New York Cafes & Their Pleasures

New York and Greenwich Village

Most Storied Cafe,  Caffe Reggio

New York city, one might say is the new Paris. Well in terms of writers artist and other creative types. New York for a number of years has been the World Center of Art, Music, and Writing, the three main, most influential, and popular of all the arts, these are the big three. New York is also the center and World Capitals of Television, News, and publishing which includes most major magazines and book publishing houses. Along with being the leader in these fields, New York is a leader in Movie Production and the movie industry, with only Hollywood ahead of it. Yes New York City is without question the Center and World Capital of The Arts. Hey I almost forgot Fashion, New York is one of the tops, and in some peoples eyes it is tops in fashion, even beating out Paris and Italy. Well maybe, it's a personal choice. Some pick New York, and if not the capital, without question New York is among the Capitals of Fashion, plural, which includes; Paris, Milan, London, and yes New York. So yes, New York is by far, without question The World Capital of the arts. Hey lets not forget about Food. Many consider New York the food capital of the World, and it is in the running with Paris. So, anyway, artists, whether they are; painters, writers, musicians, whatever, need place to meet, fuel up, gather, and work. Many go to cafes, especially writers who can spend hours every day, working, plying their trade, their Art, alla Hemingway, Fitzgerald and others. Cafes for years have fueled and fed writers and other artists. Writers can writer for hours, artist can sketch, musicians and all artists gather together, talk, discuss, throw around ideas, and what-not. Regular folks go there to. To cafes. Actually, writers, painters and musicians may be the most colorful and interesting of the cafe going lot, regular folk make up the bulk of customers and my be interesting themselves. Lovers, professors, office workers, all sorts may go and indulge in the pleasures of the Cafe. Yes, the pleasures of cafes; sit, relax, sip an Espresso, Cappuccino, glass of Wine, whatever, enjoy the relaxed welcoming feelings required of any good cafe. You can People Watch "a Favorite Cafe Pastime," especially at outdoor tables of cafes in Paris, Italy, Vienna, Prague, and all over Europe. New York too.





to Be Continued


Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

JOHNNY CASH SLIPS THE FINGER

AWESOME !!!

Johnny Cash Slips a Photographer The BIRD !!!

KEITH RICHARDS & JACK DANIELS

KEITH RICHARDS

With BEST FRIEND JACK DANIELS

photo Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

SHOULD I GET A MAC ?

    Yes, the big question, "should I get a Mac." A Macbook Pro, Apple Computer. A question I've been pondering for quite some time now. Well I got with Apple 2 and a half years ago when I got an iPod Touch and fell in love with it and absolutely adore it. I do everything with. Well not everything, but a lot, and it can't do many things I do with my Laptop, not as good. But it's not supposed to. It's a iPod Touch, a sort of mini-computer, mini tablet, whatever, it's an iPod. An iPod Touch, so much more than just an iPod.
   Well what do I do with it and why do I like it so much. First off everyone is gonna have different reason for why they love it. Teenagers are gonna say they love it for Gaming and Music, and? Me, yes I love it for its Music capabilities and apps, the Camera, even though the Camera on the iPod Touch "Sucks" the video is a bit better, it is great to always have a camera and mini-camcorder on had at all times, and I do always have my iPod Touch with me at all times. Why don't i just get an iPhone or a comparable Android Smart-Phone you ask? Well I'm not as "dumb" as most, or as rich, or willing to throw money away. Did you realize that with $100 price-tag of your monthly payment, that iPhone that you think you only paid $199 or $299 for, in reality actually cost you $1,800 ? Yep, true! Instead of spending $2,700 in two years time, I bought a iPod Touch for $300, my Cel Phone Bill for 24 months is $840 and I spend an extra $10 a month for my Mobile Hotspot over the cost of having just internet at home, so that's another $240, for a Grand Total of $1,380 and a savings to me in a 24 month period of $1,320 .. Wow that's a lot, and enough to just about cover the cost of the Macbook Pro that I'm think of getting. You see with my Cel Phone package of unlimited Talk and Text for a flat $40 plus the extra $10 for my Hotspot, I have and iPhone for only $50 a month as apposed to $100, a savings of $50 a month or $600 a year. Wow! Now that's a lot! A phone with Talk and Txt plus an iPod Touch can do everything that an iphone can, but for $600 less a year, or $1,200 in two years time, or a savings of $3,000 in 5 years. My old Mororaola Razor, which I love combined with my iPod Touch equals a iPhone, but for just $50 a month as opposed to $100 or more. Now, Wow again! The only thing I lose is the quality of the Camera which on the iPhone is Superior to the Camera on the iPod Touch, which again "Suck." Well, I know and you know this is one of Apples "famous ploys" to keep Sucking Money from you, and is the reason that there are "Apple Haters" in the world. Well, to put it milder, people who don't like Apple, "The Games they Play."

