Rome Scene

Mayor Brown and Joe Fusco

2010-04-03T10:58:00.000-07:00

As has been reported in various news articles, Mayor Brown and former opponent Joe Fusco caused a bit of a scene at The Beeches fundraiser this week. What actually transpired varies based on who you talk to. County Executive Anthony Picente "left the room", and Representative RoAnn Destito "had already left by then". Sounds like a whole lot of "I didn't see nothin'!"

Mayor Brown went directly to the press and said (according to the Rome Sentinel):

"I called Joe Fusco out away from people. I said to him: 'I'm all done with your mouth downgrading myself and the administration. You continue do it day in and day out. I'm not going to tolerate it.' He looked me in the eye and said: 'I'll say what I want.' I said: 'Fine, but you'll never be mayor.'"

Joe Fusco had a slightly different story:

"The mayor approached me, and my wife was standing there along with several couples. He went into a tirade." He said the mayor told him "I'm not allowed to talk with his administration without his permission." Today he added, "I can do that. It's America. It's a free country."

That this comes a year in advance of elections doesn't seem a coincidence. Is Joe Fusco perhaps a convenient opponent to the current administration? After all Mayor Brown beat him once, what's to stop him from doing it again? So why not bring him to the spotlight as the front runner candidate?

Mayor Brown seems to have done a decent job as mayor, although property taxes continue to remain at extraordinary levels compared to property values. There certainly isn't the same push for jobs here that we had under Griffo, but Griffo was operating in crisis conditions with the base closures so I can understand his urgency. While perhaps less urgent in pursuit of job creation, Mayor Brown has provided steady growth for the city.

I don't know much about Joe Fusco, other than he's well known and respected within the city. If there is any substance to his complaints on the administration or if he's just taking the pessimistic view as Mayor Brown says is hard to tell.

I would like to see a third candidate emerge in the upcoming elections. There is nothing refreshing or progressive about seeing the same candidates arguing the same tired points election after election. We need fresh ideas to keep our little city moving forward. How can we contain or reduce taxes? In what new high tech ways can we continue to expand and attract business to the technology park? And how can we improve our quality of life year round to make this a more attractive place to live and to work?

Woodstock '99 - Ten Years Later

2009-07-27T20:13:00.001-07:00

This last weekend was the 10th anniversary of the Woodstock 99 festivities in Rome, NY. For a weekend the population of our town increased tenfold as thousands flocked to the abandoned Griffiss runway for a weekend of rock and roll. It was like nothing Rome had ever seen before, and for one single weekend we were able to see what life could have been like if Rome wasn't at the economically depressed crossroads of New York.

The ex-Air Force base proved to be the prime location, with ample land for parking, camping and two separate stages so that at any time, you could pick your choice of two major artists playing at the same time. A large metal fence was erected around the perimeter to ensure only ticket holders gained access through one of the main gates. Upon arriving at Woodstock '99 one would find an orderly, well-oiled machine managing parking, camping and everything else in between.

But somewhere along the line things went terribly wrong. The bright-eyed city of Rome officials who oversaw that first day must have been patting themselves on the back for executing such a brilliant plan. Those same officials would be watching their TV screens with horror days later as CNN reporters showed scenes of looting, riot police clashing with protesters and huge bonfires burning everything and anything that wasn't tied down. Rome was burning.

With the recent anniversary there have been talks again about if another Woodstock could ever take place here again. The park has obviously expanded, and the runway is in use daily, but city officials are wary to ever again allow another concert of that magnitude because of the events that happened late Sunday night. They may not understand that there were reasons everything went haywire at the end, and ways this could have been avoided. I was there on the ground. I saw things through my teenaged eyes that I will never forget - both good and bad. So join me as I reflect on the slow deterioration that was Woodstock '99.

Thursday July 22nd

The atmosphere on Chestnut St. was an absolute circus. Romans lined the streets cheering and waving at cars as they streamed past in an endless parade of VW buses and convertibles. It must have felt odd to some of these outsiders driving into the city that we were treating them like celebrities, but such is the nature of our little city. When nothing had happened here for so many years, and we had been in a constant decline since Griffiss was shuttered, this was a huge morale booster for us.

Bands were already playing on the two separate stages, however they were mostly smaller local bands as the crowd continued to grow for the start of the main event on Friday. Traffic was congested while the police worked tirelessly to keep things flowing. Entrances were opened to the base that had not been used by the public in years, and all vehicles flowed into what slowly grew to become a massive sea of cars, trucks and buses.

Friday, July 23rd

We arrived around noon time to find crowds still streaming into the festival grounds. The exterior wall appeared as a massive, impenetrable metal fortress surrounding the entire grounds. The line moved quickly inside as the volunteer staff were orderly, pulling some people aside to search their coolers while allowing the rest to go through a ticket check.

I saw things I will never forget upon walking in. A drunken man stumbling around with his pants around his ankles, ass hanging in the breeze. Two college-aged girls wearing nothing but body paint. A man sitting with a brick of weed in front of him for all to see. I realized while I was still physically in Rome, this was not Rome!

There was staff located everywhere - it was impossible not to spot a staff member within eye site. They wore distinctive STAFF shirts. These were mostly volunteers that gained a free ticket to the concert in exchange for their services. They were extremely helpful in giving directions and pointing us to the nearest shower/bathroom/watering hole. Go-karts travelled around emptying garbage cans. Everything was extremely neat and well organized.

We spent the greater part of the day enjoying the music and left for our campsite which was off-grounds, an advantage of being a Roman. While we walked the long runway back into Rome we gazed at the iron fortress and remarked that nobody would ever be able to scale the wall. The words had barely left our mouths when a group of guys swarmed the wall from out of nowhere, tearing back what was obviously a cheaply designed wall and creating a huge gaping hole. Some of them ran inside as fast as their legs would carry them, while others continued to tear the wall apart as if it were paper. We left assuming this was just an isolated incident, and that the wall would be patched by morning.

Saturday, July 24th

Upon arriving at the site the next morning we found the hole had not been patched. Instead several more holes had popped up along the fence every hundred feet or so. Some of the holes had security guards posted, others did not. There were spots along the fence where we could have easily slipped inside but we continued down and went through the main gate anyways. Staff had been considerably reduced.

