Note to Self

Plastic is having a discussion on weird/interesting places to visit. I need to take some notes before I forget:

***********************************
Public restrooms being at a premium in NYC, I feel compelled to share a super-secret with my Plastic Friends: all Banana Republic stores have non-advertised, totally free and extremely clean bathrooms. And considering that you can find one on just about every corner from SoHo to Central Park, you'll never have to buy a cup of shitty coffee to use a nasty Starbucks toilet again.

***********************************
Sandy Bluff (I think that's the correct name), 1 hour from NY

To get to the former, take the ferry from pier 11 down to North Highlands; make sure you get off at the eastmost Highlands stop. Walk East and over the drawbridge until you get to the seawall (about a 20 minutes walk). Cross it. Presto. Sands stretching for miles, with barely anyone else there. For edibles, either the seafood place directly across the road from the seawall (by the bridge), or the large one on the ferry side of the bridge, are more than adequate.

***********************************
Chatsworth, California.

In the strip mall next to my office is a little hole in the wall place called Pockets. They serve sandwiches and other stuff, but I believe what has made this a local favorite is the incredibly tasty grilled steak pita pocket.

Here's the unique part: This place, in addition to having good food, is female porn star central. No foolin'. It must be their favorite place. How can you tell an off-duty porn star from any other person? Well, they're usually not dressed provocatively, but there's something about the makeup and the hair. If you go in for a late lunch, there will probably be at least one in the joint.

So... come for lunch, leave embarassed when you realize you recognize someone and you remember what you were doing the last time you saw her face! You were looking at her face, right?

I'm sure there are many more uplifting experiences to be had in LA. I'll try to think of one.

(Too bad you've moved back to the Bay Area, Tolu)

************************************
The Living Room, next to Pianos, on Ludlow St (near Houston) is a great non pretentious cafe where one can hear 4 or 5 different accoustic acts during the evening. The drinks are reasonablty priced ($5 or $6 for a beer) and at the end of each performance a bucket is passed around for donations for the artist. Sugested donation is $5 but you can adjust that based on your enjoyment of the act and financial situation.
...
Cheap Massages: Fision Herb Center in China town (elizabeth st I thin?) I've got a hour long massage for $40, and that included a tip. You should call in advance to reserve a time.
...
Oh one more thing, if you're in the mood for a lovely walk, there's a walkway going up the manhatten bank on the Hudson. On one lovely day, we took it from the South St. Sea Port, walked through Battery Park, then up the Hudson all the way to 130th st (harlem) Lots of lovely things to see along the way.

Also, last summer (and into the Fall) you were able to go to the downtown boat house, get a free cayak for about 30-40 minutes. You were then given a paddle and shoved off into the Hudson. I've done this about 15 times, and survived (although people do question your sanity once they find out that there's a hole on the bottom of the cayak and that you're essentially soaking up hudson water with your ass and balls and whatever else). I am hoping this joy will be available this summer as well — according to the website, it will be.