farewell with the sharrets

Dani (nee Karp) and Eric Sharret have been our solid partners in crime here in the big apple, they have both hosted and introduced us to some very fun pockets of manhattan and beyond. The most recent installment was across the water in Brooklyn, a very famous institution aka Grimaldis http://www.grimaldis.com/. We were treated to the "best pizza in greater New York" an institution it was, not to mention the stunning views looking back at Manhattan. A fun night had by all, except that Eric didn't want to be seen as the tourist but that didn't stop his dear wife from snapping away! BTW - see if you can make out the photo of Vince Vaughn in the b/ground.

"Lord get me high..."

No don't worry, I'm not gettin' all Waco-Texas on you guys, but it was amazing to see Jerusalem in the snow, adding an aura of mysticism to the city...as well as a counter-balance to relieve the streets of yet another "Hadassah 'Tennessee' Solidarity Visit"...Anyhoo, we took the chance to go with friends to the Kotel / Western Wall to see it in the snow. The inclement weather had emptied most of the plaza of people, so we had ring-side 'seats', as well as having all the beggars to ourselves (cool), a plentiful supply of purveyors of religious amulets, red strings and trinkets (cooler) and (being the only ones actually standing at the wall by this time in the frost and snow), one could also say we the equivalent of a "high-speed internet connection to G-D" (insane...)

The snow came thick and fast, and for a while there we were worried, as we had driven in from Tel Aviv to a dinner in Jerusalem for....you guessed it - Yoni and Lea (check previous posts for full de-classified briefings on the who's and what's) - and I could see us slip-sliding in the car all the way back to Tel-Aviv that night on the winding, busy and fast and furious highway No.1...but never fear, the snow eased and all was well.... Yeah and the dinner was brilliant, its was like a last hurrah, followed by another last hurrah (in the form of 'final drinks' - just one - at a local haunt) and then one final hurrah out in the street (by now a hurrumph). We then bade farewell to our friends, returned to Tel-Aviv and by jeez-by-jingo, here we are back in New York....

'Us' at "the dinner"....pre the "last hurrah no.1"

From Sea to Shining Sea

We're baaack....yep, back in ol' NYC, the Big Apple, the City of Dreams etc., after a mad, exciting, enjoyable trip to Israel (photos below), many good times. There are quite a few 'sub-posts' and photos to show, so this entry is but an 'intro.'...here we go:

Scene 1: We arrived in Israel on a sunny winter's day, (and were grateful for the change after 2-3 very cold days in NYC), caught up the family and, as one would expect....headed to the Herzliya Marina...Its a favourite spot of ours - nearby to my sister's place, with a stunning ocean view (Am I a salesman or what)? Anyways, the 'kids' are below:










Scene 2: The 'Girls'...well Nic and our nieces in any case...









Scene 3: The jetsetting couple:









It's always great to catch-up and see how the 'young ones' have grown up. I mean you can imagine how proud I was when I heard that Akiva (my eldest nephew) was into Metallica and Iron Maiden (and I mean into it) and Channah (my eldest niece), was begging her mother for a nose-ring....yes the zionist dream is being fufilled....Batsheva (child no.3) and Erza (child no.4) - phew, I am exhausted thinking about it as well - are still too young and innocent (at least I think so)...

As noted in a previous entry, the wedding itself was amazing, some snappies:

Scene 1: Ready to rumble:









Scene 2: The bride and grrom in the 'thick of it':









Scene 3: Gettin' down'

The Wedding Singer

A great night was had by one and all at Yoni and Lea' wedding (photo's forthcoming). A terrific venue, pumping atmosphere and we danced till the wee hours...well after 1:00am anyways...