We arrived at the midway to find the ground strewn with trash. Pizza boxes, water bottles and everything else which was sold at the concert had made its way onto the ground. It was hard to find a clean spot of grass to sit on. The garbage pails were overflowing and nobody was coming along to clean it up. Where were the garbage volunteers? Had they underestimated the problem garbage would cause? Or had they just said "Screw it" and swapped their STAFF shirts for tie dyed ones?

The garbage people were not the only people missing: the toilets were backing up/going uncleaned. I saw people attempting to go into an outhouse who just could not for sanitary reasons. Many of the showers had ceased to work as well. Impromptu outdoor showers were set up and had people jumping in and out to cool off from the 90-degree heat.

While waiting in line for some food we began to notice the line in front of us was agitated. As we got close to the counter we learned why: "Twenty dollars for this little pizza?" one man remarked. "Five dollars for this bottled water??" another shouted. Prices were being gouged across the midway and people were paying 2-5x the normal price just to eat and drink. Many had little to no money and were forced to go to First Aid tents for free waters.

All of these logistical problems didn't kill the spirit of the musical festival. The shows went on....Korn, Limp Bizkit, Rage Against the Machine, Metalllica. After the music we took a walk into the endless sea of parked cars. It was a block party for as far as you could see. Swimming pools filled with beers on ice. The crowds grew stranger and stranger as we walked deeper into the parking lot. We stopped at one man's camper who was advertising free nitrous oxide balloons for any girls who would dance with him naked. As entertaining as it was, the parking lot grew continually darker and spookier. And always in the distance you could hear music as if a rave were just over the next hill, but we could never get there. Finally we left for the day and made our way back into Rome and sanity.

Sunday, July 25th

On the last day we made an arrangement with some relatives to camp with them on the Woodstock grounds, so that we could say we'd had the full experience of Woodstock, warts and all. We arrived to find the once strong fence now riddled with gaping holes. This time we didn't even bother to go in the main gate as there were no security posted at any of the holes. Once inside we found no staff in sight. The garbage situation had improved somewhat from the previous day, but water continued to be a problem. There were some really smelly people in the crowd. You could also tell the morale of the crowd had sunk somewhat. Faces were hanging low and many people wandered around not quite sure which way to go. I witnessed two happily stoned guys dragging a tent behind them with a pair of legs sticking out of it.

The situation had grown extremely unsanitary. People were failing to use the proper bathroom facilities. The mud pits happened to be right outside of the outhouses, and some people commented that it wasn't all mud that the mud people were rolling around in. It made it all that more gross when the mud people started slinging it at everyone and everything.

The price gouging continued on the midway. You could tell people were unhappy but the music seemed to soothe everyone's worries. Despite the overall poor conditions the crowds were still orderly as of 8 PM on Sunday night. This is when everything started to go wrong.

We were watching Megadeath playing on Stage 2, the final act for the night. The crowd was mostly calm laying on the grass, with the exception of one elderly man in a wife beater who managed to rock out for the entirety of the concert (we thought his head would come off his shoulders at any moment). The Red Hot Chili Peppers were playing on Stage 1 and we decided to head over there to catch the end of their show. Walking from one stage to the other you cross the midway, and it was here that I saw people running about frantically. It didn't register in my mind what was going on until I went up to the counter and asked the man for a water.

"Sure!" he said, as he scooped up four waters, flopped them onto the counter in front of me and with a single hop came over the counter and ran off, arms full of merchandise. Looking to my left and right I saw the same - massive looting of anything that they could get their hands on. There was no security in site, no police.

I took the water.

We continued walking over to the stage 1 and then saw the fires in the distance. They were small at first, littered amongst the crowd, but as we got nearer the fires continued to grow. It wasn't until we got close that we realized people were throwing anything they could get their hands on into the fires. And with the large amount of garbage already on the ground, this made for easy fuel.

These fires posed a threat but they weren't doing any damage. However there were trailers parked in the middle of the crowd with no security guarding it. One disgruntled concertgoer decided it would be a good idea to light the trailers filled with merchandise on fire. And this is where things really started to go down hill.

Security and fire services arrived shortly thereafter to attempt to put out the fire. It was at this time that concert organizers decided things were getting out of hand and pulled the Red Hot Chili Peppers from stage early. This made an angry crowd even angrier. Much of the crowd started heading back for the campgrounds however they were met on the midway by riot police in full riot gear. They were jogging in groups of ten, batons out, in random patters across the midway. We witnessed one happily stoned guy walking along minding his own business and getting cracked in the back of the head with a baton, collapsing in a heap on the ground.

Just as instantly as the riot police appeared were the CNN news crews chasing after them. This caught the interest of many people and a crowd began to form near the midway. Soon this became a full blown standoff with riot police on ATVs on one side and hundreds of concertgoers on the other. There were a few people at the front of the line shouting at the police and waving their arms, but for the most part the crowd was peaceful and just kind of standing around watching to see what would happen. I found myself standing too until I realized that the crowd had formed around me, and I was at the front line staring across into the eyes of police in riot gear.

It should be noted that this show of authority on Sunday night was a shock and stark contrast to what the rest of the day Sunday was like. We saw little if any staff on Sunday - it was as if the complete staff structure had crumbled or just disappeared overnight. Police/security were not present as the midway was being looted silly, and it wasn't until the situation had gone out of control that the police made their presence known, and in an overly harsh manner. You can't have a situation where there is no authority presence whatsoever suddenly turn into a full blown category 1 riot situation. Many felt the police were acting overly harsh, and this only added to the days of boiling anger.

While standing in the crowd I noticed the police line forming all around us and slowly closing in. It was then that we decided we had seen enough and it was time to get out of there and back to the campgrounds. The situation there was much calmer, as all of the trouble was back near the midway. We decided to call it a night and hope things were better in the morning. We only slept two hours.

At 1:00 AM we were awoken by the sound of rioters in the campgrounds. The riot police had pushed the few hundred angry protesters back into the campgrounds, where they were proceeding to burn everything they could get their hands on. A huge bonfire loomed in the distance as people danced around it. Humans were crawling onto the first aid tents and jumping up and down on it until it came tumbling down, and was then thrown onto the fire. The situation was completely out of control and we were fearing for our safety.