Yes if you know Apple, you know that they didn't put a good camera in the iPod Touch because they want to string people along. They'll put a better camera in the iPod T. in newer generations along with a few other upgrades in order to get people who already have an iPod Touch to buy another one. A new one, up grade. They could have and should have put a much better camera in to begin with instead of the crappy camera they did go with. They did it for a reason, the one I just explained  they want "More Money from You." Yes, this is the reason some people do not like Apple, believe it or not.

 So, the big question, "Should I get a Mac." ??? Many people told me I should, that PC suck in comparison to a Mac. Two things, Macs are "Expensive" and generally twice the price. And tow, I'm used to Windows and PCs, a Mac is a big change. Most say for the better, "do it," they say, take the plunge, So should I? Will I? Should I get a Mac?

Daniel Bellino Zwicke



Please leave comments and suggestion on whether i should get a mac or not ....

FRANK SINATR'A FAVORITE BAR

PJ CLARKE'S

3rd Avenue at 55th Stree, New York, NY

Since 1884

Are you a True Downtowner who has found themselves for one reason or another on the Upper East Side and needed a good place to have a drink and grab a good Burger. You need a good joint, not a obnoxious Sports Bar with 20 annoying Flat Screen TVs. You're not from BumFu_k Iowa, so Applebee's or Tj McFunsters just won't do. You're a Downtowner, you need a inexpensive, unpretentious, non-contrived place with a Cool Vibe. Well for years now, my Go-To all-around place on the Upper East Side (for the Rare Times I'm in that neighborhood) is without question PJ Clarke's. The ambiance is beyond compare, wonderfully well worn, charming, and awash in History.

    PJ Clarke's was one of Sinatra's Favorites along with the 21 Club, Jilly's and Patsy's on 56th Street. And speaking of Sinatra who recorded a wonderful version of "One For My Baby" which was written at PJ Clarke's on a Cocktail Napkin by the great Johnny Mercer in 1941.

    When I go to PJ Clarke's, I'm thinking of a Burger, a Beer or Bourbon Old Fashion, and an order of Onion Rings. With all the rage of Burger's these days, PJ Clarke's has been serving one of New York's tastiest Burgers for close to a Hundred Years. Even Jackie Kennedy loved PJ Clarke Burgers and ate them often. And Nat King Cole proclaimed after eating a tasty Bacon Cheeseburger that it was the Cadillac of Burgers. "You know Nat, I agree." And combined with the wonderful ambiance, History, and allure of the place, PJ Clarke's just ca not be beat. Try it!

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke


PJ CLARKE Facts

One of Sinatra's favorite joints .....
Johnny Mercer wrote One For My Baby a Sinatra Favorite on a Cocktail Napkin at PJ Clarke's  .....
Jackie Kennedy often brought John F. Kennedy Jr. for a Saturday lunch Burger.......
Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) orders a Burger here in The French Connection ...

Author Charles Jackson was a regular at PJ Clarke's and in the movie version with ray Miland, PJ Clarke's was used and called Nat's Bar in the movie ...
On June 20, 1958 Buddy Holly proposed to his fiancee there ...
Johnny Depp gave a gift of a Guitar to Keith Richards and Keef played on the spot Brown Sugar ....
PJ Clarke's was a Favorite of Ted Kennedy, Richard Harris, Jake LaMotta, and Dick Clark, all of who love the burger ...
Regular Liza Minelli loves the PJ Clarke Burger as well ...




photo Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

When Is Carbone Opening and When Will Totonno's Re-Open ? Most Important New York Restaurant News of 2013

When Will It Re-Open

First The Fire

Now A Hurricane

The two biggest stories and concerns of The New York Culinary Restaurant Foodie scene, whatever you want to call it, for the New Year of 2013, is # 1 when will are beloved Totonno's on Neptune Avenue, Coney Island re-open? And maybe # 2 might be, what's going on with the former Rocco's space on Thompson Street in Greenwich Village, taken over by Parm Team of Rich Torissi and Mario Carbone? Well we don't know much as of this moment. They say Totonno's will be open by mid-January, I wish but wouldn't count on it. We'll see.
   As for The Parm Boys Carbone & Torrisi their spot in the old Rocco's space, I can see they are making progress. A new store-front is almost done. Inside who knows. It's time for Mario to get his name on one of their restaurants. This new one will be named Carbone and if their first two places ( Torrisi Italian Specialties and Parm) are an indication, Carbone will be well received, it should be updated Red Sauce Food and Restaurant, and will most likely be a huge hit. I've got a feeling these guys will Hit  Another Home Run.
   Well, we can't wait to go out to Totonno's and have some more of their superb Pizza. And we're looking forward to Carbone and what those guys are up to and all that. Hoping for the best, as always.

