Let´s go back in time

As a 21-year-old student originally from Colombia, I thought for sure it was too late to ever experience the political energy that took place in the U.S. during the ‘60s. But then I discovered Yippie Café, a coffee shop that makes me feel like I didn’t completely miss that determinative decade after all.

Stepping through the dented metal front door of this hangout at 9 Bleecker St. is like going into a time machine. I can sit on vintage leather couches with a couple of gray-haired coffee drinkers, reading magazines that date back to 1977, humming along to the Beatles and Paul Simon songs that fill the air.

The prices on the menu feel like a throwback to an earlier time too. A cup of free-trade, organic Guatemalan coffee costs 75 cents. It’s also possible to get just about any tea combination you can think of for $1.75. The chai and cinnamon tea blend won me over. And the bagel -- with the exact amount of cream cheese I had asked for and no more -- was delicious. Also, a pretty good deal considering I only paid $2.50 for the bagel.

You can also find butter croissants for $1.50 and mouth-watering blueberry muffins for $2. However, for those looking to stay off carbs and caffeine, the options are varied too. Natural juices, promoted as “high health” drinks, are very popular. You can create your own blend of apple, lemon, ginger, beet, carrot or spinach juice. Sizes vary between 8ounces for $3 and 16ounces for $5.

Not surprisingly, these bargains are attracting a new clientele -- college students who come to Yippie Café looking for low prices, free Wifi good music – and a great alternative to the usual Starbucks and Think Coffee.

This 36-year-old hangout only became a café in 2007, according to café management. Before that, it was a meeting place for yippies, members of the politically-driven Youth International Movement which was established in 1967. Yippies were active in the anti-war movement and supported the legalization of marijuana. There is still an 8-foot cannabis leaf painting that decorates one of the coffee shop’s walls.

Today, activism has given way to reminiscing. Yippies come not just for the food but for conversation with old friends. Eavesdrop on the older customers, and you’ll hear phrases like “the great ´60s,” “a time when New York was affordable” and “the great minds who stepped into this place.”

“It´s hard to get a bunch of yippies out of this place,” said self-proclaimed New York yippie, Paul DeRienzo.

Tucked in this quiet residential block, Yippie Cafe has remained unscathed by the area's transformation into a trendy, new neighborhood of 2009 prices and scrawny hipsters plugged into their iPods. But when I step through those dented metal front doors, I am confident when I say this: I would have enjoyed living in the 1960´s. Perhaps, even being a Yippie.

Not South of the Border

When a Mexican tells me she has found the best taco eatery in Manhattan, I believe her. MJ, my Mexican friend was the one who told me about Pinche Taqueria, “a genuine Mexican eatery in the Big Apple,” she said. Enough said. Mexican cuisine is at the top of my book. Guacamole is my ultimate weakness, I like all things spicy and beans (pronounced beanzz) is my favorite word.

On Tuesday afternoon, after a morning of mouth-watering thoughts about Mexican food, I made my way down to 277 Mott St. Besides the construction site, Pinche Taqueria is hard to miss. It´s the only locale in the block that has Christmas lights hanging on its façade all year long.

In it´s rustic exterior there is a sign advertising Pinche Taqueria as the winner of the 2008 Citysearch Editors Pick of Cheap Eats. By this point I was sold.

As soon as I walked inside I liked it. Decoration is minimal in comparison to other Mexican restaurants in the city. It makes it unique. The squalid corridor with red walls and wooden tables and chairs give it a cozy feel. Mexican rancheras are playing in the background and occasional champeta beats—a variation of the popular reggaeton— seem to excite the customers. The staff is made up of one waiter, one cook, a delivery boy and the cashier who takes your order too.

After a hard process of elimination I ordered the Rolled Tacos, one steak and one chicken. I was surprised at how fast the food was prepared considering all orders are made on the spot. Nothing is pre-made. Ten minutes after my order I was savoring the corn tortilla, topped with lettuces, sour cream, cheese, and, oh, my one and only guacamole. Both tacos were delicious, but I would recommend ordering the steak one. My Rolled Tacos and coke were a total of $9. A pretty good deal. The best part was definitely the spicy tomato sauce (made from real tomatoes. I don´t mean ketchup). My tongue still burns from how much sauce I put in the tacos. Heart burn here we go.

