#Average joe on the street? Not gonna look twice

[masquenoire]

It's a very rare occasion when Roman is attracted to other men. More often than not they tend to be meta, some type of mutant perhaps or were AFAB themselves. Very few if any 'normal' males have ever caught his eye barring one or two exceptional individuals. He's got picky tastes and isn't afraid to hold men to -much- higher standards than when it comes to women.

[hawkbucks]

Number One With A Bullet

I saw a prompt comment on the WinterIron subreddit, and I thought I’d try my hand at it. It read:

Tony grows up in an average household, but his brain still lands him at MIT. One unlucky night, his trip to the bank gets interrupted by a robbery. However, the criminals leave as soon as they see Tony’s face. Looking into it, it turns out Tony was put on the No-Harm list by the leader of a global crime syndicate who goes by the Winter Soldier. He is completely flabbergasted when the Winter Soldier looks exactly like his ex-boyfriend, Bucky Barnes.

Tony doesn’t live in a bad neighborhood per se, but he wouldn’t be caught at an ATM in the dead of night with no more as defense than his keys poking through the slits his fingers make when they’re balled up in a fist.

And yet, that’s how he finds himself, standing under a cloth awning with a yellow light doing its best to illuminate him and provide a feeling of safety. He slides his card into the slot and waits for the mechanical voice to tell him to punch in his PIN. Damn the fact that the nearest convenience store is cash-only (seriously, they might as well be an inconvenience store with that policy in his very humble opinion), and damn the fact that he’s pretty sure he’s going to need at least 2 extra cans of Red Bull to get through his courseload tonight. He squeezes his keys harder, his keyring starting to dig almost painfully into his palm. Maybe leaving New York was a bad idea. Maybe he should’ve just went to NYU; at least then he’d be surrounded by familiarity.

The ATM asks for his PIN.

As his thumb hovers over the keypad, something sharp presses into the base of his spine. He freezes, breath catching in his throat, and hopes to god that he’s just imagining things.

“We just need you to withdraw a li’l something for us, alright?” a raspy voice sounds from over his right shoulder. It’s muffled slightly, probably due to a ski mask or a pulled-up scarf covering a mouth. “We don’t want this to get ugly.”

Yeah. So much for imagining things. He has his makeshift claws, sure, but he never thought that he’d actually have to use them, and the usage of ‘we’ isn’t exactly instilling any sort of confidence in him, especially when the presence of another person is confirmed by a low hum in agreement.

‘Course, it’s either stand here and let these guys bleed him for all the money he has in his account, or act out—and possibly get stabbed to death—in hopes of scaring them away once they see he isn’t going to be that easy of a target. If he’s being honest, he doesn’t mind doing a little tango with death if that means he isn’t going to be evicted from his apartment and end up living out on the streets. It’s not like he has that much to lose anyway (unless you count his piles of rising student debt and well-worn clothes as something).  

“You know what to do, right?” the voice continues. “Just give us some money, and we’ll be right outta your hair.” The sharpness grows insistently, and he knows it’s only a matter of time until it breaks through his clothes and sinks into him.

“Just money?” he asks, swallowing down any residual fear.

“Just money.”

He blinks and nods twice. Now or never, Stark. Now or never.

He wildly turns around and punches out with his “claws,” satisfaction settling in his chest when he hears a grunt of pain. The knife clatters to the ground, and he watches as they reel back, holding the side of their face.  

He sets his shoulders, adrenaline coursing through his veins as his breathing becomes heavy. He glares at the other, daring them to come forward.

Except that the other doesn’t come forward. No, their eyes are wide through the holes in their mask, and their knife is hanging loosely at their side. “Oh, fuck,” they start, their voice higher-pitched and more nasally. They look at recently-punched-guy out of the corner of their eye before looking back at him. “Uh, shit. Dude, it’s him. Norman, fuck, it’s him.”

Tony furrows his brows together. “It’s him”? What the hell does that mean? Last he checked, he wasn’t anyone that would get people caught up while attempting to rob him, unless he somehow turned into a celebrity overnight.

“Aw, man,” recently-punched-guy—or Norman, as he’s recently learned—moans, looking at Tony, knees buckling from underneath them. “The Soldier’s gonna have our heads.”

The Soldier? The closest person he knows to a Soldier is Rhodey, and he’s pretty sure Rhodey isn’t the kind of guy who would go around threatening to have people’s heads if they screw with him. Or maybe he is, but he’s definitely not the kind of guy who would make good on that promise if the way his would-be robbers are looking like they’re staring their death sentence in the face is any indication. (Speaking of which, probably not the smartest move to have given Tony one of their names.)

“We didn’t know it was you, man, we swear!” Not-Norman pleads, sounding on the verge of hysterics. “Dude, you gotta tell the big man that we didn’t know!”

He stays silent, racking his head and trying to figure out who this Soldier could be and why it seems like they want to protect him so much. Rhodey’s out, obviously. Pepper may be the next most likely candidate, but there’s also the fact that she has better taste than to call herself the Soldier. It can’t be Peter, that kid he tutors, since Peter is 12, and it’s not Peter’s Aunt May because he’s pretty sure she wouldn’t hurt a fly even if it was buzzing all over her lasagna.

Norman and Not-Norman, however, take his silence to mean that he is, in fact, considering not telling the “big man” that they didn’t know. “Listen, if we knew it was you, we wouldn’t even have approached you!” Norman says. “Just tell him that, yeah? ‘Cause we have to go. You—fuck—you hit hard!”

“I’ll tell him,” he says. If he could ever find out who “he” was.

“Okay, okay. We good?” Not-Norman’s already backing away.

Tony nods.

Norman, still holding his face, turns tail and runs. “You can keep the knife!” he shouts out, Not-Norman lagging just a few strides behind him.

Tony looks down at the knife, considering.

See, someone calling themselves the Soldier sets off alarms in Tony’s head. Unless they’re some 14-year-old on an MMORPG, they’re probably involved in some shady, shady business, and it’s not like he can just Google who they are. Fortunately, Tony knows someone who deals in shady businesses (mostly because they’ve been friends since elementary school and, while they went down incredibly different paths, she’s always looked out for him). He sprawls himself out on his couch and dials a familiar number.

“Who the hell’s the Soldier?” he asks once he hears her pick up.

“Wow. Not even a hello,” Natasha quips dryly. Rustles of cloth and faint shouting can be heard in the background.

He decides not to ask. It’s probably for the better. “Hello.” He pauses for what he assumes is an appropriate amount of time. “Who’s the Soldier?”

“What makes you think that I’d know?” Natasha says in a tone of voice that makes it painfully clear that she does, in fact, know.

“C’mon, ‘Tasha. I’m curious.”

Natasha hums in acknowledgement. “Answer one of my questions first.”

Oh, great. Intelligence for intelligence, as she says. “I—sure, okay.”

“You’ve never asked me about them before, which leads me to believe that you’ve never even heard of them until now. Who told you about them?”

He stares at his ceiling. “Uh, Rhodey? You know how he works for the military and all? He—”

“The truth, Tony,” she sighs exasperatedly, cutting through his lie like a knife through butter. So much for that.

He mumbles, “I was in the middle of… getting robbed—”

“Getting robbed?” Natasha’s voice is razor sharp, concern seeping through.

“It’s not—that isn’t important.” He waves a dismissive hand although he knows she can’t see. “I wasn’t hurt, which is exactly why I’m curious, because those guys stopped once they saw me and then they started acting like this Soldier was gonna kill them.”  

“Who was trying to rob you?”

He could rat out Norman and Not-Norman, but he thinks that not even they deserve whatever kind of hell Natasha would rain upon them. “Not important.”

“It’s important to me.”

“Not to the story overall. ‘Tasha, please, I don’t want to talk about this any more than I have to.”

“…Fine,” Natasha acquiesces in her own way of apologizing. “I know him. Not personally, but I know him. Give me an hour and I’ll send you his address.”

