An Afternoon in Chinatown

It's almost always fun to explore New York City with out-of-town visitors, but I've rarely had as good a time as I did with Sarah, my college roommate who came to town a couple of weekends ago.

We hadn't seen each other in at least four or five years, so we had a lot of catching up to do. And as we were catching up, we walked. And walked and walked.

First we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. Then we walked up Broadway and explored Chinatown. Then we took the subway to Times Square and walked up and down the corridor until Sarah had to catch her bus back to Philadelphia.

What made our walk so interesting -- aside from the talk -- were Sarah's observations. Graffiti, signs, business names -- nothing escaped her notice or her camera's lens. I'm not as attentive, and I'm sure my photos are necessarily more boring. Nevertheless, this week's blog posts are dedicated to the neighborhood where we spent most of our Sunday afternoon: Chinatown.

Even Flat Stanley made an appearance!

Why I Chose My Dentist ... and Hairdresser

I had minor oral surgery at the end of January. (I'm fine, thank you.)

The dentist wanted to follow up in three weeks. I generally try to make my appointments with the dentist on Saturdays, but he wasn't in the office at the three-week mark. That left only a weekday appointment. He was in the office only in the afternoon, so I took the latest slot available: 5 p.m.

I got there about 10 minutes early and was in the chair promptly. The dentist took a quick look around. I was fine. And I was home by 5:20 -- nearly two hours before I would normally have been home from work. It felt like a mini-vacation.

That's a perfect example of why I love having so many doctors and dentists nearby. I chose this dentist's office specifically for its location -- a mere block and a half away from our apartment.

In fact, its proximity came in handy for the oral surgery itself. The dentist became sick the day I was to have it done, and I had to reschedule for a couple of weeks later. That was bad news for me, who wasn't particularly looking forward to the procedure and just wanted to get it over with. Then, on the Saturday following when the surgery was originally supposed to be, I got a call. There was a last minute opening -- could I come in at noon?

I looked at the clock. That was a mere 40 minutes away, and I hadn't even taken a shower yet. Nevertheless, I agreed. I took my shower -- I wasn't even particularly in a hurry -- and made it there with time to spare.

The convenience isn't limited to doctors and dentists. My new hairdresser works catty-cornered from our place and takes walk-in appointments. I regularly wave to her on my walk to the subway in the morning.

I dont think I would put my health (or hair) in the hands of someone purely for their nearness. And I can think of a few cases in which being able to walk to the doctor would not be an advantage. For example, I was put under in college when I had all four of my wisdom teeth extracted. I'm glad Paul was there to drive me home instead of having to lead me by the arm and walk me home.

Nevertheless, the proximity of my current dentist was a giant selling point and makes my teeth cleanings just a little more bearable.

A Feast of Midwestern Delicacies

Surveying the damages after everyone had left!

The second annual Erwin winter shindig was last Saturday, and the only casualty was a clear plastic platter.

At the party's peak, when about two dozen people were crammed into the kitchen scrambling for food, it felt like I might be a casualty, too. But of course everything went smoothly, with enough food and beer -- the essentials -- for everyone.

This year's theme: A Feast of Midwestern Delicacies. The menu:

• Cincinnati-style chili, with spaghetti, cheddar cheese and oyster crackers
• Chicago-style deep dish pizza
• Sausage gravy and biscuits
• Fried cheese curds
• Green bean casserole
• Cheesy potatoes
• Homemade bread with herb butter
• Spinach salad
• Popcorn
• Pretzels
• Buckeyes
• Graham crackers with vanilla frosting
• Freshly fried donuts

We didn't have too much left over -- enough sausage gravy for a couple of meals, some Buckeyes, a few spoonfuls of the casseroles. And a lot of salad. Our guests must have known that true Midwesterners will always go for the chili before the salad.

The two dozen friends who appeared traveled from three of New York's five boroughs and three states -- a co-worker came from New Jersey, and one of my college roommates, Sarah, even came from Philadelphia (more about that next week!).Surprisingly, quite a few had Midwest connections -- they either grew up there, went to college there, or both. I was happy to see how many people wore theme-appropriate shirts. I wore my "OH How I Love You" Ohio shirt, but my favorite was probably Sarah's-- a pink t-shirt that proclaimed "Ohio-licious." I wish I would have taken a photo.

Five hours after the party started, after a good half of the crowd had departed, I finally got out my photo and snapped a few shots. Oh well. I enjoyed the party nonetheless, and I guess I don't need pictures to prove it.

Last year's party was smaller, with just a few of my coworkers. This year we opened it up, and I'm glad we did. It was fun to see all of our friends all mixed up together -- my coworkers, Paul's coworkers, college friends, other friends and even friends of friends.

I'm already contemplating next year's theme.