Crossed the bridge into NE Philly for a Friday work-lunch at Sweet Lucy's. I wasn't sure what to expect as we pulled up into this industrial trailer park. I wondered if we were eating lunch or shipping mysterious cargo. Did we bring union credentials? I don't wanna be bullied out back. But alas, we see a small sign and smelled our way in.
While the location was a bit of an eyesore, the interior was suprisingly warm and inviting. Brick walls were adorned with old fashioned pub posters. High ceilings were criss-crossed with wood beams and thick industrial piping and tin tubs used as lighting shades. But the first thing you'll notice is the wood burning pit smoking out enough sweet smelling racks of meat to make your stomach swoon. I've heard that Lucy's is the best BBQ joint in Philly and it lived up to the billing. The menu is very affordable and offers value meals for chicken, beef brisket, ribs and pork. I tried the bbq pulled pork with mac n' cheese and collard greens. The pulled pork was generously slathered with bbq sauce and retained a juicy tenderness. The mac n' cheese was wonderfully creamy and was topped with that little crust of cheese on the surface that elevates it to near perfection. Collard greens were very good if not a little too salty. I finished it off with a light but very sweetly flavored cornbread.
The portions were big enough to satisfy the hungriest of vikings. Upon returning to work, I sought to pull a George Costanza-like nap under my desk. But then again someone would probably smell a trail of Sweet Lucy's and dime me out.
Photos courtesy of foodaphilia.
sweet lucy's
more dap
More tracks from the Daptone Records Remixed: Scion CD Sampler v.19
The Daktaris | Its All A Big Hustle (Mad Professor Remix)
The Budos Band feat. Wale | Chicago Falcon (The Washington Sq. Lads Remix)
The Budos Band | T.I.B.W.F. (Hank Shocklee Remix)
The Sugarman Three & Co. | Take It As It Come (Afrodisiac Sound System Remix)
sick of going green
I've already talked about grocery cashiers intimidating shoppers into not using plastic bags still made available by their supermarket. I applaud the cause, but there's no need to be all nasty about it. Similarly, this eco-marketing trend is beyond the saturation point. Marketing is all about following trends but the push is so overdone and in your face that its reached the point of insincerity. Yes, its great that people are becoming more aware of environmental issues, but I'm officially sick of everyone going "green".
Are these late-comer companies really concerned about the environment or are they protecting their profit margins by jumping on the latest eco-trend? Any room left on the bandwagon? Any room for my company? Yes, I've been asked by the higher-ups to design a "green" logo promoting our recyclable products on nearly every catalog page. You can guess some of the new headline copy: "Go green, save green" "Green is the new black".
Last week, NBC tried to help its sagging ratings with a Green is Universal campaign, featuring a portion of its Sunday Night Football halftime show in the dark. Although hiding Bob Costas' smug face in the dark may be an improvement, it was just silly . They boasted that broadcasting their show in the dark would save enough energy to power a house for a month. How about all the airmiles they need to travel to cover games? Or how many MPG does John Madden's trailer burn while traveling across the country?
sky's the limit?
Photos of the yet to be finished Comcast Center courtesy of phillyskyline.com. Skyscrapers were once symbols of progress and optimism. Hopefully Michael Nutter's optimism can bring some sweeping changes when he takes over as mayor of Philadelphia. It was a strange mayoral campaign in which the outcome was never in doubt and both Democrat and Republican candidates. Its hard to disagree on the fact that outgoing mayor John Street was taking the city down the wrong path. I can only shake my head when remembering his failed "Safe Streets" program - especially in light of all the national attention on Philly's murder rate.
american gangster
I finally watched American Gangster. It did not live up to the hype. Which is actually a good thing. A lot of the hype built up this film to be "this generation's Scarface", but it was neither bloody, violent or over the top. Sure it glorifies Frank Lucas but this movie is more of a pensive character study with flashes of gangsterisms.
The most interesting aspect was how Frank Lucas rose above the Italian mob families in the dope game by cutting out the Italian middlemen and engineering the most outrageous drug trafficking plan. He flew to Southeast Asia, bought the dope straight from the source and smuggled it back to the states inside the coffins of dead American soldiers from the Vietnam War. His heroin, dubbed "Blue Magic" was double the purity of any other heroin on the street and was sold at a cheaper price. Even though Lucas claimed to earn $1 million a day, he lived a modest life and layed low. For years, the Feds didn't know who he was and couldn't believe a black man was the top dog among drug dealers. It doesn't sound right to admire a gangster - but Lucas was a pioneer. He ran the first black-owned business in the drug game and elevated it to boutique status.