We packed up our tents as quickly as possible and fashioned whatever weapons we could: a tent pole, an umbrella, a stick. We made our way for the wall which was now just a pile of rubble. As we left the last site I remember seeing is a fourteen year old kid working feverishly to tear what little of the wall was left down.

Driving home the smoke created a smog over the road that made it near zero visibility. It took us five minutes to get out of the smog and able to see the road in front of us. Arriving home we turned on the TV to find all the major news stations covering the disaster in Rome. There we were, little Rome, NY, on national television. Us bright-eyed Romans had a bitter taste in our mouths though. This is not how we wanted to make our entrance onto the world stage.

The aftermath

Now it's ten years later. The park has expanded drastically, adding a new high school, Empire Air, and numerous small technology upstarts focused around Rome Labs. The once abandoned runway is now our county airport. Romans for the most part have sworn to never again allow another concert of that magnitude here. I can't say I blame them: they almost burned the town down! But I won't blame the concertgoers, either. The struggles that the concertgoers faced, from garbage strewn everywhere, to lack of a bathroom/shower, to an inability to get basic food and water at a reasonable price. Granted there are always going to be some troublemakers, if you put people through those kinds of conditions for three days the end result should not surprise you.

Could we learn from these mistakes and put on a better concert? I think so. Is it technically feasible given Griffiss park's expansion? We have improved two-lane highways coming into the city now, and the county airport is not all that busy. It's really up to Empire Air and if they could survive two months having the runway shut down for both setup and cleanup of the concert.

But I think the most important question is: will Romans allow a concert like this ever to happen here? I can only speak to my own experiences as saying I had the time of my life, and memories I won't ever forget. As a city we survived, and came out much better financially, although with our reputation dinged on a national scale. I think we could do it again, and much better this time. What do you think?

The 100 million dollar school budget

2009-05-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

The Rome, NY Sucks blog has an interesting post on School Board Follies. He speaks of the 100 million dollar school budget and makes an interesting observation that our school superintendent Jeffery Simmons is earning $132,986.10 a year (roughly $65 an hour). He points out that this is four times the median income in this area.

This may be a competitive salary similar to what a school superintendent might make in other parts of the country. But for our little, economically depressed Rome, NY, this amount is disproportionate to the standard of living that we face. I've seen the argument that we need to pay them this much in order to recruit top talent from elsewhere. I would argue we could find a local willing to do the job for half as much, be just as qualified, and much more in tune with our own local social and economic realities.

RomeHater also points out the lack of interest in the school board - 5 candidates running for 3 seats. It's no wonder our property taxes are so high (and property values deflated as a result). The lack of interest and oversight into where these massive amounts of tax dollars are going are part of the reason we're in the mess we are.

Rome Free Academy is a wonderful building both outside and in. The music, arts and sports programs are second to none. However academically it seems we're falling behind. I know of several students who are failing multiple courses - generally the math and sciences. I also know some who have dropped out completely (or are in the process of flunking out). We are letting these kids down.

Why are students being allowed to attend three classes a day and then skip out for the rest of the day? I remember when the school first opened, there was a strict policy on not allowing kids to leave the campus. I didn't agree with it at the time, having attended the "old" RFA and enjoying the small freedoms that going out for lunch granted. But it seems like somewhere along the path the "new RFA" has fallen off the wagon.

I can't put the entire blame on the RFA staff and guidance counselors - the past 8 years at the White House have led to massive underfunding for science and mathematics. Parents are part of the problem as well, understanding that their child is failing but still allowing them a car, an allowance, and a 3 a.m. curfew. Substance abuse is as rampant as it ever was.

But with a budget of 100 million I expect more from our schools as well. We should be demanding more after-school hours out of the teachers who are leading to these massive failures. After-school programs for failing students should be mandatory. And we need to look critically at the teachers who are leading to these failures. Are they deserving of their jobs? Talk to the students - you're bound to get an honest assessment out of some of them on WHAT exactly the teachers are doing wrong to cause these failure rates.

CPJ's Bar & Grill

2009-04-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

CPJ's is a bar/grill located along the strip of diners on Floyd Ave close to Griffiss Technology Park. They specialize in Italian foods and boast a large Italian menu. There is ample seating for dining in as well as seating along the bar.

I've tried both the chicken parm dinner and the garlic pizza & hot wings. The food is nothing to rave about. Pizzas come in a 9" x 13" square (six square slices) and remind me of Marina's pizza from when I was a boy. While the food may not be on par with other more expensive restaurants, the prices are definitely affordable. Most entrees can be had for under $12 and include choice of pasta/fries/rice/broccoli and garlic bread. A pizza/wing special will run you $18.

Barbi-Q's restaraunt

2009-03-30T14:31:00.000-07:00

Located on Floyd Ave. just as you enter Griffis Business Park, Barbi-Q's is a relatively new business specializing in short order barbecue food. My experience with them has been all positive, from the friendly atmosphere, to the cleanliness and fast service, and of course the delicious food. You can get most BBQ dishes here including pulled pork and pulled beef. They also specialize in a "Texas Q" sandwich, which contains either beef or chicken served on garlic texas toast (!), which makes for an interesting flavor I wasn't sure I would like but went surprisingly well together. I've heard great things about their Philly Cheese Steak, although I've never tried it.

The interior is small so if you plan on going during the crowded lunchtime, seating may be limited. You can view their menu on their website located here: http://www.barbi-qs.net/ And no, they don't have BBQ ribs, although if they did they might get more business than they can handle!

Spring is finally here - GO ORANGE

2009-03-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

Spring is here and I thought I would come out of my seven-month hibernation and update this blog!

It's amazing how life seems to freeze with the cold temperatures. Going out just seems like less of a good idea when you can sit inside your warm house and away from the snow. It's not so bad for those that enjoy winter sports - skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling - but winter is just something that's not for me!

Jim Boeheim has led the Syracuse Organgemen to another Sweet 16 appearance. They have a strong all-around team with some serious clutch players. They face some tough competition in Oklahoma and then likely North Carolina just to make it to the Final Four. While I would consider them underdogs this year, they have a strong enough team to put up a real fight.

