we're ready for you, OC!

Thanks Jubilada.

Two of the things I learned in life are:

cash usually flows one way, outwards. and

"money speaks. it usually says, Goodbye!"

i just remembered these when I sat to prepare for all the expenses for when we are away from the security of our humble abode.

My notes for tomorrow include,
-get flu shot
- buy some more cardboard boxes for additional packing
- buy some masking tape to cover library and small Georgetti desk ourselves.
- find telephone number of photographer friend, Sedat Pakay, in Hudson (who apparently has an exhibition in Seattle, WA later in October)
- google names of speakers on the panel
- check for extended weather on the route
- get printouts of route from NYC hotel to Hudson to pittsfield to Manchester Center to Brattleboro.
- Make restaurant reservation in Lenox after finding out which night Andy is inviting us. (at recommended restaurant)
- paint a portion of each wall to direct the painter so that he does not make any mistakes, because walls are going to be orange, green, blue and almond.
- argue with Eser on a few simple subjects and let her win the argument.
- do twenty minutes on the threadmill.
- visit sister and BIL downstairs
- Calculate share of earthquake insurance premium for brother, sister and myself and try to collect.
- try to get Eser to prepare some CDs of interesting Turkish music for our friends in the States.
- Buy some lions milk for DD in Chicago and for the Brattleboro GTG

In Manchester, VT have dinner at The Perfect Wife,restaurant is on the lower level, casual pub is upstairs. Or dine at Bistro Henry. Both are excellent.Book sooner than later in this very busy leaf season.

In...

Thanks Happy Trvir.

received confirmation and nvitation from old schoolmate photographer.

For Pittsfield, the planned reception will be Oct. 12 evening. The band which is deeply religious will play for us and the base player will preach if we attend their church on Sunday before we leave towards Vermont. Eser and I are agnostics so we think it is a great idea to have this church experience. We had attended some lovely services and other occasions at Greek and Armenian churches in istanbul and at the Neve Shalom synagogue as well as Buddhist temples in Thailand and Shinto temples in Japan.

The dinner on Oct 11 in New York in memoriam will have five friends of my cousin, two of whom we have not met before.

The trip is forming up beautifully. Eser says she is disappointed that I cannot find anyone to meet at Auburn or Niagara. I wonder if it is because she is afraid of spending time alone with such a handsome and virile man as I?

- Time to go to Piramid Sanat art house and cafe, owned by the former child prodigy, now outspoken political figure and painter Bedri Baykam, to say hello and to check if they have sold any of the five of my books I left there for sale, and to have a cup of morning tea. Will also buy the cardboard boxes on the same street in Taksim.

- Have arranged for van for airport transfers in Istanbul, departure and arrivals.
- Eser arranged for curtains to be taken down for cleaning and all mattresses to have special cleaning in our absence.
- Paintings down from the walls and stored.

Excitement building up.
Checked file folder. Confirmations from all hotels, e-ticket copies, Hertz confirmation there. Need to add addresses and telephone numbers of restaurants, people and route maps and directions.

I shall roll down my trousers for at least till November.

OC, your list is exhausting. I hope you have some energy left to enjoy your trip. You are a brave man to leave your walls and cabinets at a time like this.

dfrost, i hope your cold is better.
It is not bravery, it is pure escapism.

DW reminded me of rising blood sugar and failure of diet. Satan was an angel also, I reminded her back.

among other things, bought a kilo of fresh walnuts which we shall eat while watching a good film tonight. They are very good for HDL Cholesterol.

Aduchamp made the mistake of giving the date of his return from visiting parent in Florida. So he and Mrs.Adu have to meet us October 10.

This will be after our lunch with Louise our Irish neighbor in Riyadh who once walked in the door one very hot summer afternoon in 1982 when I was sitting reading a book in only my jockey classics, sat across from me and started talking before I could get up to sneak away. By that time, getting up was out of the question. Eser could not leave the kitchen to come to my rescue because she was doubled up in laughter. What is worse, I do not think that she even noticed me except as a person who was prepared to listen to her. About ten years ago we met again in NYC and she continued the one sided conversation where she left it in 1982 I think,

Please do not tell me that the Hampton Inn at Secaucus, NJ is a terrible choice for NYC. Anything in Manhattan started at $350. And I think that was for one of those cubicles which are popular for siestas in Tokyo.

On the other hand, please tell me your favorite deli for a hot pastrami sandwich and pickles because times change and I do not want to rely on touristic info.

There are several good delis in NYC, dozens of mediocre delis, and very few magnificent, belly-busting, delis, where each bite is a life-fulfilling experience. Not only should a sandwich from one of the elite delis be on everyone's list of things to do before they die, that sandwich will help to expedite the latter event.

My strong recommendation is Katz's Deli, in the Lower East Side on Houston St (pronounced HOW-sten, not HYEW-sten). Oh lordy lordy, my cholesterol jumps for joy just thinking about the plac. I prefer leaner meats (so sue me), so I get corned beef or brisket, extra-lean, sandwiches rather than pastrami. And dear me are they good.

The Katz experience is nothing like the more touristy midtown delis (Carnegie Deli, Stage Deli, etc). You order the sandwich at the counter, from the person who will hand-slice the meat. To do things the right way, you tip the carver $1 before he makes the sandwich. Lines will be long at lunch, but they'll move fast.

Trust me on this one.

Thank you Don. Will definitely follow your advice even if it means I will have to eat salads with no dressing the week after.

A decent London substitute for a corned beef sandwich on rye used to be found within Selfridges, on the ground floor, off the left side entrance many years ago. Alas, it had disappeared when I visited London last two times, gone to the place that many others travel to when they have allowed us their memorable experiences. So, I should not miss this chance to visit Katz at Howsten at NooYock.

I second Katz's, though I'd go for the pastrami. And a side of chopped liver. And a Dr. Brown's cel-ray tonic.

Hi OC, looking forward to reading about your adventures and reports from GTG.

Adu sent me a PM saying that he will supply the chopped liver if I buy the pastrami sandwiches.

The panel went very well. I do not think I offended anyone. There were enough smiling faces in the audience. I woke them up a few times by raising my voice and interrupting the speakers with hopefully interesting questions, although the speakers may not have been too happy about that.

Used an Auden quote, "A professor is someone who speaks in other people's sleep" and a doctor joke when talking about issues with calculating PMLs reagarding earthquake exposures where one doctor says, "well, we will know who was right at the autopsy, won't we?" at the end of the discussion regarding the diagnosis of a patient's symptomps. A French underwriter we sat with at dinner last night told us that he will not forget and use some of my humorous asides at times, afterwards.
Finally, the belly dancer who somehow appeared at the dinner venue last night was a young kid, did not have the training or the body for the belly dance. So i took pity and under Eser's lightning producing eyes slipped a largish green banknote under her bra. I hope Eser understoon my compassion.

