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I love Krispy Kreme. Don't expect the long lines to go away anytime on the near future. They are worth the wait.

When I was a kid, I just assumed 24 hour diners were everywhere. When taking family road trips, I could not understand why I could not get a BLT or Grilled Cheese at 1 am.

In and Out Burger has an almost cult-like following. I've went to one once, many years ago, in Las Vegas but it was in a super busy, touristy area so it might not have been the best representation of the companies products. It was good - better than Burger King or McDonalds - but I was not blown away. Still, next time I'm out West, I'll try to find a more stand alone, "regular" location for a true test. I tried to go to Whataburger once but accidentally went to FatBurger instead. LOL Not impressed.

Or an A&W Burger. 👍

I know all those places you've mentioned, having visited them for lunch, dinner and late night after drinking grub over the years. I believe Blavelt diner is now a Chinese restaurant. I'd also like to give an honorable mention to New City Diner and Hogan's Diner. New City Diner - oddly not located in the town of New City but in the next town over Bardonia - was famous for their menus that was as thick as War & Peace and took just as long to read. Hogans Diner may have been before your time in Rockland, was located where the current Palisades Center Mall is. Back in my irresponsible youth days, it was a major place to stop on a Friday or Saturday night (or early Sunday morning) to "sober up" before heading home. Back then, NJ legal drinking age was higher & it's bars closed earlier then NY so there was always an influx of late night party people coming across the border & they stop at Hogans before traveling back to NJ so it'd always be packed during the overnight hours with half the parking lot cars having NJ license plates. There were actually several Hogan Diners, each owns & run by a different family member, but the "real" Hogan's - officially Jane Hogans Diner - was in West Nyack.

I think White Castle is one of those things you have to grow up with to appreciate. However, I didn’t so I don’t. As a teenager, some of my Bronx-born friends would always tell how much they missed White Castle when their families moved up to Rockland Co. and once they got their drivers licenses, would take the 1-hour one-way trip back to the Bronx just to get White Castle. Eventually, one did open in my home county and I was very much looking forward to trying it. The lines were crazy long and I eagerly waited to get a “sack of sliders”. I love hamburgers & could eat one every day. But what I got instead was a bunch of slimy onions on a greasy roll with nary a hint of hamburger meat. I’ll take Sorrento’s pizza over White Castle any day of the week.

This happens to me once or twice a week when using my phone but never my laptop. I've had post disappear when using my laptop but never my phone. It usually happens when I write a lengthy post or when taking a lengthy break in the middle of writing a post (usually distracted by a phone call or a chore) and when I come back to complete the writing, the post will just disappear. I think it's because CC gets bored waiting for me to finish so it "punishes" me for being too slow. LOL

You were lucky!! I was told everything I ate the day before had to be clear. So basically broth and jello (only yellow or green). I stand corrected. You are right, the day before I was on totally clear liquid diet. The apple sauce was part of the prior days prep.

Chicken Broth is disgusting, beef broth was more tolerable. Actually not half bad. I also ate a lot of apple sauce. I was started on a Low Residue Diet 3 days before my colonoscopy. The doctor recommended fasting & prepping the day before but I actually started that 2 days before a well. I have a slow digestive system and need the extra time to be cleansed and make sure everything is "all clear". Am I over-sharing?

Hopefully he hasn't found a hobby to replace CC.

I might be heading up to The Cape in a few weekends. Friends have a house there & have been trying to lure me up all summer. Make fantastic lasagna & chicken parm. Yes, they are Italian.

Born and raised in Rockland County where it seemed half the population migrated from The Bronx in the 60' & 70's before moving a bit north of Yorktown Heights where it seems the other half of The Bronx moved to. 😃. Plenty of NYC style pizza places in both areas. Worked in White Plans for 25+ years, plenty of good Italian places in the vicinity. I promise to keep my Olive Garden exceptions low.

