Strongman Spectacular Clusterf---

Last Sunday we decided to go check out the Coney Island Strongman Spectacular. Daring escapes, dudes bending/lifting/towing ridiculous things with insane feats of strength - where else can you see that on a Sunday afternoon?

The Amazing Cardone

Well, apparently you cannot see these things at Coney Island unless you are one of a few lucky people because the event is so disorganized. The first event, Cardone's milk can escape (previously made famous by Houdini) took place on a 5' x 5' stage (if it was that big) in front of the Coney Island Circus Sideshow, which meant that all the people were trying to crowd around 3 sides of this small platform.

Getting Shackled by a Boy Scout

 

A Curtain is Key to Cardone's Illusion

By standing far back, I was able to hold my camera over my head and grab a few decent pictures out of about 100 attempts (lots of sky, backs of random bald heads, wall shots, etc.)  

Spoiler alert: he escaped.

Next up, a guy was going to tow a full-size pickup truck with his teeth. Now, after being a huge fan of those old ESPN World's Strongest Man competitions that aired late nights back in my college days (Magnus ver Magnusson 4-ever!!!), I was incredibly excited about this one. Plus, this event was being held on a long stretch of roadway, so there would be plenty of room for spectators to spread out along the sidewalks on either side so everyone would be able to see.

Wrong! The entire throng of people were crowded in a tiny clump right in front of the truck. We waited around for 15-20 minutes, in which time, numerous pleas were made for spectators to step back onto the sidewalks. Several guys were walking with arms fully spread to try to nudge people backwards, but every time their backs were turned, the crowds filled back in. Even despite people being told there was a safety issue (hello, giant pickup truck being towed in neutral) and that they may be run over if they did not get back onto the sidewalks, people STILL crowded around the front of the truck.

Finally, I gave up. It was clear that we would not be able to actually see anything and I was so incredibly annoyed that the organizers of the event didn't bother setting up any police barriers or ropes or anything to try to control and protect the crowds. Incredibly disappointed, we just decided to leave. If anyone knows where I can buy or learn some patience, please let me know.

We did wander around and take some pictures of the famous Coney Island landmarks, though. This was only my second time there (the first was in 1998) and I had the same impression I had before - Coney Island is sad. The first impression is how incredibly filthy it is compared to many other areas of New York. The second impression is, where are all the people? It was a gorgeous spring Sunday, but there were no lines for the rides and almost no one playing the midway games in spite of, or maybe because of the aggressive carnies (small hands, smell of cabbage).

It just makes me wonder what's going on there. Coney Island could be such a great place, but for some reason, it's just . . . sad. I don't know how else to describe it. As I type this blog post, the local news is reporting about how Mayor Bloomberg was at Coney Island today to announce several new attractions.

Sadly, I'm not sure those are going to help whatever the underlying problem may be with this historic area that's so full of potential.

Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs

Wonder Wheel

Cyclone

Coney Island Circus Sideshow Attraction

Spring Friday at the High Line

Finally - a beautiful spring weekend in NYC! The weather was in the upper 70s, it was sunny and best of all, my good friend Amber came to visit me.

I played hooky from work Friday afternoon and took Amber to the High Line. For my friends in Atlanta, you may or may not have heard that the people who are building/designing the Beltline have been consulting with the guys who did the High Line here in New York. It really is just an amazingly unique type of park. An old, elevated rail line that was no longer in use was turned into a park for city dwellers to enjoy some much-needed outdoor time. It features some amazing views of the city, the Hudson River, the Statue of Liberty and New Jersey.

Empire State Building & Chelsea Rooftops

It also features some lovely grassy areas, which at least 3 young couples were using to put on a fascinating display of dry humpery for the tourists. What's really cool is that they retained a good bit of the old railroad tracks and incorporated them into the design. The spaces between the ties act as planter boxes for some beautiful flowers and plants.

Red Admiral Butterfly

Incorporation of the old Railroad Tracks

I had been to the High Line twice before - once in January when it was 30 degrees and once in July when it was 102 degrees. There was almost no one there for either of those previous visits. This time, however, you could barely move due to the throngs of tourists. So the High Line is probably not the place to go to get your cardio, but I can't think of many more perfect spots to enjoy your lunch and some sunshine during the work day.

