Urban Wonders

For the past eleven years that I have worked in Mount Vernon, New York I have usually taken a 30 minute walk at noon time, weather permitting. While I have explored every neighborhood for a fifteen minute radius the walk I take most often brings me through an industrial area which eventually gets me to a Caribbean market where I like to shop. The industrial route also doesn’t have much traffic so waiting to cross the street and breaking my momentum isn’t a problem. Having lived most of my life in rural Connecticut the urban lifestyle I experience here has been fascinating to me. One of the things I pass on this route never fails to make me laugh. Right in the middle of this collection of auto repair shops, next to a huge commercial laundry and directly across the street from a scrapyard, sits a tiny restaurant.

The street of many industries with several trucks waiting to enter the scrapyard today. White arrow points to the tiny restaurant; Mike's Pizza.

Mike's Pizza, under new management. The sign says open 7 days a week. There was a padlock on the door today. Maybe he's out to lunch. Most days there are at least a couple people eating lunch here.

View of the scrapyard directly across the street from Mike's Pizza.

The Caribbean Supermarket offers great produce and fresh fish at very reasonable prices. I am after Haitian mangoes today which are just coming into season. They are soooo good!

The whole fish is stacked two feet high and packed on ice. Whether it's a dozen oysters or a couple salmon fillets, it's help yourself service here. I like that!

If you buy a whole fish, one of the three amigos at the counter will dress it for you for tip money. Life is good!