DIANA ROSS & BRITNEY SPEARS: They've Still Got It!

I saw Diana Ross in Santa Rosa last night and she looks amazing and sounds like she is in her twenties. I don't know what she's doing healthwise, but she needs to keep on doing it, because she put on a seamless, near perfect show comprised of classic hits from her Supremes and Diana Ross songbooks, and did a superb jazz set that would have gone on longer if an electronic glitch hadn't stopped the show cold at the end of a jawdropping "Don't Explain." The smokin' band pumped and percolated on megaversions of Motown classics like "My World Is Empty Without You" and "Love Child," and the ecstatic audience was reduced enmasse to tears during "Touch Me in the Morning." She changed costumes four times and mugged and grinned like a little girl throughout. Diana Ross assured us that, yes, she still loves us and yes, she has still got it!

For those expecting the Britney Spears record to be a dreadful debacle, "Blackout" is out and, surprise! It is simply the best, most consistent dance-pop record in ages, even better than Madonna's brillliant "Confessions on the Dance Floor" because it is all pop perfection, no pedantic preaching. One of the tunes, "Piece of Me," takes on fame, the papparazzi and her reputation with a chorus that goes, "I'm Mrs. Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous, I"m Mrs. Ohmygod that Britney shamus; I'm Mrs. extra dextra this just in, I'm Mrs. she's too big, now she's too thin" and makes it addictive. Right now, I have to listen to this CD and particularly that song on a daily basis, and that is real rare for me. Excellent excellent excellent and, yes, Britney has still got it!

MORE GORE: Lesley Gore on Hullabaloo, 1965, Part Two

It was quite a show, with Trini Lopez hosting and Dionne Warwick appearing as well, and evidently Lesley, Trini and Dionne did some kind of medley together. I wish I'd seen the entire episode. A clip from it can be found on the A&E Biography, "Lesley Gore: It's Her Party" showing her singing "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows," and the other number she did, "All of My Life," is floating around on Lesley Gore bootlegs and with good reason. It is a stunning performance.

MORE GORE: Lesley Gore on Hullabaloo, 1965, Candid Photos, Part One

Lesley Gore: Princess of Song, Then and Now

I've been a Lesley Gore fan since the mid-1960s when she was all over radio, tv, film and stage as America's Princess of Song. Lesley Gore not only informed and inspired, my musical dreams, she encouraged me to pursue them. I've met her many times and I have incredible stories and memories to share. They will, however, wait for other entries. In the meantime, I would be remiss if I didn't share these photos I found today of Lesley Gore then and now. The two photos from early 1965 were taken at a taping of "Hullabaloo," the NBC pop music program, and show her performing shortly after winning the Cash Box, Record World and Music Business awards as the Number One Female Vocalist of the Year. In the photo with the dancers, she is doing her classic "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" and in the other, she is delving deep into her brilliant and criminally overlooked ballad, "All of My Life." The other photo was taken three days ago at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, New York City, where she headlined the opening concert season of Joes Pub in the Park and sang all of her classic hits as well as the jazz and alterna-pop she is celebrated for today.

Britney Spears 2007: A Dissenting Opinion

I liked Britney Spears' performance on the MTV awards the other night. I thought she looked great, very sexy and cute and funny, and her dancing, while more tentative than in the past, was still on point. The song, "Gimme More," is relentlessly addictive and looks like it will be a hit. I've also heard the ten or so songs that have been leaked online recently. Some are said to be outtakes from 2006 recording sessions, some may be b-sides for the new project, due in November, but I like them, too. Britney Spears still has it. Opening the VMAs, she provoked so much comment and discussion that it quickly became obvious. She still has our attention.

LIKE A DREAM: Chrisette Michele Has It Her Way at Virgin San Francisco

23 year old Long Island girl, Chrisette Michele, walked past me to the elevator to the fourth floor in the San Francisco Virgin Megastore where she had been scheduled to perform a free set at 3 PM on Wednesday, September 12, 2007. I was browsing Pop Collections as she, her companion and a Virgin representative entered the elevator talking about a long flight from Chicago. I thought to myself, "I think that's Chrisette Michelle" and looked at my watch. 4:40 PM, and it would be another thirty minutes until the performance began. By then, the patient crowd of five had swelled to twenty-five, most of whom were familiar with Michele's Def Jam debut, "I Am," and were loudly enthusiastic and appreciative. By the end of the first song of her mercilessly brief three song set, "Like A`Dream," all present recognized we were in the presence of musical greatness. The next pop/jazz/r&b superstar has arrived, and a year from now Virgin won't be able to hold all her fans.

