Holy smokes... I can add pictures to my blog posts. Dunno when that option became available, it sure as heck wasn't an option when I got this blog some time ago. It definitely will save me time putting pictures on the imagedump.com site I usually use... from now on, I'll just put the pictures right here in the blog. Like this view from the Scrabble area of Washington Square Park in New York:
We left Cape Cod at 5:00 a.m. and arrived at Washington Square Park around 9:30 a.m., which was great driving time as we did make a 20 minute stop at a rest area to gas up, stretch and pee.
There were a lot of Chess players when we arrived at the park, but no Scrabble players to be found. The local park people let us know that the Scrabble players usually start filtering in around 11:00 a.m. or so, which is around the time they did start showing up, one right after another.
We'd come to this park because we'd read about it in the Stefan Fatsis book "Word Freak" as well as hearing about the park from various Scrabble players at the Boston Area yearly tournament (some of the parkies, regular players at the Washington Square Park Scrabble area, attend the Boston area tournament.) The movie Word Wars, though, made our desire to visit this park "at some point in our lifetimes" swiftly turn into "we must go there this year." Mainly because of one player... Aldo.
Aldo is a calm, quiet and sincere Scrabble player who did something pretty remarkable. He beat Joe Edley, who'd come to the park for the same reason we did (to meet and play Aldo), during their first game together. Joe Edley is the only expert tournament player to have won the National Scrabble Championship an astounding 3 times in his life (so far), but Aldo does not play in tournaments... only at the park.
I wish I'd been there to see Aldo beat Mr. Edley, the energy and mutual intelligence-respect between them must have been just phenomenal. Two of the world's most powerful Scrabble players going head-to-head must have been like the flutter of a million butterfly wings, creating a positive pulse of sportsmanship, critical thinking and all that can be achieved through dedication and utilizing logic to its fullest. To know both of these men are so in tune with the epicenter of their Scrabble minds... wow, this is reading like I just smoked a huge joint, isn't it though? HAHAHA! Just 2 cups of coffee, I swear... and a few Parliment lights. But anyways... Joe eventually went back to the park to do a 'best out of 7' day with Aldo. In the end, it was tied 3-3, and Joe Edley won the fourth and final game. Most of this, with the exception of that infamous first game between them, is in the movie Word Wars, which even if you aren't a Scrabble player is a fascinating movie to see. Ironically, not many parkies knew about the first game... odds are they didn't recognize Joe Edley, as most parkies do not pay much attention to the tournament circuit. They are there to game, and to, hmmmm... how should I put this so as not to draw any unneeded attention... well, to honor each other when a win is established. Thankfully, Kenny and I knew enough about these players to not partake of the sideline stuff, we'd have left the park broke if we had. What really impressed me is that nobody tried to hustle us, although I think that's mainly due in part to their ability to see right through my 'innocent tourist' act. No matter how much I try to coverup my street smarts, sometimes just my smile and laugh is a giveaway. It also could be, though, that these players are smart enough to just wait to be asked instead of doing the asking, which is the best way to do things... ask any street hooker in New York how they never got arrested and they'll tell ya that patience and never saying anything out loud is key.
A wonderful man with a flat-cap came by and noticed Kenny and I playing a game of Scrabble. He struck up conversation and we told him we were here to meet Aldo if at all possible. He let us know that Aldo would be there soon, and then Kenny and I told him about the Boston Area tournament, how we'd met many parkies but never been to the park, that it was our 12 year anniversary, short-version life story stuff, and he told us his name was Joe.
Joe let us know that he'd taught Aldo everything he knows about the game. This made me want to play head-to-head with Joe, but I could tell by his smile that he was just joshing with us.
So we anxiously awaited Aldo's arrival... as he walked towards the picnic tables, my heart nearly leapt into my throat. I literally put my hands on my chest near my heart, to calm it down. His tall, strong demeanor was just breathtaking, and I am pretty sure my knees buckled at the sight of him, but that didn't stop me from walking right up to him and saying "Aldo, I would love to have your autograph for my Scrabble bathroom, we loved you in the movie Word Wars. That's just incredible, what happened with Joe Edley, we play the Boston area tournament and have watched Joe win so many of them, wow, you are just great." I said probably some more stuff, but can't remember verbatim because once I started talking with Aldo and the way he kept glancing at this strange Yankee-accented chick as he set up his Scrabble board, his eyes had a hint of laughter in them, I could not stop my mouth from just saying everything I'd thought of in the weeks before coming to New York. I kept both of my hands pressed to my heart to stop myself from just reaching up and touching Aldo's cheek, which is something I kept wanting to do the entire time, but I'm a weirdo like that. I'm a contained goofball with self-control. Sorta.
