Miles run driven: 1610, round trip. After a great Thanksgiving dinner with old friends, we spent most of Thanksgiving weekend in Brooklyn, in my old neighborhood. Park Slope was on a gentrifying, yuppifying trend when I left in 1987, and it has continued on the same path since, which means it has MUCH better restaurants than when I left.
I am proud to say that even though the yuppie sports bar (which my little group of juvenile delinquents always called “The Fern Bar” in a tone that was positively dripping with disdain) is still open and was only a block from the apartment we rented, we didn’t eat there. I remember swearing an oath in blood with several of my friends that we would never give The Fern Bar our custom, once we were 21 and old enough to get in. I kept my part of the bargain.
Instead, I showed the kids the house I grew up in (from the outside), the pizza place I used to go to, and various places I used to hang out. The kids put up with my blathering on about my childhood with good grace; they were just happy to see their grandpa and try a few new things.
Much to my daughter’s chagrin, she and Junior liked New York pizza a lot — perhaps even better than Chicago pizza, which caused me to laugh maniacally in the middle of the Smiling Pizzeria. They liked the park and the little local bookstore with the feline-in-residence. And the place that sold Smurfs back in the day now has entire walls covered with Thomas the Tank Engine products (I did find one Smurf on a shelf of unboxed figurines for sale; I think it was Sultry Smurf, but I’m not sure. Mainly, they liked the big park.
On the last day before we left, we went into Manhattan to meet my mother; before we went uptown to the Museum of Natural History, the Mrs. suggested we take the kids to Forbidden Planet, the science fiction/comic book store where I used to blow all my free cash. I didn’t argue, and Junior and I had a great time; Unfocused Girl was less impressed, although she ended up with some good stuff, including a Thor graphic novel (and since Junior can’t read, all the comics that he asks for end up inuring to her benefit, too).
I think they liked seeing where I grew up, even though they didn’t like the crowds and I rambled on a bit long a few times. Probably the thing I said that caused the most consternation was my description of stickball, which we used to play in the street, since they know that if I caught them playing anything in the street, they would be in serious trouble.
How about the writing? I have finished my edits of “Jimmies,” and expect to submit it this week. I plan to start revisions of Meet the Larssons, but I have (surprise) to go out of town for work for several days this week and may not get much done until the weekend. Blah.
The Unfocused Life 
Better than Chicago pizza? Bah! Actually, i’ve never had New York pizza but I don’t think I’d like it better than Chicago. I may be biased.
It would have been really impressive if you ran the 1600 miles. Driving over Thanksgiving takes a lot of effort, too. Quite a few crazy people on the roads.
welcome home. and i’m jealous of your forbidden planet visit. This summer I was able to take my daughter to my own ultimate comic book/sci fi store from when I was a kid, Fact, Fiction and Fantasy in Livermore, CA (i know it’s not as cool, but I grew up in the middle of a corn field in Indiana and so hardly ever got near a comic shop unless we were visiting family in CA) She was suitably impressed. More impressed that I was so inspired to buy her whatever she wanted because I was into the vibe. She was suddenly veeery interested in cards and acttion figures.
Mike, my daughter has very strange taste in pizza, so I wouldn’t take it as a slight.
C.E., the kids were well rewarded for the trip to Forbidden Planet. In addition to the Thor graphic novel, they got a bunch of regular comics, and Junior ended up with a bobblehead of The Vision (previously announced as his Halloween costume for next year) from the Avengers. Turns out I’m still a nerdboy at heart; I haven’t played D&D in close to 20 years, but I admit that I had to force myself away from the display of new 100-sided dice.
Ah, stickball. I grew up in the boonies, where we were thrilled when a McDonalds was built when I turned 10, and even I know stickball. :) No gameboys had we.
Good luck w/your revisions!