I missed the Good Morning America segment on Rome, NY. I did hear from more than one person that it was less than flattering, focusing on the old industrial districts which are slowly going out of business or long-extinct, and completely ignoring the high tech jobs that are being turned out from Griffiss Park. It sounds like this was filmed 15 years too late. Rome has been struggling, but it's far from dying thanks to the revitalization efforts at Griffis and elsewhere in the city. Rome Research Site recently named one of their buildings after Sherwood Boehlert, and rightfully so, the man has done a tremendous amount of work to keep Rome Labs alive and thriving from BRAC closure to BRAC closure. With Rep. Boehlert retiring in 2007 I hope we have someone who can step into those shoes and continue to give hope and future promise to the area.

Here are some of the topics you'll see me writing about in the coming weeks:

Food Reviews: Including Sophia's, Barbi Q's, Big Daddy's, CPJ's, The Savoy

New businesses to the area: Including hot spots such as Griffiss Technology Park, Turning Stone Casino & Resort, The Orchard/Sangertown/New Hartford shopping district

Bar reviews: I'm making the self-sacrifice of sampling all the bars in the Rome circuit. Expect to see reviews including drink selection, crowd, music, pricing and more.

Movie Reviews: The summer blockbusters are right around the corner, so expect to see some reviews

If there is anything you would like to see written about please drop me a line or post a comment.

Footloose @ The Capitol Theater

2008-08-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

As the final part of the 2008 Summerstage, The Capitol Theater in Rome is showcasing the musical Footloose.

I'd seen Man of La Mancha earlier this year and was left less impressed than 2007's musicals. While some scenes were well done, I found some of the actors annoying and others hard to understand. Sitting in the balcony may have been partially to blame.

I went into Footloose with lesser expectations but was blown away. The characters in the musical were all likeable and several outstanding performances were given. It was everything you could want from a show: from parts that were laugh out loud funny, to several moving scenes with characters showcasing their inner struggles, and most importantly, great music!

Tickets are $16 for adults, $12 for students.

Rome, NY Amphitheater

2008-06-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

My mom recently recounted from her youth often visiting an old amphiteahter in Rome. She said it was located off Floyd Ave near the nursing home, but after some biking I wasn't able to find a street or path down that way. I wonder has it been destroyed or had a house built over it?

Riggiefest '08

2008-04-26T14:03:00.000-07:00

Today was the 2008 Riggiefest, an event that pits local restaurants against each other for the prize of holding the "best chicken riggie" title.

Teddy's restaurant in Rome ended a streak of three straight years as champion by being named to the "Riggie Hall of Fame", and choosing not to enter this year's contest. They are however rolling out two new kinds of riggies just for the event: steak riggies and shrimp riggies.

I didn't make it to this year's event but I'm looking forward to trying the new champion's riggies.

********************

The airstrip in Rome is seeing a constant increase in activity. I drive past daily and there always seem to be aircraft taking off or landing. Moving it to Rome was a good move that made use of a runway that was scarcely used. Hopefully we'll start to see more commercial flights into and out of the airport.

Thornberry's by the Stanley

2008-04-20T21:27:00.000-07:00

I was at the Jeff Dunham show tonight at the Stanley Theatre on Genessee St., Utica. Not far from the theatre is a pub and grill, Thornberry's.

I'd planned it to get there ninety minutes before the show to beat the crowds, but had forgotten about the earlier show at three, meaning when we got there we were faced with streams of people just leaving the show. We managed to get seated quickly but service slowed to a crawl. They were either severely understaffed in the kitchen or just got swamped with people. From sitting to serving it took over an hour to get our main course. The waitresses were working extremely hard to get everyone taken care of, and we had plenty of bread and water to tide us over, but the kitchen was just not keeping up with the customers.

The food was well worth the wait though. We tried the wings as an appetizer. They weren't spicy but were seasoned well, and almost tasted grilled. I ordered the Chicken Francaise, and while some places (like Teddy's) are heavy on the lemon juice, Thornberry's managed to prepare it how the dish should be made. The lemon is there but it's not so overwhelming that it sours the taste of the chicken. The only other restaraunt in this area that has gotten it right like this is Aquino's.

Aside from the terribly long waiting time, the food was very good. If you plan on going be sure to get there early and beat the crowds.

Drillbit Taylor tries but fails

2008-04-06T01:19:00.000-07:00

I've had an incredibly bad run of luck at the movie theaters. Maybe it's just the time of year (the studios dump their flops during the winter/early-spring in preparation for the summer blockbusters). Or maybe it's the months-long writer's strike.

Drillbit Taylor advertises to be "from the creators of Superbad". It's a story of three geeky teenagers who, sick of being bullied at school, hire Owen Wilson to protect them. I went into the movie with high hopes: Superbad was a good movie. Some of the actors may have been gawky teens, but they made up for it with superb performances.

Unfortunately the young characters in Drillbit Taylor didn't turn out so well. They're geeky for sure, but so convincingly geeky that you want to reach into the movie screen and shove them into the lockers yourself. Their voices (especially David Dorfman's) make you wince and want to cover your ears. The movie thoroughly exposes the awkwardness that is being a teenager and does so for ninety excruciating minutes.

I found myself towards the end actually hating the young heroes, which is never a good sign for a movie. Owen Wilson pretty much carried the movie from start to finish, with the exception of an extended fight sequence at the end of the movie, which was the only scene that was really "Superbad" worthy.

It was most disappointing the lack of depth the movie had. "Superbad" on it's surface is a simple story about some teenagers trying to score some booze for a party, but it had much deeper themes that culminate in the final minutes of the movie. The acting and directing was also fantastic. "Drillbit Taylor" lacked all of this: in fact, it was a very simple idea (a group of teenagers trying to fight back against the school bully) which had no further substance.

Pass on this and when it comes out on DVD, don't bother renting it.

RFA's "Thoroughly Modern Millie"

2008-04-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

I've just returned from RFA's spring musical "Thoroughly Modern Millie". It's the story of a young woman trying to make a name for herself in New York City. She somehow winds up in a shady orphan hotel run by a evil lady, who drugs the young women and ships them off into the slave trade.

