Gitcher Yogi on Broadway

Last week I mentioned that there's an early morning T'ai Chi class in Bryant Park. It's free. All you have to do is show up. But if 7:30 is too early in the morning for you, you can always participate in the afternoon yoga sessions. I like to watch.


Not surprisingly, the yoga sessions draw a much larger crowd than the T'ai Chi lessons. I always thought that yoga had to be performed in a quiet, spiritually-galvanized environment. This takes place just steps away from 6th Avenue and 42nd Street. There's nothing quiet about that! But the area is quite spiritual. To me.

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I stopped in a deli to grab a bite before a meditation class. Note to self: eating a big pastrami on rye with mustard is NOT the optimal meal just prior to meditation. I was suppose to concentrate on my breath but all I could think about was how tight my belt suddenly felt.

The waitress, a smokey, thunder-thighed beauty, looked down at me through sleepy, bedroom eyes, took my order and said, in a breathy voice that was tinged with a thick Russian accent, "Pleees help yoursef to the peekle bar."

Oh, mama. The pickle bar. I was in the right place, alright.

After my sandwich, she handed me a complimentary lemon scented moist towelette. How thoughtful! I reeked of pastrami and many peekles so I could have used a toothbrush, as well.


I flipped it over and couldn't help noticing that there were instructions!


Tear open packet, unfold MOIST TOWELETTE and use. Do people really need to be told how to use this product? Are there people who wipe the packet on their faces without removing the moist towelette?! How strange.