“You can’t just tell it to me now?”

“I’m working, Tony.” With that, she hangs up.

He wonders if it’s revenge for him not telling her about Norman and Not-Norman. Knowing her, it is.

His base is near Boston, Natasha’s text reads, his text tone startling him awake. You’re lucky. Tell me how it goes.

If he’s being honest, he didn’t expect the base of someone with enough power to make a couple of simple-Joe-robbers nearly piss their pants at the thought of them to look so… plain. Bricks stained a dark red from the passage of time and accumulation of grime, black-tinted windows denying any nosey onlookers the pleasure of being able to look in, and a rather nondescript sign proclaiming the building to be under the ownership of a company calling themselves HC Inc.

He takes a deep breath and enters.

There’s a receptionist there, maybe a year or two younger than himself. Blonde. Her eyes widen when she sees him, but she quickly clears her throat and goes back to typing on her computer.

“Hi!” he greets once he’s up at the counter. He flashes her what he hopes is a friendly smile, because something about her tells him that she won’t hesitate to put him through the floor if she thinks he’s suspicious in any way, shape, or form. “I’m looking for, er…”

She smiles back up at him, eyes glinting. “The boss, right? Don’t worry, I’ll phone him.”

He nods politely before backing up and walking a few steps away, just far enough that he can still hear her without looking obvious (or at least he hopes he isn’t looking obvious).

“There’s someone here to see you, boss man,” he hears. “No, it isn’t her. It’s—” she glances at him— “it’s Stark.” A pause. “I’m sure. He looks like the picture.” Another pause. “Yes, of course.” She places her hand over the mouthpiece and beckons him over. “Can I see ID?”

He fumbles with his wallet as he fishes it out. He flashes his MIT ID, hoping that’s enough.

And enough it seems to be. She nods towards a hallway off to the left. “There are elevators down there. The boss is on floor 30.” She uncovers the mouthpiece as he walks away. “I’m sending him up right now.”

The room the elevator opens up to is far more extravagant than he would’ve expected looking at the outside of the building. A heavy-looking mahogany table sits in the middle, magazines splattered all over the surface, while a pair of thick maroon curtains help block out anything the tinted windows can’t. A chandelier illuminates the room in a soft yellow light unlike the harsh flickering from the ATM before.

Either he’s about to be served the finest glass of red wine he’s ever had, or he’s about to be executed while Chopin bombards his eardrums. It could be both. Not that he’d mind.

He takes a few careful steps, looking around the room. “Uh, hello?” he calls out, trailing his fingers on the table. After a couple of seconds of no response, he picks up a magazine and flicks through it. He can play the waiting game.

“Tony?”

He yelps, turning around to smack whoever that voice belongs to with the magazine, but is stopped when a large hand wraps around his wrist. “Wh—” he starts, then everything he’s about to say dies in his throat. No way, right? There’s no way?

It’s been a few years since they’ve seen each other, since they broke up because he wanted so desperately to go to MIT, to leave their state, but he’s pretty sure that he’d recognize the other anywhere and in any life.

“James?” he squeaks. James is taller now, broader and more muscular with a fair amount of scruff on his chin and hair that reaches his shoulders, but his eyes have always stayed the same: this cool blue that brings him back to the ocean. “You’re the Soldier?”

“Winter Soldier, technically,” James says, releasing his wrist. “Sorry, I—I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Winter Soldier?” Tony narrows his eyes and rubs at his wrist. He doesn’t doubt that James didn’t mean to harm him, but his grip is strong. “Like… like from when we used to play Runescape?”

James cringes, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “I couldn’t think of anything else. What are you here for anyway? I never thought that you’d… that you’d find out.”

“I—” Tony throws the magazine back on the table— “was approached by a couple of lovely guys, and they mentioned you. Said something about how you’d have their heads for even coming near me.” He crosses his arms. “I’d like an explanation, please.”

James rubs the back of his neck. “There’s a list that I have of people that, uh, that shouldn’t be hurt. You’re on it. So are a couple other people, but… yeah, you’re on it. You’re number 1, actually.”

“Number 1?” Tony isn’t sure if he should be flattered or afraid. Flattered because, well, it shows that James still cares for him, still thinks of him, and he’d be lying if he said that didn’t send his heart aflutter. Afraid because there’s bound to people out there that aren’t scared of the Winter Soldier’s wrath, and the fact that James just offered his name and face up on a silver platter… he’d just have to hope, as with most things.

“Yeah. You’ve always been my number 1.”

No. Tony can’t have that. His head is already spinning what with all of this information that he’s under the protection of some mob boss (although Tony strongly suspects that James is the head of more than just a mob) and that mob boss is his high school boyfriend that he thought he left in New York. He can’t have old feelings resurfacing. He can’t think about the nights where he stared at James’ contact information in his phone, never quite building up the courage to call or text. “We haven’t talked in years, James.”

“Doesn’t mean you’ve grown any less important to me.”

Tony exhales. He can’t really come up with something to say against that. Or at least he can’t come up with something to say that wouldn’t make him feel like a monster (which is funny, because James has probably dealt with much worse people than an old flame with a lashing tongue). “What is that supposed to mean?”

James shrugs loosely. “Whatever you want it to mean.”

Oh, no. Oh, no, Tony, don’t, his mind says. James has changed. He isn’t the same boy that used to quote Star Wars with you all day. He’s dangerous, more than likely. “And if I want it to mean something along the lines of us trying again? As friends, and maybe… maybe we can see where it goes.”

James smiles sanguinely. “I can accept that definition.”

[foreverandalwayscrysis]

Eisha’s Bellarke Fic Rec Masterlist

An anon asked me (BACK IN AUGUST, I’M SORRY ANON) for my favorite Bellarke fics and I kinda went overboard? Not sorry. The ones bolded & italicized are some of my top favorites/most memorable ones I’ve read!

Authors, if you’d like me to remove your tags, please let me know! All links lead to AO3 profiles.

Modern AU - Multiple Chapters

Picking Up What You’re Laying Down – rated E – by verbaepulchellae – @verbam

Yall... I owe this fic my firstborn.

Aurora Borealis – rated E – by enoughtotemptme – @enoughtotemptme - tattoo artist Bellamy and florist Clarke? Yes.

The Odds are Good – rated E – by tacosandflowers – @tacosandflowers - This is the whitewater kayaking fic you didn’t know you needed, BUT YOU DO.

Extra bonus: New Expectations – Rated T 

Sleight of Hand - rated E - by prosciutto - enemies to friends to lover while on a heist and honestly, I wasn’t ready.

Don’t Wake Me, I’m Not Dreaming – rated M – by grumpybell - @grumpybell - If you haven’t read Erin’s works by now, what are you doing? Go. Read. Fall in love. Cry! (hi Erin!!!)

when there’s nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire - rated M - by theoneinquisitor

“the angsty bellarke boxing fic literally no one asked for”

Vienna Waits For You - rated M - by panem_et_circenses

“ Clarke sort of launches herself - or maybe just her lips? - at Bellamy to avoid an awkward encounter with her ex.”

tooi mirai ni doko e yuku no - rated E - by Chash

I Make My Own Luck – rated M – by somethingofatrainwreck

After All - rated E - by lightyears 

When The Sun Came Up, You Were Looking At Me) – rated M – by heartsinsync - @lydia-martin 

Just Like the Kids in Art School Said They Would – Rated M – by LayALioness 

100 Ark Street – rated T - by smallerontheoutside - @smallerontheoutside 

My Mind Forgets to Remind Me (You’re a Bad Idea) – rated M – by prosciutto - @prosciuttoe

You Should Say Hi – rated M – by redwild_rush

Every Little Thing She Does is Magic – rated T – by prosciutto

AUs – One Shots/Single Chapters/Drabbles

Canon AU:

sleeping like we’re lovers - rated M - by cassiesandsmarked

And then it’s just too much (I cannot get you close enough) - rated E - by verbaepulchellae

the spine of your body and its bones - rated T - by coffee_grounders

Coffeeshop AUs:

Name Tag – rated T – by HomebodyNobody - @smolmontygreen

Life Stories Are Second Date Material – rated G – by nymja - @gizkasparadise

Always Me That Ends up Getting Wet – rated T - by chash - @ponyregrets

Where Everybody Knows Your Name - rated G - by chash

Let Me Show You Them - rated G - by chash

A Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich and You – rated T – marauders_groupie - @marauders-groupie - Bellarke being total nerds with matching shirts, obviously.