Chrisette Michele has it all: songwriting talent par excellence (every cut on her CD is flat-out superb), incredibly fluid and athletic voice with great range, looks, personality and ability to connect musically with an audience. "Let's Rock" was greeted with shouts and handclaps, and it was clear that what Antonio Reid and Babyface saw, and Nas et al were eager to have on their records, is ready for primetime.

She won't have long to wait.

KEYSHIA COLE AT MEZZANINE: We Got Our Heart Back!

Mezzanine was packed to the rafters and beyond on Friday, September 7, 2007 when Keyshia Cole took the stage roundabout 11:30 PM. We had waited through 4 (!!!) opening acts, including superb diva-in-training Diesel and three excellent young male r&b acts who had uniformly strong tracks and songs (brilliant J. Holiday; hey bebe smoker Ray Lavender; livewire J. Valentine) and who each veered awfully close to male stripper territory. The crowd was pumped and ready when hometown (Oakland!) homegirl Keyshia Cole and her explosive band, two hard workin' backup singers and two crazy creative dancers finally arrived and set Mezzanine on fire.

Last time we saw Cole, at The Grand in San Francisco more than a year ago, she was still riding the wave of her debut CD, "The Way It Is," the best soul record of the past several years, and she came across as the ghetto girl next door with the powerhouse voice and female-friendly point of view. In 2007, she has morphed into an arena-ready big time performer, armed with the voice, moves and adorable personality that will no doubt charm and disarm hordes of new fans once her new record, "Just Like You," drops September 25. She did one of her new songs, "Got My Heart Back," and it proved as sturdy and unforgettable as all the songs on her first record are. She did a medley of covers which included "I'm Goin' Down" (is that now mandatory for up and coming soul sisgters to perform?), but otherwise she stuck to her first album songbook and astonished and amazed her audience with a thrilling performance. Yes, she can sing her ass off, yes, she has strong stories to tell about young romance, and yes, she has become even prettier than when she first emerged. But now she is thoroughly professional, totally ready to take over the throne of hip hop queen. We got our heart back when Keyshia Cole returned to the scene.

ART'N SOUL IN DOWNTOWN OAKLAND WITH KIM SULLIVAN, JEFFREY OSBORNE AND REGINA BELLE!!

It was a hot summer day in downtown Oakland, perfect Labor Day weather for the annual Art and Soul Festival. City Center was shut down and blocked off for blocks in several directions, and a mere $10 admission fee granted access to excellent clothes and crafts and art booths; delicious and varied food; and superb live entertainment ranging from a blues stage to a world stage to a latino stage to a hip hop dj spinning hot hits while kids danced on the stage in front of him. My longtime New York City friend, Kim Sullivan, had a layover in the Bay Area, so we met at 12th Street BART and did the festival together. We had a ball walking around, catching up, shopping and enjoying the mellow, friendly crowd. Early in the afternoon we caught a few songs by Pieces of a Dream, the jazz supertrio, featuring soul-jazz vocaliste par excellence, Regina Belle, and they played and sang their hearts out.

Later we had a terrific cement picnic in the sun with lunches from Ribs N Things, a Hayward eatery. Kim had hot links, honey yams and red beans and rice, and I opted for tri tip, potato salad and macaroni and cheese. Scrumptious! And the fruit punch was the best we'd ever tasted. We think it may have been the grenadine at the bottom of the glass. We laughed, noshed and relaxed, then made our way to the Main Stage for several numbers by soul-pop balladeer, Jeffrey Osborne, who did elongated versions of his hits like "Back In Love Again," "Love Ballad" and an incendiary take on "The Woo Woo Song" with enthusiastic and occasionally over the top audience participation. Osborne is a real crowd pleaser of a 70s old skool performer and had the audience eating out of his hands.

Too soon it was time to leave and get Kim back to BART so she could relax a bit before the flight home. Although she'd lived here for many years, this afternoon she got to see the fun and happy side of Oakland, courtesy of Art And Soul. We'll be back!

