USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Foxfyre]

Good night darlinks. No change in the vigil list.

 

[Dajjal]

 

[Oddball]

 

[Nosmo King]

They seem to think I want to go to Las Vegas. I keep getting the same pop up ad. I've done Vegas. It was third on my list of top five decadent American cities tour.

I love cities, especially the ones that offer temptation by the long city blockful. Living in East Liverpool for practically sixty years, time off for college, a year pursuing lovely young lady in Cleveland and four years in sunny Sarasota, has whetted my whistle for some big city fun.

First and best loved on my list is New York. There's something about the aroma of the city that acts on me like a tonic. The unusual charcoal burned in the cookers of the dirty water hot dog wagons, the exotic smell of underground tinted with urine of the subway platforms, all mixed with the exhaust fumes of taxis and MTA busses should be made into an urban potpourri.

New Orleans, Louisiana. Vue Carre. The cobbled streets of the Quarter will suck you in and ply you with Hurricanes, muffuletta and sweet jazz. I spent a Halloween in The Big Easy and that was weird enough for me. When my brother married his second wife, I booked them plane fare and four nights in the same French Quarter hotel I stayed in. But that was during Holy Week. I figured that would be restrained enough while letting them explore.

Memphis, Tennessee on the mighty Mississippi. Beale Street tosses around hot blues music the way Shriners toss butterscotchs from a parade floats. The barbecue was enough to make me think about a permanent move there. And then there's the world's tackiest estate, Graceland. I toured the Elvis mansion and wondered in the kitchen how many fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches were grilled up on that avocado colored range.

The fifth city is the Windy City Chicago, Illinois. How can a place that gave us Al Capone, Rod Blagoiovich and the Second City comedy troupe be left off the list? The Loop, the Navy Pier, the House of Blues can weave a spell on anyone willing to brace against the Lake Michigan breezes.

I had a project fit testing respirators on workers at a Cicero, Illinois plant. Part of the test, I'm not kidding, is to have the subject grimace. I would tell the folks to show me the face they would make if they heard that the Bulls had traded Michael Jordan to the Celtics for two third round draft picks. That got a grimace out of them. A couple of them even stood up! But that part of the fit test came later anyway.

I'm sure that there are other wide open towns in this country. Human nature would demand it!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm sure that there are other wide open towns in this country. Human nature would demand it!

Nosmo let me give this some thought... Reurbanization as taken away some of the more decadent places from our youth... May have to stick with the big 3... My personal opinion is that vegas is SFB... Getting out of bed is as big as gamble as I do... more later...

 

[Nosmo King]

I'm sure that there are other wide open towns in this country. Human nature would demand it!

Nosmo let me give this some thought... Reurbanization as taken away some of the more decadent places from our youth... May have to stick with the big 3... My personal opinion is that vegas is SFB... Getting out of bed is as big as gamble as I do... more later...

What's SFB?

 

[Ridgerunner]

What's SFB?

so freaking boring

 

[Nosmo King]

What's SFB?

so freaking boring

I'll go along with that! Take away the gambling and you're left with Wayne Newton and Celine Dion and flyers for hookers.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Well because of your fondness for large metropolitan areas I scratched L.A. because, well it's L.A. enough said... That leaves the Big Apple and the Windy City... After reading your informal essays over the last couple of years, it seems you have spent considerable time in NYC... But the great thing about the city is you could live there for 10 years and barely scratch the surface... I won't even try to sell you on NYC because of your history with the "City that never sleeps"...

Now that I think about it you could fit 3 Chicago's on just Long Island itself... I have a inclination for Chicago on a personal level... It is the Midwest where I was born and bred... And the hot dogs are better in chi town...

Bottom line is if you have an itch and you really want it scratched, I think NYC is your destination...

I was hoping I could help more but I think all I have done is waste your time...

 

[Foxfyre]

Good morning and yeah, I think if Nosmo opted for the big city, it would in most likelihood be Pittsburgh or maybe Philly. I don't think he's the Chicago or NYC type. I suspect he likes where he is just fine though.

I probably never would have put Albuquerque on our best places to live list, but it is home for us. But I remember our friends from Virginia who were located here for awhile, and it just didn't 'take' for them. The harshness of the land was unappealing to him and she just couldn't re-establish the real estate business here that she enjoyed there and remarked that people just didn't think about real estate the way she did. And they eventually went back to what was home for them. We spent four months living in White Sulphur Springs West Va and driving Virginia a lot of weekends and our daughter lived in Virginia for several years, but it never felt like home for us. Or her really. She loves the California beach.

