it's anybody's race

just home from a "day at the racetrack" (never gets old saying that) i was inspired to make a quick post. first to say thanks and happy birthday to j + j. i missed last year's jam, but these guys have a way of putting the group into some superb outer borough action. today we went to the aqueduct track in queens.

i knew going there not to expect southern belles in jewels balancing a mint julip as they walked down the steps to their box. i knew that this was a down and out type of track. but i was really pleasantly surprised - for a few reasons. yeah it's seen better days, but the people there are having a blast. english is spoken but not like i do. crazy accents ranging from all over nyc, to the islands, asian and spanish too. of note, the place is all dudes (except for the lovely ladies we were rolling with).

it's got all of the vices of any other gambling establishment (i can reference casinos, jai lai - an old connecticut thing, and those dumpy off track betting places all over town). expect to breath a lot of tobacco smoke, fuel up on greasy over priced food, and watch guys drink out of celebration and defeat. either way a percentage of the winnings comes back to the house bar...or does it?

the aqueduct doesn't charge admission and the security was light. you drink and smoke pretty much wherever you want to. and you can sneak in booze too (sadly we didn't). it sounds simple but these little bits of lawlessness in a town that's always under such surveillance and colored coded fear reports...these little bits of lawlessness made my heart sing.

we (the guys in skinny jeans, dark rimmed glasses, campers, and pata-gucci coats) stuck out big time but no one bothered us. we bet one dollar at a time, once every twenty minutes, and it felt good and safe. usually gambling places put me on edge. i even managed to pay for my $10 chili dog and a beer by betting on #8 Alexandro in the sixth race. (note to parents, whenever a horse shares your kid's namesake...let it ride!)

the other non parents in the group were headed home for a nap, then east village dining, then LES drinking. amazing what those youngsters pack into an evening...party down, my friends, while your biological clocks are silently being wound up inside you.

anyway. what a day. what a city. where else but nyc could you hide a racetrack, a bunch of horses, indoor smoking, a thousand locals, and a few hipsters?Photos courtesy of j. nordberg on flickr