Duly noted and eagerly waiting for the bottle of Kraken to be Kracked open. 🙂😇

I actually find the food debates fun. Maybe my idea is "fun" is a bit twisted? But yeah, I do agree with your sentiment. Some take it a bit too seriously.

I should have added that to my caveats as well. Sorrento's does get better as the night goes on. 😉

I've never been to an Olive Garden but will try it one day. A buddy of mine described it as "pretty good food" as long as you don't think of it as "Italian food", otherwise its not that good. 😄

I have not cruise since before the pandemic so my info is hopelessly out of date but here is my contribution to the Great Pizza Wars Debate. Sorrento's pizza has always been a bit "meh" and hit-n-miss in my opinion. Royal did embark on an effort of improve the taste & quality around 2017 or 2018 time frame (I think, memory is a bit hazy). Reformulated recipe with better, fresher ingredients from different sources/vendors. It was gradually rolled out to the fleet so it was still a hit-n-miss proposition but I remember seeing signs touting the "new & improved" pizza on some ships and it was indeed "pretty good", all things considered. Not as good as some my favorite local pizza joints places but it certainly was no longer "horrible". The usual caveats apply: In My Humble Opinion, taste is subjective, not everyone is going to like vanilla, etc, etc, etc. Maybe things have changed post-pandemic, with cost cutting & supply chain problems, rolling back the "new & improved" Sorrento's back to it's previous "meh" status? Maybe @Sea Dog or @bobmacliberty or some other recent cruisers can do a taste test for us?

I understand why you say that & don't necessarily disagree with you as it does seem odd to me as well. I've been eating pizza as long as I can remember . The only rebuttal I could offer is that I did not try New York's other signature food item - The Bagel - until I was around 16 or 17. I was working part time in a deli and customers kept raving how great the bagels were so I tried one. I was unimpressed - too dry, dense and doughy. It was probably another 16 years before I tried one again and even now only eat them very sparingly. The ones I like probably are not "true" NY bagels. Granted, I'm not a city boy as I was born & raised in the suburbs of NYC but bagel places were plentiful around me.

I would have guessed the final episode of M*A*S*H or the "Who Shot JR" episode of Dallas as the most watched TV even in America. I do take issue of the Super Bowl being most watched as 75%* of the people "watching" just happen to be at a Super Bowl party/bar/etc with the TV on in the background. They may glance at the TV to catch a commercial making Super Bowl commercials the most watched TV event. No wonder advertisers pay top dollar for 30 seconds of TV time. 😁 * based solely on my experience of attending SB parties and I'm a proud member of the 75%. 😄

Good info on hard-shell suit cases. I was under the impression that they cracked easily so I always wondered why people bought them. Of course, my impression is based on other peoples experiences from 30 years ago so glad to know they are more sturdier these days. When I'm in the market for a new suit case, I'll definitely be on the look out for the poly-carbonate vs the plastic kind. All my soft-sided luggage has been Travel Pro (based on Consumer Report reviews), a Ricardo which I bought at Macy's on 80% clearance and hand-me down American Tourister, vintage unknown. With the exception of a broken zipper on one of the Travel Pros, they all seem indestructible. The only "issue" is dirt as I buy any color other than black - usually blue or red - to easily spot on the luggage carousels but they show the dirt after one use. Good thing I don't care how I look at the airport or when checking in to hotels. 😊

You had me at Tiki Exotica. 😇

I feel the same way with this paper bag.

I'll take a SeaDog over a StealthDog anytime. But I'll read both anyways. Always good to get various perspectives. 🙂

I have the same issue with my Saab. Owned by GM for over 20 years before they shut the brand down in 2012. Except i get looks of sympathy from the service & parts guys. Last time I needed a part, it came from a salvage yard in AZ. I live in NY. @A&L_Ont will probably have an easier time finding parts for his 1972 (?) Vintage pick up truck.

I've had a friend of mine - a daughter of a fire chief - that would unplug all unnecessary appliances when leaving the house. And I mean everything - coffee machine, toaster, TV's, etc.