Yes, Lucas is glorified excessively but he is such a compelling character. In fact, American Gangster's most glaring flaw is that its splits time to present 2 character studies - the rise of Frank Lucas and the journey of rugged cop Richie Roberts. Even though Russell Crowe delivers a nice performance, we don't need so much of Roberts in the story. Much of his background story could have been edited out in order to delve deeper into Lucas' complexities. After seeing the film, I read that the script had originally focused mostly on Lucas but was changed. Perhaps it was altered to attract a heavyweight like Crowe.
People looking for the next Tony Montana may be disappointed. I enjoyed it. Its not a classic, but its a well-executed movie.
givin' dap
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings | Keep on Looking (Kenny Dope Remix)
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings | Stranded In Your Love (Cool Calm Pete - Sweet Nothing Remix)
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings | Tell Me
WDAP Ghetto Funk Power Hour mixtape
randoms
Alicia Keys feat. Junior Reid | No One (Reggae mix)
Alicia Keys | Like You'll Never See Me Again
Anthony Hamilton | Do You Feel Me?
Adele | Hometown Glory
Guru feat. Common | State of Clarity (Remix)
Kenna | Loose Wires
gym rats
My sister sent me a funny story from Gawker on crazy gym people.
You could call me a gym rat. I'm there 4-5 times a week for 90 minutes a day of running and lifting. As a result, I've logged in a lot of time observing the crazy characters and I'm sure some of them look at me a little funny in return.
There's one lady who makes loud obscene sex grunts as she lifts weights with her trainer. People smirk when they hear it.
There's a dude who wears the smallest spandex outfit and stretches like a flaming contortionist. One day he grabs a mat next to me and tries to "show" me some new techniques. Then he blabs to me about how he loves Bruce Lee and zen. As if I know anything about that stuff. He might be a gay asiaphile or he might not. I won't assume.
There's old men who need to be more discreet with their nudity. A brief moment of nakedness is unavoidable in the locker room but there's no need for you to be fully naked in front of the sink...slowly shaving your face while humming some tune from yesteryear. Is it that hard to throw a towel on?
There's a Paris Hilton wannabe with fake breasts (she disappeared for a couple months only to resurface with a noticeably augmented endowment) in a designer pink Juicy Couture sweatsuit with obnoxious bling accessories. She treats the treadmill as a runway and catwalks slowly so as not to sweat over her makeup or distract her iphone scrolling.
There's an older guy with a sweating problem. He drips pools of sweat underneath himself at the NordicTrack machine. It looks like he had a bladder problem and pissed on the floor...but its really just perspiration. He's courteous enough to lay newspaper under the machine to catch the downpour of sweat. And he spends an hour cleaning up afterwards. Everyone who sees it avoids the machine for the rest of the day.
There's a roaming middle-aged pervert who wears the same sweatshirt every day advertising a landscaping/lawn mowing company. He follows around younger girls around the gym trying to talk to them. He has absolutely no game.
One day, while running on the treadmill, I had the pleasure of observing him on the stairmaster in front of me. He stares at the college age chick next to him for a while - probably thinking of a witty opener and finally comes up with, "Its warmer than usual this time of year isn't it?" She takes off her headphones and replies, "Huh?" He'll repeat his question - raising his voice. She'll reply with a "Yeah...". Awkward silence ensues. She's polite but obviously not interested. He comes up with nothing else to say. Silence signals the end of the conversation and she puts her headphones back on.
After seemingly an eternity of dead air, he inexplicably puts his face in her sight and says "Maybe Al Gore was right...hehe" She takes off her headphones and replies, "Huh?!" He raises his voice again, "AL GORE. You, know...why its warmer than usual...global warming..." This goes on and on. Poor girl had to keep putting on and taking off her headphones as he continued this strange one-way conversation. Finally she leaves. Mildly entertaining but agonizing at the same time.
Its funny to be a regular at a gym. I don't treat it as a social outlet like others. Its more of a "me" time meditative getaway. But you end up noticing and getting familiar with everybody's quirks. And familiarity with a cast of regulars breeds a strange comfort level. I end up making nicknames for everybody...
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