Marty After Dark - Almost Live...From New York

Entries in BIll Maher (1)

Saturday

Aug202011

August 20, 2011

A couple of weeks ago after a failed attempt at hanging out at the Chillmaster’s, I just bought a bag of beer and wandered around the East Village and took a few photos. It turned out to be a good, relaxing night, so I thought I’d try it again. This time I thought I’d go visit my old neighborhood on the Upper West Side around 75th and Broadway.

Here we are. This is the park area at 72nd and Broadway. It used to be called Verdi Square Park, but I don't think it's called that anymore. I'd research it, but it would give me a headache. They filmed "Panic in Needle Park" here.

I thought I'd get the beer at a deli I used to go to about three times a day when I lived up here. I hate it when people travel in big clusters like this on the sidewalk. Two by two, people!

Shit, the deli is now a travel agency! This sucks, it was on the block for years. Time to see if Andy's deli is still open, it was my secondary deli in the neighborhood. I hope it's not turned into a Starbucks or something.

Whew, it's still open. Let's get the beer.

Here's the beer.

I got four cans of Modela.

And the beer is bagged and a straw is inserted to make it look more like a can of soda to a cop. I spent a morning in jail once for drinking an open can of beer up here. I'm not taking any chances!

Glad to see the cleaners store is still here. Love that blue neon sign.

A portrait of a late night seller of fruit.

Here's another deli on the block. Back when Bill Maher did "Politically Incorrect" on Comedy Central he lived in this neighborhood and I saw him in here once late at night. I did a double take while seeing him and he gave me the dirtiest look, as if it's a crime to recognize him. I think he's funny and I really like his show, but I've heard he's one of the biggest assholes around and that proved it. If you don't want people to recognize you, maybe you shouldn't be on TV every week!

Here's an Upper West Side institution, Freddie and Pepper's Pizza.

They do a brisk business in here and they make a lot of dough. Oof!

Ha! Here's the Beacon Theater and look who's coming back to the neighborhood! I'll have to go and run up to the stage and do a double take and re-live a moment.

Here's the entrance to the theater.

Coming attraction posters behind bars.

Huh?

What, does this thing shoot out popcorn at show time? I'll take extra butter please!

And here's the hotel Beacon, the first place I lived when I moved here in 1993. They had residential apartments mixed in with the hotel rooms back in the day. It was a lot more run down back then. A few years ago they completely renovated it. I lived in a tiny room with a tiny kitchen and a tinier bathroom.

I went inside and there was a night manager and a guy behind the desk. I told them I lived here for four years and they didn't appear to be very interested. I asked if I could take a picture of the door where I used to live, room number 915. I was told that there was no way I could do that. The staff was a lot friendlier when I lived there.

Well, we'll just continue our tour elsewhere. You should lose the attitude Beacon Hotel people!

Here's another sad sight, the corner building that used to be the P&G bar. It once looked like this.

Now it's a yuppie cafe, Gina lasomethingorother. The logo is a woman with a breadhead. How...cute. Boy do I miss the P&G right now!

Boy, it just keeps getting worse. This used to be an old time newsstand where I bought my newspapers every day. Now it's one of these newfangled ugly metal boxes. Sad.