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.