Coffee The Rolling Stones & Simple Pleasures of Life

The Simple Pleasures of Life; having your morning Coffee, watching a Ballgame, delving into a great Book, relaxing, riding a Bike, watching a couple Rolling Stones Videos. What? Yes a Rolling Stones Video, other Classic Rock Bands like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix The Beatles. Or maybe some Great Old R&B of Motown or some fantastic stuff by Philadelphia Sound spin-masters Gamble and Huff.     Well I was at the cafe the other day having my daily morning coffee, a simple pleasure in itself. My morning Coffee is typically an hour-and-a-half long. It's not just to drink Coffee but to relax in the pleasant cafe atmosphere, see my cafe-friends, bang out stuff on my Laptop, read some News, and just have an all around pleasant time. The Coffee itself, I just can't wait to sink my teeth into my first cup of coffee each and every morning. It's like a good ol friend waiting for me over at the cafe each and every day, and I just love it and don't know what I'd do without. "I think you know what I mean?" Yes we do Love our morning Coffee each and every day, hundreds and hundreds of millions of us, in America and the World over, Coffee and our morning coffee.

In the recent happening of Hurricane Sandy that hit New York and New Jersey pretty hard. Living downtown Manhattan nothing disastrous happened to us. We didn't have any major damage to our homes or possessions but we did all lose Electricity for 5 days. The first morning after the Hurricane Hit and we were without electricity, I got up, took a sponge bath (No Hot Water), got dressed and went out looking for friends, food, and the beloved Coffee. I walked around the neighborhood (Greenwich Village), saw a few friends, then headed up to Midtown in search of electricity (to Charge the Cel-Phone and laptop), food and Coffee. They had electricity above 39th Street, so I headed up there, walking of course. I looked all over for a Starbucks and didn't find a dam one open. They had Electricity but they weren't open. "Those Bastards at Starbucks let us down when we needed them most. No Starbucks and no coffee. Bummer." I'm not an advocate of Starbucks, but here and there they do come in handy, not that day, "When New York Needed Starback The Most" they let us done. Do you know how people would have been to get a nice cup of coffee when Sandy hit, we didn't have electricity  no lights, no power to make coffee? Well that's Starbucks. Well, I walked 140 city blocks that day, In-Search of Electricity, Food, Shelter and Coffee. I found Coffee at a McDonalds that was open on 46th Street. And yes food there too. Had a nice Black Angus Burger. It was pretty dam good. I found shelter there and shelter and electricity to charge my cel-phone and laptop when I popped into the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The Waldorf was a God-Send. I went there for 4 days straight after and during Sandy, got Coffee, electricity  and nice shelter in a deluxe hotel lobby at The Waldorf. They were great!    Dam I really got off the track there. Let's get back to what we started here, The Rolling Stones and what a simple pleasure it can be to watch one of their videos.     Yes I was at the cafe talking to my friend Chris. We were talking music, commenting on what was playing on the Cafe Stereo. They were playing a lot of 80's Hits and now I can't remember which ones, but they were all good. And again we got into a conversation about how apallingly "Terrible The Music, Bands, and Musicians Are These Days." "They Suck" !!! There is almost "No Good Music" these days, at this time in 2013, and for the past 15 years or so. It's just not made anymore, not like in the 60s, 70s and even 1980s. The Music these days Sucks! There are a "Very Few" good artist these days, like: Alicia Keyes who is fantastic, Cee Lo Green, Cold Play, Maroon 5 and maybe a few others, but not many, not like in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Anyway the Stones came on and we starting talking Rolling Stones, Mick, Keith, Woody and such. Some how conversation came to the opening Guitar Riff of Start Me Up and Chris thought it was Ron Wood playing the Riff. I said no it was Keith (Keith Richards) and Chris asked if I was sure? Yes! So he told me to Google it. I did. I was right, it is Keith Richards playing the opening Riff. Well then I watched a couple of great Start Me Up videos on Youtube along with my favorite Stones Video, their 1978 Performance Live in Texas of "Beast of Burden." It's friggin Awesome; the sound quality, The Stones themselves, the song, the way the Stones played it that night, Mick great singing and dancing around was awesome, Charlie on drums, Wyman on Bass, and of course the great Keith Richards and Ron Wood on dueling Gibson Les Paul Guitars. Fucking Great! I loved it, sitting there watching those two great Rolling Stones performances on Youtube, drinking my coffee in the nice cafe, and carrying on conversation with my buddy Chris. I loved those two videos so much and was enjoying them immensely that day, you just can't imagine. A lot.    Yes, and so "The Simple Pleasures of Life." Had my Coffee at my nice quiet cafe for just $3.00. It always feels good being there. Chit Chatted with my friend Chris and watched those great Rolling Stones videos "Beast of Burden" and "Start Me Up" for Free on Youtube.  I was happier than a Bug in a Rug, The Stones, Coffee, the Cafe, Friends, and Youtube "The Simple Pleasures of Life."





Daniel Bellino Zwicke

The $3 PBR

The SIMPLE PLEASURES of LIFE !!!

CAFFE REGGIO

GREENWICH VILLAGE

Hours Before HURRICANE SANDY HIT

..

The BADASS COOKBOOK

.