Hip Hop Night Out: Fabolous Chamillionaire and Mya at Mezzanine

It was a wild night at Mezzanine, the premier South of Market San Francisco nightspot when New York city rap star Fabolous, r&b diva extraordinaire Mya and surprise guest Chamillionaire threw down at a rowdy, raucous hip hop party. The club was packed out with hip hop heads, and impresario/radio personality Big Von kept things moving with a couple of DJs playing crowd-pleasing hit after hit. The crowd most definitely came to party and party they did, shouting out the lyrics to the rap and hiphop standards at volumes that rivalled the rafter shaking bass lines. Mya took the stage about 90 minutes after the doors opened, and she is finer than ever, dancing, singing and seducing the crowd with her latest "Lock You Down" and "Ridin'," which whet our appetites for her forthcoming "Liberation" set, and working the crowd with some of her signature tunes like "Case of the Ex," "Fallin'," "If I Was Your Girl" and "It's All About You." The dancers and backup singers did their duty above and beyond the call, and left us begging for more.

Shortly after Mya exited, super surprise guest star, Chamillionaire, bounded onto the good-sized Mezzanine stage, unexpected and unannounced and thrilled the crowd with his hits, "Ridin'" and a preview of his upcoming "Ultimate Victory" CD, which drops September 18. Chamillionaire convinced the amazed audience that he has real star power with his brief and roof raising set.

At 12:10 AM, headliner Fabolous came on and did a blistering 25 minute set of truncated versions of several of his many pop hits, including his interpolation of Lesley Gore's "It's My Party," "This Is My Party" and a number of key cuts from his superb "From Nothin' to Somethin'" certified gold outing. Fabolous is one of the most underrated rap stars. He comes out with hit after hit and still is not typically listed among the rap giants, perhaps because he does so well on radio, or maybe because his flow elevates him past P Diddy, who wishes he could touch Fab's trouser cuffs. The set was brief, but exciting, and the price for a hot night of hiphop in one of San Francisco's best clubs, Mezzanine, was oh so right: $10. Top that!

Summertime Catch-Up: Lake Tahoe Getaway featuring Fergie and Angie Stone at the San Jose Jazz Festival

Lamarr and I broke in the new Honda Fit by taking a road trip to Lake Tahoe. It is so beautiful there. We had a ball visiting with my brother, Joe, his wife Kathy, and my nieces, Catie, Karri, Annie and Amy on the day we arrived after checking in at our Tahoe standby, Motel Six. It's such a nice Motel Six and the price is right! When we arrived at the condo near the Heavenly gondola, Kathy was baking homemade cookies and prepping homemade ice cream which of course we got to sample. We had a wonderful visit followed by a bonus two days later when Joe and Kathy met us at Harrah's buffet for brunch. I don't think we shut up for three hours!

We saw Fergie at Harvey's Outdoor Arena and the crowd was fun and having a ball. Fergie was marvelous. Her years with Wild Orchid, Black Eyed Peas et al have seasoned her and she is a terrific performer, plus...she has the material! "Glamorous," "Fergalicious," the unavoidable "Big Girl Don't Cry" and all the excellent songs from her "Duchess" solo debut were performed. The only glitches were the power outages in the middle of two songs that slowed the momentum. But we came to party and party on we did! We ran into a number of randy and well-tanked ladies at the concert and afterwards and had mucho laughs.

Tahoe is so beautiful and in addition to playing on their little casino strip and shopping, we rode the Heavenly Valley gondola over the top of the mountain. I love that ride. It's expensive but so worth it for the view alone.

Then a couple of Friday nights ago, we drove down to San Jose for the opening of their annual San Jose Jazz Festival, three days when they shut down their downtown, put up 10 stages and countless food booths, and showcase some international and local jazz talents. It's a fabolous street party and San Jose does it so well. My brother, Don, and his fiancee, Jane, live a couple of blocks from the party zone, so we met them and traipsed over to the main stage to catch the opening night headliner, neosoul diva, Angie Stone. Lamarr and I have seen her several times and she is always good. She has really opened up her show to her fans, having several of them on stage for extended production numbers, and she did a number of her signature songs, including "I Wish I Didn't Miss You," her irrestible O-Jays interpolation with the classic line,"All you wanna do is smoke chronic" and "No More Tears." Lamarr got to say hi to Miss Stone when she left the stage through the chainlink fence. We're eager to hear her new stuff on Stax later this year.

After the show, we walked over to one of Don and Jane's favorite haunts, a New Orleans style restaurant/jazz club where the musicians played while we scarfed our shrimp po-boys and blackened chicken wings. A great visit and a wonderful summer night!

The Reed-Hampton Nuptials

3:45 PM, Oakland City Hall Wedding Chapel, June 29, 2007.

I had the honor and privilege to attend the Timothy Reed and Alexander Hampton marriage ceremony, along with at least thirty other celebrants. Not only that, I had the thrill of being their official witness of record and got to sign the legal documents as such. That was humbling.

