we have clean water, showers, heating, door locks and double-pane windows to keep the heat in and the noise out…washing machine, dryer, nice bedding, etc.

We have so much to be thankful for, and so do you…be sure to have gratitude for all of the good that you have.

Treatments will be available for this virus thing sooner than we think–the pharmaceutical folks are working their asses off to make it happen…meanwhile, stay hunkered down until we get the ‘all clear.’  It’ll be here before we know it.

Let’s see…what are we going to read, eat and drink next?. . .let me see. . .

It’s lovely out there.

Mi nachos, su nachos–

GOBBLE!  Jus’ sittin’ around durin’ a global lockdown playin’ wit chili and cheese and jalapeños and sour cream and corn chips…dat’s all…nothin’ to see here. . .

. . .but a lot to EAT here. . .mmmm, aaaah!

Make some tasty basic snacks and wash them down with a delectable beverage…Miraval rose, for example.  It is definitely rose-all-day during a ‘safer-at-home’ order. . .ok, we will comply, we will comply to the very best of our ability–mm-hhmm!

Keep doin’ what you are doin’ wherever you are…you got this…we got this. . .I think.

I send you snack vibes from pandemicville somewhere in the midwest of the U.S. of A.. . .feel them. . .they will make you go, “thanks, may I have another and an another and. . .!”

It’s lovely out there and here and everywhere.

People ‘n’ stuff…NYC–

POW!  Back here in da big citaaaaay things are ever-evolving and ever-happening.

Jonathan Waxman is closing his famous restaurant, Barbuto, at the end of this month.  Another wonderful icon of delightful dining disappearing because of rent being raised and inability to strike a deal with the landlord.  Great, there will soon be space for another CVS…blaaaaahh!

Waxman is well-known as an early proponent of California-style Italian cuisine…his roasted/grilled chicken with salsa verde is legendary…Google him to learn more.  We are honored by the opportunity to pop into Barbuto one more time, sip some rose, and share our respect with this bad-ass chef.

He says we should not be sad that he is closing…he says that there will be a “reprieve” in another space just up the block…we sip our rose and do our best to believe him.  Let it be so. . .saluti!

Oh, and Pharrell is in town, too. . .over at the Parsons School of Design benefit.  He says, “say ‘yes’ to creativity!”  We concur. . .YES!

I send you invigorating vibes from Barbuto and Parsons and all of the streets of New York City. . .feel them. . .they will help you keep your mind open real wide…jaaaa!

It’s lovely out there.

Great brunch…Chicago–

MMM!  We love a good brunch, and Tavern On Rush delivers on all fronts. . .let’s check it out and see what’s what.

Tavern On Rush is located on, you-guessed-it, Rush Street here in the heart of Chicago. . .right across the street from Gibson’s, another of our favorite gobble spots in town. . .but right now we are focused on brunch.

This ‘tavern’ has outdoor seating and they can even open up the windows to allow the outside in when dining inside…jaaaa!

The staff here are switched-on and helpful. . .the bloody marys are rich and spicy. . .the charcuterie board is loaded with really good salumis, prosciutto, mortadella, cornichons, chunks of delectable parmesan cheese, grilled toast wedges, and delicious pickled onions.  This board makes us smile real wide. . .most wonderful!

We also devour a classic eggs Benedict–as tasty as any I have ever had–and a refreshing wedge salad that is crisp and delightful.

We wash everything down with glasses of rose. . .in fact, we could do our rose all day here because this place has strategically placed tvs to watch “the game,” and the overall vibe is relaxed and easygoing.

Please consider popping into the Tavern On Rush any time day or night. . .they do good lunches, brunches, and din-din. . .I am confident that you will find something to like in this centrally-located institution.

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.

Miami vices–

BOOM!  We love the heat…we love the sun…we love the prosciutto…we love the octopus…we love the ice cream sundaes…we love the bloody marys by the pool. . .we love EVERYTHING in Miami–so happy to be back.

It is always a good thing to arrive early at your hotel–wherever you are…no worries.  When we have to wait for our room to be ready we simply head to the bar/restaurant and start gobbling.  Here at the Soho Beach House in central Miami Beach they serve fabulous food and tasty drinks, as you can see above, so all is good, real good.

Don’t fret. . .arrive at your hotel early. . .listen to the staff ramble on about your early arrival, the room still being cleaned, etc. then just ask where the bar/restaurant is…smile…and head there.  They will find you when the room is ready. . .and if they don’t, still no worries cuz your belly will be full, and your mind will be alive with visions of beach time, extensive reading, warm walks by the ocean, and warm nights with your loved one. . .mmmm, aaaaahh!

I send you everything-is-better-at-the beach vibes from Miami Beach. . .feel them. . .they are good for your circulation.

To see more incredible images from around planet Earth simply click on a location of your choice in the category menu on the ‘About’ page of this blog. . .do it. . .so much to see and soooo little time.

It’s lovely and warm out there.