lead us not into penn station....

it is lunchtime on a wednesday....i am in penn station and it is a leper colony....i suppose you could break it down like this...grand central has that architecture, nice restaurants and well-suited commuters...port authority has cleverly pushed the masses upwards on platforms away from the naked eye...but penn, and particularly the lirr side...it's all out there...and noontime, summertime...a double-treat...the tourists, wandering around aimlessly toting 1000 lbs of ugly luggage, swaying side to side, maximizing full tripping potential...the stroller brigade with toddlers lagging behind..in flip flops...walk behind them on the stairs and there is one hour you will never get back in your lifetime...but i have figured out a way to lose weight!...just inhale the aroma wafting from the far corners...what is that?...dior, chanel...no, it is a '70's staple of the city...eau de piss #5...i made this trip yesterday for two reasons...very different...the first, a follow-up with the neurosurgeon who removed a benign tumor from my skull 7 years ago leaving me a little shaken and resembling something like hellraiser with my "55-staples" hairline...this time he smiled and said we were done...no more follow-ups...i was within two blocks of the time warner center and some pretty nice watering holes where i could have toasted this news...i opted for the little coffee shop around the corner where i had stopped so many times over the years before and after appointments...it seemed more fitting...and started this blog...several hours, and rain showers later...it was the beacon theater for a night with the "dukes of september"...that is michael mcdonald, donald fagan and boz scaggs....from the balcony...when they came on stage it looked something like jerry garcia's straight-haired brother, martin scorsese, and neil diamond...but while donald and michael strained a bit, there was boz...senior of the three...blowing away the audience....especially with "lowdown"...and there we were in the '70's...in the city...gritty, but never sweeter