Very hectic two days. New website designer came in midst of all, followed by the handy man in charge of renovations. Assigned the knobs to drawers and cupboards in kithchen and the different color paints to the walls. Ordered the new radiator for kitchen, bought new electricity outlets to match the paint of the different walls in living and dining rooms, entrance and corridors, printed all route directions for the trip, confirmed all lunch and dinner meetings. Prepared file with all printouts, confirmations, phones, addresses, etc.
Will re-do suitcase today to make sure we have everything for temperatures between 32 to 67.

Eser needed emergency care against stress allergy triggered by wine or tomatoes or walnuts and is trying to sleep whatever they gave her by IV.

I want to make a list of things that are most likely to be forgotten at home, but I keep forgetting what they are.

Beginning to feel like Alfred E. Neuman, possibly look like an aged version of him too. I wonder if Mad magazine still survives. The cats have gotten too fat, but when we change to diet meals their urine becomes acidy. The vet keeps us selling different urinary tract and diet food everytime we call. Unless we start eating some of that ourselves we will have to go hungry before we can treat the cats properly.
So, my friend at the dinner thread, do not be surprised if I start giving you recipes containing Hills or Royal Canine ingredients.

Tuesday morning the wreckers (removers of the lower kitchen cupboards and the tiles) arrive at 7:30AM, but our fligh is at 13:00. We will have to leave the house by 8AM and possibly take refuge downstairs in my sister's flat with suitcases and all, kiss her grandchildren goodbye to school, read the morning papers aloud to whoever is there and pet their cat Michelle before we take sense numbing medicine and are picked by our free transfer van to IST airport.

I am back and I have been misquoted and misrepresnted too many times. I prefer 2nd Ave Deli to Katz's, even though the patrami at Katz's is among the best. The side dishes at 2nd Ave are far superior.

I have had pastrami in Goreme and I am still not sure why that called that pastrami. But I do love Turkish cooking, if it is by OC. One of the most underappreciated cuisines.

First I had my mother's 90th b-day party and now I have to see OC. I am surely going to heaven. Fortunately OC's wife will be there also. I am not sure what OC said about me, but she hid in the hall closet during our visit to Istanbul.

Let me know what type of food you are looking for and I will be more than happy to take you there. And we might even join you. On Oct 10, I have alloted between 4:01-4:07 for your visit. This should be enough for a three course meal.

Thanks for the renewed offer Adu. Pastrami it is. Have tried to see how much I can eat in 6 minutes today and the result was 21 ounces of Cappadocia style pastrami, which is actually called "pastirma" and is sun dried beef with a strongly spicy, thick fenugreek and red pepper layer.

I will be at Katz's at 4.01 and Eser at 2nd Ave. just in case you decide to forget which one it was.

We also have some fenugreek for you in case you wish to make your own Cappadocia pastrami.

Thank you. I sent you an e-mail.

Most people think fenugreek is part of their financial crisis.

Awesome report so far. Can't wait to hear more.

Loved the Second Avenue Deli and went there on Adu's and others' recommendation.

Writing from THY TK 001 midway on the Atlantic about five hours to JFK. Eser wanted change seats and sit next to a Syrian orthodox Priest in full garb because she deeply feels for their plight ( not flight). Earlier we made facetime communication with DD in Chicago. You should have seen the surprise on her face.
So far no sleep. We can probably make up for the lost sleep when we meet all those people in New York, with the exception of Adu meeting whom will should keep us awake for at least 72 hours.
Comfort class cabin fine,leg room fine, bum room fine, leg lift miserable, no belly dancer on this flight (check my profile photo) .
Walking statistics show that out of hundred 5 play games , 20 watch films, 10 stare dumbly into space, 10 stare intelligently into space, 10 eat or drink something, 5 are on wi-fi, and 60 sleep. If that's adds up to more than 100 it means that some are multi-tasking.

Will second much of what's above about NYC delis. Agree with Adu that Second Avenue Deli is the best overall deli experience on food and (if one accepts the idea of a kosher deli being open on the Sabbath) the major kosher option available. Though Katz's pastrami on rye with brown mustard is the best sandwich I've ever eaten anywhere, plus Katz's does one of the best egg creams I've had in NYC. I say go to both spots.

I like Katz's pastrami "juicy" (opposite of "lean"), myself -- for my palate, it has more flavor. Mileage of course varies on this notion.

Katz's pastrami is delicious and it is fun to bribe the meat slicer for an extra thick sandwich and a taste but the kugels and the kasha varnishkes at 2nd Avenue make it a complete experience. They also make wonderful french fires which I rarely order becuase I would rather eat other things icnluding the chopped liver. I will undertand the expression, "What am I chopped liver?" I love chopped liver and think sliced bread is a waste of time and bread.

OC
Anyone who stays in New Jersey dserves their fate.

somehow i lost my [very amusing] post on this thread so i will restrict my comments about your travails on your flight, OC, to saying that having myself endured an 11 hour flight from Colombo to Heathrow yesterday, my bladder and coccyx sympathise with your left leg. and we didn't have any belly dancers either.

I'm very jealous of the mini GTG and insist on a blow by blow account and photos, and NOT just of the food. Has the venue been decided?

and I'm very pleased to see your return, Adu. reports of your demise were clearly exaggerated.

and I'm very pleased to see your return, Adu. reports of your demise were clearly exaggerated.

Ann

I am here temporarily. I am still angry at Fodor's for their capricious and arbitrary censorship by under educated but supercilious children. But of course, I wish you nothing but the best and sunshine in your corner of the world.

I am hopeful to see OC tomorrow and then I will probably disappear again.

I miss all the gossip and have no idea what happened....Adu, please don't go.

Today's the day!

Don't disappear again Adu!

Of the rage of Adu I sing,
and the many sorrows is brought to the Fodorites . . ."

No gossip. I can deal with the characters here, I was tired of being censored by Fodor's. Apaprently the loudest and most inscecure needed Mommy to intervene and Fodor's was too happy to oblige. It is hard to conduct a discussion or argument when segments disappear. I was even censored here, for what reason I will never know. At one time Fodor's threatened to throw me off because I used the term tea baggers. After the Tea Braggers looked up what that meant they complained. But I think there were others.

We had lunch with OC and his charming wife today at 2nd Ave Deli. He loved the perfect patrami but was not a fan of chopped liver. We shared three side dishes besides the chopped liver, potato kugel, and kasha. The noodle kugel is far superior to the potato. And for the first time, and we have been going there forever, we had dessert. The warm chocolate babka could be the best I have ever eaten.

We hope to see them again some time in the future with or without without Jewish or Turkish pastrami. (OC explained the differences in preparation.)

Back in the room. This also became a long day. A senior bus ticket for me and an adult one for Eser took us to Port Authority on a very frequent bus No 320 right across from entrance of Hampton Inn. This was after we bought missing necessities from very near Walmart and the new AT&T card from the little AT&T shop at the Plaza across the hotel again from a Turk.