Lights, camera, action – rated E – by orphan_account - This account has over 4485 fandoms. If you can name it, it has it. There are 324 fics for The 100.

Not An Average Cup of Joe - rated G - by Kacka - @katchyalater 

College/University AU:

Cancelled Benefits – rated E – by asroarke - @asroarke 

Sounds Fake But Okay - rated T - by asroarke - @asroarke

Embrace it, princess because I love everything about you – rated E – by EmmaVentury

what goes around comes around (just like a flip turn) - rated M - by emullz

Game on – by winterwaters 

Wrapped It Up and Sent It – rated T – by prosciutto

How You Get The Girl – rated E - by chash - @ponyregrets 

The Cosmic Ballet Goes On - rated T- by chash

The Man Who’s Working Hard For You - rated T - by chash

No One Can Lift the Damn Thing - rated M - by chash

Last Round For A.M. Lovers - rated T - by LayALioness

How It Is For Us - rated M - by LayALioness

This is good a place to fall as any – rated E – by MissMarissa

We will stumble through heaven – rated E – by MissMarissa

Tastes sweet like sugar – rated E – by lightyears

Sexretary – rated E – by lightyears

Love is a Trip (But Fuckin’ is a Sport) – rated E – by caramelle

Gimme That Sugar With The Sweet Talk - rated E - by twilightstargazer

You Think This Happens Every Day? - rated E - by arysa13

Fantasy/Magic AU:

With A Mouthful of Thorns - rated T - by grumpybell

Only The Sound of Our Breath Soaks In - rated G - by LayALioness

Make My Messes Matter - rated T - by prosciutto

what do stars do best? - rated G - by MercuryM

It’s Such An Ancient Pitch - rated G -by LayALioness

Flower Shop AUs:

The Nature of My Game – rated T – by chash

Next To You (The Skies are Blue) – rated M – by thingcalledlove

Flower Therapy – rated G – by dimplesmcflirt - @thesongwithin

Bellamy steals flowers from Clarke’s garden to visit his mother’s grave.

Stubborn Asshole - rated E - by dimplesmcflirt

Bellamy apologizes with a yellow balloon.

Glasses!Bellamy:

Seldom Make Passes – rated T – by chash

Suddenly I see (this is what I wanna be) – rated T – by caramelle

Harry Potter AU:

The Giant Squid’s Got Nothing On You – rated T – by twilightstargazer - @hiddenpolkadots​ 

Why Don’t We Break The Rules, Already? - rated M - by LayALioness 

where dwell the brave at heart - rated T- by spiekiel 

Pro Bono - rated T - by chash

Curriculum Vitae - rated T - by chash

Librarian!Bellamy:

Check Me Out – rated E – by chash

Don’t Trust People Who Read Fight Club - rated T - by maurauders_groupie

let your magic pull me in - rated T - by MercuryM

gonna check you out - rated T - by kay_emm_gee

Modern Setting AU:

third time’s the charm - not rated* - by cosmic_kate

see they want to buy my pride - rated T - by spiekiel

People Are Strange When You’re A Stranger - rated G - by LayALioness

stumbling upon cosmos - rated M - by flirtingwithtrackers

a character study (of sorts) - rated T - by orangecoconut

Bellarke from Murphy’s perspective.

Happy New Year, Losers – rated T – by by chash - The Office AU!

Better to Give than to Receive – rated E – by chash

Sequel: Tis The Season - rated T - by chash

If You Do It Right, It is Sublime – rated T – by chash

We Never Go Out of Style - rated T - by chash

The Weather Outside is Frightful - rated E - by chash

What We Do To Each Other - rated M - by maurauders_groupie

You Look As Good As The Day I Met You - rated T - by prosciutto

Bellarke with Pets:

To Those Who Know How to Listen – rated T – @enoughtotemptme 

Love in the Time of Cats – rated G – by sheryl_sems

Puppy Love - rated G - by asroarke

Roomates AU:

A Little Bit of Something (God, It’s Better Than Nothing) – rated T – by grumpybell 

Someday – rated T 

No Space Lies In Between - rated M - by prosciutto

Social Media Bellarke:

after the beep (i’ll tell you i love you) - rated T - by emullz

Flowers Fade, But The Internet Lasts Forever – not rated – by caramelle

Why Do You Write Like You’re Running Out Of Time - rated T - by chash

That’s What You Think, Captain Cocky - rated M - by chash

You’re Cool On The Internet, At Least - rated T - by prosciutto

Instincts - rated T - by abldav

Soulmate AU:

In Words And Pictures - rated T - by lettertoelise

Focal Point - rated T - by grumpybell

Space AU:

These Arms of Mine - rated M - by talistheintrovert - @talistheintrovert (HI BABE ILY, THIS LIST TOOK ME MONTHS)

Sun Lights Up The Daytime - rated E - by Chash

ikite yuku tame ni - rated G - by Chash

Superhero AU:

I've Been Dreaming of You from the Other Side (I Know You So Well) – rated E – by chash

And That’s Terrible - rated T - by chash

situation normal, all fucked up - not rated - by questionablemorals

Teacher/Teaching AU:

veni, vidi, vici - rated T - by chash

afraid to call this place our own - rated E - by HawthorneWhisperer

teacher’s pet - rated E - by troubledpancakes 

Collections/Series with varying prompts:

A Light That’s Keeping Us Forever – rated E – by enoughtotemptme

Kiss Her Twice, Keep The Night On – rated E – by prosciutto

Neeeeeeeeeerds – rated E – by Chash

Clarke joins the Junior Classical League, for Bellamy.

Get Me Some of That - rated E - by panem_et_circenses

We Fall Together - rated T - by kacka

Stupid for You – rated G – by ix3thehpseries

When you land on Earth - rated M - by MercuryM

[go-redgirl]

Joe Biden has run for president twice before and lost. This will make his Third Time Running for the Presidency. And He’s Gonna Lose This Election.  Well, Three Time Suggest Defeat!

It would only make sense for Biden to choose the rails to launch his first campaign. The then-Delaware senator announced his run for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination on the steps of the Wilmington railroad station alongside his family, with a call for the nation to reclaim its “tradition of community,” The Inquirer reported on June 10, 1987.

He became the fifth Democrat to enter the race, giving way to Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis as the Democratic nominee and Republican George H.W. Bush winning the presidential election.

Joe Biden is no stranger to presidential bids.

The 76-year-old former vice president and former U.S. senator has run for the nation's highest office before. Twice.

Thursday was the official start to Biden's latest presidential campaign, though polls already show him to be among the leading candidates in a crowded Democratic field.

HIS 2020 ANNOUNCEMENT:Joe Biden enters race for president among the Democratic frontrunners

In his video announcement, Biden said that his Republican opponent, President Donald Trump, will "forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation" should he win the re-election.

If Biden becomes the Democrat to face Trump in the runoff, it would be a first for the Delaware politician. His first two tries didn't make it past the primaries.

We took a look through our archives to remember Biden's 1988 and 2008 bids for the presidency. Here's a glimpse into what his announcements, and the days after, looked like.

June 9, 1987: The train station speech

On a Tuesday in June 1987, then-U.S. Sen. Joe Biden announced his first official try for president.

He prepared a speech in front of Wilmington's Amtrak station, creating an outdoor venue open to the public.