The bride, author Timothy Reed (the superb "Showing Out") was absolutely stunning and her new spouse, actor Alexander Hampton, was very dashing and debonair. It was so evident that these two young lovebirds were fated to tie the knot that their love literally filled the air. By the time Timothy tossed her bouquet and garter belt, there was nary a dry eye in the house.

Kudos to the presiding justice of the peace for a beautiful and sensitive job on this overwhelmingly joyous occasion.

And best congratulations to the happy couple, Timothy Reed-Hampton and Alexander Hampton! You are truly inspirational and the sky is the limit for you two!!

THE LOST ONE: Lauryn Hill at The Paramount

I was among the many disgruntled, disappointed Lauryn Hill fans who witnessed her disastrous concert at The Paramount in Oakland last night. The crowd was up and excited, and the opening act, Jupiter Rising, was game and enthusiastic. We particularly enjoyed the beat box stylings of the male leader, and the female vocalist did well. I remember thinking, she's good, but she's no Lauryn - yet. Little did I know...

At least I already knew based on Hill's history that this show was going to be a crap shoot. I surmised that she might be off the wall as she's been for years, or maybe, just maybe, since she was booked into such an illustrious and prime venue as The Paramount, she was tipping her toes into the waters of a full-fledged comeback. Hoping against hope, I fantasized that she would mix rousing new material with crowd pleasing renditions of the songs people still venerate her for.

I was half right. She did mix new material with old, both of which were only very occasionally recognizable. We waited two and a half hours for her to appear, staggering onto the stage in an outfit that looked like a Santeria/Pentecostal mash up, a big and untidy red afro, and a black kerchief to wipe off the buckets of sweat.

And then there was her most alluring accoutrement, her voice - except that her voice was barely even there. She shouted, she yelled, she chanted in an admittedly raspy shadow of the voice Lauryn Hill fans have cherished for a long long time now. At one point, she calmed down long enough to do a tender "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," and she did a competent job with it, although half the time we were holding our breath praying she would hit the notes accurately. Her voice has changed. It's no longer the supple, mesmerizing instrument it once was. That's sad, but that's the nature of pop - ephemeral, fleeting. And we all age and our voices change.

Life changes us and it shows in our faces, our spirits and, yes, our voices. Lauryn Hill gave a coherent explanation of why she has changed and what she has been through and it was hands down the high point of her show. She had me with her all the way right then. She had me riveted with her honesty, and, in a way, her show was brutally honest about where she is at. She says she is sober, but then she falls flat on her back in the middle of a song. Sobriety does change you, and the transformation is often messy and unruly, and Lauryn Hill at The Paramount may well be cogent testimony to that very fact.

The crowd booed her and two-thirds of them exited the theatre in hordes before her show was half over. Much as I am in agreement with their dissatisfaction, I was put off by the loud boos nearly drowning out the ridiculously high volumed band. I guess there cannot be much confusion over how they felt, or whether Oakland will accept a show of this (lack of) caliber.

I still love Lauryn Hill and I still miss her. I saw her last night, and I'm still missing her today. I wish her nothing but good on her journey and I hope she makes it back to us. She is needed right here on earth, where her point of view is one which gets short shrift in the current cultural mix. We're still waiting on you, Lauryn!

Knocked Up: I Laughed So Hard Tears Started Falling Out Of My Eyes!

Really! I heard this was funny but I wasn't ready for how hilarious it is, and sweet, and ridiculous, and crazy, and outrageous and tender. I loved the characters and all the actors, too. Great smart ultra contemporary writing and plot line. This might be one of those rare comedies that gets nominated for lots of awards.

LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE GIRLS: AMY WINEHOUSE, JOSS STONE, LILLY ALLEN AND "GIRL GROUPS, GIRL CULTURE"

I just finished reading Jacqueline Warwick's "Girl Groups, Girl Culture," a text book in the making about the influence of the girl groups of the early-to-mid 1960s on their female audience, and how the singer's images and songs subtly prepared them for the sweeping social changes of the near future, including women's liberation and extreme role differences. While the book is a bit dry at times and reads like an elongated thesis, Warwick does have the power of conviction in her point of view, and it is fun to read her analysis of he Marvelettes, Ronettes, et al. She makes a strong case for reevaluating this brilliant and often trivialized era of music and raising it to the heights it deserves.