Adu and Mrs. showed us the underground of the city around 42nd and 8th and then above the ground from 42nd to 33rd, the women racing us across traffic lights and through crowds. We let them get to the 2nd Avenue Deli before us naturally.
The food ws fine although Eser ate half my pastrami sandwich while I was talking to Adu.

Adu and Mrs were excellent hosts and we had a very pleasant three hours or more with them, hardly realizing the time flying.

Decided to try the Hertz at 95th street to see if our sale priced Lincoln Town Car which we had reserved for the 11th was actually ready a day early. The Hertz office was hectic. The lady had four kids. She over-charged us only $500 for a Mercedes 350 instead of the Lincoln but then swiped $200 more from my card. Will have to go back and correct tomorrow since dinner is very close at Picnic matket & cafe. Eser says she deserves even better than the Mercedes. I believe that I deserve the companionship of the GPS which came with this car.
Finding our hotel was very simple despite Eser.

I tried to tell her that the movie theaters near the hotel would replace a Broadway show easily since we could sleep through either because of jet lag. Went to see "Looper" and she decided that a bucket of popcorn would be our dinner tonight. I am starving, sleepy and achy now, having left the movie theatre before the end of the film because the seats were not suitable for a comfortable snooze.

The Mercedes I rented costs about $280,000 to buy in Turkey because of taxes.

Enjoy the rest of your US trip and thanks again for the all the spices.

thanks for letting us in on your mini-GTG albeit vicariously. time does indeed fly with good food and company, and you all obviously had both.

Mr & Mrs OC - enjoy your rented Merc. and the rest of your trip. In respect of car costs Turkey sounds somewhat like Sri Lanka where new vehicles carry 400% tax. unless you are a politician or a doctor.

politicians were not popular with our driver.

Fun read, OC, and I'm glad you ended up at 2nd Ave. Deli. DH and I ended up there--huge portions, eh?

annhig, how does one pronounce 'merc'? Soft or hard 'c'? The first time I ever saw that was in a Dick Francis book and have always wondered. Thanks.

Onward, OC!

TD - here in the UK we say Merc with a hard C, but pronounce Mercedes with soft C ie Mersedes.

We also say VW using the english pronunciation, but say Folksvagen, or Volksvagen, not Volkswagen.

yep - we're all mixed up.

Was so delighted to start reading this, Other, because I KNEW we'd hear from Adu, too. Keep it up. Loving it, but do feel a bit sad that I can't be a fly on the wall whenever you guys meet for dinner. Sniff, sniff.
AZ

Loving it, but do feel a bit sad that I can't be a fly on the wall whenever you guys meet for dinner
_____
OC just eats and never says anything until he needs to order the next course.

OC just eats and never says anything until he needs to order the next course.>>

are you sure you met the real OC and not some doppelgänger?

are you sure you met the real OC and not some doppelgänger

We did not have doppelgänger just chopped liver.

I think of Barbara Streisand saying "chopped liver" in Funny Girl whenever you post that.

Chopped liver is one of those strong and unique tastes. You either love it or not. In one of Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods shows he was in a Jewish deli and spoke about tongue and chopped liver as if were he drinking coagulated yak's blood from some soon to be extinct tribe. It was shocking to think the food of my childhood evoked thoughts of the exotic and bizarre.

Hellooooooo Other!
How nice to see your Travellers' Tales - I'll happily trail along, vicariously enjoying the good life of Table & Road.

I wrote long paragraphs last night but must have offended some powers and/or deities of IT because punched a wrong button on the tiny netbook keyboard with my now pudgy from tasting chopped liver fingers and all I wrote disappeared. Now I am being more careful, choosing words more carefully, hands already getting back to original size after the effects of the chopped liver starting to disappear.

Yesterday morning was a mad rush around Secaucus visiting an unfortunately open and accommodating Escada outlet where the sales lady mentioned her Turkish managher and with the goodness of her heart gave much too precise directions to the Ferragamo company store which had no name, no shop window and no sign, on the side of a warehouse in an alley with a small parking lot. It is incredible how the female hand can take the shape of suction cups attaching to especially leather stuff like handbags and shoes which the owner of the appendage claims would fill a very large gap in her wardrobe even if there are at least ten items very similar to that if not exactly the same.

We left the area no richer, no wiser, possibly happier by half to leave the heavy load in the hotel room, eat a cholesterol supplement at the Red Lobster, take the bus with my $2.05 senior discount ticket to Port Authority which took only 18 minutes.

We walked a long time underground again to make it to the Q line to Atlantic Avenue and then to Doug Beube;s fabulous home and studio where we quickly decided that we could not afford most of his work because they could not compete against Escada, Ferragamo and their ilk.

After good artistic and political conversation, we made it to the Hertz rental on 95th and Broadway to discuss the $200 excess charge, were told that that was usual and would be credited back if not needed but that we had apparently not been charged for additional driver and now would be since we had stupidly walked into one of New York's standard traps.

Dinner at Picnic market cafe was sub-standard. The company was good. There was Jeff, quite youngbut retired IT chap living off property income bought earlier, Ray who had visited us last March and whom we had taken close to the Syrian border to visit Gobeklitepe, Frank a very typical New York resident and Doug and us. We talked of my deceased cousin over some good wine and about the hereafter which they all believed in. They felt that the cousin was happy there and may actually be observing and protecting us. I almost said that if he had been protecting me we would not have found the Ferragamo shop that morning.

$45 taxi ride back to our hotel, telephones ringing at night and now Eser complaining I am stupidly writing this instead of helping with packing. Good bye.

I almost said that if he had been protecting me we would not have found the Ferragamo shop that morning. >>

i hope that holding back on saying this did not cause any choking to take place!

i also hope that it is "au revoir" not "adieu".

ttt

We are at the Crowne Plaza at Pittsfield paying quite a bit more than we should for this run-down property.

Yesterday, we drove to Hudson first to see photographer friend living outside the town in a 14 room house in six acre grounds. Two large poodles befriended us immediately. Possibly the reason why the black walnuts were strewn all over the back yard and not collected by squirrels. His wife, Cathy was at her antique shop in town, but we spent a good two hours with him talking about his upcoming James Baldwin presentation in Seattle and other stories and gossip. He seemed to have grown old but that did not deter him from speaking to eser most of time rather than me.

Another hour and fifteen minutes took us to our hotel
a short nap and we were being picked up by Andy and Sue and taken to the coffee shop next to a Zombie awakening location. There were about 40-50 people in addition to the band. we shook a lot of hands, heard many names, talked some politics and Syria.

Andy gave a short speech and presented us with a Certificate of Recognition signed by the mayor of Pittsfield for helping promote peace. I gave a speech, during which a number of people may have left the premises.