My only disappointment was how much lettuce was in the plate. Less salad, more tacos and cheese and we´ll all be happy.

When I first go to the eatery at 2 p.m. there was only one customer in the restaurant. When I left 35 minutes later there were a total of 17 people. A couple of students and an older crowd filled the locale. Surprisingly, none of the customers were speaking Spanish. Pinche Taqueria seems to satisfy the pallet of locale New Yorkers, a tough crowd I would say.

For the non meat eaters and weight watchers Pinche Taqueria offers fish and vegetarian tacos as well as salads. For the drinkers, there´s an entire fridge full of Mexican beers. It also offers a breakfast menu every day of the week from noon to 4 p.m. Huevos rancheros with a side order of Chilaquiles for me, please.

I don´t think you´ll find better MEXICAN food (not the Americanized version of it) in the city with these prices. Seriously, don´t miss out on going to Pinche Taqueria, wey.

Mary Kate Olsen's twin: Funnyman Jon Lang

Jon Lang, 31, is everything you would expect from a stand-up comedian: cynical, nonchalant and naturally hilarious.

He recently scored his first steady gig as the host of “Recess” a free comedy show that takes place every Monday night at the B Bar on Bowery. Despite having a tremendous intrigue in politics, Lang doesn´t concern himself too much with political themes when his up on stage. This is certainly a breath of fresh air from the politically charged stand-ups that are so popular these days. Lang stirs away from controversial subjects and rather uses his own life experience as inspiration for his skits.

Lang was born and raised in Syracuse, NY. He failed first grade, had his first drink at the age of 12 and hosted wild parties in his parents´ basement. Lang still managed to get the jeep--the best car out of his eight siblings. He wasn´t spoiled, he was just the funny one in the family and his parents were his biggest fans. Since a young age Lang knew he wanted to pursue comedy and thought a degree in film would help him fulfill his dream. However, after getting his film degree at Florida State University, he quickly realized that he wasn´t meant to be behind the scenes. He wanted to be up on stage making people laugh.

He packed his bags and moved to New York to become a stand-up comedian. He settled in Park Slope in Brooklyn where he lives with his girlfriend of five years. But pursuing comedy turned out to be harder than Lang thought. He had to find a job that would help pay the bills. He found one working as a secretary for a pharmaceutical company. He claims to be the only male under 50 years old working this job. Seemingly a sad story, but Lang is an optimistic. His job story is just another source for comedy.

Lang´s passion for comedy is eminent. Despite the few set back Lang hopes to maybe one day be a guest in “The Late Show with David Letterman” and make some money doing stand-up. But for now he´ll settle with making six people laugh on Monday night. Six being the number of people he needs to put up a show.

Why did you start doing stand-up?
That day I graduated from film school I got dumped by my girlfriend, figured out that she was like cheating on me with this loser dude and all this came to me and I was just like “you know what, I want to talk about it.” The place we were hanging out had an open mic and shit so I did a stand-up. But I didn´t call it stand-up. I was just like, “You know what? My girlfriend stopped wearing a bra.” And I had all these other things going through my head and it ended up being pretty funny.

How did you ex-girlfriend take this?
She sued me. What I said was pretty much, you know, as bad as anything that TMZ or Perez Hilton would come up with, kind of raunchy, kind of rude. It felt good at the time. But it turns out that her parents donated a lot of money to Florida State. So the head of the program calls me in, and I thought he was calling me in to tell me “Hey man, I thought you were hilarious.” And he brings me into his office and tells me, “You´re going to need to apologize.” I made good, I apologized.

Describe your worst stand-up moment.
I did an open mic which was pretty much rappers and I was a white comedian in the middle of this. It was totally out of my element. I felt like I was Eminem in like, “8 Mile”. Some people were laughing, some people were smoking pot, and some people were heckling me in, like, the weirdest way. Every time I told a joke, instead of laughing they would literally go “laugh, laugh, laugh” and it was throwing me off so much. And so I just totally got off the script and won them over -- which was like the best thing that could have ever happened.

