A Little Late, Girls, But It's November!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          That nasty bitch, Sandy!  She has really put a cramp into this Queen's style!  While a break from work is always pleasant, the ennui of being stuck in one place--Bay Ridge, which thankfully, lost none of its power and amenities--is like being stuck in Brigadoon!!!!!  Only there is no Heather On The Hill!!!!!

                           Halloween was a bust!  No candy, movies--nothing!  Yesterday was November 1, which is also All Saint's Day, and, thanks to Sandy, that could barely be acknowledged, thanks to a little drama of yesterday, which you will be hearing about shortly!!!!!!!!  And today happens to be All Souls Day, so I am
at least going to pop in to some kind of House of Worship, to remember all those in my life who have departed, and, most likely, are  waiting on the Other Side, to give me THEIR comments on how I lived my life on this one!

                             And, of course, there is Thanksgiving, which, let's face it, now REALLY commences the Holiday Season, and Musical Theater Week, which  is from the 13th to the 19th, and includes the birthdays of "Chorus Line-ers" Sammy Williams (13) and Donna McKechine (16).  And on the 17th, Neva Small--yes, darlings, Neva Small, she's not a little girl, any more, though she will always be ours!!!!--hits the big 60!!!!!!!!!  Can you believe it????????????

                             Oh, and, of course, darlings, I have a birthday this month!!!!!!!!!!!!  And my PROFESSIONAL age will still be 24!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  But this bitch, Sandy, sure makes me wonder how it will be celebrated, because if the damn MTA doesn't get its act together, and get the trains running again, quite a few of us New York bitches are going to balk!!!!!!!!  And Monsieur and I have tickets for the 11th--a week from this Sunday!!!--to see "The Mystery Of Edwin Drood," with Jessie Mueller!!!!!!!!  Jessie Mueller, lambs!!!!!!!!  I better not miss this!!!!!!!!!!!!

                               Then, there is the question of birthday dining!  Some of the candidates are in Manhattan, and two are in Bay Ridge, so, to help me decide, I want to make this a contest.  I will tell you the restaurants, their assets, and ask you to decide which place should be chosen..  The winner, both restaurant and person, will be announced a week from today, and the prize is a subsequent dinner, at said place, with yours truly, the Raving Queen!

                                So here we go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                MANHATTAN
                                1. One If By Land, Two If By Sea--That old romantic standby,
                                 darlings.  You have  heard me enough on this already!!!!!!!!!!

                                2. Harry Cippriani--They practically invented the Bellini, darlings,
                                and this is one place where, if you are ANYONE in town, you
                                have just GOT to be SEEN!!!!!!!!  So I think it is high time
                                I made an appearance!!!!!!!!!

                               3. Daniel--I have been down the cuisine road with Mister
                               Boulud before, when, 21 years before I dined at the old
                               Le Cirque!  Let's say I was not all that impressed.  I can
                               only hope Daniel would be an improvement, though its
                               point in favor, right now, is its supposedly famous
                               Chocolate Dacquoise!!!!!!!!!


                                 BAY RIDGE
                                 1. Gino's--Located on 5th  Avenue and 74th Street, in the
                                  heart of Bay Ridge, I hear this is like going to a celebrity
                                  spot!!!!!!!  And you know what a celeb I am, loves!!!!!!!!
                                  A family tradition, since 1964--1964!!!!!!  Can you
                                 believe that, darlings????  Some of you weren't even
                                 born, then!  And I was still barely a virgin!!!!!!!!!!!!  It
                                 is also, I am told, one perfect spot for special occasions!
                                 And what occasion could be more special, loves?????

                                 2.  Chadwick's--About 14 blocks north, over on 3rd
                                 Avenue, I have walked past it countless times, and, from
                                 the outside, looking in, have always been impressed by
                                 its 1940's look.  A glance at the menu selections recalls
                                 that decade, too!!!!!  I am telling you, girls, from the
                                 looks of things, if I go here, I expect to be greeted
                                 and served by Dorothy McGuire!!!!!  If not, I am sure
                                 her spirit pervades over the place, darlings!!!!!!!!!!

                 So that's it, dolls!  You let me know!  Added to the mix--my birthday falls on a Sunday
this year, which always complicates things, and is weird.  At the Manhattan places, especially
Cippriani;'s or Daniel, I am going to have to pull out my top flight, off the rack, designer outfits, to be seen in!!!!  At the Bay Ridge locales, I can make do with my designer knockabouts!!!!!!!

                  But the decision is yours, dolls, and I will abide by it!  You will get a picture and a full report of the event when it takes place.  Meanwhile, here we are in the Eleventh month, which means once we get pass my birthday, we go into Year Wind-Down, where everything speeds up, like a silent movie, played at the wrong speed!!!!!!!!  And then we have January 1, and Monsieur's Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                 For now, Happy November, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!