BY Janel Bladow
The month began with plenty of fireworks in the hood: bed bugs at Abercrombie & Fitch… and the sad passing of a Seaport institution: Carmine’s, at Beekman and Front Sts. The seedy looking restaurant is the only “old” eatery in S3 not to have undergone a renovation as the hood changed from the Fulton Fish Market to the destination it is today.
SR loved hanging at Carmine’s during the last few decades of its 107-year history. Many a great night was spent knocking back a few at the dark wooden bar with then NY Post editor John Cotter and the man who could write with his thumbs tied together, columnist Steve Dunleavy. We usually started at the Bridge Café for our version of a happy hour or two and then wrapped up the night in the wee morning hours at the Paris. Along the way we swapped stories, heard grisly tales of murder, mayhem and adventure and befriended cops, fishmongers, mailmen, con men and a Mafioso or two. Oh the stories those walls could tell!
There are rumblings on the internet that it may move to a new location farther up Front Street. We wish Carmine’s well but the vibe won’t be the same.
Kickin’ it across continents…
Water Street couple Dave Richter and Markie Myer began watching the World Cup soccer games at Jeremy’s Ale House, hopped a jetliner to South Africa where they caught three games in person, then wound up this past weekend watching the final four matches from the stools where they started. Phew! What a trip that was.
“So fun, so crazy and wild and amazing,” Markie told SR with the energy and enthusiasm of a confirmed fan and happy traveler. “Our sports fans are nothing compared to world soccer fans. Grown men dressed in long, faux leopard coats and Lederhosen with face paint and flag hats! Not just face paint or chest paint but guys in tiny underwear painted head to toe!
“The excitement was so infectious,” she added, “The Ghana fans were so happy and proud with huge smiles on their faces.
“And those Vuvuzela horns aren’t so bad. When you have 94,000 people in the stadium shouting and clapping you hardly notice them. It just fits. Everyone was into the games. Even the little chocolates on the hotel pillows were soccer balls.”
But it wasn’t all soccer; the couple took a safari.
“An elephant came right up to the car. Lions, giraffes, and in Cape Town we saw flamingos and penguins right on the beach. And the food was incredible. A mix of African, Dutch, English, Indian – delicious and affordable, even at a road stop, they carefully prepared the sandwiches from scratch.”
But it wasn’t all fun. Markie had to make a visit to a dentist and learned she needed a root canal. She opted for a temporary fix – $56!
“After, I find out a root canal only costs $300-400. First world medicine in pristine offices (everything is super clean, she says), at third world prices! I wanted to stay!”
Ruff week ahead…
It’s the dog days of summer here in the Seaport, literally. We’ve got pup parties and plenty of new pet family members!
Couture critters don their finest tiaras and tails for the Second Annual Puppy Prom! Once again the fun folks at The Salty Paw (38 Peck Slip, www.thesaltypaw.com), invite all hood hounds and human companions to join them Tuesday, July 20, from 6-8 pm, to strut their stuff, sample new treats and win prizes for best dressed. This year’s pup prince and princess will also be crowned. One judge is celebrity dog trainer Andrea Arden (Animal Planet’s “Underdog to Wonderdog”). Raffle prizes, gift bags and “dog cake” should elicit howls of joy.
The fun is for a good cause: raise money for Posh Pets Rescue (www.poshpetsrescue.org), which places homeless pets in foster homes until they find digs and humans to call their own.
“We’re all about giving back to the community,” says the doggie boutique owner Amanda Bryon-Zink. “We want to be a fun place that’s all things dog and keep the puppy prom tradition going.”
While SR was there, neighbor Kim Marin came in to collect her “son” Cecil from doggie daycare. Excited to hear about the prom, she ordered him a custom tux bib with a red bowtie and matching cuffs.
“The red will look good against his white fur,” she agreed, noting that she would definitely come dressed in red herself!
Then on Sunday, July 25, come meet some Posh Pets and maybe take home a new family member! The daylong adopt-athon will feature pups to seniors, large and small.
Last month’s event found homes for pug Elly, Italian Greyhound Maya, a senior poodle named Selma and several other dogs and cats without a pillow of their own.
Puppy love…
Meanwhile Cora Hume-Fagin found a four-legged sister at North Shore Animal League. The family welcomed the 10-month mixed caramel colored puppy into their home a couple weeks ago after a long search for “just the right” one. Give Daisy a big hug from us, Cora!
And a while back we wrote about the fatal rooftop fall of Brooklyn, a 10-month old Papillion-poodle mix. Good news! Diane Mella reports that her family has a second chance. They recently brought home Brooklyn Jr., born January 19. Diane tells SR he is “just as delightful as his dad with hints of his very protective mother, Precious. We have already crowned him Mayor of the Seaport as he has to stop and say hello to everyone that he passes!”
BTW… congrats to Amanda and her husband Robert Zink! They’re expecting their second child in December.