It was quite cool having people from all corner's of the globe, even someone from Baltimore, Maryland. One of Yoni's friend's was the officiating Rabbi and all of us were given an honour of one sort, which was cool - gave it all a young vibe...One thing though, despite the 'young vibe' I think some us are starting to show our age, when 4-5 of us tried to lift Yoni on a chair (and he's not a heavy bloke at all), there was much groaning going on. Yes I think that slow yet steady descent into the sunset is beginning (bring on the dencorub, mild strolls in the park and camomile tea)!

Today we will probably head to the Neve Tzedek area of Tel Aviv, a hip-bohemian area filled with cafe's, bar's and shops...uhm...cafe's, bar's and shops and about 3 mllion feral cats. A cross between Soho and an RSPCA refuge.

Hearing all sorts of amazing things about the Aussie's slamming it at the MCG. Between the internet and regular updates from my father-in-law (thanks Les) - we're keeping abreast of it all. There are actually stacks of cricket fans here (with the mix of Britons, Sth. Africans and Aussies) so its all followed quite closely and is reported in the english papers.

We have another 1-2 dinners / get-togethers with the crew here until we return to the US of A, and round-up our time in New York (cry of horror), then start winding our way through Vegas and to California...hard to believe that the majority of this adventure is now behind us...jeez what a melancholy sign-off.....hey we're gonna keep kickin ass and takin' names y'all....that's better.... (sigh)

The Land of Milk Honey...and mad drivers

OK, OK, we are back on air....been in Israel a few days and its been 'veerry goot'. Hanging out with mates who have come from Australia (and other locales) to celebrate our mate Yoni's - wedding. It was like the re-union scene at the end of St.Elmo's Fire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Elmo's_Fire_(film) sans' Demi Moore...but I think I saw Andrew McCarthy at the Western Wall.

Lots of carousing, slapping each other on the back, spilling cheap beer on each other, and additional slapping of backs (all very blokey).... Got the wedding today, so we will get out our formal t-shirts and shorts (and of course fancy sandals) and party like its...1967?!? "Huh" you say - OK, the reference is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_Like_It's_1999

In the remaining 3-4 days we'll check out a few more sights and sounds, whilst trying to avoid causing an international incident. Will update post-wedding, pre-detox...Shalom! P.S - photos will be posted once the military censor (Lt. Col. Nicole G Brooks) clears for publication.

Do not adjust the settings on your PC

OK folks, tomorrow we head off to Israel to attend the wedding of a close mate of ours. We'll be there for about 12 days and promise to send in regular updates of all comings-and-goings (although may take 1-2 days to get going)...but wait there's more...we'll also post some more 'retrospective' entries on recent activities in NYC....all this guaranteed, or your money back!

Freestyling

OK all you hot-cats, we had a great Saturday night the "Jazz at the Lincoln Center" (http://www.jalc.org/). Great music and views over Central Park. Although I wasn't wearing my "Zoot-Suit", and although Nic or I weren't born in Harlem (and I'm not sure how many jazz greats originated in Lodz, Poland)...we felt like cool-cats nonetheless. You can really get lost trying to choose which band / concert to head to....and with the clock starting to tick louder on our time left here, we still have plenty more to see and much mosh-pitting ahead of us...

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity...

...The sun behind Washington Square, the squirrels scurrying up the trees, the rush of (wannabe-actors-writers-dancers) students running late to class....so we decided to take a photo of ourselves...oh yeah and the Washington Square 'Arch'.

"Crossing Delancy"

As we wandered down the streets of the lower-east-side being pestered to buy "genuivine Leether jeekets" by Russian oligarchs-on-the-rise, you could sense (and I think smell) the generations of immigrants that came through this area on their way to a better life in "Ahmerika". There are still remnants (some of them living!) of these immigrant waves - Irish pubs, chinese trading-houses and "Joooish" .....you guessed it - "Shmatteze-traders" (is that the correct spelling...wait I will check with our Italian-American superintendent...he speaks a mean 'Bialystoker yiddish').