The play was humorous throughout and the singing and dancing showed that the kids had put a tremendous amount of time and energy into this project. The performances were fluid and many of the kids looked like "naturals" out there. The auditorium was packed full and in all it was an enjoyable show.

It's great that the students have a teacher as energetic and dedicated as Jake Meiss. Having a young teacher who is so enthusiastic about his work is contagious to those around him. Kudos Jake on another job well done!

There will be one more showing on Saturday, April 5th at 8 p.m. Ticket's are $5.

Edible Arrangements

2008-04-04T15:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's fruit.

The new expansion that was built just outside of WalMart in West Rome contains a small shop called "Edible Arrangements". They do custom baskets which are meant to look like flower arrangements, but are entirely edible!

I stopped in this afternoon and picked up a basket for my mom's birthday. It's still cooling and we haven't started on it yet, and it almost doesn't seem right to eat it!

They do other arrangements including chocolate-dipped fruits. You can see some of their work on their website here: http://www.ediblearrangements.com/.

Denny's at 2 a.m.

2008-03-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

I'm sure everyone has heard about the Recent Stabbings in the Denny's parking lot of South Rome. I've been there late-night a handful of times, and I can't say I was surprised that it happened. Night life in Rome is somewhat lacking, and the East-Dominick St. bar scene is the pinnacle of social life for many. It's hard to visit on a weekend and not see a fight, or at least words and shoving exchanged. A friend of mine has even taken to calling one bar "Fight Club".

After closing time a lot of bar patrons spill over into Denny's. It's one of a couple late-night restaurants open. When I first went to Denny's after closing time, they had Rome PD standing in the lobby. There are some patrons from the hotels - trucker's and other travelers. But the majority of the people inside Denny's are drunk, 20-26 year olds. With the Rome PD keeping watch, there were still incidents, but no fights broke out.

Last November I was there with a friend after a late night of poker to find no police stationed inside. Just as we got our meal a fight broke out in the parking lot within full view from the large windows. Eventually a knife was pulled, and police were on the scene within minutes. There were no stabbings, but with everyone in their alcohol-induced state, there very well could have been.

This was, of course, a routine 2:00 a.m. at Denny's for me. Nothing new here. My friend, however, was looking for a back exit in case the fight spilled into the lobby. I felt safe within the restaurant, but with no security within eyesight, it made me slightly uneasy.

Mayor Brown suggested that the owners of Denny's should adjust their hours and just not be open after bar closing time. This isn't entirely fair to Denny's - a 24 hour breakfast. Having off-duty police in the lobby is a good start. I frequently see patrol cars across Erie Blvd. in the empty parking lot: how hard would it be to move one of those over to the Denny's/Quality Inn parking lot? Or across the street at Walgreen's? How about more late-night offerings so that we're not cramming all of these drunk groups of people who hate each other into the same establishment? Or even better: more night life that doesn't involve getting drunk to the point of violence?

Knuckleheads Bar and Tuaca

2008-02-09T16:00:00.000-08:00

Heading up 233 towards New Hartford, if you take a left at the main light in Westmoreland, shortly up the road is a restaraunt/bar called Knuckleheads. Last weekend I had the chance to visit.

The inside is surrounded with license plates from all over the states. I didn't stop to count, but I figured one for every state in the country. There are also various stuffed animals hung on the walls (not the furry kind you buy your young nephew for his birthday: there was a full-sized stuffed bear and moosehead from what I reacall).

There were some girls on hand from Tuaca, giving away free shots of thier "Italian Liquour", along with t-shirts, hats and keychains. I'm not sure what to classify it as (someone mentioned whiskey), but it has a distinct vanilla taste.

Knuckleheads is known for its good food, although we weren't able to sample any, the menu looked relatively inexpensive, and I'm definitely going for another trip to try the food sometime soon.

Superdelegates

2008-02-08T03:15:00.000-08:00

Anyone following the Democratic primary race will know that our native senator Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are in a close race. Hillary holds a slight lead in the delegate count, and the race would be a dead heat if not for the little-known Superdelegates: a collection of Congressmen, Senators and other high-ranking Democratic party officials who have a large say in who gets elected.

While the actual delegates won through primaries and caucuses are pretty much even (Hillary's 840 to Obama's 831), the Superdelgates have come out nearly 2:1 in favor of Clinton. The Clinton's obviously have deep ties and it's apparent that many superdelegates aren't voting with their constituents, but instead are involved in back-room politics and dealmaking.

There are still a great many superdelgates left: over half of them have yet to cast their ballots. Many are probably sitting on the fence, hoping a frontrunner emerges that they can push forward heading into the Democratic convention. Unfortunately for them, Obama is heading into a number of states where he's expected to do very well, meaning in two-weeks time we very well could see a dead-even race, or even Obama leading in the delegate count.

Howard Dean, head of the DNC, suggested today that it's possible the August Democratic convention; an event which traditionally has officially named the Democratic candidate for the party to rally around; could very well become a "brokered convention". This would be an ugly scenario, with lots of infighting and debate to decide who to pick as the presidential nominee. It could also potentially lead to one of the candidates running on an independent ticket.

It should be an interesting next couple of weeks for the democrats.

O'scugnizzos Pizza - The Kings?

2008-02-07T19:48:00.001-08:00

Not really.

I finally got a chance to sample Rome's newest pizzaria, O'scugnizzos. They're located on the corner of James and Thomas, where the bakery used to be. Originating from Utica, they recently franchised into Rome and have been running radio advertisements as "The kings of pizza".

At first glance O'scugnizzo's pizza looks like tomato pie: flatbread, square cut pieces with tomato sauce on top, with parmasan sprinkled around. The gimmick is that the cheese is hidden underneath the sauce, making for a unique texture and taste.

There is a lack of grease from cheese that normal pizzas have, which makes it taste...different. It's definitely good, although I'm not sure I can compare it to other pizzas because it's almost like you're eating something else entirely. In some ways it feels like you're eating healthier, although it contains the same contents as any other pizza.

I sampled the wings as well, which didn't impress me.

If you're looking for something different I would suggest giving it a try.

