Straight as a Red Arrow - Manchester NH

April 13, 2013

 

Spring is a state of mind ... especially in an area where you get two inches of sleet on April 12.  Last week, I saw the sun two days in a row. I used that  most rare occurrence to rake leaves ... that bastion of Spring rituals. I followed up with three days of raking in the rain and cold and culminated with last night's sleet. Neither I, nor my flowers are feeling the love. Both of us are struggling ... peeking through  the ice crust ... wondering where Spring is hiding.



I decided an adventure was in order ... was the cure ... was the distractor. Food, art and chocolate would provide the breakthrough to the Spring fever that plagued us night and day.We headed to Manchester, New Hampshire.

Regardless of what you may have heard, it is not really difficult to select a great place to eat. That is especially true if you like to eat at local diners. There are sure-fired indicators. For example, you have to wait in line to get in the joint. I am not talking about that eat where the truckers eat crap. If you believe that , then crap is what you'll be eating for sure. I mean the place is packed with regular looking people.  Those are the ones that look a little more presentable than you look. And they don't look pissed off, or worn out from working all the time. They actually look like they have the time and money to eat a good meal  and they look like they are enjoying themselves, even though its before noon.

Don't confuse looking happy with looking insanely happy. There is a chance that you are in reality at the dining hall of the local asylum.




A second no-fail sign of a good diner is the coffee cup. First, it is not a cup. It is a mug. It is heavy. It has a thick lip. When you drink coffee at a good restaurant, your lip pokes out like you just had a Botox injection. It is not prissed up like you are sipping tea out of a fine china cup with Queen Victoria. Lastly, the cup is stupid ... like with a stupid picture ... or nothing at all, just white ... stained, dirty white. Great diners don't have to waste your time with advertisements on the cup for you to read.









The Red Arrow Diner in Manchester is a great diner. The menu is diverse ... they got everything. like their special hash ... or pork pies, whatever they are. I could have spent a couple of hours reading all the

stuff on their menu ... and I could have starved to death while I did so. I only had to read the first two items, however, and I understood how things worked. It was all about the math. I passed on the 4x4x4. That's 4 eggs, 4 pancakes and 4 pieces of bacon or sausage. I am watching my weight ... I got the 3x3x3. Control is one of my strengths. The food was good!



The restaurant had an interesting little ritual that they liked to do with first time visitors. To be honest, I have to admit that I misunderstood at first ... even though I had in my hearing aids. First I knew of it, the waitress was ringing a big bell and shouting to everyone in the restaurant at the top of her voice while pointing at two ladies in a booth behind us. "Two virgins in booth one ... let's give 'em a big welcome". She got to hollering the same thing about Anne and Jeri some time later. Even gave them a sticker to wear announcing it after she rang the bell again. But, I set that waitress straight and assured her, with no hesitation whatsoever, that Anne and Jeri were definitely no virgins.

 

Just down the street a ways was the Currier Art Museum that we had come to Manchester to see. I knew we were in the right place when I saw the large Alexander Calder sculpture on the Currier lawn. The Currier was small, but had a diverse and interesting collection. There was a section with 1800's furniture made in New England that was incredible. There weren't a lot of the big name artists represented , but there were some Monet's, a Picasso, LeWitt's and some Tiepolo's that I enjoyed. It even had a  piece by Oleski from our area.

 

There was even a painting there called the Old Clown. Maybe that is what I will look like after years of being the Bastard Clown.



After several enjoyable hours browsing the Currier collection, we headed for the car and home. Jeri had pointed out a new winery on the way to Manchester and we had decided to skip the Budweiser Brewery Tour in Merrimack and check out the winery instead. Unfortunately, I missed the turn. Instead, we stopped off in Peterborough at Ava Marie Chocolates. The chili hot chocolate was just the ticket to to help me forget my misstep and to finish up a great day.

Great company ... great food... a great day ... and a great adventure. And if we are really luck ... tomorrow just might be Spring!