What´s your audience usually like?
You know, you should talk to me in four years when I have an audience. I wish I could say it was like hot Asian girls, but it´s not.

Speaking of hot Asian girls, tell me about your name. Jon Lang. That sounds kind of Asian.
It´s Polish. It Langowski. I had to cut my name at the border, but my real name is Jonathan Langowski. My middle name is Ling, so it´s Ling Lang. No, that´s a joke. I´m making a joke.

Does humor run in your family? Funny parents?
My mom was convinced that I was supposed to be a twin because when I was born I had enough umbilical cord to sustain another life. She honestly thinks I ate my twin. I am the youngest of seven kids. There´s two on my mom´s side, five on my dad´s side. They came together like in “Full House”. I was like the Olsen twins, I was the cute one and I ate Mary Kate. I was Ashley.

So is this duo your comedic inspiration, or do you turn to comedians for material?
I rely mostly on experiences and things in my life like my family, my job and my friends. Think of “Superbad.” I appreciate the bonding because I feel like that when you´re awkward and strange your guy friends are the closest thing you got for a relationship-- without it being sexual. You open up the world to these guys. You love each other. You´re accepting. That´s where I get my inspiration.

If you weren´t doing comedy, you´d be…?
I think I would be a monk. The fact is, I have a sense of humor so I´d probably stick with that. If I didn´t have my tongue, then I´d probably be a monk. Stand-up comedy, director/writer, movie star--and if none of those work then I´ll sit Indian style, find enlightenment and I´ll be empty in the inside and I´ll join the cosmos.

No News

New York is the kind of city where you´ll find anything from alternative art to the biggest piles of trash, to underwear on the floor, to salsa music and occasional raves, to mice and squatters and leaks, to dead plants and beautiful roses, to gourmet food and soy milk gone bad, etc. (Wow. I just described my apartment for you. Minus the squatters that is). Yet try finding a newsy, interesting story to write about for your journalism class due the next day. Perhaps it´s partly my own fault for choosing the wrong beat (not for leaving homework for the very last minute).

Noho, the area NOrth of HOuston, is too residential and high-end boutique clerks’ don´t usually want to talk to third year journalism undergraduate student.

The interviewing of NoHo locals usually goes like this:

“Hi. Umm, I´m Laura Steiner. I am an NYU journalism student and I am writing a story for my class. The story will be posted in my blog. I was wondering if here is any chance I could ask you a couple questions?”

“Your name is LAUDER?!” No, my name is not Lauder and thank you for pointing that out. I was hoping you wouldn´t notice that I have a raspy voice which has an awkward loud volume. And after that speech I just gave you the only thing you´re going to ask is if my name is Lauder? Really? Then the whole conversation usually turns into a debate between the locals (excluding me) of whether my name is really Lora or Laurrrrrá for those who show-off how well they can role their r´s. This is when I decide to leave, sans story that is.

Sure, there´s news here and there, like The Bowery Poetry Club & Cafe undergoing renovations or the Noho Star, a signature restaurant in the area, finally putting away their popular ice cream cart now that winter is here. If you like poetry and ice cream, I´m deeply sorry.

My beat also includes Little Italy, which at this point should really be called—closetoextinctionusedtobeacharminglittleItalianneighborhood. Little Italy has been gentrified, so as not to say swallowed up, by Asian immigrants and is rapidly disappearing from the downtown map. Italian restaurants, which kept the area alive, are going out of business. Italian waiters, whom are in its majority evidently from New Jersey, try hard to pass as Italians to lure in more customers. But that Jersey accent is hard to hide. It´s not seenoreena! It´s signorina. And for me its principessa, please.

So restaurants are dying and Italians have moved to other parts of the city, primarily to the Bronx and Brooklyn. Big deal, you can Wikipedia that, I don´t need to write a story about it.