what about the plastic animals?

A Tale of Two Pies

First layer of sugared lemon slices

Done.  Note the attractive sunburst pattern vents!

Pizza!

Using a recipe out of a Shaker cook book I made a lemon of a lemon pie a few days ago.  The recipe was unusual in that it called for slicing up the lemon peel and all.  Really, really thinly.  Mix the lemon slices with a couple of cups of sugar and "marinate" overnight.  After marinating you alternated layers of lemon slices with the remaining sugared lemon juice, topping it all off with four beaten eggs.

I couldn't eat more than a slice of pie.  The lemon flavor was delightful but the sugar was overwhelming.

The pizza pie turned out much better.  Italian sausage, fresh asparagus and rosemary, crushed tomatoes and cheeses fresh mozzarella, aged provolone and grana padano. 

Tastes Like Chicken

As far as I know this is the only place in the city that has unicorn on the menu.

Stripes

Three mostly horizontal works in Dumbo, Brooklyn.

Old Photos, Old Signs

I had occasion this evening to browse through my pictures from a couple of years ago when I came across these two.  It doesn't appear that I ever put them up here.  A building was being renovated on West 14th St. and the two ghost signs were visible for a few days.

Missing Giants

The Super Bowl champion Giants haven't gotten their stripe!  If you start walking uptown on Broadway from Battery Park you'll see these granite stripes with an inlaid date and name or event in the sidewalk.   They mark the occurrence of each ticker-tape parade.  There were a lot of ticker-tape parades from the 1920s through the 1960s.  Sometimes two in one week!  It seems as if every visit by a head of state or semi-important person of the day was occasion to party.

After the return of the moon-landing Apollo 11 astronauts and the Mets World Series championship in 1969 the parades stopped until 1977.  Maybe it was the decline of the city's finances, or maybe wiser heads realized nothing could top the Miracle Mets.  In the intervening 39 years there have only been 16 parades.

The most recent parade, on February 5th, celebrated the Giants' Super Bowl victory.  There are a number of blank granite stripes patiently waiting to have their ticker-tape parade dates added.  The parade for the Giants would go in the stripe above, which is in front of the Woolworth Building.  What's holding them up?  I might have to call 311 to find out.

Last Days for the Tower of Toys

The Tower of Toys, a 65-foot tall tower of wood and toys in the 6th and B Community Garden at 6th St. and Avenue B, is to be dismantled this week.  The tower was built by Eddie Boros, who began the project in 1985.  Boros died last year and the Parks Department recently declared the tower structurally unsound.  I went to take a final look yesterday.  It does lean in more directions than you want a 65-ft tower to lean.  While it is sad to see another quirky part of New York disappear, it is better to take it down than to have it fall on someone.

Former Mayors

Did you ever read something where the author was trying to make a point, but you couldn't figure out what point the author was trying to make?  On the New York Times City Room blog last week David Dunlap took a picture of a sign that happens to be across the street from my building.  It is the top sign above.  Dunlap was trying to, well, I'm not sure what he was trying to say.  My guess is he was shooting for "Har.  Har.  This here sign still has Rudy's name on it.  Isn't that funny?" 

If only Dunlap had walked to Lenox and peeked around the corner!  He would have seen the Ed Koch sign.  Had he walked further west on 116th he would have come across the David Dinkins sign.  Then again, this is the same reporter who was told his camera would be broken if he continued taking pictures of someone illegally attaching posters to street lamps, continued taking pictures.  His camera was broken (surprise!) and he was knocked to the ground.

The Koch sign is between 23 and 30 years old.  Koch was elected mayor in 1977 and Carol Bellamy was City Council President from 1978 to 1985.

Second Peaks

This is the original photo shrunk down to 600x400 pixels. 

Since Judy mentioned meringue I am reminded of a question.  What does one do with several leftover egg whites?  I made ice cream the other day, a delicious chocolate ginger, and now I have whites from four extra large eggs.  The only thing I can think to do is whip them into a meringue and eat them.

Peaks

Peaks of a tent against a cloudy sky on the Columbia campus.  I messed with the levels on this one, but not too much.

Large Covered Wagon

Large Covered Wagon by Tom Otterness, at the corner of Washington and Prospect Streets, Brooklyn (right here).