We stumbled across a local museum (www.tenement.org) dedicated to preserving the memories and experiences of those who lived here. Quite a testament to...the tenements! (Ha). No really, one can virtually trace how Matze-Ball soup and Won-Ton soup crossed paths to become "Hot-Pot-Chicken "fusion" food (or as its called in the USA "Taco Bell"). Photo's by our resident "genioos" Dr. N. G. Brooks!

"I'll have what she's having"

Aahhh, those famous words spoken during the 'fake orgasm' scene in 'When Harry Met Sally'...why I am thinking of that...well...we headed to "Katz's Deli" - home of heart-stopping food, with the walls covered in pictures of famous people (I'm not sure if I prefer the shot of James Gandolfini with the surly look in his eye, or Bill Clinton holding a 'Salami' - bada-bing!), and the 1950's bathroom's with sawdust on the floor. Amazing, delicious, and oh so bad for us...but nic and I....we live on the edge!Link here: http://www.katzdeli.com/. Photos below. Cheerio for now.

The Weather Man

Hang on....is that who we think it is? Danny Glover...no, Michael Jackson...hmmm...no, Denzel - hell no! - its "Al Roker"...who? What you don't know the greatest weather Guru this side of Dave "Stretch" Brown !?! Hey, Al always gets the weather right...you know he's so good, he should...no he must run for President!

corner bistro

What an institution this was - its called the Corner Bistro (http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7117729). Waiting patiently for a table is part of the gig, you're supposed to wait and wait till you've drunk enough you've built up an apetite, so even if you were not hungry when you got there you certainly are by the time you're seated. The queue bends around the bar and the juke box so that is a source of entertainment so too is the rude bartender who snubs off aussies after requesting a lemon, lime, bitters! That'll be a sprite and bitters right, well no time to answer, you get what you're given. Anyways, a bit like a speakeasey old timber booths and rusty beer smells but worth a visit nonetheless.

Yep...I'll have the martini shaken

So we saw the new 007 movie. For those of you who know us - well me...- you'll know that I have been a loyal Bond fan (even during the 'Dark Ages' of Roger Moore and 'Moonraker'). I have to say that this installment hit the mark and I can proudly take my 007 lunchbox and action figures out and into the light again...and yes, yes to all those who are thinking "right, now Zvi wants to join MI6" (you know who you are!)...all I can say is..well I am still thinking about it...(depends on whether I get the Aston Martin thrown in or not).

Family Ties

A great weekend, caught up with family including meeting some 'new' cousins of ours for the first time. We grabbed dinner and had bonding sessions all round. Nothing like some good dinner out to bring it all together.

We didn't get a chance to get to Blue Note last week, but aiming to get there asap, also want to check out Cafe 'Wa' and some other hotspots to soak up the local scene, and hey with the weather now starting to turn on us, we'll be soaking up a whole lot more...By the way some more 'star-spotting' - namely her http://www.geocities.com/simplystephanieuk/Main.html and him: http://www.imdb.com/gallery/granitz/927-hol/Events/927-hol/slotnick_jerry2.html?path=pgallery&path_key=Slotnick,%20Joey.... hmmm, looks familiar...OK so a bit 'B' grade, but hey we'll keep searching to keep y'all happy.

No sleep to Brooklyn

Brooklyn (or Bwwooklyn as its known), was our latest adventure. We were advised to make our way to this borough by walking the Brooklyn Bridge (which we did):

Amazing views back towards Manhattan (unfortunately wasn't a very clear day, so its hard to get the full 'view').

Anyways, once we got there we made our way through downtown Fulton towards 5th Ave., 7th Ave., and the Park Slope neighbourhood. I was expecting to bump into Lou Reed sitting at his favourite coffee shop...or Spike Lee filming his new epic...but to no avail. Anyways, we enjoyed checking out this area, cool shops, good coffee and an interesting bohemian / yuppie mix. We weren't sure whether to wear our Dodgers t-shirts with sleeves rolled-up to expose our tattoes or tuck-in our Polo-shirts whilst casually twiddling with a set of 'Volvo' car keys...so we decided to make do with the be-draggled, Aussie tourist look, that we have perfected.

