Though the current project started as a series of posts charting my grief journey after the death of my mother, I am no longer actively grieving. Now, the blog charts a conversation in living, mainly whatever I want it to be. This is an activity that goes well with the theme of this blog (updated 2018). The Sense of Doubt blog is dedicated to my motto: EMBRACE UNCERTAINTY. I promote questioning everything because just when I think I know something is concrete, I find out that it’s not.
Hey, Mom! The Explanation.
Here's the permanent dedicated link to my first Hey, Mom! post and the explanation of the feature it contains.
New York Magazine has published (free, for a limited time) a gallery of photographs of some of New York City's most "shabby, singular storefronts." I find these more breathtakingly beautiful than what's hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
New York Magazine has published (free, for a limited time) a gallery of photographs of some of New York City's most "shabby, singular storefronts." I find these more breathtakingly beautiful than what's hanging in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In my neighborhood, blocks of storefronts like these are being torn down to make room for high-rise apartment buildings that will have ground floor Bank of Americas or CVSs.
It's an incredible shame, as New York is being robbed of what makes it great. But I also have to ask: Why is it that even in the increasingly rare occurrence that a new, locally owned neighborhood shop opens, its storefront will have none of the eccentric aesthetic charm of these beauties from previous eras?
Big Wong
Owner Bill Li and family have been spreading their roast-pork gospel lately, opening new locations in Hell’s Kitchen and Williamsburg. Still, you can’t beat the atmosphere at the Chinatown original, where you can supplement your roast pork with sweet you tiao (a cruller) and — Karla’s favorite — chow fun.
Stella Maris
Yes, people fish in New York, and yes, this is a fishing store — but you’ll want to go for more than live bait and lead sinkers. “You want to find out the latest gossip of what’s happening in Sheepshead Bay?” Karla says. “Hang out in there for 15 minutes. It’s all you need, and you’ll catch up on it.”
Addeo & Sons
This is the best bakery on Arthur Avenue, bar none. Anyone who tells you otherwise? Stop letting them tell you where to go. The Murrays are partial to the loaves of pane di casa, which they buy three at a time (so they can eat one while making the trip home), and the cannoli, but whatever you do don’t leave without the lard bread.
Block Drug Store
“To us, that is the quintessential mom-and-pop drugstore,” Karla says. “One time we went in there. And James, the doctor had given him a prescription. He’s like, ‘Oh, no, James. You can’t go on that. That’s going to interfere with your blood-pressure medication. Let me call up your doctor and find out what’s what.’ It’s not just the old signs that they love — it’s also the good service.
Borgatti’s
Some would argue that you should be fined if you leave Arthur Avenue without making a pitstop at Borgatti’s. We’ll leave that up to the authorities. What we can say is that the best time of year to visit Arthur Avenue is around Christmas, when it’s packed with crowds.
Brother’s Pizzeria
Many people go to Brother’s for the famous Sicilian slices. Staten Island native (and former Vulture editor) Tara Abell suggests getting the noodles, too. “The pasta is underrated and overlooked,” she says, including the baked ziti. “It’s got that good brown crunch around the edges where the cheese meets the dish.”
Court Pastry Shop
The residents of Carroll Gardens can be divided into two groups: Monteleone people and Court Pastry people. The Court Pastry people swear by the Italian ices, which are available into the second week of October. “Unlike the Lemon Ice King of Corona, you can get a tub and they’ll put in different flavors for you,” Karla advises. As for the pastries, it’s all about the sfogliatelle, the shell-shaped, layered treat.
188 Bakery Cuchifritos
Rightly celebrated as a temple of pork, this counter-service restaurant is a carnival of colors and fried foods from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. They’ve mastered the art of alcapurrias — the chewy, oblong yucca fritters stuffed with seasoned beef — and what is probably the borough’s finest mofongo, which, of course, you can get with chicharon. Scratch-offs, too.
Eddie’s Sweet Shop
Pure Americana, by way of Queens. When you go, you may as well go big, meaning a banana split with hot fudge flooding down the slopes of your scoops like lava.
Hector’s
Hector’s looks like a metaphor, a squat diner being crushed by the High Line. It’s an oasis of cheap food in the otherwise glitzy neighborhood overrun with $36 lobster rolls. “They make an absolutely fantastic hamburger,” James says. Karla agrees: “I drown everything in ketchup, but at Hector’s, I don’t even put ketchup on that burger.”
Kossar’s
Bialys remain Kossar’s calling card, though the Murrays recommend another item: the pretzel, a round flatbread with onion and poppy seeds. “A mega bialy, I guess you could say,” Karla explains.
Landi’s
You can’t miss Landi’s and its aqua-blue storefront. What you can miss is its skin braciole, seasoned pork skin rolled around sausage meat. Call a day ahead of time to make sure they have it. Sitting just outside Mill Basin, in a transit desert, Landi’s is not the easiest place to get if you don’t have a car or live nearby. “It’s out there,” Karla says. “I don’t remember the closest subway.”
Morscher’s Pork Store
Morscher’s is one of the few remaining pork stores in Ridgewood. The shop offers lots of German, Austrian, and Eastern European specialties you won’t readily find just anywhere else in New York, such as the bologna-like schinkenwurst; schwartenmagen or German-style headcheese; and krainerwurst, a garlicky sausage from Slovenia.
Parkside
The Lower East Side dive should be celebrated for its dog-friendly policies: “In the summertime, they set up two doggy swimming pools outside,” Karla notes. “And you can sit out there with your dog and have a treat.”
