Prohibition

I'm back!  I've been back in New York for a while, but I admittedly got a bit caught up in getting back into the swing of things from vacation mode.  It was definitely a bit of a culture shock coming from Sapporo (mountain hot springs, dairy farms, sleepy city-town-villages come to life in the summer) to the hustle and bustle of good old NYC.

hiding our non-prohibition attire

Thanks to Lena's enthusiasm for an annual event held on Governors Island, Jazz Age Lawn Party ("NYC's original prohibition era inspired gathering"), we got tickets before it sold out.  Last Sunday, we took a quick, 5 minute boat ride from Battery Park/Staten Island Ferry to the island, where Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra played music, attendees were dressed in their finest dapper dandy and flapper attire, and many enjoyed picnicking and imbibing on gin cocktails.  While Lena and I couldn't quite get up to speed with the appropriate dress and dancing, we did have St-Germain and "Flapper's Delight" cocktails before attempting to do the Charleston and cutting a rug on the dance floor.

Out on the dance floor

I think maybe Lena is particularly drawn to the jazz age.  When I first arrived in New York, on one of my first weekends out, she brought up an article on speakeasies.  We decided to start with one located in Chelsea, at the back of a coffee store.  There was a short line in front of the store, so it wasn't really hidden.  Once inside, it was a bit too crowded, with a big copper bathtub in the middle of the room (the place is appropriately named "Bathtub Gin".  After having a couple of overpriced cocktails, we hoofed it a few blocks away to the Raines Law Room, where we apparently did not know the secret pass phrase, for we were turned away by the "Butler" who opened the door, and then closed it on us.  Lena wanted to linger near the door to see if there was a way we could get in, and to her credit, she accosted the next person coming out, asking him if it was worth trying to get into the speakeasy.  At first he said, "well, yes", before continuing to walk on his way, but when Lena asked, "Are you SURE?!" He said, "well, yes, I'm the owner, so I think it is."  She then asked him to let us in, and he did.  I have to say, the ambiance felt right for a speakeasy - darkly lit, booths with pulls when you wanted a drink - even the wallpaper was unique.

The owner also told us of another speakeasy he had just opened a few more blocks away, so we made it to the third speakeasy of the night.  Probably not the best idea, for two women who are not big drinkers, but we made it, took a looky-loo, and had another round of cocktails before calling it a night.

While I'm not enamored with speakeasies (or the very expensive cocktails), there's another one I'd like to see.  Eduardo and I took a walking tour called "Gangs and Mobs of New York" that took us through parts of Little Italy, Chinatown, and the Five Points (I keep meaning to watch "Gangs of New York" but haven't had a chance to yet).  In a part of Chinatown called "Bloody Angle" (where the Chinese gangs sometimes fought it out with hatchets/axes, no less), is a small, nondescript shop front with a small sign, "Apotheke".  The guide briefly pointed it out as a speakeasy, so I made a mental note of it.  Just a few weeks ago, my friend Merri came to town to do a triathlon (yes, the triathletes swim in the Hudson River!!!), and I met up with her, her boyfriend, and their other friends at a really good Vietnamese restaurant, Xe Lua, owned by one of the friend's brother.  One of the friends mentioned that she had a great time at Apotheke, so I decided it was fate.  I have yet to go there, though, but I know Lena will be game!