Hava Nagilah and Christmas at The Ear
Tuesday, December 19, 2006 at 15:48 Why is the bagel shuttle always delayed? (The "bagel shuttle", my unique term not found anywhere on google search, is the airline routes that convey many bagel eating New Yorkers back and forth from the tri-state to South Florida). Is it assumed that if one is travelling to or from Florida there is no urgency? Possibly. Joe's Friday flight was delayed over 6 hours. He was pissed. I paced through the house waiting. I cleaned, decorated my fiber optic miniature Christmas tree (a very short project), and checked online flight status several hundred times.
In light of that transporation fiasco and my having the flu, Joe and I drove into Manhattan on Sunday. Our goal was to see the Christmas Tree at Rockeller Center after dark, as well as the Sachs Fifth Avenue window displays and all the other wonderful sites of Christmas in New York City.
We put our car in the garage and walked over to Trump Tower (parking $40.00, priceless). Beautiful tree in front of a waterfall wall, I was suprised at the tasteful and not tacky design which I always expect from Donald.
[TK STAR sitting by an ear at the Ear making a funny face.]
The Rockeller Center tree was bigger and fuller than can I ever remember. How the hell do they get the tree there and who, without serious injury, entwines every branch with spectacular lighting? Must be someone very small, no, tiny and light.
Skaters were skating, tourists were touring, photos being taken everywhere. Families, families, families, and more families from all over the world. Here with us to see this amazing scene. Friends from Manhattan, however, scoff at the idea of gracing Rockefeller Center with a visit. Vicious and myopic, thinking I am childlike and silly.
An amazing calypso band started playing Hava Nagilah on their steel drums with an amazing Jamaican sound. Straight guys began dancing together actually doing the Hava Nagilah with glee and pure joy. One of the funniest things I have ever seen. Craziness in the middle of Fifth Avenue. Truly priceless.
At the Sachs decorated store windows, some guy asked me nicely to hold still for over 5 slow minutes as he videotaped one of the windows. Odd. But no problem, happy to help him out.
Light shows of enormous snowflakes bouncing off the Sachs building. Loud, crazy Christmas music. If you were not in the Holiday mood by now, you would never be. Disney on steroids, and I live here. I have seen Christmas on Fifth Avenue every year for my entire life, and each year it blows my mind.
Joe was really enjoying it and wanted a hot dog from the push cart that kept running our feet over.
Even though it was a warm winter night, a started getting cold. My feet were hurting. Time to eat. I decided to go my favourite dive restaurant, The Ear Inn on Spring Street, which used to be brothel in the 19th century and now is frequented by me, James Gandofini, and a diverse crowd of New York wackoes (Yes, I have met Tony Soprano there and spoke to him for quite a long time, more on that another time).
I thought I would have a nice quiet meal at The Ear, which has great inexpensive food all night long. So tired I got lost driving there. I found the UPS truck terminal and knew I was there. Noticed a huge crowd out front. I told Joe it was just smokers out front (no smoking or cell phones allowed in this bar). I walked in and, Holy Shit, there is a party going on! The Ear Inn's Christmas party. Totally caught off guard, I needed quiet. It was not meant to be, but yet it was (for me to be there), as I bumped directly, into one of my best friends, Tom Kinney (TK STAR). gym equipment manufacturer to the stars. He starts screaming "Lori BRaaaaaaaaauuuun, Lori BRaaaaaaaaauuuun, what are you doing here? I have been trying to call you." Tommy grabbed me, put me in a headlock, and almost broke my neck.
The whole night turned into one of those special New York times (not the newspaper). A band squeezed into the cozy corner Ear space, drunk people dancing wildly, and free alcohol. What more could I want for a quiet Sunday evening. Even for The Ear this was over the top.
Saw many friends, introduced Joe to them and a slice of New York life, and then home to watch the final episode of Dexter. Perfection, although the ending of Dexter was too fairy tale like for my taste. I went to bed tossing and turning.
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