Answers and a Winner

Answers to the quiz from yesterday:

1. Yes, it's the restaurant from Seinfeld. I didn't know that it's only one block from Columbia until right after buying my avocado milk bubble tea (it's sooooo good, you must try one) and a guy says to me, "Excuse me, but would you take my picture in front of Seinfeld's restaurant?" and when I look up, there it is...a scene I have seen hundreds of times!

2. Yes, Inauguration Day. I can't even think about how far away it is.

3. From Wikipedia: Billing itself as a place "where stars are born and legends are made," the Apollo became famous for launching the careers of artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Jackson 5, Patti LaBelle, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, Mariah Carey, The Isley Brothers, Jackie Wilson, Lauryn Hill, and Sarah Vaughan. .



4. No one got this right, but Karrie would have if she had checked the blog (and she may have shuddered). It's an arepa from Venezuela. An arepa is a flat cornmeal cake, best when fried on both sides and filled with something yummy. Venezuela was not the best place for food (lots of schnitzel), and Karrie and I got SICK of arepas. Usually they were cold and hard and were the only thing we could find in the bus stations. Yesterday's, though, was filled with pabellon, which is the Venezuelan traditional plate of food: shredded beef, black beans, plantains and white Mexican cheese.

Melissa and I found this place in the East Village yesterday...I had actually seen it three years ago with my mom, but we were full (a horrible state to be in while walking the streets of NY) so I had to pass. Imagine, finding it again when I was hungry and reversing the memory. We also had fresh guacamole with plantain chips and a Columbian beer. Great lunch!

5. Yes, this is the Riverside Church, built with Rockefeller money around 1930. I attended here yesterday morning, just to hear the acoustics (the soprano sounded great) where MLK gave his speech!

Again, from Wikipedia:
Modeled after a famous French cathedral (see Architecture below), the Gothic Riverside Church remains not only an important landmark for tourists, but also an important center for lively political discussion. Past speakers at the pulpit have included the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., articulating the immorality of the Vietnam War, Nelson Mandela on his first visit to the United States after being released from prison, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan after September 11, 2001, and Fidel Castro during one of his rare visits to the country in 1999.

So, the winner is my #1 fan, Karyn, who never sleeps. Congratulations, Karyn! You have your choice of prizes: 1) I will buy an arepa from the restaurant, Caracas, in the East Village on the day of my flight and by the time I get home and bring it to you in Bellingham, it will taste just about like the ones we had in the bus stations in Venezuela. Coagulated cheese and all, a true cultural experience, or 2) something else. What will it be?