4/17/03 Passover at the Piaker family in Binghamton, NY. Late night bowling and the Skylark Diner:






Here I am, arriving in Binghamton, NY by Greyhound bus. What a depot. What a town. I was there to enjoy the second night of Passover at Mike's house. He had invited me a few months ago, when the harsh reality of the trip was far enough away to conveniently forget while accepting his invitation. The trip was horrible. No trains come with 2 hours of Binghamton. Not understanding the intricacies of the Port Authority Bus Terminal, I missed the bus I was supposed to take, and had to wait almost 2 hours for the next one. I had just enough time to get a hamburger at McDonalds... a place where "Fast Food" is an unhealthy oxymoron.

I was told to go to the wrong gate. Then I figured it out, only to wait on line for a half hour after my bus was to leave. Then I enjoyed the 3 hour trip by having a filling pop out of a tooth while chomping down on a BLT on Italian that I had gotten at Subway before I left. Next year... kosher for Passover for me.


And finally, I get to Binghamton, a place devoid of character, charm, and to the best of my knowledge, a reason for existing. Here was Mike and Aaron, who had come up the day before, in the car:




Driving through Binghamton on our way to Vestal, where Mike lives.



A view of their skyscraper.




Everything was a chain of something.




This was the only building that I saw that appealed to me. I thought it was a mall or a movie theatre. Mike told me it is their sewage treatment plant. Shit.



It was decided, without a vote, that we would be stopping at "Target" to pick up some photos that Mike had left to be developed there. Exciting.



We had a strange interaction with the man behind the counter. Then we left.




Here at Mike's house, I was not introduced to anyone, even though there were two tables full of people who I didn't know. I conducted a personal wine tasting of the selections on the table to pass the time. Then we had a Seder, my second in two days. My family only ever has one per year, so this was a bit much for me. I didn't feel like participating.



Awwww. Happy Jews.



Mike's Brother on the left. Mike on the right.



The Kitchen. Buzzing, I guess.



Mike's dessert. Meringue cookies and Orange Juice.




After dinner, we were "out on the town." Our choices were extremely limited, as it was already 11:00pm, and most things would be closed. We picked up Mike's friend from High School, Megan, who was in the neighborhood, and who is one of the people he intends to get an apartment in the city with when he graduates.



I came up with the idea to go bowling. I thought it would fit the mood. A miraculous consensus was achieved, and away we went.




So here we are, Bowling in Binghamton. (Vestal).




Car on display. I think it can be won.




Mike sets up our electronic scoring.




Moments from the game.




Here's the final score of one of the two games we played. I did all right. That's me with the 114. I won. My competition was not exactly fierce. But we had fun.


Time to eat! We had all of two choices, seeing as it was now past midnight. Denny's and the Diner. We went to Denny's, sat down, got menus:



And suddenly, we were out of there. Apparently, while I was busy taking photos, Mike and his friend decided to go to the diner instead. So, to the horror of the poor confused girls who were on the late shift at Denny's that night, we bolted out of there. I apologized in vein.



An oasis in the distance. The Skylark Diner. A clean dive. Time for breakfast!


The interior of the Skylark. Everything I hoped it would be.



Smiling at the Skylark.



NOT Heinz.



Mike with Hot Chocolate. Mmmm.



The prices were astounding! (Astoundingly low, that is. Compare this with the menu at Cozy Soup & Burger on Broadway and 8th for a good laugh.)



My eggs.




Overall, we had a good time. But there was only enough entertainment in Vestal for one evening. EVER. I think I can safely say I've experienced the Vestal night life, and I'm ready for something else.


Oh, there was one more aspect to it. My bed:



Zzzzzz.