All of Delaware was invited. Biden had mailed out 8,000 invitations, on top of putting posters "all over town," according to then-staff reporter Nathan Gorenstein. Saturday church-goers even got notices after Mass.

It was such an aggressive preparation that the police chief expected up to 5,000 people to show up to the main event. Wilmington's streets around the train station were blocked off that day.

The actual number was estimated as high as 6,000, though some said it ended up being as low as 2,000. Supporters were bused in from across Delaware.

Biden had reportedly been speaking for 15 minutes when the crowd started tapering off. Then-staff writer Bob Leary wrote that "the glue of the home-court advantage and the fervor of lifetime friends held the bulk of the crowd together."

“Discontent over the failure of our political system is rampant in our citizenry,” Biden said, according to The Inquirer. “And bluntly, it is in this gathering of discontent that my candidacy intends to find its voice.”

During the speech, Biden focused on the economy, education, and poverty, The Inquirer reported. But at the time of his launch, he found himself at the bottom of the polls.

His 21-minute speech, like his preliminary campaign strategy, was considered unusual at the time — largely because it focused on children. The 44-year-old senator told the crowd that the country's most urgent problem was the "physical and moral plight of our children."

He also spoke about "new economic nationalism."

"To say that we want to be 'competitive' acknowledges that we are already losing," he said. "I am not interested in losing. I want America to win."

He said he opposed a trade strategy based on protectionism, as well as deployment of the Star Wars missile defense system. He also promised to get tougher on environmental protection.

At the time, Biden was in the low single digits in "all public opinion polls," despite raising more money than any other Democrat during his 15 years in the upper chamber.

Members of Biden's campaign said the low poll numbers were in part because of "low name recognition." They said they were first concentrating on getting support from "elected Democrats rather than average voters."

At Charcoal Pit, Joe Biden beloved by 'regular,' everyday people

It rained that day in Wilmington, though the skies cleared in time for the announcement, Leary wrote. The playbill at The Playhouse in the Hotel du Pont read, "Raising the curtain on the season of CATS." One block from the train station, workers at a 14-story office building spectated from the 12th floor.

Some waved personalized signs in support of the three-term U.S. senator and former New Castle County councilman. One group waved a Puerto Rican flag, while some other attendees were dressed as Benjamin Franklin and Uncle Sam

Biden ended his campaign in September 1987 following questions surrounding plagiarism and other issues. In addition to using passages from former British Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock and Robert F. Kennedy without attribution in some speeches, Biden exaggerated his academic record and, in a bizarre incident, berated a voter he thought had questioned his intelligence.

“I made some mistakes,” he said, according to the Sept. 24, 1987, The Inquirer. “Now the exaggerated shadow of those mistakes has begun to obscure the essence of my candidacy and the essence of Joe Biden.”

“I’m going to be Joe Biden, and I’m going to try to be the best Biden I can be,” he said, according to a transcript of the show. “If I can, I got a shot. If I can’t, I lose.”

He formally began on Jan. 31, 2007, with a campaign committee, a website launch (www.JoeBiden.com), and video statement, The Inquirer reported at the time.

Biden joined the primary alongside then-Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama with a vow to “make us safe in the world." He told The Inquirer’s Tom Fitzgerald that voters were seeking a president who could ensure physical and economic safety.

“I think I am tougher, I think I am more seasoned, and I think I am more capable of dealing, you know, with tough circumstances,” he told The Inquirer, referencing his failed 1987 run.

Biden ended his campaign in January 2008 after a poor performance in the Iowa caucuses and was named Obama’s running mate in August.

"It is possible that the refurbished Wilmington train station may someday boast a plaque which reads 'Here, on the 9th of June 1987, Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States,'" Leary wrote.

That train station currently boasts a plaque that the space is now named after Biden.

After announcing in his home state, Biden took the train to Washington to make the same speech. He would later say that he felt the second speech was delivered better than first.

___________________________________________________

OPINION:  So, this will be Joe Biden third time running for the Presidency and it will be his third time losing to powerful President Donald John Trump.  

In other words, three strikes you are out!

[junker-town]

It’s too soon to say it’s all over for the Patriots and Tom Brady

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

You think Tom Brady’s really gonna go out on a wild card loss?

If this was the last we’ve seen of Tom Brady, it won’t be how the NFL remembers him.

Brady, 42 years old and playing on soaked Gillette Stadium turf, exited the 2019 season on a pick-six. His final shot at a fourth-quarter rally in the Wild Card Round, stymied twice before by the Titans and their 16th-ranked defense, ended with a thud when defensive back Logan Ryan walked a tip-drill interception into the end zone with nine seconds left on the clock. The six-time Super Bowl champion wouldn’t attempt another pass.

The final score in Foxborough? Tennessee 20, New England 13.

There’s a not-insignificant chance that may be the last game Brady plays — if not in the NFL, then potentially as a Patriot. The 20-year veteran will enter 2020 as an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career and wouldn’t commit either way in the wake of the loss.

While most evidence suggests we’ll only ever see Brady in New England red, white, and blue, he could always venture outside Massachusetts to see how the NFL’s other half lives, especially if there’s a team out there willing to spend big and surround him with top-flight receiving talent. Retirement may also loom for a longtime competitor coming off a disappointing season on both a team and personal level, even if Brady’s gut reaction Saturday night was that hanging up his cleats was “pretty unlikely.”

It also may have been the fuel that draws him back to the gridiron for another shot at history. The image of Brady losing to the Titans was a carnival caricature compared to the stately manor portrait we’ve seen of him through most of his career. The quarterback eschewed the mistakes that’d haunted him through this season only to be stifled by miscues across his own lineup and an occasionally unstoppable Derrick Henry (204 total yards) on the other side of the ball. That could have left a sour enough taste in his mouth to convince him to rewrite his own ending.

If it does, the Patriots will be ready.

New England is built for another run with Brady at the helm

The Patriots committed to Brady this season.

The 2019 NFL Draft brought Arizona State wideout N’Keal Harry with the team’s first pick. Then, after cutting loose former All-Pros in Antonio Brown and Josh Gordon during the season, head coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick made an uncharacteristic move to free Mohamed Sanu from the Falcons in exchange for a second-round pick.

Those moves failed to pay off for much of the year. Harry missed the bulk of the season thanks to injury and had just 12 catches in seven regular season games once he returned. Sanu struggled to find his place in the Patriots’ offense, averaging just 3.3 receptions per game and a career-low 4.4 yards per target. Ben Watson, brought in to stabilize a tight end rotation devastated by Rob Gronkowski’s retirement, was equally ineffective in his age-38 season.

That led to disappointment. New England went 12-4, but was just 3-3 against playoff teams — a mark that included losses to all three of the AFC’s other divisional champions. Brady finally began to look his age in a season where he failed to crack the NFL’s top 15 in passer rating, adjusted yards per pass, touchdown rate, or completion rate. All this led to the loss to the Titans, and the team’s worst postseason showing since 2009.

That’s all a solid indicator that New England’s dynasty has ground to a halt. But there’s a chance the Patriots’ 2019 moves laid the foundation for one last ride in 2020. There were flashes of life, even late in the Pats’ collapse. Harry and Sanu grew into slightly bigger roles as the season wore on and are each capable of producing more after a full offseason regimen in 2020.

look at N'Keal Harry, getting to the sticks and flashing reliable hands when his team needs him on third-and-6 pic.twitter.com/FAB3Iwgnyi

— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) January 5, 2020

Both are under contract for 2020 and are more talented than their 2019 seasons showed.

Then there’s the old standby, Julian Edelman. Edelman had some issues with his hands; he had double-digit drops for the third time in his last four seasons and dropped an important pass in the fourth quarter Saturday. He was still by far the Patriots’ most reliable weapon. His 153 targets were most on the New England and 58 more than the second-place finisher James White (the next-closest wide receiver was Phillip Dorsett, with 54).

