Celebrity Stalking

We drove around looking for celebrity houses this afternoon. Finding their listings isn't easy, but it's possible.

We saw Ina Garten's crib (she's my girl, Barefoot Contessa). It's surrounded by high hedges, but we were able to catch a few glimpses of it. I think she's got two houses, unless she shares her yard with her next door neighbor. She's popular to cooking enthusiasts. I have her latest book, "How Easy Is That?" and got it signed at the Crate & Barrel in NYC. Her laugh sometimes seems contrived on her show, but she can cook the crap out of it. Too much butter though. Here's her house:





We couldn't penetrate the front gate of Seinfeld's yard (or should I say compound). There are two houses behind the white gate that leads into the Seinfeld Estate - one has a baseball field in it's yard. We saw a satellite picture of it on the iPad, thanks to the 3G service. Ridiculous. Here's the gate:


On the way back to our room, we stopped at the Memory Motel, which was purchased by Andy Warhol back in 1972. The Rolling Stones actually named their song "Memory Motel" after said motel. Little fact in rock n roll history. Here's what it is now:





Tommy Hilfiger, Sarah Jessica Parker, Billy Joel, Vera Wang, Kelly Klein (Ralph's ex-wife), Howard Stern - they all live out here but I'm guessing they all live in seclusion like Seinfeld. Cynthia Nixon actually has a cottage in Montauk, supposedly real close to where we're staying. We'll have to check it out before we head to dinner later.

"Best Thing I Ever Ate" and Ina Garten inspired our restaurant of choice this evening. Will fill you in later.

Gas is $3.60 a gallon out here, not too bad. I guess. These people sweat money out here. Check out this crib:


Just a little shack, right?

Here's two more pictures I took this afternoon - one from a overlook/parking lot for a small beach and one from some other beach. It'd be unreal living out here.





Here's to a good meal tonight and to not leaving here with empty pockets. No but seriously, we're spending frugally while we're here.

Be back later.

Location:East Hampton NY

Guac and Roll

Just got done making my self-proclaimed famous guacamole again tonight, hoping it is as good as it was last night when I made it for my father for Father's Day.

I really have no specific recipe, and I love limes, so it can get lime-y from time to time.  Jalapenos, plum tomatoes, some lemon juice, cilantro, salt, avocados.  Pretty basic, might start getting a little risky and adding in some other ingredients - mango, shrimp, corn- you know, mix it up a little. The one thing I leave out of my guacamole is onions.  I love raw onions, I just forget most of the time.

We got some sweet potato fries going in the oven, and the burgers are gonna go on pretty shortly. 

Guests are here.  Time for a bootleg BBQ in this bastard borough of the Bronx.

When they were picking out boroughs for the city of New York, they figured Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and we'll throw the shittiest one as far north as we can and call it the Bronx.  Dump.

Fooooooooood!!

Monday in Dallas

Today there were no celebrity sightings.  I took plenty of photos, but I feel as if they are of the same damn buildings.  Whatever, it's a good way to remember a trip - I try to find some good perspectives, good shots, and see how they turn out when I get them printed.

Went to lunch today at the Twisted Root Burger Co. - hey, Guy Fieri, if you're reading, I suggest you come here for Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives - it's the freakin' coolest burger joint I've ever been in.  You walk up to the counter, order whatever you want, and get a name card.  I was Sean Connery and Lindsay was Uma Thurman.  The guy behind the counter calls your "name" over the mic, and you get your food.  I had some of their Twisted Pineapple Root Beer, pretty damn good.  Lindsay had a peanut butter milkshake. 

We then walked around for a while (2 hours) and stumbled upon the Dallas Farmer's Market - nothing as I had envisioned.  I figured it'd be more or less an outdoor flea market, but I was wrong.  It was a snooze fest.  We passed "The Petropolitan" on S. Harwood and went in.  There was a little short-haired dachshund there with very long fingernails, but damn that thing made me want to buy it.  Problem was, we're in Dallas, we have to take a flight home, and it was someone elses dog.  0-3, no deal.  I think it was a doggy day care kind of place.

We were then at a crossroads - go back to the hotel or keep trekking.  We chose the latter, and went back to Sol Irlandes to have a few afternoon cocktails.  I moved on from the Modelo Especial's from yesterday (#3 imported beer in the USA) to the Negra Modelo today.  That is basically what my Monday afternoon consisted of - walking around downtown Dallas and throwing back some short, fat bottles of beer.  Lindsay had a few sangria's.  We were sick to our stomach looking at real estate prices for the apartments/lofts located on Main St. in downtown.  It's sickening - $900 for a loft in the heart of the city.  If I lived here, I'd go to Sol Irlandes every day for a drink at lunch.  It's a pretty cool town, I assume I'd get used to the heat.  As it stands now, I sweat my ass off.

We are now back at the hotel, relaxing for a while before choosing a dinner spot for the evening.  Time for an afternoon, vacation nap.  There is no other time I can actually take a nap but on vacation.  There's really no other time I can actually have beers in the afternoon, either.  I feel like I am in a foreign country.  Minus the foreigners, plus hundreds of homeless dudes.  I tell you what, Dallas has an abundance of homeless people.  There was a guy wearing corduroy pants and a parka - it's 97° out man, lose the parka.

Nap time.  Spirit Airlines pilots are probably taking a nap too.  They sure ain't flying planes.

Sports Free

The Celtics and the Red Sox.  They're both on television - and I am watching neither.  I am a New York sports fan - well, a Yankees fan.  I can really care less about the other teams in New York.  I do like when the Giants do well though, but I can't really get into the NFL all that much. 

Dinner tonight was at the Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem - some kids looked completely out of place.  It's not that hard to fit in, but a wool cap or brown leather flip-flops in Harlem?  Come on.  I went with the Elgin Sausage and the Brisket, with Macaroni & Cheese and Simmered Veggies as my sides - and of course the corn bread.  Y'all!  Oh yeah, and two pieces of PB Pie to go!

"The Best Thing I Ever Ate" is on, and funny enough, the Neely's are on right now ranting and raving about some cobbler.  I hate them.  But I like this show, a lot of the places are in NYC.  I can't afford any of them, but it's kind of cool to know that they're close, in case I hit the lottery.  Or win a scratch-off ticket for like a few hundred.

Night off from sports tonight.  We head up to Fishkill tomorrow and play at 3pm Wednesday against Canisius.  Follow it live at the MAAC Championship site.  Go Jaspers!!

It's hotter than hell in here, fan's on, sleeping's easy. 

WOW!  That's a LOW price!