"Scrabble bathroom?" he said with a slightly cocked eyebrow.
"Yeh, it's a bathroom at my house that I wallpapered with dictionary pages. To study from while I pee or anything. I've got a bunch of autographs from my favorite Scrabble players framed and on the walls. Can I have yours? You are great!"
Aldo was staring at me with eyes wide, which I know I come across as a bit loopy, so I wasn't offended or anything, and the look wasn't offensive anyways... he shook his head yes and said "I'll give you my autograph for your bathroom, hold on a second." There's only a few Scrabble tables, and we later learned that those who set up their boards usually remain in place for the entire day, which meant getting your spot situated before you did anything else... like signing autographs for Scrabble bathrooms.
As nervous as I was, I still found the courage to ask Aldo for a game. I don't usually get nervous, but for some reason I was intent on beating Aldo, even though common sense told me I was nuts for thinking it possible. Joe with the flat-cap offered to assist me in a game against Aldo. Two minds against one still felt like it would leave Joe and I six brains short of enough mind-power to tackle Aldo. But I underestimated Joe... the guy perhaps did teach Aldo everything he knows!~ In an amazing case of Joe and I getting every single good tile in the bag and Aldo getting stuck with racks that must have looked like sounds you make when you've been whacked upside the head with a paintcan, the game ended with a final score of ... YIKES! I don't have the final score, it's in Joe's ledger! I just looked inside my Scrabble bag, and it dawned on me that Joe is the one who kept score... so he has the exact results in numbers. But, I do know this... the exact result without numbers is Joe and I somehow managed to win the game. Kenny and I are going back to the park in September, so when we do, I'll get the score in numbers from Joe, who will most likely be there... as all parkies are usually there on nice days without rain to warp the Scrabble boards (a few boards look like they had been caught in downpours, which really made me realize the kinds of Scrabble players these people are... dedicated!)
Here's a picture of me and Aldo:
and the picture of me and Joe with the flat-cap!
There are also some pictures of the orange-tailed squirrels and funky chess art pieces on my mobog area.
Kenny and I walked around the park numerous times during our day there. We saw a great magician show and I got to sit and listen to this young, beautiful short-blonde haired chick sing some songs while playing guitar. We brought a lot of dollar bills to the park. I saw a guy walking around in a viking helmet. We saw a few people passed out in the wooded sections, the orange-tailed squirrels walking around them looking for food in their pockets. We saw hundreds of dogs, as the park has a fenced in dog-run area where the leashes come off and dogs and owners of all shapes and sizes play, socialize and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. Kenny got asked if he wanted some pot about 3 times (which, of course, he just said he didn't smoke.) I didn't get approached for drugs... I guess because I have the kind of demeanor that says I'm high enough with a mild case of insanity and hyperactivity.
So, the autographs from the parkies got framed and put in the Scrabble bathroom, and every morning when I wake up I get to remember one of the best days Kenny and I have had in 2005.
Initially, we had planned to make a visit to the Washington Square Park a yearly event for our wedding anniversary, but June's visit was so much fun we made tenative verbal plans to go back in September of this year.
After we'd won the game against Aldo, I'd asked Joe for a game but he said I was looking too tough to play... in September, I plan to request a little side-action with Joe to get that head-to-head game. Even though I may lose, it will be worth it. I'm going to study up before we hit the park, and will play as hard as I try to in tournaments. Hopefully I get a little lucky on the draws, as we did with Aldo, because I know that is the only reason we were able to do what I'd dreamed of doing at Washington Square Park.
Kenny and I also had a game against Larry Sherman (who signed his autograph with a question mark after it, which cracked me up). Larry Sherman beat the living stink out of me and Kenny, but we pretty much expected it so it wasn't too brutal to our Scrabble egos. I guess I'll also have to admit, in closing this huge blog post, that Kenny beat me in our first Washington Square Park game of Scrabble, but I then beat him back... we're now tied in our park games, and plan to play the rubber match in September.
If you don't play Scrabble or Chess, Washington Square Park is still a very fascinating and vibrant place to spend a day... for people watching, dog watching, and just the activity of it all is very good for the heart and mind. We plan at some point to take the kids there, because we know they'd love it. I give the Washington Square Park two thumbs up, a 10 out of 10, and a huge silver star. :)
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