The absence of deep threats in the lineup meant Edelman soaked up those targets, pushing his average throw length to a career-high 9.1 yards downfield. Despite this new assignment, his catch rate, yards per target, and yards per catch were all roughly in line with his career averages in a 100-catch, 1,117-yard season. He didn’t regress in his 11th season as a pro and left little reason to believe he will in a 12th.

More help is on the way, too

One major concern regarding the Patriots’ 4-5 finish to their season was a lack of success in the trenches. New England’s offensive line struggled in both run and pass blocking this fall. Brady was sacked 27 times — up from 21 the year prior — and Sony Michel experienced a significant backslide as the head of the league’s 25th-ranked rushing attack. He averaged just 3.7 yards per carry in his second yar after running for 4.5 yards per touch as a rookie.

That should improve in 2020, which is great news for an aging quarterback who runs roughly as fast as a 300-pound lineman. All-Pro center David Andrews, who missed the entire season due to blood clots in his lungs, will be eligible to return next season. Left tackle Isaiah Wynn, whose toe injury cost him eight games, will come into his third season in the league healthy and ideally stay that way. That would keep the team from relying on an off-the-street free agent to protect Brady’s blindside for half the season again and give Wynn the chance to start off the season with the kind of momentum he showed just as his 2019 came to an end.

There aren’t many impending free agents who could leave the New England offense, either. Starting guard Joe Thuney is due a massive pay raise after this year’s All-Pro campaign, but he’s the kind of worker Belichick will likely reward with a market-value contract. Otherwise, only Dorsett and backup linemen Ted Karras, Jermaine Eluemunor, and James Ferentz are set to hit the open market.

Thuney will be expensive to retain. Brady, even on a hometown discount, won’t exactly be cheap either. And that’s OK! New England is still set to have approximately $42 million in spending room next spring. That’s money the club could use to target free agents-to-be like Geronimo Allison, Nelson Agholor, Eric Ebron, Tyler Eifert, or whichever other distressed asset Belichick can pick up at a low cost and turn into a key player for his future offense. Add in a draft slot that’ll be the highest the team’s had since 2009, and there’s reason to believe there will be some new contributors available to help Brady defy time once more.

Brady’s return can keep some needed stability in New England

Brady’s final numbers in the Wild Card Round loss — 20 of 37, 209 yards, one interception — don’t tell the full story of his performance. While he was beleaguered by drops, penalties (including one that wiped out a 38-yard pass to Watson), and broken-off routes, his showing against the Titans was one of his season’s best in terms of pure throws. The 42-year-old was crisp when it came to finding targets and taking risks downfield, avoiding turnovers (until the very last play of the game), and scooting out of pressure situations to deny the Titans a sack.

Here’s an absolute laser on third down that illustrates what Brady’s still capable of in a high-pressure situation.

That throw. @TomBrady | @edelman11 pic.twitter.com/lSiKLrBNdk

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) January 5, 2020

He also had the game taken out of his hands in the red zone. New England’s two trips inside the Tennessee 10-yard line saw Brady throw only one pass: a screen to Sony Michel five yards from the goal line. This lack of aggression came back to sting the Patriots in a major way, most notably when the Titans were able to hold New England to a field goal attempt after facing first-and-goal from the 1-yard line late in the second quarter.

Not scoring a touchdown was enormously important in a game where Tennessee’s 14-13 lead loomed large in the waning moments.

The Patriots may head into 2020 without the man behind those decisions. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has emerged as a prime target for coaching vacancies in New York, Cleveland, and Carolina. Replacing him is a much easier task with Brady acting out the new OC’s playcalls than it would be with a veteran free agent signee, 2020 draftee, or current backup Jarrett Stidham. Next season wouldn’t just be one last ride for Brady — it could also serve as an important bridge between generations of the Patriots’ offense.

Tom Brady isn’t going to be defined by a playoff loss against the Titans. At this point, he may not even be defined by a seventh Super Bowl ring. He is who he is; the most successful quarterback to ever play the game.

Brady is a competitor. Going out on in the first weekend of the playoffs may prove too much to bear, especially on a night when he seemed to exorcise the bad-idea demons that had haunted him over the latter half of the regular season.

If he wants to run it back for 2020, the Patriots will be ready for him.

[officialcolumbiauniversity]

Columbia “Off”-Campus Eateries

Being in New York means that Columbians never run out of food options. Literally never. That being said, Columbia kids have got the restriction (or privilege, depending on how you look at it) of being in the Morningside bubble with restaurants nearby that are so convenient, it’s hard to convince us to go out into the city to eat more adventurously.

So brought to you here is as cumulative of a list of Columbia restaurants as I dare post at once. Besides the obvious factor of quality of food, I’ll try to include affordability, aesthetic, distance/convenience, and popularity (both among Columbia kids and the general public; that is to say, sheer crowdedness) in the list below. Take these with a grain of salt if you want: obviously nothing beats going there yourself. But if you’re in a rush, or if you don’t want to wait an hour just to ask me in person at the end of one of my tours, this post is for you.

ON AMSTERDAM AVENUE

Strokos

This is always the first place that comes to mind for me. Located right across the street from John Jay (right on Frat Row), Strokos is great for any of your take-away food needs or even brunch (many a hungover morning has been spent in Strokos, reviving myself with their omelette platter). Their aesthetic is actually very brunchy, with ample sitting space and a nice couloir of two-person (really just one-person) seating for if you just want to study alone. Lots of options, and their homemade lemonade it great. They stopped selling sushi, though. Don’t know when/if they’ll start again.

Expense: 4/5, where a 5/5 indicates most affordable.

Aesthetic: 3/5. The back couloir is cute; I Instagrammed a pic of a donut there.

Convenience: 5/5. The closest place to John Jay, and one of the closest to main campus.

Popularity: 1/5. I have literally never seen another Columbia soul here, and no one ever seems to know it exists. I would give this a zero if it weren’t for the fact that no, Strokos isn’t bankrupt, so yes, people go there. Seems to be pretty popular among the general NYC crowd, actually.

Food: 4/5. For the price, it’s really good food, and a lot of it.

Overall: 4/5. One of my favorite places around campus.

Friedman’s

This brunch place is small but kind of upscale, so come here alone for a treat-yourself brunch or take a date here for a literal candle-lit dinner. Very cozy, and certainly Instagrammable, but I get the feeling that dressing up is an unspoken rule here. It is, therefore, hopefully expected that this is one of the pricier places around campus. The wait (for food, but also sometimes for seats) can also be kind of long. If you’re willing to put up with this, though, the food is truly exceptionally good.

Expense: 1/5. The most expensive place I, personally, frequent around campus.

Aesthetic: 4/5.

Convenience: 4/5, it’s on like 118th or something. A nice and non-bothersome walk, but a walk nonetheless.

Popularity: 3/5. It’s moderately popular among Columbia kids, but the size of Friedman’s prevents you from seeing people you know there too often.

Food: 4/5. Again, for the price, it’s really good. Could be better, but so can everything.

Overall: 3/5. It’s a good place to go for food, but not something that college kids are going to be making a habit out of. Unless you’re stacked (which, ok yeah, most of us are. I’m not, unfortunately).

Hamilton Deli

HamDel’s pretty well known around campus for being super convenient for take-away food as well. It’s almost exactly like Strokos but with fewer options and no sit-down place; it’s literally your quintessential deli. I honestly cannot believe that people go to HamDel when Strokos is right there. But that’s a personal opinion for ya.

Expense: 3/5. Moderately expensive. I really have no idea how to elaborate.

Aesthetic: 1/5. Not ugly, per se, but it’s not meant to be a place people spend time in, and you can tell.

Convenience: 5/5, because I’m guessing the main reason people come here is because it’s so close to main campus, on 116th. (Again, Strokos is right there though.)

Popularity: 4/5. Columbia kids like to mention this place all the time, and the crowd in the store is almost always fully Columbian.

