East Harlem

Today I had a chance to introduce my cousin to East Harlem. We drove in from PA & of course I suggested we eat at Patsy's (cash only!). 1 block north on 1st Ave., you can also get excellent red velvet cake at Evelyn's Kitchen. I've used the subway to get here (only nearby subway stop is the local 6 train which can get very crowded), but I've also never had trouble finding a parking spot when I drove.

My favorite restaurant

L & B Spumoni Gardens is my favorite restaurant in the world. There is no close 2nd. My favorite pizza places are mostly in NYC. I like this place because you have the option of parking (for free) or using public transportation. A walk along 86th street under the D train is always nice too. I'm always thinking about the future, but when I'm eating their Sicilian pie, I am really in the moment.

My favorite neighborhood in NYC

If there was one band I wish I could have seen live, it's THE CLASH. LONDON CALLING is one of my favorite albums. The East Village is one of my favorite neighborhoods in NYC as well. I love taking the L train to 1st Ave. and walking south. Luzzo's (in the picture) is probably my favorite pizza after L & B Spumoni Gardens.

My 2nd favorite American city

Cupola Pizzeria. My favorite pizza outside of NYC

Back in August 2004, me, 2 friends and a cousin flew into San Francisco and out of Los Angeles. We rented a car and stayed in some suburb (I can't remember the name) of San Francisco for the first few nights. We didn't like San Francisco too much and were in no hurry to go back. In fact, we were so excited when we got to Los Angeles because we thought San Francisco was kind of boring. I wanted to do something for Labor Day weekend and had enough US Airways frequent flier miles to get a free flight. San Francisco seemed the best deal and I decided to give it another chance (this time staying in the city with no car). I relied exclusively on public transportation and by the time I left, it was my 2nd favorite American city. I stayed at the Mayflower Hotel in Nob Hill and used the street car to get up the "Hill." I really appreciated the bay area weather this time. Never too cold, never too hot. I'm one of the few people who appreciate the UK weather. I don't like extremes, but I'll deal with them if I have to.

Fun with friends

Surprises in the windy city

I've had a few different Chicago style pizzas over the years, but Giordano's is the only one that I feel like i must eat if I'm in Chicago. I hope to visit Chicago again and pizza (from Giordano's) will be a top priority if I do. I also like their Greektown.

Advertisement in the train. If I had my choice, I would prefer either Chile or Thailand.

We had a layover of over 5 hours at ORD. The metro is connected to ORD, so I decided we should eat at Giordano's and go for a train ride to Chinatown. 5 hours was just enough time to do this.

I ran into these young ladies on the train to ORD airport. The odds of this happening are slim. Chicago is a big city with a extensive metro and you are not likely to just run into people you know from back east......but I did!