The worlds best bbq and jazz in one weekend...

Who could ask for more? Really? Friday night we all went to a "drive in" movie (aka, sponsored by dodge) in Rockafeller Plaza. They showed "Kettle of Fish", a romantic comedy that did well at the Tribecca Film Festival. It made me think twice about the prestige I afforded the festival, cause said movie sucked. It started to rain so we all left. The director was there and most everybody left. At least he could comfort himself by claiming it was the rain and not his film. We went to eat at some random deli and one in our party was too accomodating to a drunk mexican with a guitar and got bit. That's why you don't get friendly with insane drunk people... you'll get a love bite. At midnight we went to the famous "Blue Note" jazz club in Greenwich Village. Not because we expected the best jazz in the world, but because it was only 8 bucks as opposed to the usual $25. The band was actually very good. Particularly the drummer, guitarist, and saxophonist. They were called the square egg and played a rock kind of feel to R&B vocals, all in a free-form jazz setting. They were very entertaining. And I had a good burger...don't ask what I paid for it.

On Saturday we slept in (on account of the late jazz). When Yancy and I got up, we went grocery shopping and then headed downtown for the Big Apple BBQ Block Party. Basically they roped off a park and a few blocks and invited the best BBQ places in the country to set up a trailer/tent and sell their wares. I had some ribs from a place in NY that were nothing special and an awesome pulled-pork sandwich from a place in Mississippi. Was there ever any doubt that the Southerners were gonna be better at it? We also got free hats with pig ears and wore them around the East Village for the rest of the day.

We were pretty pooped by the end of the day and passed on clubbing in favor of a movie. On Sunday I went to church, then we were intending to go to Harlem Meer for Jazz in Central Park, but discovered it wasn't happening and so I climed up a hill and slept for about an hour in a really nice, secluded spot. Central Park is really wonderful. Seth and I went to a cool dessert night in midtown with some girls he'd met at church. And finally, we headed up to the American Legion Post in Harlem for more free jazz (a hammond organ jam, actually). We quickly encountered a less-than friendly bar-tender who insisted we buy a drink or get out, so we left... I'd have been happy to buy a drink if it weren't Sunday. I was a little bummed I had to leave though cause the friend who invited me there was playing the organ and we left after one song. I figure I'll go next week sometime and explain it to him. Just so I don't seem rude. And now...pictures. (Courtesy of Yancy)