This morning, our hosts took us to their home on a lake, went out on their boat, ate a light lunch and talked politics again. Came back to the Pitts and had to visit the museum at the insistence of Eser who has this strange attachment to all museums which 34 years of marriage to me has not been able to cure.
Soon they will come again to take us to dinner. Are we over-staying our welcome? Will they swear off asking any other foreigners forever and ever?

Tomorrow 10 AM 1st Church of Christ. James the preacher told me last night that it would be nice if I spoke a little about the Middle East and Syria. I feel spoken out already, but may recover by tomorrow.

May have little left to say at our GTG at Brattleboro, later in the day. This may actually be better for Jubi, dhFrost, VTtraveler, and Eser who will get their chance to speak and not be bored by my drivel.

Tell them the joke that you told us, that should go over well.

we now have husbands of dforstnh and Vttraveler joining us too, OC.

OC, did you realize that Manchester has many high end outlet stores for Eser?

HappyTrvir, Eser has a very good memory for some locations. We were in Manchester, VT twice before about 8 and 12 years ago. I could not erase those memories.

Last night dinner was fine at Frankie;s Restaurant at Lenox. There was another couple with the husband an insurance professional so I could talk on another subject.

Wrote a review of the restaurant on TA. Time to pack now.
Unfortunately seems rainy for next two days.

funny, i was thinking Manchester, England [featured in another thread recently and whether it was worth a trip] and wondering why anyone would think that a lady with the class of Eser would think of of going shopping there!

She would go anywhere for shopping and I probably would take her to Manchester England if she got me tickets for a football game there.

And a reminder, we believe in a classless society outside our home, although must admit you surprised me with your insight into our home procedures, Ann.

We like Frankie's for comfort food.

I hope VT will show you it's spectacular fall colors this weekend. No matter how many times I've seen them, they always amaze me.

just back from our small GTG at THE marina in Brattleboro. It was as good as it could get. Meeting everyone was fabulous. The food was excellent. Eser was happy that I did not try to dominate the conversation. Jubilada is happy that we are all real people. Vt traveler and husband won the raffle for the remaining drops of Turkish Raki. I just hope they do not drink it on the way back.
DhFrost should be happy that her DH will now recognize the power of food better.

Another high point of the trip behind us now, but the memory will stay strong.

Enjoying the report OC, you do get around!

I had explained that driving to Brattleboro for the dinner I had the thought that what if none of the others really existed and we were just on a wild goose chase. But the geese all showed up.

Sadly some of us were absent geese!

Annhig, we toasted you and other missing Fodor's friends. The wonderful meeting made me extra disappointed that I missed AGM's ice cream social thanks to 3 scaredy-cat friends who wouldn't consider meeting a "stranger". The sun came out for Eser's picture taking and people were out in their boats to make the river look even more picturesque. OK, the pickup truck isn't as rusty as I made everyone think.

thanks, frosty. it sounds as if you all had a great time.

BTW i could have vouched for AGM, having met her in Paris - I've no doubt that her ice-cream would have been yummy.

but then, does a testimonial from one virtual friend about another virtual friend actually count?

that sounds like a good subject for a philosophical discussion!

My husband just had coffee --no liquor-- on the drive home from Brattleboro last night. I think the Turkish delight and baklava helped to offset the effects of the alcohol consumed during the meal.

Unfortunately the foliage in southern VT is not great right now. I hope you and Eser will enjoy driving around today anyway, OC.

If there is a food snack truck in the parking lot when you stop by the Brattleboro outlet stores, I recommend trying some of their food. it is surprisingly good. Excellent all beef hot dogs with all kinds of fixings and maple creemees (soft ice cream)

What a great, fun read. OC, My DH was also wary about meeting strangers--he went away impressed by how interesting and interested everyone was.

By the time I finished writing the few lines last night Eser was fast asleep with the TV blaring about something called 'election'. I had to wake her up for a few seconds to turn her away from the remote that she probably had thought was her much desired grandchild and was cuddling.

Spent another twenty minutes changing our reservation for next night from Brattleboro again to saratoga Springs to reduce each day's driving.

So here we are at a better but more expensive Hampton Inn in Saratoga Springs after some walking in Brattleboro, the drive to Manchester Center outlets again and visiting BCBG where Eser made like the foretold grandchild, giving little and large shrieks of delight. "Can you imagine one long dress, two cocktail dresses, one wool dress and one other wool over-all with mini shorts and a pair of satin evening heels for only...."
Well, I do not need to imagine, I know, I know very well, have memorized and will remember until well after the credit card account is settled.

The foliage was still mostly there in certain parts. The roads were very beautiful despite and sometimes because of the rain.

We missed the Brattleboro outlets and the food truck and ate a late lunch at a Manchester Center diner which had a great ice cream.

There were some lovely towns on the route and some very run-down ones. It is a pity that some places seem to be in the process of being abandoned.

The car may be trying to tell me something for the last 200 miles but not being very multi-lingual, I find it easier to ignore it rather than making foolish attempts at understanding. There is some writing in the middle of the speedometer which days "Service B Due". It is nor flashing and it is not in red, so i figure it is just trying to make conversation. The only problem is that it has replaced the mileage figures, total, this trip, since we started that morning, etc.

Had burnt hamburgers with a hint of some cheesy substance on it tonight, and now at as early as just past 9PM, we are being hit by jet or car lag or the pastrami summer wind of Saratoga Springs. Good Night.

You cannot leave Saratoga Springs without eating at Hattie's, a really American experience. Their fried chicken is to die for! really!

It makes sense that you changed your itinerary and drove to Saratoga Springs yesterday. I am glad Eser was able to hit the Manchester outlets even if your checkbook isn't.

I have never been to Hattie's, but I would trust jubilada on this one. it looks as though their chicken shack is open for lunch
http://www.hattiesrestaurant.com/index.php

By the way, you are only half an hour south of another big outlet center in Glens Falls, N.Y.

By the way, you are only half an hour south of another big outlet center in Glens Falls, N.Y.>>

what are you trying to do, VT, bankrupt him? let's hope Eser isn't reading this thread.

OC...sorry I missed you in NYC...would have loved to meet Eser. Too bad you couldn't include L.A. this time. I would have hosted you far beyond what Adu was capable of. Adu, his dear suffering wife and I had a mini GTG in NYC at my hotel in July. Still paying off my credit card for that Sunday breakfast. Mrs. Adu tried to get Adu to pay..to no avail. I will be in NYC again in November and I will leave my wallet in the safe at the hotel so Adu won't stick me with the bill again.

I noticed above that you mentioned Neve Shalom. If you recall, it was included in my Istanbul pics/ I met with the congregation President whom I interviewed for one of my books. He showed me the bullet holes from that murderous attack a few decades back. Eerie to say the least

Happy you had a great trip. Much good fortune to you and yours in the future. Please pencil in L.A. for a future trip.

