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At Il Bambino.

We got there around 11am and found a beautiful display of fish! I was particularly happy to see wild salmon there, and at a price that was less than I was used to paying when I was in the habit of buying fish. We got a little over a pound, as well as some frozen fish cakes, which look intriguing. I understand they’ve been getting these fish cakes from the same people for over 50 years. Can’t wait to try them.

After Marino’s we wandered over to Frank’s Bakery, just up the street. I learned that this is the time of year for St. Joseph pastries, one of which is a zeppole, a delicious sweet dough filled with thick, sweet pastry cream and topped with sour cherry. It was amazing and so delicious. There are many beautiful pastries at this bakery. They’ve been around for over 30 years, too.

Later in the day, I got a haircut - about 4-5 inches chopped off! On my way home, I decided to stop in at the new Parrot market on Ditmars.

It used to be an Italian-Greek grocery, and in its new form it still is, except Balkan foods have been added. Fine by me! It’s very bright and clean and has a lot of delicious looking items. I bought some delicious zacusca, hummus, olives (two: za’atar covered and jalepeño stuffed), and a tasty Milka bar that I hadn’t had before (milk chocolate with corn flakes and peanuts). Turns out the people that are running the place now are good friends of the former owners. Nice.

Dolce Italia was also on my radar, and I picked up a cup of coffee (meh, but I have super high standards for my coffee), and a couple of mini cannolis (YUM). They make an interesting and unusual cannoli filled with hazelnut ricotta cream. Top Tomato had the lemons and dill I needed for dinner.

Below is the salmon I prepared, all dressed up before going in the oven:

No picture of it cooked - we ate it too quickly! It was delicious.

It was great to shop locally and visit the small independent stores. I plan to do this more often than shopping primarily at the Key Food. My neighborhood is delicious!

On the 22nd we saw Wendy Colonna at The Bitter End, one of my favorite music clubs in New York City. She’s a wonderful singer and songwriter based in Austin, TX.

More pictures.

We left the apartment around 10 a.m. this morning to run/walk in Astoria Park, and when we got there, we spotted a red-tailed hawk sitting up in a tree! There were a few other people (and one dog) staring up at it, amazed that something so fantastic was right there in front of us. A few minutes after we walked away, I felt the wind rush past my right shoulder and saw the hawk pass within a couple of feet from me! Very exciting. We thought it might be going after breakfast in the shape of a squirrel running around nearby. The red tailed hawk is a beautiful bird and I’m glad I got a chance to see one, virtually in my own backyard.

Later in the afternoon we headed to a new cafe nearby, Soleil. I heard they had free wifi (a new perk since opening), and I was aware they had decent coffee, and nice atmosphere from a previous visit. We bundled up, brought our laptops and enjoyed a relaxing couple of hours getting a bit of work done. It’s a really nice space, and the wifi is indeed free. My latte was good but the fresh juice was even better. I’m glad this place is nearby.

Afterwards, we made a spur-of-the-moment visit to La Flor de Puebla, just up the street for tacos. We ordered a spicy pork and a chicken taco, and let me tell you - these tacos are some of the finest I’ve eaten in Astoria. Totally delicious and super flavorful. I’ll be back.

Thanks to naturepicsonline.com for the red-tailed hawk picture.

Well, my worms are alive and well. They’ve been chugging along for many months now, and I have lots of rich, dark compost. I’ve been able to add some to my indoor basil plant, which loves the extra oomph the compost adds to the soil.

It smells like dirt in the bin, with no rotting smells, excellent. Yesterday when I checked in with them, I found a healthy garlic sprout from a clove I dropped in there a couple weeks ago. I’ll have to harvest the compost at some point, but for now, the worms seem to be doing just fine, which makes me happy.

I love these clouds. Taken on the last day of September 2007 at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

Four to the floor is a rhythmic pattern in dance music in which the kick drum falls on each beat of the measure in 4/4 time. The four to the floor beat was popularized in the 1960s and in the disco music of the 1970s. Other music genres based on the beat include house, techno and trance.

The invitation specified that the event would feature a combo of music and photography, which was pretty appealing. Music, of course, is a big part of my life, not to mention I was keen on getting a chance to handle Nikon’s latest SLR/professional cameras. The Nikon D70 (5 SLR generations ago) has been a legendary camera in my mind for years.

So, after my guest and I arrived in the neighborhood, we found our way to the Press line in front of the Buddha Bar. They took my business card and checked my name off the list (I was listed as a photoblogger). Our picture was snapped on the red (actually, it was yellow) carpet, and we were escorted up to the Media area. It was dark, techno music was thumping in the background, and people milling around in pretty clothes. Not my usual scene, but that didn’t really matter at that point.

Upstairs, I was momentarily distracted by the giant black buddha at the end of the walkway. They don’t call it the Buddha Bar for nothing. Then I was presented with a shiny new point-and-shoot camera on a silver platter, and was told, “this is your camera for the night”; the woman also clarified that it was for me to keep, which was totally awesome. It’s a Nikon Coolpix S51c (release date 10.15.07), and is a lot of fun to use. I expect I’ll be using this much more advanced camera for the near future.

As I entered the Press area, I couldn’t resist veering off to the “learn to DJ” area, and learned a bit about mixing and scratching. Apparently I was doing a good job, because Ray the DJ asked me, “Do you play an instrument or something? You’re really getting this!” I had to laugh, and said “Yes, I have a doctorate in music”. Well, that just blew his mind. That experience was a lot of fun, and I even have a CD of my maiden voyage into DJ-ing.

Later, I talked to the Nikon reps about the point and shoot, and the SLRs. Gorgeous, gorgeous cameras, that both looked and sounded great. I was particularly enamored with the D40X, which took wonderful pictures and was extremely light to boot. The D3, on the other hand, was substantial in its weight, and impressive in its speed.

I had a decent cosmo and enjoyed the passed hors d’oeuvres - chicken samosa, pork potsticker, and a spicy tuna roll (my favorite). FYI, I love passed hors d’oeuvres. The vibe was relaxed and I had a terrific time. My guest did too, which is saying a lot. What a great way to spend an evening. At some point I’d like to go back to have dinner, as a regular guest.

So, my conclusion: Press events = fun!

Meet the Mutts

It’s a sad state of affairs. The Mets were so far ahead for such a long time, and basically owned first place in the NL East. But, a series of recent losses has caused them to drop now to second place. One behind Philadelphia. Who knows if they’ll ever be able to regain first place? Oh the humanity…

Well, Mets fans jeered the Yankees for months about their performance this season. Now who’s laughing!

This little Christian Science Church is located in Forest Hills Gardens, a private community in central Queens. The area has gorgeous architecture, and this church is no exception. At the time of its construction, it had to be approved by the community corporation, to ensure that it would be compatible with surrounding architectural styles. Obviously, it passed. I believe it was built in the 1930s.

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