I wonder what Ronnie Spector thinks about British soulster Amy Winehouse's music. I read an interview with Ronnie in the New York Times where she said she was leafing through a magazine and came across a photo of Winehouse and, not wearing her glasses, thought it was herself and got real excited. Winehouse does appropriate The Ronettes' look and her producer, Mark Ronson, apes and updates the girl group sound for her second CD, "Back to Black" as immediate and arresting a record as has been released this year. Her UK debut, "Frank," while jazzier and a somewhat better vocal showcase, initiated the often blunt bordering on profane stance of this exciting, fresh and thrilling new talent.

Also a real aural treat and also from the UK is Lilly Allen, a decent singer, fabulous songwriter and real voice for urban females on her debut, "Alright, Still." Her lyrics are quite amazing and her melodies draw on hip hop as well as Europop, with plenty of girl group references thrown into the mix. I love her record as well.

Allen and Winehouse have very different voices, but one element they appear to have in common is brutal honesty. Joss Stone, on the other hand, while unquestionably a superb soul singer, seems to fall short in that area. Her albums have been polite showcases for her old school R&B sound, and the coaching from Betty Wright and Angie Stone has borne some serious fruit. Joss' current CD, shimmeringly produced by beau Raphael Saadiq, is chock full of Aretha Franklin styled grooves and Stone pulls them off. Much of the material is quite horny, and I guess that is representative of a young Hollywood starlet, but there is a sameness to most of "Introducing Joss Stone" (our third intro, by the way) that causes the record to slip into the background.

Joss Stone, Lilly Allen, Amy Winehouse, three white women from the UK who are conquering the US airwaves and music buyer's hearts, while genius African American singers and songwriters like Kelis and Fantasia languish here, relatively speaking, in terms of sales, media attention and airplay. This is just more of the status quo since the 1960s, when Dusty Springfield and Lulu slavishly imitated black singers and morphed themselves into big international careers, followed by Lisa Stansfield and countless others. I wonder just what that really means...

Da Big Apple, Da Final Day

Our final day in the Big Apple was another sweltering one. We hopped on the subway after our morning coffee and made our way to the World Trade Center and paid our respects and said a prayer, and then ventured to the South Street Seaport, to look at the ships, shops and the Brooklyn Bridge. Maybe we'll walk across it next time! From there it was a record shop hunt in Greenwich Village that yielded no new goodies, a visit to Starbucks and the best White Chocolate Frappacino I've ever tasted, courtesy of superb barrista, Shavon (that girl gets a commendation!) before a quick chow down on some chicken tenders and wings at a decent fast food chicken house.

We met Kim Sullivan, a longtime friend from Oakland who relocated back to NYC recently, in the Milford Plaza lobby. It was wonderful to see Miss Kim. She looks as pretty as ever and kept us laughing as we journeyed to MOMA (Museum of Modern Art). Once there, it was like having our own personal docent, as she regaled us with fascinating tidbits about the various artists and their work, with plenty of conversational sidetrips catching us up on mutual acquaintances and friends. After doing MOMA, we rested in their sculpture garden and took advantage of the great photo ops there.

Too soon, it was time for us to return to our hotel and Kim to go visit her Mom. It just reminded us of how much we miss Kim, and what a treat it was to be able to spend time with her in NYC.

That evening we saw August Wilson's final play, the 10th in a 10 play cycle, "Radio Golf," with Harry Lennix and a glowing if underused Tonya Pinkins (hadn't see her since "Caroline, Or Change"). It started slow and stodgy but turned out to be moving and poignant, sparking thoughts about politics, ambition and the nature of friendship.

Still no meat strombolis at Ray's, so we settled for a big slice of pizza and a meatball roll each (delicioso!) and stopped at the deli for two more slabs of cheesecake. Sated in every way, our senses bludgeoned to the max, we packed our bags and fell asleep easily.

Saturday morning our car arrived a bit early and we got to the airport two hours ahead of our departure time, only to learn our flight time had been changed to two hours earlier and we were told was already gone! The next plane to Oakland was scheduled for 4 PM. We were frustrated and tensed out, but we waited in line for the ticket agent, who, after chastising us for not printing out our boarding passes on the nearby machines (who knew?), told us the plane was late and if we ran, we just might make it, even if our luggage did not.

It was like a scene out of the Keystone Kops as we raced across the airport, through security, hopped on a shuttle and made it to the Gate to wait in line 20 minutes before boarding. When we got to Oakland (an hour early, mind you), our luggage arrived with us.

We had to go see Kevin Costner's serial killer "Mr. Brook" to celebrate. It was excellent.

And, way too soon, our summer adventure was over, and I was back to work, trying to make some dollars for the next trip...

