The Brooklyn Bridge

You have to be close to my age and background to remember when it was a standing joke in New York City that someone from out-of-town would be offered a chance to buy the Brooklyn Bridge from a stranger that just happened to bump into them and make them an offer they should surely refuse.

I really have no way of knowing if anyone ever forked over any money to this ruse. I never knew anyone in the Bunko Squad who might have known for sure.  Realistically, it was always a bad offer, even if legitimate. There have never been any tolls collected on it, so you'd surely be stuck with perpetual maintenance expenses, and no income. And even the powers that do own it have never been able to put tolls on it and help make it pay for itself.

But trying to take advantage of out-of-towners is nothing new, has taken many forms. and still continues. Taking advantage of people is universal, as any read of a given day's paper will reveal.

'Taking' and 'trying' are two different things, and it would seem it's hard to sell the 85 year-old restaurant reviewer from Grand Forks, North Dakota, Marilyn Hagerty, something she doesn't want.

For anyone whose remote hasn't been working, Ms. Hagerty gained media fame over a review she wrote about the Grand Forks Olive Garden restaurant.  It's literally amazing how fast she made it to New York, even given the use of planes. But word of our mild winter must have gotten out, because Marilyn has been seen everywhere, and been on everything since arriving. 

Ms. Hagerty's son even wrote about her in a recent 'A-Head' piece in this week's Wall Street Journal. Being a reporter runs in the family.

It seems everyone has had their time in the sun with Ms. Hagerty as she does New York. The NYT apparently had her in at their 8th Avenue headquarters building, hard by the Port Authority Bus Terminal, where out-of-towners are sometimes first spotted and seized upon as they get off buses from distant places.  In no time, the reporter, Andy Newman, realized it would be a great idea to have Marilyn review the quintessential New York fast food: a street vendor frank.

Ms. Hagerty apparently asked the vendor a question first, that went along the lines of asking for a recommendation. The vendor, Abdelalim Abdelbaky, either knowing nothing about the Brooklyn Bridge, or wisely figuring she might not be in the market for it, replied that his recommendation was: "Two hot dogs."

It's been a while since I've taken in a dirty-water, or street-grilled frank, but I never remember anyone ever trying to SuperSize me. Whether Ms. Hagerty realized it or not, she beat back the sales pitch, and politely asked for one hot dog.

The news story carries a picture of Ms. Hagerty on the sidewalk, staring at what she's just taken a bite of. She does render an opinion, and that can be found via the story's newspaper link.

Say what you will about anything, but New York does have it all this year.  Someone from North Dakota is eating a hot dog on the sidewalk in the middle of March while not wearing a coat, ear muffs, a scarf, hat or gloves.

She's already made it here.

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