Stu Tower

Just checked in at the Hilton garden Inn, Auburn, NY, after a brief visit to the Hertz place at Utica. The dumb speedometer started saying "you are 200 miles late for service B" . I figured it could not have been another service at the church at Pittsfield although the distance sort of matches. hence a visit to Hertz could save me from further embarrasment. Well, it did not. Because, apparently, all I needed to do was push a button that said "OK" on the left side of the steering column and the nasty words disappeared to be replaced by the miles and the mileage and gasoline consumption and Eser's weight, and other very useful and necessary information for the serious traveler when they need to rest their tired eyes by taking them off the road to the consternation of other drivers on the road and passengers in the car.

Past 7PM, tired again. Fortunately missed Glenn Campel's Falls (an old country song, I guess), but will probably be caught at the Premium Outlets, "over hundred stores" at Waterloo, on the way to Niagara, unless I can get Eser to drive and give her the wrong directions.

Will probably eat at the wine house and chop bar at the hotel. What a strange name.

Forgot to say that we actually did have lunch at Hattie's on route 50 which turned out to be next to a Target store. That meal cost a great deal because eser needed a few small things and our shorthairs were also remembered by, i must admit, by their adoring grandpa. Since we could nor very well carry the leftovers of our chicken meals back to Turkey, we had to get them scratch pads and toys and catnip, etc., thus increasing the market value of plots in our luggage.

The chicken was good but I would have wished for some seasoning in the batter or a marinade before deep frying. I had to anoint it orange with spicy hot sauce which attacked my very delicate lips.

Tower, Adu was a perfect gentleman when we met. he not only paid the whole bill but also slipped in a hundred USD in my shirt pocket saying he was sorry I had to go through so many areas with outlet stores.

we also wish we could have met you, even though Eser likes older men, and you're still rather young.

There are still a few more days to go through on this trip.

The news from home is that, Nese, our older DD is conducting guided tours through our living room as a part of the architectural biannual. Some people disappeared within the colors of the walls and got lost in the endless corridors of despair and joy which permeate the apartment, never to be heard again. (How's that for poetic license?)

Your scurrilous attacks made me re-activate my account.

First I stuck $100 in OC's shirt becuase it looked like he needed a new one.

Second, Tower did pay for breakfast, but it must have been the first time because his wallet needed oil when he opened it. And second, the guy buys me an omelet and that turns me into Tonto like I owe him my life.

now then boys, play nicely, or nanny will come along and take your toys away.

We are playing and it is cheaper than buying something we don't need.

We did not see much of Auburn. I am not sure there was much to see either, at least around the Hilton garden Inn.

I will not mention shopping anymore so that Eser does not get upset. The warning kept on appearing every time we turned the car motor off. I sometimes suspect that it really is a message sent by James the priest at Pittsfield calling us to "Service B".

Another thing that scared me was the stop signs at the empty lanes at passport control check point upon entring Canada. Our queue was longish, I had taken my glasses off to rest my eyes and suddenly realized that there were four signs at empty booths on our right, about 75 feet away saying "STOP AHMET" For a split second I wondered if I should try to make a u-turn and get back into the US. Then I blinked and realized that the signs said STOP ARRET.

It was fine after that until the chap at reception at the Hilton tried to give us a double falls view which needed a periscope neck. Had to go back down, approach a tougher looking clerk who apologized under my steel-boring stare and moved us to a one bed-room suite on the 30th floor with real both fall views.

Walked towards some scenic look-outs, saw the falls steaming and being lit against the approaching night, possibly to help the fish jumping upwards to reach their spawning grounds, the possums begging for food or a kiss, and the casino being flooded with potential carpal tunnel victims wrenching their arms.

I heard no mysterious voices giving me any numbers as there were in New Orleans last year. So we just walked in the casino, exchanged some USD to Canadian Dollars, checked out the people and the croupiers, and came out even by not playing at all.

Ate a very expensive pizza, found out that you cannot take a half drank bottle of wine out of the restaurant in Canada. (I wish I had given Frankie's at Lenox, MA five stars instead of four on my TA review) Told the waiter that we dropped some lemongrass and mussel sauce in the wine bottle anyway, and walked out.

Came to the hotel to find that the room had heated to 89 degrees F although I had left it at 67 to cool. That was over one hour ago. temp down to 80 and still no sign of the promised person called "someone" by the front desk to come and have a look at it.

Persuaded Eser not to take the "stupid" $Can 159 tour tomorrow. Now, I have to take the 30 minute boat trip and the 40 minute walk under the falls with her. Boat is OK but my claustrophobia may hit in under those tons of water. Well we shall see.

OC - don't worry about the boat trip - we did it with DD 24 years ago when she was a year old - she claims not to remember it, strangely.

as for the walk under the Falls, if we did it, I've forgotten. which tends to suggest to me that we didn't do it. We loved the Falls but stayed at Niagara away from the nonsense which is plaguing you.

oops - I mean "Niagara on the Lake" of course.

The boat was well worth the long walk from the hotel and the 18 or 19 $. Took a great many photographs without getting the camera wet by wisely staying on lower deck at the rear of the boat.

Our compulsory photos at the mafia price of $30 were good. I actually asked for a better looking lady to be photographed with but they would not do it. It is possible that Eser threatened them behind my back. There was also a good photo of a nice family which the family did not buy. I offered the photographer one Dollar for it but they would not sell. Eser wants to be called the "Lady of the Mists" now.

The walk under the falls was a definite scam. You donned ponchos again to walk less than a quarter mile in a corridor with two exits to the falls where the falls look like any place where someone is pouring lots of water down. You cannot even get close to the end of those short hall ways because it is too wet. If it were hot and everybody was naked and could take quick showers it might have been a scene from a Fellini movie. But all we had was Japanese or Koreans posing with their fingers making the victory sign for an unfathomable reason.

Back in the room for the best view ever and with no more walking. A local wine with a twist lid tucked under our arms, some cheese and crackers for lunch, because the Fall Walk took our lunch budget away.

Tonight cocktails at the roof lounge with live music (as opposed to dead music, I presume) and tomorrow an early morning start towards Detroit.

<I actually asked for a better looking lady to be photographed with but they would not do it. It is possible that Eser threatened them behind my back. There was also a good photo of a nice family which the family did not buy. I offered the photographer one Dollar for it but they would not sell. Eser wants to be called the "Lady of the Mists" now.>

This trip report is hilarious. I can't decide which is the funniest part, because it all is.

By the way, what color shirt did you buy?

Thanks 5alive. Naturally, I bought country shirts, checkered, some thin, some thick, of all colors, in New England farm country. The Niagara tourist tees were not very nice so could only buy two small, light tin trays to prove to folks back home that we were here. And we are keeping the ponchos from the boat ride and the drag under the falls.