NYC, DAY 3

Day Three in the Big Apple started out with a brisk walk in the sweltering heat to Times Square for coffee and internet at our favorite coffee shop before heading to the subway to journey uptown to see the Metropolitan Museum. We stood outside the subway entrance, enjoying our coffee and the unending entertainment provided by the people rushing by. When I was entering the subway turnstile, I swiped my Metro Card in the card reader and a kid came pushing behind and past me, attempting to enter the underground system by using my card swipe. Alas, it didn't work, despite his yelled commands for me to "Swipe it again! Swipe it again!" A little shaken, Lamarr and I went back upstairs to walk around Times Square for twenty minutes until the card readers would accept my card again.

Transit drama seemingly behind us, we proceeded to Harlem so Lamarr could purchase some shoes he had his eye on yesterday. Shoes in hand, we got back on the (wrong) train, got off past our stop because it was an Express, got back on the same train going in the opposite direction, realized we were on the wrong train altogether and were pleasantly surprised to find several native New Yorkers more than willing and happy to help us find our way to the Met. They were so nice! In fact, other than our hotel desk clerks, everyone we dealt with in NYC was extraordinarily warm and friendly. However, next time I will remember to put on my bifocals when I am trip-planning!

The Met was jam packed with folks, some on their lunch hours escaping the heat, others enroute to lunch in the adjacent Central Park. I love the Met. We spent most of our time in the Egyptian exhibit. I don't know why old Egyptian artifacts, mummies, etc. fascinate me so, but they do. We had a ball exploring those rooms and playing around in the temple by the reflecting pool, taking photos and me playing Hercules Unchained with the temple pillars. Some Japanese tourists were so amused by my clowning, they had me take photos of them pretending to push the temple down!

Lunch was at a spot in Times Square named Ruby Foo, recommended by my friend, Saundra Henry. She especially touted the shrimp and lobster egg rolls, which were good. We also ordered a gang of sushi for our big food splurge of the trip. Ruby Foo had a marvelous atmosphere, all reds and golds and Buddhas and triphop playing in the background. It was expensive but decent, and a welcome respite from the midday heat. They were filming a rap video outside the curtained windows which we snuck peeks at from time to time.

That evening we made it to Broadway to see our girl, Fantasia Barrino, starring in Oprah Winfrey's production of one of my all time favorite books and movies, the musical version of "The Color Purple." Fantasia can act! The play was phenomenal, moving, rousing and tear-inducing. Hey! I'll cry if I want to! Highly recommended to anyone visiting NYC or in the Bay Area when the play comes here next season.

After the show we walked over to Rockefeller Center and viewed the September 11 photo memorial projected on the side of a building as well as the golden statue adorning what in winter is the ice rink, but in summer is an alfresco dining spot. From there we headed back to our favorite, Ray's Pizza, for strombolis, but they were sold out of the sandwiches, so we opted for popcorn shrimp and hot pastrami from the deli near there. Back at the hotel, we happily devoured our late supper and fell asleep, getting our rest for our last day in Manhattan.

New York City, Day 2

Okay, back to the summer vacation. I got a little side-tracked by the here and now. So, Day 2, New York City, steamin' hot, low 90s, lotsa walkin' and subway ridin'. First stop, Harlem, for breakfast at Sylvia's (fried chicken and eggs with their famous biscuits; I give it a solid B, good breakfast, unremarkable biscuits) and then sightseeing (Apollo) and clothes-shopping, primarily at Modells, where both of us found a lot to add to our closets.

Next stop, Canal Street and Chinatown, where we strolled around, window shopping, buying $5 "designer" shades and an extra piece of luggage which was badly needed for the return flight. From there it was back uptown to the Guggenheim, which is undergoing a facelift which rendered the incredible outside of the building unviewable and an indoor renovation that had most of the gallery space empty. They did have a disco dance floor installed, and we had fun dancing around there and taking photos.

That night we saw "Bill W and Doctor Bob," an off-Broadway play held at New Stages West, a former cineplex now home to theatres and party spaces. "Altar Boyz" and "Naked Boys Singing" were also being done there, as well as a record release party for r&b starlet, Rihanna. Her new record sounded great!

"Bill W and Doctor Bob" was wonderful, a faithful and dramatic retelling of events in the Big Book, with some focus on the wives, Lois and Ann, and the seed planted with them that eventually flowered into Alanon. It was moving and potent, with outstanding performances all around. I'm sure they had to mop the area around my first row seat as my tears flowed with true copiousness!