IT WOUDA BEEN KINDA COOL . . . .

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While dinning last nite, we coud see thru the window
of the lasanya restaurant on 20th St, a new French restaurant
across 20th St where a beef restaurant had been.

I suggested to my friend, Marty, that he put his dinning group
in there. After paying the check, I went and checked it.

Returning, I was hopeful of finding my friends before thay left
the restaurant, so I proceeded apace.

As I passed in front of an outdoor sidewalk cafe,
I saw a woman standing there (maybe around 45),
being threatened and intimidated by 2 members in uniform
of the NYC Police, standing about 8 and 12 feet away from her,
who demanded that she pay the tax on her restaurant bill.
(I have no opinion qua her state of mental health, nor sobriety.)

I found my friends before thay left, and had them check the new
French restaurant; we agreed to try it. I dunno what happened
with the woman and her tormentors, none of whom remained around.

In retrospect, I wish that I'd given her a $20 bill during her confrontation,
but I did not think of that fast enuf. Sometimes I wish that I coud turn back time.

It coud be kinda fun; profitable, too.

David

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Have I got this straight: she paid the tab but wouldn't pay the tax?

If so, she was probably one of those Oregonians who think they shouldn't have to pay sales taxes to any state since we don't have to pay them here. We get away with it in Washington but I haven't come across another state that gives us a buy.

She probably waits in her car at the gas station for some employee to come out and fill up her tank.

2 Replies

@boomerang,

Quote:

She probably waits in her car at the gas station for some employee to come out and fill up her tank.

I'll never get used to that. Every time I go to Corvallis to visit my family, I get out of the car and the dude looks at me like I'm an idiot.

Cycloptichorn

2 Replies

@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

Have I got this straight: she paid the tab but wouldn't pay the tax?

That appeared to be the case, from what the police were demanding.

boomerang wrote:

If so, she was probably one of those Oregonians who think they
shouldn't have to pay sales taxes to any state since we don't have
to pay them here. We get away with it in Washington
but I haven't come across another state that gives us a buy.

For many years next door in New Jersey, thay had no sales tax.
I am not sure whether that remains the case, or not.

boomerang wrote:

She probably waits in her car at the gas station for some employee to come out and fill up her tank.

These days, that 'll be a long wait.

David

2 Replies

@OmSigDAVID,

Take a trip to Oregon - civilians are not allowed to pump their own gas (except for diesel, apparently).

Cycloptichorn

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Next Summer, I can go on a tax free shopping spree.

The American Mensa Annual Gathering for 2011
will be in Portland, Oregon.

David

0 Replies

@Cycloptichorn,

Ha!

I've been driving in other states and pulled into a station only to wait and wait. Eventually someone will come out and knock on my window to make sure I'm okay. SOOOOO embarassing.

Getting to help pump the gas is the highlight of any vacation for Mo.

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@OmSigDAVID,

Maybe people from Jersey don't have to pay tax in NY? She might have been well within her rights.

Are you really going to be in Oregon? I HAVE to meet you. That would be fun!

1 Reply

@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

Maybe people from Jersey don't have to pay tax in NY?
She might have been well within her rights.

That is not the case.
U wanna laff at something ridiculous?

The NY State Legislature enacted a statute by whose terms
it was illegal for New Yorkers to avoid sales tax by shopping in NJ.
The State even went so far as to send agents to the parking lots
of NJ shopping centers, to record the numbers of NY license plates.

It is super-obvious that no one coud be successfully prosecuted
for violating that law, regardless of whether his license plate # was taken
(for several distinct, dispositive reasons).

Maybe thay were hoping that some of the less intelligent
New Yorkers woud fall for that and be influenced.

boomerang wrote:

Are you really going to be in Oregon?
I HAVE to meet you. That would be fun!

I will be pleased and very honored if u, Mo and Mr. B will attend the Annual Gathering,
June 30, 2011 thru July 4, 2011 in Portland, Oregon,
as my guests. http://www.oregon.us.mensa.org/

It remains for me to register for that convention,
ideally this month, b4 the price of registration goes up.

Lemme know, and I 'll register u; its on me.

My friends Marty and Cloty attended a Mensa Regional Gathering
there about 5 years ago, and thay reported that thay had
a wonderful, delightful time; (some Regional Gatherings r better than others).

It 'll be a while b4 the speakers' schedule has been set up.
This month, we just finished up with the Annual Gathering of 2010, in Dearborn, Michigan.

David

1 Reply

That's a gracious idea, David.

Me, if I got to Portland to meet the B Family, I'd want them to take me to the Food Stand Park I've read so much about... (and you know I'm a mad gourmet type). Oh, and the fabulous bookstore, the name of which I'm blanking on right now.

Just remembered it, Powell's.

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@OmSigDAVID,

That IS very gracious of you, David, but I'm sure Mensa would spot me for the doofus I am and promptly eject me from any meeting! I live in Portland so I'm sure we could arrange for lunch together.

Portland is a great city, especially for someone who enjoys food.

