Pucker Up for the Lower East Side’s Pickle Day. As we speak, the curtain is going up on the Pickle festival, on Orchard bet. Grand and Broome Streets. Like the NY Post put it: It’s going to be a dilly! Local vendors include Kalustyan’s offering Indian chutney, Pickle Me Fancy with Japanese fusion pickles, and pickles from Spain, China and the Philippines. Katz’s Deli will dole out pastrami. Yes, meats and fish can be pickled, as can okra, eggs, limes, mangoes and peaches. Alongside samples will be canning demos and exhibits.  

Finest sports reporting we’ve read in a while. “Having just spackled his blood vessel walls with an off-white, viscous paste known scientifically as low density lipoproteins — contained in flaky, cinnamonny tubes by the 17 Palermno cannolis he had just stuffed down his digestive tract in six minutes — Crazy Legs Conte was in a hurry.” It’s the opening paragraph of “Dispatches from the Lower East Side” blog, describing with a feisty pen (okay, keyboard) the 6th annual Cannoli Eating Contest, sanctioned by Major League Eating and a part of the 80th annual San Gennaro Street Festival in Little Italy, NYC. A must read (plus video).

Chuck and Hill are paying the bill. The Second Ave. subway got a boost this week, when the Senate passed the Transportation Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 2008, which earmarks $125 million for the project. The bill also includes $200 million for the MTA’s East Side Access project, bringing Long Island Rail Road trains into Grand Central Terminal, Schumer and Clinton said. (NY Daily News)

Who will replace Hillary? Since the whole world knows Hillary Clinton is the next President of the United States, and since she’s still got, what, like four years on her subscription to the Senate all-you-can-pork perpetual buffet, it’s a good time to ask who’s going to be the next Senator from the state of New York. Assuming no Republican of significance would dare step up to the plate, and also assuming East River’s most prominent Libertarian Jim Lesczynski is not running, it’s got to be a Democrat. The man who decides would be Gov. Spitzer, and, according to the Daily News, Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Carolyn Maloney have personally lobbied for support for the appointment. That’s two downtowners! Also interested: Lt. Gov. David Paterson and Rep. Gregory Meeks from Queens.

The personal is now so public, you can walk the streets in your pajamas. This Sad review of Brown Cafe, Lower East Side made us feel like maybe we should sell our computer and move to Albania. “…dinner last night was beyond disappointing… We were starving and dived right into our food, but, alas, the meat loaf was COLD! So, we asked the waitress to heat it up, and she took it away for what seemed like a pretty long time. The dish came back with potatoes steaming but the meat still lukewarm. Mom was so hungry she just went with it.” Gosh, did Mom go ahead and eat the dish, or was re-heated with it? Very unclear. Anyway, it’s just too much information if you ask us. But do you? (Chowhound)

Revoke their poetic license at once! Pure Jean-ious is the headline this editor picked for the news about Earnest Sewn jeans moving to the LES. For crying out loud, it’s pants, not a better mousetrap. (style.com)

The storefront that can’t sit still. Another news organization discovered the perpetually changing GrandOpening at 139 Norfolk – this time it’s The Globe and Mail. The storefront has just re-launched as a “Drive-In” movie theatre, complete with a 1965 Ford Falcon Convertible, live tree, projector screen and twinkle lights behind sheer, black material along the right-side wall, to give a starry-night effect. Each evening, people will be able to rent out the six-seat car for $60 at an online reservation site and watch a movie of their choosing. Yeah!

 

 

 

 

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