The taxi we took to find a liqueur store where we bought the wine and which brought us back to the hotel said this was the most European city in Canada with mostly new immigrants from Eastern Europe and Italy. That is probably why everything is so expensive.

Reading back, I see that I have not reported on our church service last Sunday.

This was the first that we ever attended. The preacher and our friends from the community, now numbering too many to name, showed us that brotherhood, friendship and peace knows no boundaries. We were treated to beautiful music by the Sister City Jazz Ambassadors, including one of our favorite pieces, "Take Five" by Dave Bruebeck. Later the choir and an eleven year old girl who had the most beautiful voice and ability made our eyes get wet. I hope the church gets a larger congregation and more support as its fame grows and that they can sponsor another trip abroad for the jazz group.

I hope I was able to respond to their trust by giving a good speech after the service and answering some questions about the current politics of the Middle East and possible catastrophe scenarios, about men's greed, avarice and desire for violence, all supposedly for good reasons and ends.

I will get over this maudlin stage soon as Eser leaves the whirlpool with Falls view and stops trying to lure me into another wet episode.

Searched for impressions left behind by Annhig at Niagara-on-the-Lake to no avail. Found it to be quieter and nicer than Bristol. had our breakfast there instead of paying $CAN35 each at the Hilton.

We decided that we preferred the GPS when it showed us our way in kilometres because we thought we were moving faster. Was asked at US customs if we had any food stuffs with us from Turkey. Then all three of us laughed. I would not call spices and baklava and Turkish delight food stuffs now, would you?

In-laws just called our room. Will be taken to steak dinner.

Searched for impressions left behind by Annhig at Niagara-on-the-Lake to no avail. >>

even impressions left by my DD will have faded after 24 years, OC.

i like your definition of foodstuffs.

The steaks last night were terrific, possibly due to high amounts of butter and our special request of added garlic. The conversation with the in-laws was warm and delightful. I think we all felt like family once again. We gave them presents to warm feet and they gave us presents to warm hand and neck.

The Marriott at Troy, MI had the best bed but the ssmallest room.

we changed roles and I slept the sleep of angels. Eser could not sleep because of her sins.

Off soon to have breakfast with Eser's niece and family. at Birmingham, MI

Arrived at West Chestnut Street, Chicago, to sunny weather and open arms. Immediately emptied one suitcase of ordered suff and unordered stuff and disordered stuff, meerschaum and soap and towel and olives and white cheese and baklava, and merrells from the outlets, etc., etc., etc.....

Will take a few days of rest and enjoyment with family now, but I will promise to finish up the trip report with some eating experiences in Chicago and the return trip as well as thanks to an appreciation of all the terrific people who have made this trip so beautiful for us, VtTraveler, jUBILADA, aDUCHAMP, DHFROST, Doug Beube, Ray Pierpont, Frank, Jeff, Sedat Pakay, Andy and Sue Kelly, James the preacher and Diane his wife and Joe Haddad and the rest of the Band and everyone we met in pittsfield, the front desk and cleaning staff of all the hotels, the waiters(esses) at the restaurants, our in-laws, Michael and Diane and eser's niece Banu, husband Fatih and kids, : and even the young girl I picked up just a few miles out of Secaucus, NJ who accompanied me all the way to Chicago and who I introduced to everyone as my wife Eser.

How will Chicago cope?

Glad to know that you have arrived safely in Chicago and are enjoying time with your daughter and son in law.

My husband and I really enjoyed meeting you and Eser with jubilada and dfrost and their spouses last week. I'm hoping for another GTG in Istanbul soon!

Me too! and OC can cook, ok?

Thanks, and OC's fingers are itching because he has not been cooking for over ten days. I promise a royal feast in Istanbul befitting the aristocratic taste buds all of you have. Please post here or on the dinner thread when you use the Turkish spices.

OC, I posted yesterday about a spicy chicken stew with sumac which I made; also had coriander seed, chilis and turmeric you gave us. All delicious, all so fresh!

Hello OtherChelebi,

I hope you are having a wonderful time. I'm actually writing with different question and was not able to figure out how to email you directly (I'm new to Fodor's site). I was referred to you by Jeanette, who passes along her BIG HELLO!

She said you're a big jazz fan. I'm a professional musician looking for jazz jam sessions in Istanbul that I can play at while I'm there next month and can't seem to find any info on the club's websites for such events (Nardis, Q, ect.) Was hoping you'd have some insider info.

If you have a moment, I'd love to know if you know of anything. Again, so sorry to hijack your thread with a non-related question. I'll be in Istanbul late next month.

THANK YOU!

Joseph

Enjoy the wonderful dining in Chicago. Your daughter lives near my former home. A great city!

Wonderful, fun read, OC!

Fun. More, please.

I see that your friend's exhibit is in Seattle now at the NW African American museum and will make sure to check it out. You are a better writer than Orhan pamuk. Nobel prize for the best trip report on Fodors?

Sounds like a great trip. Sorry I missed you in Saratoga. I can walk to the Hampton Inn in about 10min.

Thank you all for your posts of appreciation. We would have loved to have met you J62.
And we like your films Kurosawa, even if you are not the same Kurosawa, you are probably due to make some good feline films if no other ones. I wish I could have convinced Orhan Pamuk to at least let me make the Nobel acceptance speech. It was terrible. But I knew his father well, and for Orhan to be what he is was inevitable.

We went with DD to Cosco today before I return the car and tried to make a dent in some departments like cheeses. It was rather fortunate for DD that they announced at the check-out that due to some problems it was either cash or American Expres. The only Amex she has is one I let her keep in case of emergencies and is attached to my account. This attachment became rather tenous today.

The 'q' competition baby back ribs were not to rave about last night, the Panang Thai was not better tonight but was at least cheap.

A new discovery I made on this trip is that the waist sizes on trousers have somehow changed at most stores in the US, or the inch is now a tiny bit shorter than 2.54 centimetres. In the old days 42 inch waist was the size for large and important people. Nowadays, they hide pants with those sizes in dark and secluded places which even "Hernando" would not know about.

Reached the last few days of the film festival here in Chicago. Saw a non-Bollywood Indian film. Good morality tale rather amateurishly directed and shot, but still worth watching.

Joseph, my only close contact with the jazz scene is through Mr. Hakki Atasagun. He is an insurance professional also but plays the drums and get around. An interesting fellow who almost made me paranoid by appearing at the same resort every time DW and I went on holiday including our honeymoon.

Just google his name and try to connect with him on or through facebook. You can use my wife's name eser celebiler to introduce yourself.

We had an incredible late lunch at a Korean restaurant close to North Damen. Ceylan will not let me give the name because it is small and already queues for in front in the evenings. The Bulgoki, the pork casserole and the sefood pancake were all exceptional.

Today, I almost gave Ceylan's house keys to a homeless guy in front of Macy's at Water Tower place, as i took out all the coins in my posket including the two small keys and dropped them in his open hands. Fortunately, I managed to snatch away the keys before his fingers could close over them. SIL is in Florida on business and would not have liked such a large charity.