Food: 4/5. Better than some of the other food you could find around here for more money.

Overall: 2/5. I might be biased because I’m a sucker for Strokos, but honestly if you visit the two you can see that they’re exactly the same. But Strokos is better. I don’t plan to ever step foot in HamDel again, tbh.

Insomnia Cookies

If you’ve never heard of Insomnia, you are either very unfortunate or very lucky. Unfortunate because you’ve never had any of these morsels of heaven, or lucky because you have therefore never been up late enough to require such a godsend. Insomnia is known nationwide for being the college staple in terms of cookie supply (ice cream sandwiches too, but they’re known for their cookies), and Columbia University is blessed with one of their stores between 111th and 110th. To those of you who are familiar with Insomnia, I can affirm that ours is reliable and upholds Insomnia’s nationally recognized standards. Yes, you can have Insomnia delivered, but I have found that the walk to 111th is a welcome break from late night studying.

Expense: 4/5, absolutely worth it, unless it’s 1:30 PM and you’re just in the mood for a single cookie, in which case go somewhere else. Insomnia’s a special occasion. (Not actually, but you get my drift.)

Aesthetic: 5/5. The cookies always look great, the brand itself means it’s always Instagrammable, and the store is pretty cute, too.

Convenience: 3/5. It’s one of the farther places on this list, but definitely worth it (and honestly, the distance is almost negligible most of the time).

Popularity: 5/5. Everyone knows about it. I don’t know if many people are in the store during the day, but then again I only ever go when normal people sleep. You catching why it’s called “Insomnia”?

Food: 5/5.

Overall: 4/5. It’s only missing one point because it’s not really “food,” so if you’re looking for a meal, this isn’t it. It’s a pretty niche place.

Hungarian Pastry Shop

A staple cafe around here. I can’t say their coffee is great, but it’s not bad, and pretty cheap. A crowded place most of the time. Their flourless chocolate cake slices are legendary. I only got coffee twice from here, and I wasn’t a fan. It’s right next to Insomnia. Fun fact: they only take cash, no card.

Expense: 4/5. Oren’s might be cheaper. And better.

Aesthetic: 3/5.

Convenience: 3/5. It’s got wifi, but the cash-only thing blows.

Popularity: 5/5. Among Columbians, also a big one. It’s got inconvenient traffic hours.

Food: 4/5. I haven’t tried anything other than the flourless chocolate cake so i’m not gonna give this a 5 but what I had was pretty good.

Overall: 2/5. It’s got some inconveniences but good reason to be so popular. If you’re visiting campus, stop by here and bother some students (make sure they’re not cramming some Lit Hum reading in first!) and ask them how they like Columbia.

Artopolis

This cafe/bakery holds a soft spot in my heart as one of the first “off-campus” eateries that I ever stepped foot in, when I visited Columbia for the first time. Right across from Strokos, Artopolis is an extremely cute shop, with a sit-down section if you’re staying to order. Their crepes are legendary, and very cute to boot. The wait can be extremely long, in my experience, either due to forgetful waiters or some interesting method of cooking idk.

Expense: 2/5. Pretty expensive tbh.

Aesthetic: 5/5. I have the cutest snap of one of my friends here on Valentine’s Day. Also, being greeted with a lineup of macarons never hurt.

Convenience: 5/5. See Strokos. They also have wifi!

Popularity: 3/5. This seems to be a place for the bougie hipsters, or hipster bougies. I have seen people that I not only know but am friends with here, and people do certainly know about it, but just like Friedman’s, its size regulates how many people you see here at once.

Food: 3/5. Their food is certainly good, but for that quality of food you could probably find better prices.

Overall: 3/5. Not one of those places I’d frequent, or many people would, tbh. Although that might change if I only remembered that they don’t card for mimosas during brunch (or any drinks, I don’t think).

ON BROADWAY AVENUE

Sweetgreen, Chipotle, Joe’s, Five Guys, Starbucks, McDonalds, and allll the halal/food trucks

We obviously have the usuals, between 1 and 5 blocks north and south of campus on Broadway. It is, after all, New York. But if your first instinct is to head to something familiar, a big city might not be the best place to spend four years, buddy. (PS: God, whom I do not believe in, has blessed us with a motherfucking Shake Shack on 116th in time for next year.)

Nussbaum & Wu Bagels

Nussbaum & Wu (called Nuss or Nussbaum, usually, for short--someone tried to write a Spectator article about how shortening the name like that is problematic, but my response to that will have to be in another post for length’s sake) is a bakery that’s famous for its black-and-white cookies, invented by Wu himself. Most sophomores come here for breakfast, for the main reason that a sophomore residence hall is located directly above it. Their coffee is not bad, if a bit strong. Come here to fit the aesthetic and read the paper at 9 AM, if you can find somewhere to sit.

Expense: 3/5. It’s only a bitch to pay if you order the lox. Don’t order the lox.

Aesthetic: 4/5. Nice marble theme going on, paired with the cookies.

Convenience: 5/5, especially for anyone living in that res hall.

Popularity: 5/5. Almost always very crowded.

Food: 4/5. Honestly it’s great. Or maybe I was just hungry. Again, the coffee is pretty average.

Overall: 2/5. I’m not a huge fan of this place, and as a first-timer it can be a bit confusing to navigate (pro tip: order at the far end of the counter, pay at the door). It’s convenience, however, cannot be overstated.

Community Food & Juice

Community’s a restaurant, essentially. It’s got a very brunchy aesthetic, but I would argue it’s even more bougie than Friedman’s. It’s also incredibly expensive, and I’ve had nothing but bad experiences here, so I don’t recommend this place. I once ordered half an avocado that cost me six bucks, and when it arrived, it was grey.

Expense: 1/5.

Aesthetic: 2/5. Exceptionally average.

Convenience: 3/5. Not too far from campus.

Popularity: 3/5. I can’t imagine Columbia kids come here often, given the prices, but some of the wealthy kids here come for no other reason than to flex. And by flex I mean prove they can afford it.

Food: 3/5. For the price, you could find better food.

Overall: 1/5. Again, I might have just had a lot of bad experiences with Community, but I think objectively it’s still not a great place to go. Save yourself the trouble and head to Friedman’s for me.

Famiglia

This is a chain, like Starbucks and Sweetgreen, but people don’t seem to know about it as much. It is literally a pizzeria and has the pizzeria vibe. Its hours are also very conducive to late-night snacking.

Expense: 4/5. Not dirt cheap, but very affordable.

Aesthetic: 4/5. I love Famiglia’s aesthetic. It’s also very clean, despite its vibe.

Convenience: 4/5. I can’t tell you off the top of my head what street it’s on, but I pass it all the time, and it makes for a nice midnight run. I actually literally ran there once, with my friend, at midnight, to pick up pizza for our floor. Cute Columbia experiences, amiright?

Popularity: 3/5. It’s relatively popular, both among Columbians and among the general public, but for some reason it’s usually not busy at all.

Food: 3/5. Average grade only because the pizza here pleases some people, and it just isn’t my style. I prefer Koronet’s.

Overall: 3/5. I’m rather indifferent to this place, if you couldn’t tell by my writing. I think it’s a cute place and I do highly recommend it and most people love it, but I personally don’t really seek out what they offer. I know it’s very reliable, but for such a niche restaurant, I’d pick somewhere else first.

Koronet’s

Koronet’s (pronounced “Cornets”) is open until like 3 AM or something so they see a lot of drunk people stumbling in. And who can blame them: Koronet’s is king of comfort food. Their massive slices of pizza are of just the right thickness for me, even if I can’t finish one myself. I love everything about Koronet’s, but it’s really a place to be at past nightfall, if only for the aesthetic. There’s nothing quite like sitting at the booth at midnight, working on a slice with your friend, with everyone else ordering and chatting and walking by. That’s a rarity though, because there isn’t a whole lot of sitting space. Otherwise, Koronet’s is a great place for pizza.

