September 11, 2007 in NYC

Plot, Duck and BZWZ waited on Amsterdam Avenue this morning for the annual church bell ringing to mark the anniversary of September 11. They couldn't remember if the bells were supposed to ring at 8:43, 8:53 or 9:02, but it didn't really matter because nobody rang any bells anyway. At 9:10, the three headed back to BZWZ's apartment to eat the bagels, cream cheese and tomato from Absolute Bagels and drink the Cuban cafe con leche from el Malecon.

Plot has felt an undercurrent of residual worry about being in the Big Shmapple on 9-1-1 ever since he started seeing Osama Yomama's face plastered all over the TV for the last week. It never fails to surprise Plottie that OYM still has the power to make us feel insecure, even though we know in our hearts that it's not he who is worrisome, but his ideas.

But so far so good. No one has blown anyone up today yet. In a few minutes The Plot Three are heading on the subway down to Battery Park to take the ferry over to Ellis Island, which they could see from the boat last night -- see the following paragraph. Many Plotniks checked into Hotel America on Ellis island -- maybe they left us a note.

Last night was Ducknik's great belated birthday surprise from BZ -- a two hour trip on the schooner Adirondack from the Chelsea Piers down to the Statue of Liberty and back, followed by a delicious dinner at Les Enfants Terribles which features food from former French colonies, and is located in The Hipster Tenement district of South East Chinatown. The views of the city from the Adirondack were magical -- ten or fifteen people drinking wine and champagne (beer for Plottie) got to see the Jersey and Manhattan shorelines like you can only see them from the Hudson River, while the Captain and his crew motored along, pretending to sail. But when they finally shut off the engines on the way back from the Statue, and everyone could hear the water lapping up against the side of the ship -- that was perfect.

Dinner was great too -- Plottie had the Moqueca - a Brazilian curried fish stew very much like what he ate several times in Livingston, Guatemala, only not nearly as hot -- OK, he knows Brazil is not a former French colony and doesn't understand the connection either, but the moqueca was terrific. BZ had the pre-Rosh Hashana feast of scallops wrapped in bacon and Ducknik ordered the lamb shank with couscous. All three were unique and very tasty, and the breezy window seats made it feel like New Orleans, except for all the signs outside in Chinese and a strange wafty unidentifiable white soot that kept dropping on Ducknik's black sweater.



During the day yesterday Duck and Plot discovered an absolute jewel in the Shmapple: the gardens at 106th and Fifth Avenue, below the Harlem Meer at the top of Central Park. No tourists and few New Yorkers ever venture into the upper half of the park (because it sort of borders Harlem) and they're missing stunning natural beauty in a picture-perfect setting, with people fishing in the Meer, babies playing in the playground and The Great Plotnik taking a picture of The Great Ducknik taking a picture of two of her namesakes swimming in the water.



Alas! BZWZ informs Plottie today they shall all miss the Croatian and Korean Film Festivals.