Getting Out - Fancy Eats

It occurred to me that I neglected to tell you about one of my adventures in New York!

Now, I've been going to New York regularly, every year since 2007 or so, and in between SUNSET BLVD and THE LITTLE FOXES this last visit, I realized that I had never eaten at Sardi's!

I popped right on over and with no problem, got a nice table in the main dining room.  The thing is, since this restaurant is famous for being a celebrity hang out, everyone turned to look to see who was being escorted to a table.  I'm sure they were trying to figure out if I was famous or not, but it started to feel like they were staring at me because I was being seated ALONE.  Being single for most of my adult life, I have no problem with dining solo, but this is the first time I ever felt like people were watching me do it.

Seated among and beneath the world famous caricatures of Broadway's biggest stars, and seemingly in a spotlight, I wondered why I had never been there before.   I shook out the old noodle and found ideas that it was "too fancy" and probably "too expensive" for the likes of me.  I am amazed at how sometimes I will have little revelations about why I have never done some things.  It is because I have in the back of my head the idea that I can't afford it or don't deserve it.  I'm even more amazed because, when I realize it about one thing, I assume that ALL of those thoughts are banished, until I find myself seated somewhere like Sardi's.   With those thoughts firmly out of my mind, I ordered my favorite drink, Campari and Soda.

Then, after making sure it is all Gluten-Free, I go with a prix frixe mesclun salad 

and a chicken dish,

followed by a delightful Tahitian Vanilla Bean Crème Bruleè.

It was a lovely meal! So lovely I didn't feel singled out anymore.  As a matter of fact, I realized that single gay men must be a very common clientele.  I mean, this is a New York, Broadway centered restaurant.  Of course, there's always single gay men eating alone here.  If there weren't, would they even have these cute little tables, clearly sized to accommodate one person.  I mean look at the gay sitting next to me...

...Obviously gay and clearly single. 

(No, I didn't try to hook up.  I had a THE LITTLE FOXES ticket!)

All in all, it was a nice time and I'm glad I got out and didn't end up somewhere like Sbarro's (...as if) since my favorite in-between shows haunt, Angus McIndoe, went away.

I couldn't help wondering if I would ever have my own caricature up on the wall there someday (at 49 years old, unlikely, but not impossible!) and until then, I'd just have to be happy with eating in my dining room, alone, gazing at my caricature (quick sketch actually), of me as Frieda Laye, drawn by fabulous artists Glen Hanson!

Gay of A Certain Age - Marie's Crisis is Our Brand

One of the reasons I enjoyed this last trip to New York most was
that I visited places I had taken for granted and not visited for years.
One such place is the the old Gay Triangle on Christopher street- home of The Stonewall, The Monster and Boot & Saddle (although I think Boot & Saddle is gone).
The place has changed quite a bit.  There's now a Big Gay Ice Cream store on the corner

where I enjoyed a Big Gay Pumpkin (Gluten-free) cone!  The ice cream is magical and has the consistency of whipped butter. Delicious!

Another change is the line to get in to one of my old haunts, Marie's Crisis Cafe!  A line??
Fortunately my friend, Gerald (with a hard G) has some charm & pull and got me in the place immediately.

Used to be, in the old days, you'd just walk in, order a drink and sing along to show tunes to your heart's content.  You might even meet a handsome fella who knows just as many Sondheim lyrics as you do!  I developed a crush on someone this very night.  Perhaps you can guess which one it is in this photo.

Nowadays, the place is crazy crowded with more than 50% college girls who think it's cool to be there.  It's obvious that they have no interest in the show tunes because they spend a lot of time talking louder than the singing, sounding like raging seagulls plotting an attack on the beachside Subway sandwich shop!  Despite the noisy girls and my crush leaving half way through my visit, I had a great time!  Thanks to Gerald and his two, non-college girlfriends, along with a strong Campari & soda, I was able to capture the feeling of the old days when I would come to Marie's on every NY visit.

I remember that the main reason that I had stop coming was that the pianist I always ended up catching on duty was a lacivious schmuck who thought it was a hoot to turn every song into a naughty ditty.  Fortunately, the pianist this night was at the top of his game, respectful of the music and a cutie, to boot!

The only reason I left when I did, with at least two more hours left in the piano, was because I didn't want to be sleepy during my matinee the next day.  I was very pleased.

As a Gay of A Certain age, it's nice to find that though some places have changed or have become different, they can still be a source of happy times & a place to enjoy new delights!  TRY BIG GAY ICE CREAM!

Gay of a Certain Age - The Hummer

There was a time when being in the middle of Times Square
with the hustle and bustle of so many people
would be exciting to me.
I'd feel like a part of it all,
like this is where I should be,
with all these people helping New York be what it is;
a melting pot with so many different people
from so many different backgrounds
and cultures.  Everyone around me speaking different languages
talking about how excited they are for the same reason I am,
that we're all here in one place at the same time-
creating this fabulous hum that vibrates throughout the city!

As a Gay of a Certain Age, I find that this is not so exciting anymore.
I'd rather be in a hotel room with the air-conditioning blasting and a
Rhoda rerun on the T.V., waiting for dinner time & my next show.
Now it's just too much!  A cacophony of languages expressing frustration, exhaustion or
just plain stupidity.  I don't want to navigate around this horde of sudden stoppers or
path blockers.  I want to move at my own pace and walk like I'm going somewhere.
I want to get a clear shot of whatever photo I'm taking without having to wait
for a mob to pass by or Gladys to decide that standing directly between me and my target
is not really where she wants to stop and ponder the magic of neon.
I don't want to listen to whiny children or angry parents.
I don't want to take a shiny card and bracelet from Buddhist looking folk,
who are spreading peace and love, but then demand it all back when you don't have any cash to donate.  That's because printing and handcrafts cost money- Peace and love cost money.

No, I'd be happier in a quiet lounge with a Campari & soda in hand,
where there's a piano playing nice and slow, uninterrupted
and it is the loudest thing I hear.
Have people just become more loud and obnoxious, or have I just outgrown
my patience for it?
Anyway, now I listen to the hum...
 and then I wait for the gun shot.   Ahhhhhh...

Gay of a Certain Age

I love how we, as humans, decide things and must attribute those decisions to certain outside factors.  That is why I've decided to attribute certain habits, behaviors and inexplicable thoughts to the fact that I am a GAY OF A CERTAIN AGE.

For example, as a gay of a certain age, I've decided that my drink of choice should be Campari & soda.
No more Cosmos, no more Appletinis or Vanilla Lemon Drops.  When I am at my gay bar of choice (which features comfy climate control and a well monitored noise level) I will order my Campari & Soda and nod wisely and nostalgically at the youths sipping their silly sweet drinks.  I am 47.