Why Queens rocks the free world

[shunn]

At 10:15 pm tonight, over the protestations of my dog, I left the apartment and took a twenty-minute walk over to the Arabic stretch of Steinway Street where, thanks to Bloomberg's smoking ban, the men congregate with their hookahs on the sidewalk before the storefronts. I joined my friend Ali, the Egyptian chef, in front of his restaurant, where I met Manny the Indian-American computer programmer and Declan the Irish chef, and where we all enjoyed a glass of white wine. (Not the same glass.) Then Ali and I repaired to the Czechoslovakian social club where the delightful owner Daniela ("I'm not Czech, I'm not Slovak, I'm Czechoslovakian") served us after-hours pilsners and a sweet liqueur the name of which I couldn't tell you if you put a gun to my head. As we were discussing religion and politics and gender relations and smoking Cohibas, the Bangladeshi kid who manages the Kaufman-Astoria movie theater wandered in for a while. The African-American garbage man stuck his head in because the garbage wasn't out at the curb for his midnight pickup, so we all rushed to gather it up and carry it outside. And now I'm home again with the dog, and all is right with the world except for the fact that my French-American wife is in Texas with our Greek-Italian-American friend Stephanie.

Fucking Queens, baby. All the world should be like this.

Comments

[pixelfish.livejournal.com]

My apartment building in Calgary was kinda like that: the downstairs store was run by Susanne and Sid (Chinese-Canadian), attended to and fixed up by Ole (Norwegian-Canadian) and Robin (French-Canadian). Across the street we had Deon (Newfie-Canadian) working the convenience story and Joey (Korean-Canadian) working in the Vietnamese restaurant that I always ate at. My favourite place to eat was Soby's (run by Soby, Lebanese-Canadian). You can get great perogies from the Polish-Canadian owned restaurant a few streets down, and one of my cafes was Danish-French-Canadian serving North American fare.

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Nice. You're making me miss Calgary. That's a good town. All that multiculturalism and socialized medicine too. And more than two political parties.

[markbourne.livejournal.com]

Nice. Man, I envy you. Believe me, when Elizabeth and I last visited NYC and you introduced us to Ali and your neighborhood, we rubbed a few serious neurons together about buying the open apartment in your building as "our New York place." If our finances were just a little more padded, and we didn't have a move to central Seattle looming in our near future, we'd probably do it. We both miss NYC like the dickens. Or the fershizzle.

[bobhowe.livejournal.com]

We both miss NYC like the dickens. Or the fershizzle.

Heh. Nice recovery. Very convincing.

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Ali, what a sweetheart. Folks on Steinway call him The Mayor. When I say "Fucking Queens, baby," I'm hearing Ali say it in that booming Egyptian voice with a huge smile plastered on his face and his arms spread wide.

Let's encourage that line of thinking. If you do get serious about it someday, we'll starting gaslighting the people upstairs. But you'll have to get over this snizzle dizzle talk, man. Snoop is so West Coast. Don't worry, we'll coach you.

[markbourne.livejournal.com]

When I say "Fucking Queens, baby," I'm hearing Ali say it in that booming Egyptian voice with a huge smile plastered on his face and his arms spread wide.

That's Ali in a single image, yep. I can hear the voice now. (And that purr his voice drops into when leaning ever so closer to Laura or Elizabeth.) The Mayor indeed.

Don't worry, we'll coach you.

Fuckin' A.

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Fuckin' A, doozh-bag.

[bobhowe.livejournal.com]

You have achieved your life's ambition: you live on Sesame Street.

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Do you think that's what all the grown-ups on Sesame Street (http://www.shunn.net/bill/sesame/) are doing at night, boozing it up and trashing Dubya? I'd like to see that very special episode of Sesame Street, where Elmo has to learn to be quiet and respectful when Luis has a hangover.

Current Terror Alert Level
(http://www.geekandproud.net/terror/)

[bad-bad-zoot.livejournal.com]

The hairless monkey grown-ups on Sesame Street spend their days with their hands up the asses of animals. Of course they spend their nights boozing. Wouldn't you?

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Zoot, they're having auditions now for the roles of the animals. Should I put your name down?

[bad-bad-zoot.livejournal.com]

Very funny, you devolved brachiator. I'll say this just once: my ass is a no-fly zone.

[shunn.livejournal.com]

Are the flies aware of this?

[bad-bad-zoot.livejournal.com]

I eat flies for breakfast. Bring 'em on, you exfoliated chimp.