You don't want to Meet the Spartans

2008-02-06T15:09:00.001-08:00

I've seen a lot of bad movies in my life. The absolute worst is cemented in my mind: "Freddie Got Fingered" with Tom Green. Perhaps it was the busload of college dudes sitting right in front of me that laughed at every hint of a joke. Or maybe it was the cut scenes with Tom Green masturbating various animals. It's the only movie to date I've actually walked out on.

While "Meet the Spartans" doesn't drop to Tom Green's level, you shouldn't expect much going in to see this movie. Made in the fashion of "Scary Movie", the film seeks to parody "300", the tale of 300 Spartans who fight off an army of Persians.

What starts out promising enough turns into a series of tounge-in-cheek gags as the movie slowly degenerates into an idotic comedy about...nothing. There is also a homosexual overtone that's funny at first but is referenced so much that it loses all humor (what are we, ten years old?) When we're not being blindsided with corny jokes or lost in the inane plot of the movie, we're bombarded with advertisements for everything under the sun, from Subway, to Gatorade and breath mints.

The movie ended abruptly and as we looked at our watches, we noticed it had barely even been 60 minutes run time on the entire movie. Maybe just as well, as every minute that movie runs, someone somewhere is losing an IQ point.

Memorable quote from a friend: "I would pay someone not to see that movie!"

Bella's Pizza

2008-02-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

If you drive through the town of Lee Center on your way to Camden, at the corner of Point Rock Rd. is a little Italian restaurant, Bella's. They have a full menu of Italian cuisines but specialize in pizza/wings.

The pizza is thin crust Sicilian style. The sauce has a slight sweetness to it that's different but grows on you. I enjoyed the pizza the first time I had it, and it seems to taste better every time I order there. Charlie's pizza in Utica has for a long time been the best-tasting, but Bella's is giving it a run for its money.

I've also tried the antipasto, lasagna, fried ravioli, canoli's and chicken riggies. Their pizza is much better than the rest of their offerings. Not that the food's not good, but it doesn't match up with the larger restaurants in Rome. Outside of the pizza/wings I've only really liked the riggies, but I'm a riggiholic :-)

There are maybe 2-3 tables inside for dining, and they don't deliver, so it's probably best to call ahead and take out.

The wrath of God

2008-02-02T15:11:00.000-08:00

For a good portion of my life I attended a Catholic church. A series of events led to me slowly drifting away from the Catholic Church as a whole, and culiminated around the peak of the pedophile priest scandal. I would read in the papers of million-dollar payouts from diocese around the U.S. on a weekly basis, and then go to church Sunday to hear another plea from Rome (Italy) for donations on a variety of reasons - knowing full well where that money was actually going.

So in short, I stopped attending the church and donating my time/money. It's my own personal decision and there are other factors that I won't get into in this blog. I was still dismayed and heartbroken at the terrible accident with Sister Dorothy Root of St. Joseph's Church some weeks back.

She was crossing the church parking lot shortly before a Saturday mass, and about twenty feet from the front door to the church, when a patron struck her with his car, trapping her beneath. Mass was continued while firefighters were still pulling the car off her. She was transferred to Upstate Medical where she continues to be treated for serious injuries. From what I've heard, life will not be the same for her.

She has been a constant presence at church events and you wouldn't know from looking at her that she recently celebrated her 80'th birthday. Always friendly with a smile and hello, she's been part of the foundation at St. Joseph's for as long as I can remember.

If anything this has driven me further from religion. She was steps away from what she's called "God's house" her entire life, only to have this happen to her. I can't accept "God works in mysterious ways" or "man isn't supposed to understand the will of God". This is a person who has devoted their entire life to the religion and is now suffering a great deal.

The Sisters of St. Joseph are accepting donations on her behalf.

Sister's of St. Joseph
ATTN: Treasurer's Office
385 Watervliet-Shaker Rd.
Latham, NY 12110

Make checks payable to the Sisters of St. Joseph, In Honor of Sr. Dorothy.

4 Season's Pizza in Marcy

2008-01-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

Take either of the Rt. 49 Marcy exits heading to or from Utica and you'll end up near the Marcy shopping plaza. Nestled next to the post office is 4 Season's Pizza. They have slices most hours of the day, and around lunch time a good variety of pizza.

It's deep dish style pizza with heavy toppings and an abnormally large amount of cheese. One of their specialties is called "chicken wing" pizza. It's topped with chunks of chicken but with little to no sauce, and meant to be dipped in a variety of sauces, but tastes good plain as well.

It's unique as pizza goes for the area. Although not my #1 choice, it's definitely among the top five pizzas in the Utica/Rome area.

The Lava at Turning Stone Casino

2008-01-24T20:23:00.000-08:00

My friends call me a degenerate gambler, but I prefer to refer to myself as a degenerate poker player. There is something about playing against other people and not the house that gives the false security that it's not gambling. While there is a great deal of luck involved, there is some level of skill and this is what keeps me playing. I can't sit and spend any amount of money on a game I can't statistically beat. But mix a game with a certain amount of skill used against other players of varying skill, with a large dose of luck, and it can be a deadly cocktail.

So on any given weekend you can find me playing at the small no-limit tables in the Turning Stone Poker room. I'm usually ahead, although I haven't kept exact records of my winnings. More than likely I'm dead even. Anyhow the game keeps my mind sharp, and I enjoy the grind, at least for a few hours a week.

This last weekend I finally got to check out Turning Stone's new night club, The Lava. It was a friend's birthday and a large group of us managed to secure a VIP box. The club is something that the casino has invested a lot of resources into and you'll notice immediately upon entering the many layers of security. Aside from getting wanded and then led through several gates, our friends with backpacks had to have them all searched and checked. I wonder how much of the security precautions stem from the incidents on New Year's.

After a short wait we were strapped with wrist bands and led down a twisting tunnel covered in red velvet, which felt a bit like being in a Willy Wonka movie. After promptly losing my sense of direction the tunnel opened up into the club, with what I counted as at least three levels high and a huge dance floor in the center. This was surrounded by different booths and VIP boxes layered outwards, much like a coliseum.

We were led to our box which consisted of a long red-velvet couch (pretty much everything, from the floor to the ceiling, was red-velvet), and various other tables and sofas. Because the casino has no liquor license, they have a BYOB policy, which I thought was going to bring down the classiness of the club. But everything was extremely professional. Ice and mixers were brought out in beaker-like glasses that somewhat resembled lava lamps.