Expense: 4/5. It’s not too expensive.

Aesthetic: 4/5. There’s a very specific aesthetic to Koronet’s, and you’d better have a really good reason if you’re going to go at any other time (don’t worry, hunger’s a good enough reason).

Convenience: 4/5. It’s right next to Mel’s and Westside Market. Obviously it’s not too much of an inconvenience to drunk freshmen in heels.

Popularity: 4/5. You know, I’m not sure if anyone frequents Koronet’s past freshman year. 

Food: 5/5. 

Overall: 4/5. It holds up under high pizzeria standards, and I’ve got fond memories attached to the place.

Dig Inn

Finishing my Broadway list is Dig Inn, which is also a chain restaurant but also deserved its own mention. It’s like Sweetgreen, which is like Chipotle for those of you unfamiliar with both, in that you build your own bowl down the line. Dig Inn is my fave among the three because you can get an assortment of hot and cold sides, and you can just get half an avo if you want (in case you can’t tell, I fucking love avocados). They prepare that avo really well, too. Sorry. (Pro tip: ask for all three: salt, pepper, and olive oil.)

Expense: 3/5. It’s a fair price, if a bit expensive. (The half avo costs $1.50).

Aesthetic: 4/5. The Dig Inn near Columbia has a very interesting aesthetic: white walls, crumbling columns, wood chairs and seats. All in all I’m a huge fan; it’s very clean, and people look cute eating together. Update: the columns were a temporary thing, lmao. But it did look interesting. Now it just looks more put together.

Convenience: 4/5. It’s right on Broadway, but can be easy to miss for first-timers. Have someone point it out or take you there.

Popularity: 5/5. Pretty common to see someone walk into an evening lecture with Dig Inn in hand here, or schedule a quick dinner date there. Often there isn’t a whole lot of room to sit.

Food: 4/5. Sometimes the vegetables don’t all taste too good, but the tofu is surprisingly tasty for white people, and the mac and cheese is killer. And again, avos.

Overall: 4/5. I’m not docking a point because anything’s wrong, but because it’s just not ~stellar~. I frequent Dig Inn, Strokos, and Friedman’s the most, if that gives you an idea of how much I love Dig Inn.

A New Addition: Junzi Kitchen!

Junzi is an Asian fusion restaurant on, what? 113th? I think? that is essentially the Asian version of Chipotle. With a green sign outside that has random Chinese words on it, it’s hard to miss. They offer incredible flavors, and while it does take trial and error to find the right combination of flavors for you, once you do it’s honestly some of the best food around campus. The price is right alongside Sweetgreen’s and Dig Inn’s, and honestly with a bit of self-control you could easily make one portion two meals. It’s a good amount of food. They’ve also got cute candies for dessert that are sometimes stale tbh.

Expense: 3/5. See Dig Inn.

Aesthetic: 3/5. Moderately cute, and very clean feeling.

Convenience: 4/5. It’s right next to Dig Inn, well, like, on the same block.

Popularity: 3/5. Never too crowded, but since its opening this summer it’s been a huge hit.

Food: 5/5, I personally think it’s a good amount, and it honestly does taste really good.

Overall: 4/5. Not a bad place, and good for them that they’re so successful so quickly!

BARS AROUND CAMPUS

I thought bars deserved a different category because 1. people have got different motives in going to these, and 2. I’m much less familiar with the Columbia bars, mostly because I never go to them. I usually get liquor for free just by showing up to a pregame or frat party since Columbia rich people are pretty lax in their regulation of alcohol, and also bars are just not my style. However I’ve been to Suite several times, oddly enough, so we’ll start out with that one.

Suite

Suite is the local gay bar that I first ended up in thanks to Accent dragging Wisconsin and I there. It’s a great place for doing your own thing with a couple of friends, or finding a one night stand. They also have drag shows every Friday and Saturday nights. The place is very lively, with little room to dance but plenty of people dancing anyways.

Expense: 2/5. I ended up paying $18 for a drink, which had 2-3 shots of whiskey. That’s crazy for 2 shots, okay for 3. The whiskey was good though, so I didn’t give it a 1.

Aesthetic: 3/5. I liked the aesthetic in the end, but some people can find it offputting. The lights are rather dim, the music is pretty loud, and it can be hard to carry on a conversation. But that also means you get nice and close with the people you are trying to talk to.

Convenience: 4/5. It’s like a block past 1020. It got a 4 because it’s the farthest, but I don’t think any place on this whole list really deserves a 5 because Columbians are spoiled in that everything we need is close by.

Popularity: 3/5. Among Columbians I don’t think it’s too popular, but it does get pretty crowded.

Food/Drinks: 3/5. The whiskey was awfully good. I saw a few of the drinks they offer, and it’s the standard Absolut, etc. Idk if it’s worth the money. They don’t offer food here.

Overall: 3/5. I don’t think this place is ideal for a lot of people’s weekly hangouts, but it’s certainly fun to come, and the vibe is great.

1020

One of our three “campus bars.” 1020 (pronounced “ten-twenty,” not “one oh two oh” or “a thousand twenty” like the pre-frosh you are) is nice because there are hours that it doesn’t card, although I can’t remember for the life of me when those are. As someone who 1. doesn’t go out much, 2. goes to frats when I do, and 3. only ends up at 1020 (or other bars) when I’m too drunk to protest, I can’t say I remember a whole lot about 1020.

Expense: N/A. Can’t remember.

Aesthetic: 2/5. Nothing notable, and always awfully crowded.

Convenience: 3/5. Not too bad, closer than Suite.

Popularity: 5/5. All the Columbia bars are super popular all the time.

Food/Drinks: 3/5. I like their g&t’s. I don’t know if they even serve food here.

Overall: 2/5. Super average but fulfills all the needs of a college campus bar.

The Heights

Another one of Columbia’s main bars. It’s located on Broadway with Mel’s, and it’s called The Heights because it’s upstairs, and looks out over the street. It’s a pretty small place, tbh, but they’re known for their bomb frozen margs.

Expense: N/A. Can’t remember.

Aesthetic: 2/5. A lil better than 1020 but it’s too small to be significantly better in any way, and the “view” is a horrible one.

Convenience: 3/5, it’s on Broadway but again not more noticeable in convenience than 1020.

Popularity: 4/5. For a campus bar, it’s less populated. Probably because you have to climb all those damn stairs while drunk, and go back down them more drunk.

Food/Drinks: 4/5. Their frozen margs really are that good, and they do serve food here but I’ve never gotten anything.

Overall: 3/5. I’m pretty apathetic to this place.

Mel’s

Rounding out the big three Columbia bar’s is Mel’s, which is technically called “Mel’s Burger Bar” and does serve real food. (I mean, technically so does The Heights, but no one cares). I’ve heard their milkshakes are to die for, and they offer spiked milkshakes as well. Gotta get me one of those.

Expense: 1/5. Holy shit the money on this place sneaks up on you. 

Aesthetic: 4/5. It’s a nice, spacious restaurant, and it does have that restaurant feel. It has that iconic “Mel’s” lights sign in the back, and that has appeared on many an Instagram feed. I do really like this place.

Convenience: 3/5. It’s just in front of Koronet’s. Which explains why Koronet’s gets so many late-night drunk customers.

Popularity: 5/5. Yeah it’s a Columbia fave. And because it’s a restaurant, people aren’t scared away from stopping by during the day.

Food/Drinks: 5/5. Listen up. The milkshakes are incredible, the spiked milkshakes are incredible, their loaded nachos could be like 4 meals, but their mac and cheese. Ohhhhhh shit.

