New York state of mind is slowly returning

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By BILL MAXWELL

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 23, 2001

NEW YORK -- Have you heard this gag?

Customer: "How come the rice pudding with raisins is $1 and the rice pudding without is 1.25?!"

Lindy's waiter: "It costs us 25 cents in labor to take out the raisins."

I like that one.

You can read it on the wall at Lindy's. At 1211 Sixth Ave., between 47th and 48th streets, Lindy's is one of my favorite restaurants in the Big Apple. Although the food is good and the service is friendly, I love the place because you sit at the counter facing Sixth Avenue and enjoy a virtual window onto the world.

If you love people watching like I do, Lindy's is the place to be. At some point, most tourists who stroll around Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Rockefeller Plaza, Radio City Music Hall and the general Theater District pass Lindy's and stare into its window. The funniest people are the women who, not realizing that customers can see them, glimpse their reflection in the glass and primp.

I have sat at this window for an hour at a time drinking coffee or beer or wine studying the thousands who come from every point on the globe to experience New York City. Another draw for me is the place's history. In the old days, everybody who was anybody in show business came to Lindy's.

Why do I mention a single place in this great metropolis where thousands of other businesses serve millions of people each day? I do so because the essence of New York is its individual parts, the pieces -- buildings, parks, events, food, drinks, smells, sounds -- that take on personal meaning for visitors and locals.

For those who love New York, now is the time to return to favorite spots and discover some new ones. People who have never been to the Big Apple should visit. It was a special place before the World Trade Center tragedy, but now -- and I do not think I overstate the case -- it has become a national shrine. The Statue of Liberty has taken on broader meaning.

For me, a trip to New York means at least one visit to Harlem, the capital of black America. Early in the 20th century, this one neighborhood attracted the best and the brightest in black America. Indeed, the Harlem Renaissance introduced white America to hundreds of voices that had been ignored or silenced for generations.

Harlem has many landmarks, some famous and some not famous at all.

Sunday morning is a wonderful time to be here, and Magic Johnson's Starbucks coffee shop at 125th Street and Lenox is a good place to be.

Here, you can watch one of the most colorful shows on earth: the long procession of black women in their Sunday best wearing their flamboyant church hats. The church hat is a fashion statement and more. It is, as writer Alison Rich says, "a reflection of a treasured tradition and a woman's own inimitable style." The church hat is a way of keeping Harlem's Sabbath both holy and glamorous.

Sylvia's restaurant is another of my haunts in Harlem. My family and I have eaten there forever. We go there for some of the city's best soul food and Southern cuisine. The place has four rooms where tourists and locals enjoy a feast. Gospel brunch on Sunday is a must-do.

Sunday at Sylvia's is significant because white people from around the world gorge themselves there. For many whites, eating at Sylvia's is their only close encounter with African-Americans. Ask Bill Clinton. If you eat there often enough, you are bound to see him. Every chance I get, I treat my white friends to a meal at Sylvia's.

Tourists are slowly returning to New York. But many streets remain eerily quiet, many theater and restaurant seats stand empty and few out-of-towners are lined up to ride the horse carriages through Central Park. Zabar's is super busy again; people have to eat. Many people have returned to the famous Barnes & Noble at 2289 Broadway.

New York always has been as much a state of mind as it is a place. Now, at least for me, New York is a statement of my personal politics. Those who destroyed the twin towers want to bring us to our knees. They want us to stay away from New York.

They want us to stop flying. Well, we should not stop flying to New York. We should make it one of our annual destinations. I come here at least once a month and will continue to do, either by plane or by Amtrak, depending how much time I have. I would like to see everyone take in a Broadway play, visit Times Square, stroll along Striver's Row and listen to jazz at Birdland on West 44th.

And stop at Lindy's and have a slice of its famous real New York cheesecake. While eating, you can read this joke on the wall:

Customer: "I haven't come to any ham in this sandwich yet."

Lindy's waiter: "Try another bite."

Customer (taking a huge bite): "Nope, not yet."

Lindy's waiter: "You must have gone right past it."

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