Standing around were many security and casino staff. On the second floor overlooking the casino were some employees, and a friend pointed out some of the more public casino faces overlooking the dance floor. It didn't take long to feel like I had fallen straight into Goodfella's.

It only took three Captain and Cokes before I was ready to play poker. This, of course, is a major reason why the casino spends so many resources on The Lava. A liquored-up gambler will make poor decisions and spend beyond their limits.

Getting back into the casino was relatively easy. In fact, it looked like they had 2-3 employees dedicated to smoothly moving people back into the casino. What was a series of gates and checkpoints getting in was a brisk walk back out.

I located some friends and played poker periodically through the night, heading back in for a drink several times. At some point the security guys must have confused me being at a VIP booth as me actually being a VIP and having money (hah!), as they moved an entire crowd out of my way saying "Right this way, sir." Oh, to be rich.

And yes, I won some money. My speech may have been slurred and vision blurred but luck was on my side.

Laser Tag at the Fun Zone

2008-01-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

With the Judd Road extension getting to downtown Utica is easier than ever. If you follow the road past New Hartford and take the Champion Road exit, heading towards Genessee St., you'll arrive around the Casa too Mucha area. Here you'll find a new place called "Fun Zone", which features laser tag, arcade games, pool and more.

I had promised my younger brother and his friends a laser tag outing, so I loaded up the car and headed out. After much complaining, I made the mistake of stopping to let them grab a "drink", which ended up being energy sodas. Fourteen-year-old's do NOT need energy drinks! The drive couldn't end soon enough.

We arrived and had a difficult time finding parking. The small parking lot to the side seemed to be for the employees, judging by the triple-parked cars. I ended up parking around the corner at the gas station and walking back.

Fun Zone resembles one of the 80's-90's arcades that used to be so popular before gaming was brought into the home through consoles like the Playstation and XBox. It's smoky upon entering, but the air is clean to breathe (the smoke comes from the laser tag station in the far back).

Otherwise the layout is much like an arcade, with numerous games and coin machines. On the far side of the room are a row of pool tables, and in the back near the laser tag arena, two air hockey tables.

It's a 'G' rated place, someplace you might take your kids (as long as they're not old enough to be embarrassed). The staff is friendly and the crowd is mostly kids. It would be a good place to hold a birthday party. Everything is very clean and new.

We bought our tickets for the laser tag (4.50 ea.), and found out it would be a 30 minute wait. There were several parties waiting to go in front of us. So we spent the next while playing pool and hopping from game to game. If gaming isn't your thing, there are waiting areas for adults, both seating to the side and some booths set up where I believe you can order food/drinks.

Finally they called us for the main event. We were sat down and an instructional DVD was played showing us how the game of laser tag works. Each player was given a vest with a connected "laser gun". The vest has five small targets on the front or back which light up while playing. You have to aim your laser and fire right on the target to get a "hit" and shut that light off. Once either two or three targets have been hit, the player's vest shuts off and they're "dead" for the next 15-20 seconds.

We received our vests and divided ourselves into two teams, and while there were five of us, I ensured I was on the team of three. Because yes, I am that obsessed with winning! (There was some talk of a four on one, short people against tall people, but I quickly dismissed that as hearsay).

At last they gave us the green light, and we poured into the laser tag maze through two separate doors.

Inside was a fluorescent lit maze of various sized walls. Some were in the shape of T's, others just corner pieces. Immediately the boys took off running and it wasn't long before shots and screams rang out. I spent most of my time trying to find a nice spot to hide in, but the maze was too big, and more often than not I would settle into a spot only to get shot in the back. This is definitely a game of mobility and awareness.

The walls are translucent in spots and you can see players, and even shoot them through some walls.

I don't know how long we played, it seemed a short time but it was probably in the 10-15 minute range. Our team won, and my delicate ego was intact for the time being. I was exhausted by the end, probably because I've been flaking out on going to the gym, but it's very much a workout with all the running involved.

If you're looking to spend some quality time with your kids, or just want a place to dump them while you grab a bite, Fun Zone is worth considering.

Late night at J R Mother's

2008-01-04T22:32:00.000-08:00

There is a late-night restaurant on East Dominick my friends and I sometimes frequent on the weekends. I couldn't tell you the exact location, as I've only dined there drunk, but its in rough proximity to Cianfracco's subs and The Savoy. Over there...somewhere. The outside is unassuming and at first glance you might mistake it for a bar. On closer inspection you'll find its a "midnight breakfast" with signs advertising "Illegal Broccoli" and "Garbage Plates".

The inside has a homely feel. It's a restaurant, but something gives you the impression that you're sitting in someone's kitchen. You'll be greeted and seated by someone I've only heard called "Mother". I don't know what her real name is, but "Ma" and its many variants seems to work. She's old enough to be my grandmother, and yet I'm continually surprised upon every visit to find the business thriving in what is a rough part of town at that time of night.

J R Mother's downside is you won't get the superior service you'll find at any other restaurant. This is one person doing the jobs of many waitresses and a cashier. If you can be patient, and excuse Mother's occasional lapse in memory (she sometimes needs a gentle reminder), you'll discover some great food.

The two "famous" dishes are the Illegal Broccoli and Garbage Plate. I've not tried the broccoli, but everyone I've taken there who has tried it has enjoyed it. I have tried the Garbage Plate, however. It's a dish which apparently originated in Rochester or Buffalo. I'm not sure if the name comes from the appearance of the dish, or the nutritional value their in.

Mother's Garbage Plate is a bit different. With the name, you can't really expect much. But it's surprisingly good. In fact, it's probably one of the better dishes to come out of Rome. And yes, maybe everything does taste better because of my intoxication level, but hear me out!

The Garbage Plate is collection of hashed browns/home fries, with two cheeseburgers laid out on an oval plate, covered in heaps of macaroni salad. Each of the ingredients in itself might pass as nothing special, but combined they make a superb dish. Hot sauce is available and adds a kick to the plate.

So if you're ever in East Rome late at night and looking for some food, or just a cup of coffee, I'd suggest you check it out.

