A Sign Of Hope
Of course a closer inspection revealed that it wasn't yet open.
Soon, Though
I talked to a woman who was standing in the door way and looked like she was somewhat in charge. She said Armando's should be open in a week or two. I kind of doubt this, though, because when I asked if a certain bartender, Paul, would be returning she said they hadn't started hiring yet. I am guessing that you would start hiring staff further in advance than just a week or two before opening. Plus, the interior didn't look close to being completed.
I asked if they would be able to re-install the landmark (my opinion only, it seems) lobster sign. She said, sadly, that she didn't think so. I suggested that it should be hung somewhere inside the restaurant but she said it was too big for that.
The Lobster Is Dead
The whole story about the lobster is kind of sad. When Armando's closed and the sign came down it couldn't be put back up because it now violates some signage law. Kind of a shame. You would think if the same restaurant with the same owner re-opens they should be allowed to put their original sign back up. The building is owned by the owner of the restaurant, so that isn't the issue. Oh well, what can you do.
On a brighter note, the woman did say that they saved the picture of Marilyn Monroe and they would be putting that back up.
Welcome Back, Marilyn
I then strolled on down to the promenade and, somewhat to my surprise, saw that a lot of work was actually taking place on the new park.
Men At Work
Apparently, parts of the park are actually supposed to be open by the end of the year. I am not sure if the dead of winter is the best time to be opening a park, but hey, at least progress is being made. Usually the only thing you see are the signs showing what may one day appear.
Promises, Promises
Whenever I see this broken down pier I think of that little patch of dark brown that they left when the renovated Grand Central Terminal to remind people of what the place used to look like.
They Should Leave It As A Reminder
Funny thing about this park, it is supposed to be self-sustaining. In other words, once it is open the maintenance fees are supposed to be generated by fees paid by private concerns located in the park rather than by taxes. The funny part is that, at least as far as the luxury condominiums being built, these fees are being paid in lieu of taxes. So what difference does it make? Indirectly, at least, the maintenace of the park is being funded by tax revenue that is not being collected.
Sightseeing done I popped into Pete's Waterfront Ale House for a pint of their daily special, Long Trail Belgian White, only $4.50 if you drink it at the bar. Then I headed down the street to the Atlantic Chip Shop. They were offering Newcastle Brown Ale's for just $4.oo during a football game between Arsenal and Celtic. Arsenal won and I was glad of that. Celtic had the stupidest looking uniforms I have ever seen. It was fine when they wore green and white, but for some reason they have switched to black and yellow.
How Hideous
I mean, even their socks were back and yellow stripes. Only a Pittsburgh Steelers fan could possibly find these uniforms attractive. My friend Allen, a Steelers fan, would probably pollinate all over himself if he saw this game
Oh, and in the category of things you just have to know, "ladoo" is an alternative spelling for "laddu." This has absolutely nothing to do with anything else in this post, but I thought I would throw it in just for the hell of it.
4 comments:
Hi Bar Man-
Re the lobster sign, I can think of at least one other. Don't forget Francisco's on W 23rd Street in Manhattan: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nswHPYi_dEw/ScOwe1QrdbI/AAAAAAAAGq8/IcojkoY9cAQ/s1600-h/IMG_3886.JPG
And you're right about those Celtic uniforms. They remind me of the Bumblebee Man on the Simpsons: http://images.chron.com/blogs/tmi/simpBumblebeeMan_f.JPG
Just for your information, Bar man, Celtic did not 'switch' uniforms to black and yellow. As you may be aware, football teams have away jerseys which are normally worn when the regular jerseys look too much like the jersey of the team they are playing. Often these away jerseys change every season. Last year, Celtic had an away jersey that was completely yellow and the year before that, they had a dark green away jersey.
No way that Celtic would ever part from the mighty green and white Hoops.
Well, those black and yellow striped uniforms, including the socks, make them look like, as Joe non Papa said, Bumblebee Man on the Simpsons.
And why do football teams need to plaster their uniforms with endorsements? Can you imagine the Yankees with a big Toyota emblem on the front of their uniforms?
On the other hand, I did buy the Chivas jersey just because of the big Bimbo on the front.
I fully agree with you that the new away jerseys are by far the most hideous they have had in a decade and, yes, they look like bumblebees.
I just wanted to point out that Celtic still play most games in their normal green and white jerseys, as they have for the past 121 years.
Some fans would agree with you that the corporate logos on the jerseys are stupid or defacing the uniforms (Celtic are sponsored by a brand of lager, so that's pretty cool) but on the other hand.. as you probably will agree, money makes the world go round in sports and at least this way we don't have to stop the game every 4 or 5 minutes for a commercial break.
And yes, I'm a lifelong Celtic fan.
The Waterfront alehouse rules by the way, was there last year. Great burgers and excellent choice in beer.
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