 

[Nosmo King]

Well because of your fondness for large metropolitan areas I scratched L.A. because, well it's L.A. enough said... That leaves the Big Apple and the Windy City... After reading your informal essays over the last couple of years, it seems you have spent considerable time in NYC... But the great thing about the city is you could live there for 10 years and barely scratch the surface... I won't even try to sell you on NYC because of your history with the "City that never sleeps"...

Now that I think about it you could fit 3 Chicago's on just Long Island itself... I have a inclination for Chicago on a personal level... It is the Midwest where I was born and bred... And the hot dogs are better in chi town...

Bottom line is if you have an itch and you really want it scratched, I think NYC is your destination...

I was hoping I could help more but I think all I have done is waste your time...

Ridgerunner, your posts are never a waste of time!

 

[Nosmo King]

Good morning and yeah, I think if Nosmo opted for the big city, it would in most likelihood be Pittsburgh or maybe Philly. I don't think he's the Chicago or NYC type. I suspect he likes where he is just fine though.

I probably never would have put Albuquerque on our best places to live list, but it is home for us. But I remember our friends from Virginia who were located here for awhile, and it just didn't 'take' for them. The harshness of the land was unappealing to him and she just couldn't re-establish the real estate business here that she enjoyed there and remarked that people just didn't think about real estate the way she did. And they eventually went back to what was home for them. We spent four months living in White Sulphur Springs West Va and driving Virginia a lot of weekends and our daughter lived in Virginia for several years, but it never felt like home for us. Or her really. She loves the California beach.

Foxy,

I do love home best. Pittsburgh is the secret gem of America. We have everything a city could possibly offer wrapped in a beautiful setting with charming and unique neighborhoods.

But I am listing my favorite decadent cities, places with a wicked edge and made for fun. The grittier side of a city has charms all its own.

Philly, like Boston, is steeped in history and has the Philly cheesesteak going for it. But they have the Flyers and the Phillies going against them. A Pittsburghers could never fit in well there. And Boston has the clam chowder and Irish pubs in its favor. But the New England Patriots and the Boston Bruins would make the place unbearable from September to June.

 

[Oddball]

 

[Foxfyre]

Good morning and yeah, I think if Nosmo opted for the big city, it would in most likelihood be Pittsburgh or maybe Philly. I don't think he's the Chicago or NYC type. I suspect he likes where he is just fine though.

I probably never would have put Albuquerque on our best places to live list, but it is home for us. But I remember our friends from Virginia who were located here for awhile, and it just didn't 'take' for them. The harshness of the land was unappealing to him and she just couldn't re-establish the real estate business here that she enjoyed there and remarked that people just didn't think about real estate the way she did. And they eventually went back to what was home for them. We spent four months living in White Sulphur Springs West Va and driving Virginia a lot of weekends and our daughter lived in Virginia for several years, but it never felt like home for us. Or her really. She loves the California beach.

Foxy,

I do love home best. Pittsburgh is the secret gem of America. We have everything a city could possibly offer wrapped in a beautiful setting with charming and unique neighborhoods.

But I am listing my favorite decadent cities, places with a wicked edge and made for fun. The grittier side of a city has charms all its own.

Philly, like Boston, is steeped in history and has the Philly cheesesteak going for it. But they have the Flyers and the Phillies going against them. A Pittsburghers could never fit in well there. And Boston has the clam chowder and Irish pubs in its favor. But the New England Patriots and the Boston Bruins would make the place unbearable from September to June.

Vegas no doubt is the pure decadent city even though many/most residents there never notice it because they live out in the nicely landscaped areas well away from the Strip or downtown. Laughlin Nv is the small town version of Vegas that we much prefer to Vegas--less glitz, more laid back I suppose.

Some parts of the country just feel more commercially exploitive, more hedonistic maybe than I would be comfortable with. Some parts of the country are culturally more formal than I am comfortable with. But again, it is wonderful that we all prefer to live different places or it would be awfully crowded where we are.

 

[Nosmo King]

Good morning and yeah, I think if Nosmo opted for the big city, it would in most likelihood be Pittsburgh or maybe Philly. I don't think he's the Chicago or NYC type. I suspect he likes where he is just fine though.