We finished the afternoon off with a little shopping in the Meatpacking District, a late lunch of a delicious, shared Croque Monsieur at Pastis and beers over at the Blind Tiger Alehouse in the Village. I've been wanting to try Blind Tiger for a while, as I've heard it's one of the best beer bars in the city, but I was a little disappointed in their draft selection. I will definitely try it again, though. 

After meeting up with Bill when he finished work, we headed back uptown to Izakaya Ten, which has to be one of my favorite places in NYC so far. We had all 3 pork belly dishes and some asparagus and sea bass and some sort of weird octopus nonsense. Then we had a 2nd round of all 3 pork belly dishes. It was an amazing meal, as always and we managed to avoid having a heart attack in spite of all the pork belly.

Cinco de Yacht Rock

When I bought tickets to go see Atlanta's own Yacht Rock Revue several weeks ago, the fact that the show was going to be on Cinco de Mayo totally escaped me. It's just not a "holiday" I usually celebrate, in fact, I have never celebrated it. I just happened to be geeking out over a somewhat shameful love of Steely Dan at a bar with friends, which led to me bringing up Yacht Rock Revue, which led to me looking them up on my phone and finding out they were doing a show in New York in May. Since my friend Mat shares my love of Steely Dan and other late 70s soft rock, we decided we should go see them, much to Bill's dismay.

In spite of the fact that the weather was chilly and gray, and the fact that it was a Cinco de Mayo party and you just never know what kind of nonsense that may mean, we were not disappointed. I think Mat was out of his chair and halfway to the stage about 3 notes into the first song, which was Hall & Oates "You Make My Dreams Come True." I think. The day became very fuzzy very quickly.

Yacht Rock Revue

All I know is that spending a spring afternoon dancing with good friends on a pier with the Hudson River in front of you and the Midtown Manhattan skyline at your back (or vice-versa, depending on how much your drunk, dancing ass is twirling around) was an amazing experience.

I also had another one of my "holy crap we live in freakin' New York City" moments when I turned around & saw this:

Bill with the Empire State Bldg in the Background

Now, feel free to enjoy my favorite Yacht Rock Revue cover - "Rich Girl" by Hall & Oates:

Review: Market Table

For our 4th anniversary last week, we had dinner at Market Table in the West Village. It was a beautiful space with lots of windows letting in natural light and allowing us to enjoy a little people watching between courses. While the food prices were reasonable, I was a bit shocked by the wine prices - there was one glass of red for $12 and they went up from there. Yikes! Instead, I chose a Bordelet Sparkling Pear Cider, which was still $11. I was expecting to receive a 12 oz bottle, but it was actually served in a wine glass so it was maybe 4 oz or so. I'm not sure what a standard size pour is. Next time, I'll probably opt for a cocktail.

We started with the scallop crudo with pineapple, pickled ramps, chili and lime. Let me tell you, those were A LOT of flavors going on in one bite - sweet, sour, spicy. It worked, though and was really lovely and refreshing. Disclaimer: I forgot to take a picture before we started eating - the dish was not served this sloppy.

Scallop Crudo

For main courses, Bill chose the crispy pork cutlet with shaved asparagus, oyster mushrooms and favas. Regrettably, I did not taste it, but since he cleaned his plate, I'm going to assume it was delicious. I chose the braised short ribs with fontina fondue, greens and horseradish crumbs. The short ribs were cooked to perfection and just about melted in my mouth. The fontina fondue was . . . odd. Perhaps it had gotten a bit cold on the way to the table or something, but it was not creamy and dipable like a fondue - it was stiff. You know, like cheese that has been melted and then has started to re-solidify. Regardless, it tasted delicious.

Braised Short Ribs

We also had the spring vegetable risotto with pancetta and parmesan. I wasn't crazy about this dish. It was heavy on peas and I just felt that the flavor of the peas overpowered everything else in the dish.

Spring Vegetable Risotto

In spite of a couple of iffy food issues, we really enjoyed our meal at Market Table and will definitely go again. The service was friendly and the staff was attentive without being intrusive. Also, when they brought our check, they brought along a small autograph book. You could flip through signatures, well wishes and doodles from some of their previous guests and leave your own message. I thought that was a really cool touch.

If you're in New York, check out Market Table. Reservations are definitely required, though. Several groups were turned away for lack of tables while we were there between 7:15 and 8:30 or so on a Wednesday night.