The N.Y. v. N.J. thing sounds a lot like the relationship between O. and W. but mostly when it comes to tagging your car, and mostly for the people who live in Vancouver, Washington but work in Portland, where tags are cheaper.

Sometimes they try to enforce it but it cost more in man power than Washington looses in revenue.

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@ossobuco,

ossobuco wrote:

That's a gracious idea, David.

Me, if I got to Portland to meet the B Family,
I'd want them to take me to the Food Stand Park I've read so much about...
(and you know I'm a mad gourmet type). Oh, and the fabulous bookstore, the name of which I'm blanking on right now.

Just remembered it, Powell's.

Thank u, Osso; thay sound like good suggestions.

David

1 Reply

@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

That IS very gracious of you, David, but I'm sure Mensa would spot
me for the doofus I am and promptly eject me from any meeting!
I live in Portland so I'm sure we could arrange for lunch together.

Portland is a great city, especially for someone who enjoys food.

The N.Y. v. N.J. thing sounds a lot like the relationship between
O. and W. but mostly when it comes to tagging your car, and
mostly for the people who live in Vancouver, Washington but
work in Portland, where tags are cheaper.

Sometimes they try to enforce it but it cost more in man power
than Washington looses in revenue.

OK; what 's the best restaurant in Portland ?
I imagine the seafood shoud be good in Portland.

On checking the Mensa link to post, I saw that Portland has a zoo.
I 've never been to Oregon b4.
An idiosyncrasy of mine is to visit the zoos of cities that I visit.

What do u think of that zoo ?

I hope that it rents little cars, like the San Diego Zoo.

David

0 Replies

@OmSigDAVID,

I'll drag up an article on that food stand park, David, as it might be a place where some mensa cluster might like to check out. (Back in a few minutes)

Powell's is a long time favorite of mine, online, and I've never been there. They have many books I covet.

2 Replies

@ossobuco,

ossobuco wrote:

I'll drag up an article on that food stand park, David, as it might be
a place where some mensa cluster might like to check out. (Back in a few minutes)

Powell's is a long time favorite of mine, online, and I've never been there. They have many books I covet.

Thank u, Osso.

David

0 Replies

@ossobuco,

Here, an article by the frugal traveler in the NY Times a year or so ago.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/travel/10Portland.html?scp=1&sq=frugal%20traveler%20portland&st=cse

I don't know if you ever read his column, but he was (there's a new frugal traveler writing now) fairly sophisticated in taste but writing a column under the constraints of moderate frugality.

If you scroll down the column, he'll get to the food cart scene in Portland. There is also a video re the food carts, to go along with the column.

1 Reply

@ossobuco,

http://www.powells.com/

I happen to like police procedurals set in different countries around the world, and Powell's has always had a good selection. What I'm getting at is that from my view, their selection can be more wide ranging than amazon, or used to be.
But basically it is one huge bookstore.

3 Replies

The best restaurant depends entirely on what kind of food, environment and service you want. The local paper just did it's restaurant awards: http://www.oregonlive.com/diner-2010/

0 Replies

@ossobuco,

ossobuco wrote:

http://www.powells.com/

I happen to like police procedurals
set in different countries around the world,
and Powell's has always had a good selection.
What I'm getting at is that from my view, their selection can be
more wide ranging than amazon, or used to be.
But basically it is one huge bookstore.

My philosophy of travelling is to enjoy the best that the locality has to offer.
Sometimes, I cannot predict whether I 'll ever return there.

It has been my belief that going "frugal" can bring bad luck,
in that merchants will endeavor to recover any loss of profit
by diminution of quality or quantity, in ways that may be less
than obvious, until its too late. I usually tend to enjoy hi-end luxury,
fun, n beauty and encourage that in the members of my SIG.
I believe that u can enjoy life better, and get along better
if u r willing to throw some cash around in a fun-loving turn of mind.
(U get better service, as a general rule; that goes double for Las Vegas.)

At the risk of telling tales out of school, when I joined Mensa in 1978,
I was less than pleased to find that most of NY Mensa 's events
in its monthly social calendar (now, bi-monthly) seemed oriented
toward saving $$ rather than having a good time. I said that I did not
need Mensa to save money; I can just stay home and sleep,
if that were my goal; ergo, the birth of the Opulent Mensan SIG
(briefly, a local chapter of the National Rich Mensan SIG).

I founded it for Mensans who wanted to go out n have a good time.
Our goal was hedonic BLISS, not economy.

Here is our O M SIG Blurb-Credo, published in NY Mensa's social calendar:

"Our goal is to evoke incandescent joy from within your being.
Luxuriate in the ambient splendor and culinary hedonism
of Manhattan’s most opulent restaurants. Abundant is the
delight of evening’s leisurely conversation with fine Mensan
friends, over a sumptuous repast, in warmth and deep beauty.
Our purpose is your ecsatasy." (I was limited to 50 words.)

Osso, please tell me
your 2 favorite, most coveted, police procedual books
and I will send them to u, if Powell's has them.

David

1 Reply

@OmSigDAVID,

What a sweetie. I might take you up on that.

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IT WOUDA BEEN KINDA COOL . . . .

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