That shit is so tight 

If you were to take everything you’ve ever heard about good mac and cheese, and imagine every good quality all together in the same serving, and cooked by Remy from Ratatouille, and freshly cooked just for you

and then just imagine it a lil bit better than that

that’s exactly what the mac and cheese at Mel’s tastes like. That mac and cheese has every single person at Columbia on their knees, a complete slut for whomever Mel’s chooses. I would absolutely suck dick every day of my life to ensure I could keep eating Mel’s mac and cheese. Honestly their power is severely underestimated. If they were to ever stop serving their mac and cheese there would be literal riots for days. There would be at least 14 different Spec articles about it, we’d most definitely hold some sort of a funeral service, and counseling would be staffed and ringing 24/7. 

Overall: 4/5. It’s p good.

All three bars are frequented for their own reasons, and if you’re looking for the Columbia bar scene, there’s nowhere else to look but in these three. Suite isn’t really included because it’s a gay bar, which people think you need to be gay to go to. I do recommend coming here for a very accurate depiction of Columbia nightlife, but fair warning: they all card.

OTHER

These gems are not technically on either Broadway or Amsterdam Avenues, so they’ve got their own list. Check these places out if you’re looking to impress someone, or you just really want to go all out on food.

Pisticci

I really want to visit this place. I’ve heard it’s the best Italian food around, although it’s kind of out of the way, between Broadway and Claremont around 123rd. Supposed to be a really nice place to eat.

Symposium

Hidden almost underground amongst frat after frat on 113th, Symposium is easy to miss. It’s a Greek restaurant, one that I first visited due to my Lit Hum teacher, who made it a class field trip because we were reading Symposium by Plato. Hardly anyone (from Columbia) ever goes here, so if you make your face show up more than once, and within a fortnight, the owner/main server (I’m not positive of his title) will probably recognize you. That being said, the place definitely has regulars, the classic “generic pub” dynamic. The whole place is Instagrammable, with the welcome change of no other people in your feed having already Instagrammed it. Symposium is by far my favorite restaurant that I’ve been to in New York.

Expense: 3/5, because the prices are respectable but the food more than makes up for it.

Aesthetic: 5/5. With dim lights, cute booths, vines and intriguing art on the walls, Symposium has it all.

Convenience: 4/5. It’s just kinda hard to access by car; chances are, there won’t be parking space on the street and you’ll have to park around the block. Not a huge problem though.

Popularity: 1/5. Similarly to Strokos, almost no one from Columbia knows about this place or cares enough to visit it more than once.

Food: 5/5. Absolutely impeccable. With a light taste of lemon on everything, the food is drool-worthy. Anything from their simple spinach rice to their stuffed grape leaves (dolmadakia) is cooked to the highest level of cuisine. If you visit here, be sure to order the flaming cheese as an appetizer (along with the dolmadakia)! It is literally on fire, making for a truly unique eating experience.

Overall: Quite rightly so, Symposium is the only restaurant on my list to get a perfect score of 5/5.

[thisdaynews]

Ashes 2019: Australia's thrashing of England reminiscent of the 1990s

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Ashes 2019: Australia's thrashing of England reminiscent of the 1990s

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Highlights: England skittled as Australia win at Edgbaston

There is a nightclub on Broad Street in Birmingham that plays tunes from 30 years ago in decor from 30 years ago while people in pastiche 30-year-old clothing enjoy it all with a knowing air.

On Monday it felt as if The Reflex had opened a pop-up branch a few miles down the road at Edgbaston. Everything was on point: cackling Australian bowlers rampant, England top-order batsmen spending less time at the crease than those Australian bowlers had when they were batting, a half-empty stadium on a Monday in high summer when going into work instead suddenly looked the better option.

There can be something comforting about these nostalgia joints. You know how the melodies go and you know the dance moves. Wallow in the cheese and the comedy and the deliberate awfulness of it all.

So it was at times with England – chasing a fanciful 398 for the win, looking to survive for 90 overs, staggering instead to 97-7 as lunch was still being digested, shaking hands with the delighted tourists with enough time left for a day trip somewhere else in the Midlands.

Welcome to the retro Ashes. Never mind the new narratives or stars not even born in the bad old days. Sample the old hits. Parody the rest.

England crushed in first Ashes Test – report

TMS podcast: An epic Aussie victory and a McGrath 5-0 prediction

Highlights & reaction from first Test

‘Smith bats like an evil spell cast upon his opponents’

Ashes schedule & squads

But it wasn’t supposed to be like this. This was the series that was too close to call. This was a match where Australia were 122-8 on the first day.

This was Edgbaston. No starting this series in Cardiff, or at Lord’s. A leaf instead from the Aussie cookbook, a cut straight from the Gabbatoir: lure the opposition to your fortress, send them packing, spend the rest of the summer chasing them home.

Before this week England had notched up 11 straight wins across all formats at this ground. Australia hadn’t won here in any format for 18 years. In their last visit, the World Cup semi-final, they lost by eight wickets. In the preceding Ashes Test here they were hammered by the same margin.

The fortress has been sacked. Only twice before have Australia won an Ashes Test from a worse position. Both were in the 19th century, when pitches were curated by grazing livestock.

England never got close to saving this one. There are reasons they have only drawn one of their past 30 Tests, some good, some bad, and these ones all stank.

Desperate rearguard days bring to mind Paul Collingwood at Cardiff, at Centurion and in Cape Town. A flinty look, a minimal backlift, a perverse pleasure in eschewing anything attractive or attacking in favour of boring the opposition into next week.

You think of Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar clinging on for 11 overs at the death in the first Test a decade ago, Graham Onions and Graeme Swann keeping Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel at bay at Newlands six months later.

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‘That looks terrible!’ – Roy out in ‘dreadful’ fashion

Here the backlifts were expansive and the attitude carefree.

With 78 overs ahead of him Jason Roy danced down the track to Nathan Lyon and tried to clatter him into Solihull.

Joe Denly – poor, lost Joe Denly – decided to review a bat-pad catch that every fielder within 30 yards had heard.

Jos Buttler, averaging 3.75 in Test cricket at Edgbaston with a top score of nine, going back to Pat Cummins when he should have gone forward and seeing the top of his off stump pinged back.

The bad news for England – the bad news once the bad news of this day, and this match, have been swallowed – is that the team winning the first Test of the series have gone on to win the Ashes in four of the last five editions. The exception, Brisbane in 2010, is barely an exception at all; England declared in that game on 517-1.

On the bright side, on the two most recent occasions England have lost the first Ashes Test and won the series, Lord’s in 2005 and Trent Bridge in 1981, they turned out to be the greatest Ashes series of all time. If the comeback happens it’ll be a classic.

It will also be the most remarkable surprise, and not just because the next Test is at Lord’s, where in the previous Test between the two sides England lost by 405 runs.

There have been patterns that have defined these five days at Edgbaston that may define the four Tests to come.

England were fatally weakened here by the absence through injury of James Anderson, the greatest fast bowler in their history. To play again in this series, having pulled up in his first spell after believing himself fit, he will have to get through a first-class game first. That rules out the second Test and probably much more.

His likely replacement, Jofra Archer, had a fabulous World Cup but is yet to play a Test. Chris Woakes bowled only seven overs as Australia made hay on Sunday at his home ground, either an ominous indication that he too has fitness issues or that his skipper does not trust him when the need is greatest.

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England lose Burns as Australia make early breakthrough

Australia are far from flawless. Neither of their openers made runs in this Test. Their number three has seldom convinced.

But they have the finest batsman of his generation scaling fresh peaks. They have an off-spinner with 350 Test wickets; England have a spinner who is currently an all-rounder in the worst possible sense, in that his batting is in as much of a crisis as his bowling. They have a pace attack that is quicker, more consistent and currently fitter.

Gallows humour was always part of the England retro Ashes experience. So it was that the final chant from the Hollies Stand, as Australia’s fielders converged on Steve Smith as he took the catch that sealed this thumping, rang out: “We’re gonna win 4-1, we’re gonna win 4-1…”

They are nice numbers for England supporters to cling on to in the next few days. More pertinent are the nine wickets their team lost for 86 runs in slightly more than two hours of play on Monday.

A short day, in what could become a long, long series for the home team.

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