We wandered up to Park Slope and the famous Brooklyn Library....and then up to 770 Eastern Parkway - (said in that deep voice from the Mars Bar commercial) - that's right, the worldwide headquarters of "Chabad Lubavitch". It was a sense of curiosity that led us up there, and certainly once we got there (the subway station stop right outside 770) we could sense and see the mad rush as people were running around getting ready for Shabbat etc. Literally, the streets were filled with black hats. We were invited to about 3-4 Friday night dinners, and whilst we declined (after all I had to question how kosher these Chabad types really are)...it was nice feeling to have all these strangers offering genuine hospitality to us: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ab/770.jpg.

Fat Cat is "Phat"

How about mixing up some kick-ass jazz and funk, with a cold one...well ok, then throw in some billiards, chess tables (yes, really)...and some table tennis (are you sure?)and that was our night at the well-known local joint, the 'Fat Cat' jazz club (http://www.fatcatmusic.org/) - which is down the road from us in the West Village. A great undergrond place (we mean literally underground). Fine tunes being played by a live band in the middle of the club, a cold drink...and some mean ol' table-tennis playoffs between me and the mrs. (guess who won)?!? I must say the 'geek' in me started playing-up as I was keen to play a game of chess....but the 'cool-dude' in me chose table tennis instead. Anyways, I'll sneak in a quick game when no one looks...checkmate.

I-Pods, Cigarettes and Coffee (or Cawwwffee)

Nic has made one of the most salient social observation so far (but of course, I have always said she's brilliant as well as beautiful). It seems New Yorkers (of all ages) are obsessed with their I-Pods (http://www.apple.com/ipod/ipod.html), cigarettes (http://www.rareads.com/scans1/30214.jpg) and coffee (and yes unfortunately we mean that kind of caawwffee: www.starbucks.com). Everywhere you turn, people are plugged-in, their brains addled on frappacino's as they splutter over what they swear is their "last cigarette ever". Well, we're certainly not smokers and Starbucks makes us hallucinate (Dunkin Donuts coffee is so much more refined...just jokes)...but the I-Pod...now that - we got down pat! So, I have created my 'West Village' walk playlist, including performances by Bruce Springsteen, The Ramones (will need the Tinnitus treatment after that one), Gil Scott-Heron, Bill Withers, Ben Folds Five and of course, the obligatory ditty's by Dylan and Bowie, all timed to perfection...

East is the new 'black'

"Brilliant"...is all Nic and I can say. We've been exploring the lower east side and east village and have stumbled across some great live-music venues, bars and little 'eateries' - that make-up this area. Its still got some of the grittiness of the 1970's and 1980's - which I like - not too gentrified yet (I can picture Serpico - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070666/- staking out his quarry from the run-down Brownstone on the corner) . Nothing like some graffiti, loud, loud music, Police SWAT vans and street gangs to ...remind us of home (yeah you go Nth. Caulfield - rockin, smackin suburb...ain't Balaclava Rd. a 'gritty, hardscrabble place'). Our friend (the 'Zagat' guide) - recommended, a great little Italian place called 'Max'...oh boy was it good...just like mama used to make (that is if we had Italian mama's): http://events.nytimes.com/mem/nycreview.html?res=9903EEDC1E3FF934A25753C1A9679C8B63.

We're locking down some of the good stuff this week such as (1) A night at the Blue Note Jazz Club (http://www.bluenotejazz.com/newyork/index.shtml) and (2) Some live 'dive-music' at the 'Element Lounge' (I will be sure to wear my tattered 'The Clash' t-shirt and Nic will wear her psychedelic 'Tye-dye' Science-lab coat and lab goggles (it'll blow 'em away)...Stay tuned.