Eser, Ceylan and I the garlic stinking little family will cozy up in front of the TV for some unseen episodes of the characters from Little NBritain and other clean family fare.

What a pity the Borders only three blocks away on North Michigan closed down. Tomorrow, I have to go to Barnes and Noble which is I think four blocks away on North State.

OC, in a city such as Chicago there must be some real bookstores left, no?

When you exit Barnes and Noble, you'll be very near Ashkenaz Deli, more pastrami, corned beef and your beloved chopped chicken livers. Also Bistro Zinc for French and Big Bowl for Asian..my old haunts.

Eser, Ceylan and I the garlic stinking little family will cozy up in front of the TV for some unseen episodes of the characters from Little NBritain and other clean family fare.>>

how does the Little Britain go down in Turkey? it is dubbed or shown with subtitles?

or do you have to wait until you come to the UK or the US to watch such sophisticated fare?

Ann, we buy the DVDs from Amazon UK, as we do of Mighty Boosh and similar wholesome British entertainment. I think Absolutely Fabulous, Black books and IT Crowd are the ones which have stood the taste(!) of time the most together with Fawlty Towers and Keeping Up Appearances. But we also have some Norman Wisdom films which we think were much better than early Jerry Lewis.

HappyTrivir, we know and like Bistro Zinc and big bowl because Ceylan has been living in this neighborhood for the last seven years, although we have not been to the deli. Thanks.

I stupidly could not part with the Mercedes. The two weeks are up today. In the meantime, I must have paid a fortune for parking in addition to getting up some mornings to rush to the parking meter to put $10.5 for another three hours on those nights we did not put it in the $37 public park. The diplay still disagrees with me. Now it says 1,200 miles have been exceeded for Service B. I asked James if I am in trouble, and he says "No" because he has been praying for me.

Found an incredible pet shop yesterday where we could get treats suitable for cats with urinary tract and kidney problems.
Apparently Zip Zip and Fistik have been taking Nese, DD in Istanbul, on a tour of the house showing her where changes have been made, and trying to draw her attention to hem by speaking to her. I am glad that at least two in the family likes my taste.

I will change my profile picture to one of the kitchen after the change.

ttt

Ann, we buy the DVDs from Amazon UK, as we do of Mighty Boosh and similar wholesome British entertainment. I think Absolutely Fabulous, Black books and IT Crowd are the ones which have stood the taste(!) of time the most together with Fawlty Towers and Keeping Up Appearances. But we also have some Norman Wisdom films which we think were much better than early Jerry Lewis.>>

quite an eclectic mix, OC. how do you get to find out about them in the first place, if I may ask? the Boosh is hardly mainstream.

Still enjoying your report. Did you see any sites in Chicago?

thanks 5alive.
ann, i find them through amazon and imdb and also one friend who has similar background and tastes. I also have a reasonably good memory to remember films i saw in my childhood, comedians like Fernandel and Norman Wisdom. But I also discovered Hofnung, Lehrer, Lenny Bruce, etc. when I was in the States in the sixties.

Just a few days left for the flight back. We have been enjoying the close contact with family including little Henry, 14 mo, son of SIL's sister who almost got us expelled for a long period from Volare restaurant last night, due to Eser and Ceylan's interest in taking him by hand to show him the pizza chef shaping up the dough.

I and his father found it difficult to eat when his mother added water to his milk bottle when he got thirsty. I was assured by SIL that this was not done to reduce the food consumption at our table and to keep the check low.

The play we saw last night could have been better. Ovid's Metamorphoses was drowned in a great deal of water. The theatre was very interesting, next to the turbines of the Water Tower, seating on three sides of a shallow pool with a three feet walkway on three sides. Supposedly Roman-like clad people throwing themselves into the pool, sometimes for no evident reason, very unlike gods or heroes of any sort and the one 'frontal nudity' an emaciated male, displaying the only part he thought would make him proud.

The front rows got splashed a bit. I spent most of the time empathizing with the players who must have been miserable in the cool theatre with the wet clinging clothing they had on, with the exception of the thin guy who tried his best not to appear to shiver and shrivel.

I picked a book at B&N that sounds fairly interesting, 'A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America'
I had always divided the United States to six or seven, so am looking forward to reading this on the flight back.

Today lunch at Gastronomique with a Turkish background interior designer with whom some channels of communication were opened some time ago and both sides showed interest in meeting.

Sorry, the name of the restaurant is "Biistronomique".

I will let you know whether the food was gastronomique or not after we eat there.

OC, what are the 11 rival cultures?

The food was definitely not gastronomique. I offered a bribe tothe waiter to replace the brunch menu at 2PM with the lunch menu, to no avail. So had a choice between some standard salads, crepes, pancakes, and a mediocre hamburger a la Francaise.

That is probably why the name of the restaurant was actually written as "Bistronomic" just missing the letters 'key' at the end. eser says the evening fare was very good though.

Jubilada, the cover of the book lists the following:
First Nation
Yankeedom
New Netherland
The Midlands
Tide Water
Greater Appalachia
Deep South
New France
El Norte
The Far West
The Left Coast

With some Southern parts of the country falling under " The Spanish caribbean"

SUV coming to take us to Terminal 5 at O'Hare. Best quote we got was $96.25 including taz and gratuity. 5 Medium size and two carry-ons. $150 for extra suitcase to be paid. Much less than the last minute personal perfume bought from Neiman Marcus when I was looking away.

eser's tendinitis working up. my arthritis is commonplace and out of the discussion. I know there are no porters at terminal 5. I am looking for a lamp to rub or other means of calling for a genie.

hope the storm winds do not reach our path.

write to you from Istanbul, I think.

Thanks again, everyone.

New France? Do they mean Louisiana by that term? I hope not.
Wow, the perfume must be heavenly.
Bon voyage and I hope your trip back is uneventful in the best possible way.

Thanks OC, A good uneventful trip back I hope. and looking forward to a book report.

good luck with the trip, and be grateful that there won't be porters at the airport wanting to be tipped extortionate amounts to do what you can do yourselves, ie push a trolley, which was our recent experience.

t

The trip back was almost perfect. Upgraded business seats and some pills allowed about six hours of sleep each.


The problem started while waiting for the luggage.

A quick flashback : The SUV driver was Turkish and very helpful. There was a porter who was Bulgarian with a few words of Turkish who was also very friendly and nice. We actually needed the porter because five suitcases weighing 22-32 kg each are not easy to lift to even put on a trolley. Plus we had two carry-ons and a laptop case. Additionally, Eser forced me to get three bottles of rum and scotch at sale prices, which eventually found themselves a place in my carry-on making it back-breaking to lift to put in the over-head bin.

getting back to the story, we received threee of the smaller cases and then watched the number of people wwaiting around the carousel dwindle and disappear. Finally the carousel stopped. Our porter went to check. he came back after five minutes with the bad news, "No more luggage from Chicago" and then directed us to the related bureau, where distressed faced young ladies were seated to cause more distress to other distressed people worried about the whereabouts of their 'precious things.'

