Joey and Melissa In ....????: American Legion.

I have realized that some of my favorite memories from New York have been in Harlem. The night Ian took us to American Legion went down in the book for sure. He has only taken two people to this place besides us, since it is really special to him....and for good reason!

I was expecting a normal Jazz Club in a commercial area where you pay a cover to get in and get your wrist stamped. Well, instead we walked down the stairs of a Brownstone into this hidden gem. You sign your name in a guest book instead of the usual hassle of other bars. The music was just unbelievable. The saxaphone player was a cool cat and there was this one girl who had the voice of Billie Holiday. The guitar player played like Joey plays the bass. Oh man....just awesome awesome talent!

The energy of this place was like a big happy family. It's a place where your race, age, or social status matters to no one. The only requirement is you must love and appreciate the art of jazz. Ian introduced us to his people and it was clear they think of him as a son. "Hey bayyba, how are ya? How's your momma doin'?" They cooked us fried chicken nonetheless and it beat out Popeye's.

Here is Yvonne from Texas, (like Richard from Texas in 'Eat,Pray,Love") and she was my favorite. The two of us clicked right away! We talked about our love for Nawlin's and how Tori and Ian are soul mates. Don, the gentleman next to her, was soooooo nice and cute. Anytime there was a deep connection while I was talking with him, he would grab my hand or arm.

They would pass around a tip jar for the musicians, and Ian twisted my arm into being the tip girl. So I walked around collecting money, and some of the old men were funny. One paid me twenty dollars and said he would either accept change or...me. Haha.

Here is the cool saxophone player. It's blurry, but oh well. He seems like he would hangout with Obama. Speaking of which, Obama said the next time him and Michelle come into NY for a date night, they will be making a visit to American Legion. That's so funny, because it's totally off the radar.

Here's a cute couple that started dancing. There was such a great energy in there. As you can see, all of the men dress to the nines. I felt like we were at a club in the 1940's.