The Trip

It all started innocently enough, with one of those 2AM remarks from Ricky “Hey, we should do a weekend in NYC”. Now I’ll admit, a lot of things sound good at 2AM that wouldn’t sound good any other time of the day, but this one stuck and almost before the guys knew what was going on, Lucy and Ethel had rooms booked, tickets to a show, and list after list of bars, eateries, and things to do in the city that would be stashed in a folder in Fred’s briefcase. Fred is , of course, schedule man, map man and the general “keeper of the lists”.

Friday dawned sunny and warm (this is January?) and they loaded up the hippie bus and started off in the direction of New York. They learned long ago that a really good hippy trip means 1) you gotta have a plan and 2) you can’t worry about sticking to it. It is a delicate combination of you and the fates lead to some really incredible stories, and these people always come back with a story. The ride quickly turned into a combination of babbling, giggling, and singing, and the question of the day became “how close must a McDonalds be to an exit to have a sign posted on the highway?” Apparently there is no limit because it was miles before we found it.

The Arrival (nothing is ever easy for this crew)

We arrived in NY and found our way to the apartment complex where we were staying for the weekend. A quick stop at the guard station to pick up our keys, Ricardo, here you go, Mertz, hey, we got no keys for you, wonder where they are? A short phone call revealed that someone had forgotten to deliver them. The guard says “go ahead to the apartment and I’ll send someone to let you in”. 

So off we go, unload the bus (sound of glass breaking, oh please don’t let it be the Southern Comfort) and head up to our respective floors. Sure enough, someone is waiting to let Ethel and Fred in, while Lucy and Ricky head up another floor to their room. Hey Ricky, the key doesn’t fit, and I hear voices coming from the place. Suddenly the door opens and a lady with an accent asks what we’re doing. We show her the paperwork and she says “right place, come back when you have a key that fits” and shuts the door in their face. They drag all their stuff  back down to Ethel and Fred’s place. Then Ricky, Fred and Lucy head back to the guard station, leaving Ethel behind so they can get back into the room. The guard is sorry, but we’re all gonna have to wait for our keys to be delivered (in a couple hours), but the good news is the parking voucher has arrived, so we move the car to the parking garage. “Hey Fred, Ethel wants the stereo in the room” “OK” “hey Fred, I said, Ethel wants the car stereo in the room” “Don’t worry, I put it away” “ well, WHEN she asks, I’m telling”

We walk into the apartment, and what’s the first thing Ethel says? “where’s the stereo?” Lucy says “Hey I told him to bring it” some hemming, some hawing, some whining, and soon Ricky and Fred are on their way back to the garage to retrieve the stereo. Another hour passes and Ricky & Lucy’s keys get delivered. Ricky and Fred go upstairs to try them and guess what, the same maid is still watching her soaps there, no wonder she didn’t want to let us in.

Friday Night

We Get Into The Groove

Time to gather supplies, there’s a grocery store across the street, so we make a small list and head over. Lucy and Ethel wander around, while Ricky and Fred return to the guard station to get the other keys and order Pizza for supper and they head back to eat. Then it’s off for a night of bar- hopping. They head on over to Bleaker St in the village and start to look at the names of the bars they pass. “Hey Fred” (remember Fred, the keeper of the lists). Where are those lists? What do you mean you didn’t bring them? Well this place looks ok I guess, they have Blues. So in we go in and sit down and order a round of drinks (As Ricky says, You can’t get drunk in NY, it costs too much). Ethel has been carrying her tambourine in her hand and sets it down on the table. A quick look tells us we’re early because there’s only us and one other table. The guy playing is pretty good (all acoustic) Ethel quietly taps on the tambourine and all of a sudden the guys stops playing and says “Hey I do a solo act, but I love you, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart” Ethel got yelled at - Ha ha.

One thing we do know is that it’s hard to have fun when you have to be quiet, must be the kid in us, so we finished our drinks and headed for the door, with a waitress running after us with a bucket for tips in her hands, feeling obligated, Fred and Ricky throw a couple of bucks in the bucket, but Ethel says “hey, he yelled at me, I ain’t throwing anything in there”, and off we go looking for someplace to play.

So we wander up and down and around the block and find ourselves in front of a bar called Club Groove. A glance at the murals on the walls and we decided the place had potential, and in we go. There was a band called Need Mo’ Money (ok, so who doesn’t) and they looked a lot friendlier than the last guy. There was a table up front that definitely looked like table 5, so we sat down and began to feel much more comfortable. Out come the light-up tambourines, and the band says “hey those are cool”. Lucy and Ethel glance at each other across the table, ok, we’re home for the night. The band was great, a combination of classic rock, blues and even a little rap thrown in, and we loved it all.

**** Club Groove is Highly Recommended by Table 5, if you ever find yourself in the Village, be sure to check out what's on their music menu