To commemorate the weekend boondoggle, here goes the running diary. We pick up the action in Stamford following a entirely too early wake up and suit up for a phantom interview.9:43 The express to Grand Central is way more crowded than it should be. Who are these people who need to get to work by 10:30? Are they just cheap and waited for the first off peak train (like me)? My bag nearly lands on some poor old lady as I hoist it to the overhead rack. The thing's got to be heavier than what I packed for seven months away. I've already forgotten how to pack.
10:07 The in-train film is part of 'The Dark Knight.' Wonder how the recession effected Wayne Enterprises. Did Morgan Freeman come back to him and say, "Sorry, Bruce. Corporate real estate is taking a bath, can't come up with that new suit 'til next quarter." That's what's really lost in this crisis. The billionaire ninja crime fighter's R&D budget.
10:48 Arrive in the city and walk across to 8th Ave to drop bag off at sister's office. The building is strategically located between Port Authority and Penn Station which basically makes it the Cantina scene from Star Wars.
10:59 Sister arrives, overworked and under caffeinated. I think I can see her blood pressure down-regulating.
11:03 God, I hate the extra 25 cents the per ride subway costs. This more than anything so far today has motivated me to get back into the city full time. Just so I can buy the monthly pass and use it like the open bar at a wedding. In either case, you're losing money on this guy.
11:10 Can someone find me the guy who decided the 7th and 8th Avenue subway lines shouldn't have their northbound or southbound local and express trains share the same platform at 34th Street so I can smack them upside the head?
11:30 Haircut, West Village. Screaming child in the chair before me (which is odd, because I don't go to the place where I sit in the rocket ship anymore). The impeccably dressed mother restraining him seems more embarrassed by the screaming than the Central American nanny sitting next to me babysitting the stroller.
12:05 Time to decide what to eat for lunch, which is probably the most important decision of the day. While traveling it's the thing I have the most control over and want to screw up the least. Settle on Corner Bistro, haven't been there in a while.
12:21 Corner Bistro - Immediately order Bistro Burger, fries and a beer at the bar. The place is so old, the bathrooms look like closets installed years after construction to appease some newfangled, forward looking health regulation. Jazz plays softly and the wood of the bar always feels a little sticky. You're going to see a few flies but know they have good taste like you. For my money, it's the best burger in New York. Impressive, as they're cooked on what looks like a giant Foreman grill. The kicker is that the fries and bacon cooked in the same fryer.
12:41 Old timer at the corner of the bar has a horseshoe earring, bottomless Heineken, weathered Yankees cap and needs a four letter Senator who has been to space to complete his crossword. (it's E.J. "Jake" Garn of Utah, thank you internet).
12:50 I wish Billy Mays was still alive so he could hock Yankee Stadium grass on YES.
1:12 Back on the E Train to get bag again in Midtown. Eventually to a bus to EWR. Let's hope the juice is worth the squeeze.