First, we were told that we only had three cases checked on the flight. Fortunately, i managed to find the stubbsof the stickers, whivh turned out to be in the name of one Kasimov and not in my name. What was worse, they were checked to Tashkent, Ozbekistan. The young lady with gastritis reflected on her face told us that we may possibly have the bags delivered to us tomorrow or the day after if Mr. Kasimov does not claim them and take them out of Tashkent airport. "And if he does take them?" I asked innocently, but with some spittle strangely building up at the corners of my very dry mouth. "Oh, then there is nothing we can do," she responded. "You should have checked the baggage stubbs."

"What about the Tashkent Flight?" "It will take off in two hours" - "Can't you recover our case from the cargo area?". By that time a small crowd had gathered and the Assistant Manager had arrived, thin and pompous, "It is too much procedure, and too difficult to recover two suitcases from among hundreds" he said. "Also, how do we know which ones are yours, since Kasimov appears to have five cases checked under his name?" I showed him the stubs with the bar codes. described the blue polo and nautica cases and our name tags, but he would not budge.

I finally had to use my trump card, I said, I will call Aduchamp and Tower and he will be in trouble. That did it.

Honestly, I do not know how I managed to convince him to do it but he did and after waiting just and hour and a half I had the suitcases. By that time Eser had abandoned me to make it to the pre-arranged van, the porter had gone with her. I was looking like a homeless taken refuge in the airport, but in the wrong area where people had troubles of their own, so could not beg for any sympathy. B ut wonder of wonders, the moment I managed to pull the two heavy cases from the carousel, the same porter appeared smiling, took them from my hands, put them on his trolley and loadded them to the taxi.

Needless to say, the taxi got me home five minutes before |eser's van due to my expert advice to the taxi driver on which routes to take.

The cats wished to be petted. Nese (DD) gave me a two minute neck massage, had a good eggplant kebap with tomato pilav.

Will now take a melatonin and hit the sack.

Jubilada, The book seems to be worth a book report. I always had the feeling that it was very difficult to consider all the Americans I ever met as belonging to the same nation. It seems that those feelings had some basis in deeper observation. I just read 15 pages and can already find myself nodding (not from sleep)

OC - congrats on recovering your luggage. we are all relieved that you and your belongings reached home in one piece [especially that whisky]. Sleep well.

I've been thinking about baggage recovery since our return from Sri Lanka. For the first and only time in any airport anywhere, at Colombo we were asked to produce our baggage tags before we were allowed to remove them from the airport. Luckily we had kept them, AND they matched our luggage.

Why don't airports regularly require this? or at least do spot checks?

It would make too much sense, annhig.

I'm so glad you made it home before the storm started wreaking havoc. Great report, OC!

We used to, years ago, have to show our bagggage claim tickets at the New York airports and wonder why they stopped doing that.

My goodness, OC, I am astounded at your powers to convince airport personnel to comply with your wishes and very glad you and Eser and all your luggage arrived home safely.

Wow, I never look at my baggage stubs. Usually there are weird codes I don't know what they mean anyway. So glad you convinced them to get your bags! It sounds like your bags are distinctive--glad that came in handy.

I hope y'all do not mind if I finish off this trip report on a foodie note in addition to some more thanks.

We loved meeting Jubilada and SO, VtTraveler and DH, dhfrost and DH at Brattleboro. We enjoyed the company, the conversation, the mystique and the mystery.

We had a terrific two days at Pittsfield with our hosts Andy and Sue, the Sister City Jazz Ambassadors, their friends and the congregation of the First Church of Christ.

Meeting Aduchamp again, now a throwback to Tolkien apparently and in dire circumstances whom we support with our best wishes, despite the choppesd liver he forced on us was a great treat.

Doug Beube, his studio and His art was outstanding and deserved a longer visit and definitely a purchase we could not afford.

Toasting my recently deceased cousin concert pianist Husnu (Alex) Onaran with his New York friends on upper West Side for dinner was an occasion to stay with us for too many reasons.

The friendly passport officers between US and Canada both ways put us to shame for criticizing the ones at JFK who made us wait three hours because they all went out to dinner leaving only two functional booths, upon our arrival.

More thanks go to all relatives, in-laws and other friends new and old with whom we had lovely moments.

We were generally served well, treated with respect and given decent rooms and upgrades at Hertz car rental and Hilton group hotels and at almost all restaurants.

There were enough people who at least acted as if they understood my jokes.

Eser wa not embarrassed by my behavior or the things I said.

We drove almost two thousand miles with no problems and no tickets.

Eser only went 50% above budget in buying presents to family friends, relatives, daughters, herself.

Now, the harsh part :

We were generally disappointed with the food:
- Cheeseburger in paradise at Secaucus, NJ, just across from our hotel was tasty for the tired couple who had just arrived and who also enjoyed the live music , but almost fell asleep into the fries they could not finish.
- The Italian at Lenox, 2nd Avenue Deli in NY were acceptable as Marina at Brattleboro.
- The "best" deli at Manchester Center, Vt was below not only 2nd Avenue but Carnegie also.
- I do not remeber what we had at Saratoga Springs, so it could not have been good.
- Our best meal of the whole vacation was at Auburn, at the Hilton Garden Inn.
- The steak at Troy, MI was tasty but even my grandmother's slippers would have been tasty if smothered in so much butter and garlic.
- Food at Niagara Falls, ONT is better forgotten. Expensive and touristy.
- Even the very British cafe at Niagara-on-the-lake where we had breakfast served a very mediocre one.
- The Korean in Chicago was good.

At that stage, both Eser and I were suffering from reflux and gastritis from all the mayonnaise dressings, heavy sauces, oils, butters, 3-4 egg omelettes, fried fries, chicken, shrimp; barbecued ribs, jambalaya, gumbo, un-Thai Thai food; huge portions, fatty hamburgers, pasta swimming in sauces, etc.

It took us four days in istanbul and one week regimen of reflux pills to get our appetite back.

I truly appreciate all my friends on the DInner Thread who cook so much at Home, because going out to eat frequently can be so bad for your health in most restaurants in the United States unless you are willing to spend a fortune on a simple salad and a small grill at a "name" restaurant.

Mind you, the taste of some of that fattening, oiled, buttered, sauced, fried, mayoed beyond recognition food is great, but what it does to a delicate system such as mine is too horrible to consider.

I hope that all of you who appeared and/or were mentioned on this thread and those who commented will come to visit us in Istanbul, so that I can cook some very light slightly spiced fusion dishes for your intellectual palates.

Bravo, OC!