..nights like this...

I wish I lived in New York City... I don't know why. Just feel like I'm missing out on something..

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The Bangkok skybar: Yea, I'd get on a plane for that

Those who know me know I'm not much one for airports, airplanes, or even long drives.. People joke that I rarely get out of the county I work in, (though I travel through three counties a day to get to work while they typically stay in one, so who's the homer now, holmies) ..

But last night while waiting for my wife to get her eyebrows done at the mall, a hair cutting place of course not just a store ripping eyebrow hairs off, I was pursuing the latest GQ magazine when I saw an ad for the Lebua Skybar in Bangkok. Actually, it was an ad for Bombay Sapphire, but it could have well been a better ad for the skybar..

Forgive me, but maybe it's because I am 'stuck' in the county of my residence, but I never heard of the skybar. Until I did a bit of research on it, of course.. It's ranked as one of the world's best bars .. It sits over top of the city of Bangkok .. It's beautifully blue-hued and immediately has a presence..The city of Bangkok, pollution and all, is able to be viewed from high atop at the bar while sipping your Bombay Sapphire, or cocktail of your choice..

And yes, this, my friends, is something I would take a plane to go an see..

American restaurants and bars are not nearly as creative as our world neighbors.. we think plywood floors and filthy beer nozzles, along with dollar drafts, bring in the consumers. Yes, this is true.. But how much more I'd prefer the air night looking over the city I live in.. though the city I live in has few lights at night and few attractions besides Yuengling Brewery (And not to slam Yuengling, I drink Lager often).. But my point is, unlike Thailand, or Japan, or other nations on earth, our country rarely thinks about dining as an experience, but instead just something to do to go eat quickly.

I'd much rather go to a place where you don't just drink, or eat, but instead spend a night out.

There's an Italian restaurant near me called Mattucci's Italian Restaurant.. Haven't been there for some time now, but maybe it's time to go back. It's the type of place that you're at for a few hours -- the food is cooked from scratch and it's truly authentic Italian cuisine. Some people I hear talking about it get agitated that the wait for food is as long as it is.. But that's not the point of the wait. The point is, that the dining is an experience that you enjoy talking and having the company of others while you wait for dinner to be served. You have a 'night out' not just a quick dinner. Americans forget the glorious parts of dining or drinking.. Having a drink above a cityscape would be a wonderful pleasure compared to the obnoxious crowds at any given local tavern on a Saturday night..

And while I may never get to Bangkok to sip a beer above the city, I can perhaps recreate the scene in the restaurant I eventually own in my future (yep, still a dream).. I may just have to use wallpaper of a city.. or maybe I'll own a skybox way up high... Dreaming, dreaming..

In the mean time, I'll simply envy the bartender, who even on dull nights get to see the view of Bangkok like no others ..

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NYTimes reports: A Newly Frugal Generation Revives Discount Dining

From The New York Times:

"A Newly Frugal Generation Revives Discount Dining;
Several restaurants in Florida have introduced early bird specials
since the recession started, and younger people are arriving in larger
numbers."

http://s.nyt.com/u/AHO

Not just for senior citizens anymore.

Nothing wrong with a person saving money..especially when said person
is broke!

Eating habits are changing.. Restaurants that survive 2010 will have
to change their habits too..

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PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM: NEW FOOD RULES

Chain restaurants, convenience stores and other eating establishments in Philadelphia are now required to list nutritional information on their menus

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Winter doledrums setting in..

The holidays are over. Bank accounts are drained.. stomachs widened.. A few tips from Refreshing News blog on how to avoid getting winter fat..

The best tip, especially when "blue Monday" sets in a few weeks from now: "Lay off the booze"

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JUST WONDERING..

Just because a steak house charges $45 tp to $65 for a small steak, I'm supposed to think it should be perfect, right. And when it's not...?

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2009.. THE FINAL WEDDING.. AND THE PHANTASM UNDERTAKER HELPS USHER IN 2010

Here, yes.. And happy new year to everyone that is still checking back here for updates. Sorry for the lack of those recently..

Finished the final wedding of the year last night--New Year's Eve.. Instead of 200 people showing up, a mere 75 did.. The bride looked like she was in a clear "I don't want to get married" panic before she went to the dance floor and kissed her husband, donned in full white tuxedo from head to toe ..

The lack of enthusiasm about their new life together may have been due to unexecpted snow that hit New Year's Eve night in the Northeast.. Or just because they invited people at the last minute. Either way, I cannot judge..

It was after all, a pretty easy night. Sure I didn't spend New Year's Eve with my wife or anynone else.. instead, I left for work in 2009 and came home in 2010, getting a shower and making a frozen pizza and watching the Twilight Zone marathon the SyFy channel..

But the whole new year thing is a little overrated anyway, isn't it? The big moment of time turning at 12:01 am.. By 12:02 am most people are beginning to feel the deep buzz of liquor and the urge to sleep.. Calling it a night would be better than staying out until 2am when the crowds really get lit. Rough faces are all around you by that point.

But yes, there is also something special about a new year. It's a new day.. turning over a new leaf.. all that stuff.

And as 2009 ended, so did the wedding season at my secondary place of employment..And as it went out, I stood in the back of the restaurant peering at the hall, looking at the faces.. one stood out. A man that looked like a dead on appearance as the undertaker from PHANTASM.. I learned a little later that he even hit on a fellow server..Scary, but somehow fitting end to insanity in 09.

Happy 2010.. I'll try for more updates. Really I will.

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