I probably never would have put Albuquerque on our best places to live list, but it is home for us. But I remember our friends from Virginia who were located here for awhile, and it just didn't 'take' for them. The harshness of the land was unappealing to him and she just couldn't re-establish the real estate business here that she enjoyed there and remarked that people just didn't think about real estate the way she did. And they eventually went back to what was home for them. We spent four months living in White Sulphur Springs West Va and driving Virginia a lot of weekends and our daughter lived in Virginia for several years, but it never felt like home for us. Or her really. She loves the California beach.

Foxy,

I do love home best. Pittsburgh is the secret gem of America. We have everything a city could possibly offer wrapped in a beautiful setting with charming and unique neighborhoods.

But I am listing my favorite decadent cities, places with a wicked edge and made for fun. The grittier side of a city has charms all its own.

Philly, like Boston, is steeped in history and has the Philly cheesesteak going for it. But they have the Flyers and the Phillies going against them. A Pittsburghers could never fit in well there. And Boston has the clam chowder and Irish pubs in its favor. But the New England Patriots and the Boston Bruins would make the place unbearable from September to June.

Vegas no doubt is the pure decadent city even though many/most residents there never notice it because they live out in the nicely landscaped areas well away from the Strip or downtown. Laughlin Nv is the small town version of Vegas that we much prefer to Vegas--less glitz, more laid back I suppose.

Some parts of the country just feel more commercially exploitive, more hedonistic maybe than I would be comfortable with. Some parts of the country are culturally more formal than I am comfortable with. But again, it is wonderful that we all prefer to live different places or it would be awfully crowded where we are.

I wouldn't like to live in any of my Decadent Cities of America, but they are the places I like to visit.

There are 'wide open towns' here in the Tri-State area. Youngstown, Ohio is such a place. Perhaps the expression "Youngstown Starter" rings a bell. A Youngstown Starter is the preferred method of the mob to purge its ne'er do wells. A bomb wired to the ignition of a Cadillac El Dorado and "You won't see him around here no more."

But seeking decadence locally seems tawdrier than comfort can bear. The girl on the brass pole Saturday night might be the same girl at the checkout line in the grocery store Monday afternoon. One of the reasons they are called "exotic dancers" is they should remain exotic.

Weirton, West Virginia once enjoyed the reputation of a wide open town. It was easy to find a roulette wheel and guys with cauliflower ears hanging around. Right across the Ohio River from Weirton is Steubenville, Ohio. Birthplace of Dean Martin and Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, you can go forth and imagine the variety of sins found there.

 

[Ridgerunner]

And Boston has the clam chowder and Irish pubs in its favor.

And 40 years ago you could go to the "combat zone" Boston was so famous for, but alas as I mentioned before reurbanization has ripped a new one in decadence. Damn yuppies anyway!!!

You mentioned Memphis... There might be just enough mud and grit left on Beale St to wet your whistle...

STOP THE PRESSES

I may have found a hidden gem... I went through Basic Training at Ft. Jackson, S.C. and the first weekend we had of freedom about a half a dozen of us went to Atlanta... This was 1976 and what little I remember a good time was had by all...

Stay Away - not safe! - Review of Underground Atlanta, Atlanta, GA - TripAdvisor

 

[Ringel05]

Gizmo update. Just got back from the vet hospital and great news, turns out he did have a soft material blockage which had severely irritated his digestive system and pancreas. The soft material? A massive fur ball........ About a week ago we started giving him Miralax in his food and it's been clearing the blockage and he's been looking more and more normal daily, today the vet pulled out a bunch of fur that was sticking out of his butt. So now we know what to watch for and per the vet he gets 1/4 tsp Miralax on his food twice a day to help prevent a repeat. We are sooooooo relieved!!

 

[Nosmo King]

Gizmo update. Just got back from the vet hospital and great news, turns out he did have a soft material blockage which had severely irritated his digestive system and pancreas. The soft material? A massive fur ball........ About a week ago we started giving him Miralax in his food and it's been clearing the blockage and he's been looking more and more normal daily, today the vet pulled out a bunch of fur that was sticking out of his butt. So now we know what to watch for and per the vet he gets 1/4 tsp Miralax on his food twice a day to help prevent a repeat. We are sooooooo relieved!!

Did the vet offer you "the blockage" as a souvenir? A clump of shit covered fur in a bottle of formaldehyde?

I'd put it on the mantle next to my Roberto Clemente autographed baseball and Aunt Helen's gall stones.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd put it on the mantle next to my Roberto Clemente autographed baseball and Aunt Helen's gall stones.

Aunt Helen would be so proud...

 

[blackhawk]