LOCAL POLL II NOTE 2

Hizzah! Four new questions!:

1. Best jukeboxes:

2. Where can you find Galaga in your town? Or Space Invaders. Or Elvis pinball. Or batting cages? Any other favorite play spots to share?:

3. Best public place to nap and/or picnic:

4. Best inexpensive way in from the airport for travelers who have no one to pick em up, or who wanna spare their hosts the hassle (public transport options preferred!):

Also, y'all -- PLEASE PASS ON ANY WORKER-SUPPORTIVE BUSINESSES OR THANGS! thanks.

On my trip back to CU for Sally's graduation a few weeks back, i was very excited to learn that JFK Airport has not one, but at least three Galagas, uh, Galagum? Galagi?, for trapped travelers to partake in. i love Galaga. Yeah, one's in the ticketing area, another is across from a lonely but cheerful Northwest terminal bar that has Harp on tap. the last i saw was hidden further down the same corridor. i left NY quarter-less and giddy. Friday, i head for espana out of JFK. Oh, the fun that awaits!

Yeah, airports. Of the three major airports out here, JFK is the least convenient to fly into if you wanna get to Manhattan. It's way out in east, east, east Brooklyn. Or is it south, south, southeast Queens? Well, either way. It's way the hell out there. And, truth be told, if you are a fan of the public transport, none of the NY airports are at all great. The MTA is set up so the train pass you buy from them that gets you around the city won't get you directly to any of the airports. It's craziness. So, you haveta pay extra to take a longish NJ Transit rail or a long MTA train ride and transfer over to buy a tic on the total ripoff inter-airport monorails for Newark and JFK (very evil geniuses designed this system). MTA to a wildly meandering bus tour through Queens or a $25 cab gets you to Laguardia. Especially if yer getting into town late, Laguardia is by far the best bet of the lot (don't fly into Newark late and try to get to the city unless yer cabbin it. DOOON'T DO IT!). Yeah, so Laguardia's a'iet. With the addition of randomly strewn Galaga magic to pass the in-between time, though, distance has a fierce new competitor on the block, and JFK is looking a little more friendly to this traveler. Yep.

Ok -- so four new questions. Also, y'all, feel free to add comments to the posts on places you know things about too. Specific questions yer interested in more info on about the posted areas are welcome too.

Oh, last thing. coming back from Providence yesterday, i experienced my first pigeon fly-by. And it almost seemed appropriate, cause, at least once a week, i cross one that i really, really, REALLY want to kick (i know it's bad). Like, to the point that, sometimes, i need to make myself think out the words "aimee, you are NOT going to start kicking pigeons." Yeah. This musta been their "We see you! Back offa the walkas, sista" warning. Add "freak mindreading powers" to the m.o.s of those beedy red eyed, belly-ruttered, kickably plump birdemons. They're robots too.

So the fly-by: i went from the airport to home, dropped off my bag, and headed out the door into the NY sunshine (how i missed you). Found a bright bench in the park, where i plopped down and sat listening to my espanol cds next to a group of very fiesty park people. After about 20 minutes, the dreadded fella next to me waved to get my attention, and pointed past me. i followed the direction of his finger to the end of the bench, took out my earphones and turned back to him with a "huh?" "Oh. Thah! On y'leg!" he said. i looked down to my jeaned right shin crossed over the left, and saw a penny sized splotch beginning to run down it. "Ahhhw," i said. "Eeets good luck," he replied. "Yeah?" i asked. "Guess it coulda landed on my head." "Yah man. Thas ri. Eeet means reeal good luck." he said. i'm not gonna argue.

More weirdly couched good luck offered from the generous city. No forcing the unexpected or the unknown. Just gotta work with what, uh, falls. (And, ideally, be surrounded by some beautifully positive and joyful folk who remind that playing the hand yer dealt is still play, even when yer literally working with shit.) Thanks, dread guy!

xo