Russo’s
“We get that mozzarella at least once a week, and we recommend Russo’s to everybody for sandwiches,” Karla says. The Murrays like the mozzarella here so much they don’t bother with meat between the bread. “Our favorite is their Caprese, which is just fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil.”
Bialys remain Kossar’s calling card, though the Murrays recommend another item: the pretzel, a round flatbread with onion and poppy seeds. “A mega bialy, I guess you could say,” Karla explains.
Parkside
The Lower East Side dive should be celebrated for its dog-friendly policies: “In the summertime, they set up two doggy swimming pools outside,” Karla notes. “And you can sit out there with your dog and have a treat.”
Big Wong
Owner Bill Li and family have been spreading their roast-pork gospel lately, opening new locations in Hell’s Kitchen and Williamsburg. Still, you can’t beat the atmosphere at the Chinatown original, where you can supplement your roast pork with sweet you tiao (a cruller) and — Karla’s favorite — chow fun.
Block Drug Store
“To us, that is the quintessential mom-and-pop drugstore,” Karla says. “One time we went in there. And James, the doctor had given him a prescription. He’s like, ‘Oh, no, James. You can’t go on that. That’s going to interfere with your blood-pressure medication. Let me call up your doctor and find out what’s what.’ It’s not just the old signs that they love — it’s also the good service.
Russo’s
“We get that mozzarella at least once a week, and we recommend Russo’s to everybody for sandwiches,” Karla says. The Murrays like the mozzarella here so much they don’t bother with meat between the bread. “Our favorite is their Caprese, which is just fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil.”
Hector’s
Hector’s looks like a metaphor, a squat diner being crushed by the High Line. It’s an oasis of cheap food in the otherwise glitzy neighborhood overrun with $36 lobster rolls. “They make an absolutely fantastic hamburger,” James says. Karla agrees: “I drown everything in ketchup, but at Hector’s, I don’t even put ketchup on that burger.”
Addeo & Sons
This is the best bakery on Arthur Avenue, bar none. Anyone who tells you otherwise? Stop letting them tell you where to go. The Murrays are partial to the loaves of pane di casa, which they buy three at a time (so they can eat one while making the trip home), and the cannoli, but whatever you do don’t leave without the lard bread.
Borgatti’s
Some would argue that you should be fined if you leave Arthur Avenue without making a pitstop at Borgatti’s. We’ll leave that up to the authorities. What we can say is that the best time of year to visit Arthur Avenue is around Christmas, when it’s packed with crowds.
188 Bakery Cuchifritos
Rightly celebrated as a temple of pork, this counter-service restaurant is a carnival of colors and fried foods from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. They’ve mastered the art of alcapurrias — the chewy, oblong yucca fritters stuffed with seasoned beef — and what is probably the borough’s finest mofongo, which, of course, you can get with chicharon. Scratch-offs, too.
Court Pastry Shop
The residents of Carroll Gardens can be divided into two groups: Monteleone people and Court Pastry people. The Court Pastry people swear by the Italian ices, which are available into the second week of October. “Unlike the Lemon Ice King of Corona, you can get a tub and they’ll put in different flavors for you,” Karla advises. As for the pastries, it’s all about the sfogliatelle, the shell-shaped, layered treat.
Landi’s
You can’t miss Landi’s and its aqua-blue storefront. What you can miss is its skin braciole, seasoned pork skin rolled around sausage meat. Call a day ahead of time to make sure they have it. Sitting just outside Mill Basin, in a transit desert, Landi’s is not the easiest place to get if you don’t have a car or live nearby. “It’s out there,” Karla says. “I don’t remember the closest subway.”
Stella Maris
Yes, people fish in New York, and yes, this is a fishing store — but you’ll want to go for more than live bait and lead sinkers. “You want to find out the latest gossip of what’s happening in Sheepshead Bay?” Karla says. “Hang out in there for 15 minutes. It’s all you need, and you’ll catch up on it.”
Morscher’s Pork Store
Morscher’s is one of the few remaining pork stores in Ridgewood. The shop offers lots of German, Austrian, and Eastern European specialties you won’t readily find just anywhere else in New York, such as the bologna-like schinkenwurst; schwartenmagen or German-style headcheese; and krainerwurst, a garlicky sausage from Slovenia.
Eddie’s Sweet Shop
Pure Americana, by way of Queens. When you go, you may as well go big, meaning a banana split with hot fudge flooding down the slopes of your scoops like lava.
Brother’s Pizzeria
Many people go to Brother’s for the famous Sicilian slices. Staten Island native (and former Vulture editor) Tara Abell suggests getting the noodles, too. “The pasta is underrated and overlooked,” she says, including the baked ziti. “It’s got that good brown crunch around the edges where the cheese meets the dish.”
Do you like hot pink? Well then Zillow has a listing for you right in sunny Hudson, Wisconsin! Unless you plan on doing cocaine in the bathroom, which is strictly prohibited, apparently, according to a sign placed in the bathroom for the staged real estate photographs. — Read the rest
Lab-grown meat is quickly scaling up to become an affordable cruelty-free protein source that's still technically made of actual meat — just, ya know, without any actual living, conscious organisms involved. But what does that mean for religious dietary restrictions? Many of these rules are based on cleanliness concerns, or about a distinct reverence (or not) towards certain kinds of animals. — Read the rest
- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2309.28 - 10:10
- Days ago = 3009 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
Photo credit: littlenySTOCK / Shutterstock.com
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