The economics of staying poor

2007-12-31T01:16:00.000-08:00

Americu - .75%

Rome Savings - .55%

Adirondack - .75%

It's been a while since the rates on simple savings accounts were over 1%. But I know there was a time, way back in my distant childhood memories, where a savings account was actually a viable tool for growing money.

Is it the area we live in? I find myself wondering if people living 100 miles to our west or south face these same dismal rates and choices which basically are no choice when it comes to a simple investment vehicle.

If I want to grow my money, it's CD's, bonds or stocks, all of which will tie up my money for a set amount of time. What about the families that are living paycheck-to-paycheck who want to try to save a little on the side?

With basic inflation at 3% the above rates are little improvement over keeping my money stuffed in a mattress.

AmeriCU is running radio commercials every 15 minutes about their latest "sign up a friend, earn $50!" promotion. It seems to go against the spirit of a Credit Union to spend so much money advertising. Whatever happened to paying back the shareholders? Why are instead of the banks competing against each other with better savings rates, we see the rates continually decreasing?

As a comparison, ING Direct (a long-standing bank moved online) is offering a 4.1% savings rate. No minimum balance. No fees. I've seen their savings rates as high as 5.5% over the last few years. They're able to offer such high rates because of low overhead. So I can earn more interest investing $20 with ING than I would investing $100 with one of the local banks.

I know that the area banks won't ever be able to compete with an automated internet bank, and I would much rather do business locally than with a faceless corporation, but I can't help but feel rates are intentionally being kept low in our area. And its created a vicious cycle of people who are poor and stay poor through no easy investment options available to them. Meanwhile the banks are making plenty of money from car loans and mortgages.

I hope the local banks are feeling the heat from internet banks like ING and others. I know I'm very close myself to moving all my banking online and being done with the local banks.

Popups reach cable television

2007-12-26T21:25:00.000-08:00

I've noticed recently that the local television commercials have become increasingly obtrusive. I mean the ones generated through the local Time Warner office. Not always those two annoying fish, but sometimes commercials for local car dealerships or restaurants.

You'll be in the middle of a commercial, maybe even an engrossing movie trailer that you really want to see, and then 20 seconds into the commercial BAM, in comes a Time Warner commercial. No fade out, just an abrupt jump mid-commercial into Billy Fucillo's next super huge sale.

It may not be that big a deal if the transition back into the commercials were somewhat smoother. But no, its just an abrupt jump back into the national commercials, this time a different commercial, for the last ten seconds or so.

I know little about cable television and advertising but it seems like what they're doing is illegal. Companies have spent millions of dollars on creating these commercials and paying to have them placed on national television, only to have them overwritten by a local advertisement.

It's cable television's equivalent of the Internet pop-up add, exploding onto our screen unwelcome and interrupting our viewing. And it makes an otherwise unpleasant experience (commercials) much more so.

"August Rush"

2007-12-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks to RomeHater for the plug on his blog, Rome, NY Sucks. When I was first looking to start a local blog, his was the first I found. Unfortunately I haven't found many others! Our area always seems to be trailing behind the rest of the states in all areas. Hopefully with the Griffiss Technology Park blooming we'll see more local citizens embracing and using this public space.

***************

In my boredom tonight I decided to go see what was playing at the theater. I'm old enough to remember when Rome Cinema didn't exist, and our choices were between nightly showings at the West-Rome drive-in and matinees at The Capitol.

Faced with a one-hour wait until the next showing at the Rome Cinema 8, I decided to drive to New Hartford. They have more theaters at their location, not to mention much more comfortable seats!

The movie selection is pretty bad at the moment. Outside of the fact that most of the movies are family-oriented and Christmas films, the plots just left me uninspired. Blame it on the writer's guild strike, I guess.

It came down to "American Gangster" or "August Rush", and I settled on the latter.

The movie revolves around an 11 year-old orphan boy August (Freddie Highmore) who runs away from his group home to find his parents. His mother, a cellist for the NY Philharmonic; and father, lead singer/composer of a rock band; had a one-night stand where little August was conceived. They lose touch, and through a freak accident, the mother is left to believe that her baby was killed (when in fact it was secretly given up for adoption by her father).

What this leaves us with is three seemingly connected people (August, his father and mother) leading separate lives. The movie bounces between the three, and we see where paths cross and opportunities are missed time and again.

The movie moved fast, maybe too fast. At times it felt like there should be more to the scenes, and it left me wondering how much the director cut from the film. Music plays a central role to the whole movie, as August (through superior genes) is somewhat of a musical genius. The whole movie slowly takes on a bit of a fairy-tale feel, and it almost gets away from us if not for the more serious themes in the movie.

Wizard (Robin Williams) is a street-kid-musician pimp who snatches August off the streets. Imagine all the worst qualities of the Artful Dodger mixed with the eccentricity of Robin Williams. For some time he plays the part of a somewhat likable bad guy. This deteriorates as he exploits August's musical talents for cash, and becomes convincingly evil.

I didn't enjoy the movie as much as I hoped I would. Maybe because I'm not a musician, and this movie seems to play so heavily to music. This is one I won't be renting again when it comes out on video

Winter driving is hazardous

2007-12-11T15:12:00.000-08:00

There is something morbidly entertaining about driving through the first storm of the winter, and seeing all the cars off in snow banks and cornfields. With the exception of the young, who don't know any better; and the old, whose poor eyesight led them off the road; there is that middle-aged group that just doesn't know when to slow down. The look on their faces as they stand outside their car, shaking their head at the pile of snow they're buried in, is priceless.

Of course, there is such a thing as going too slow. Like when its sunny and the roads are bare and/or wet, its not necessary to do ten under the speed limit because you see snow two feet off the shoulder. No, really, its not going to get you there. You can speed up.

But when its snowing, and you're driving in a car that doesn't have 4-wheel drive or snow tires, you have to slow down. Unfortunately some trucks and SUV's just don't understand what its like and will endlessly ride your bumper.

Driving down the road its not always easy to see the middle line. That's okay, as on most main roads you should see bare lines the tire treads of the car in front of you paved for you. In heavy snow if everyone just followed these treads we'd be fine. Unfortunately for us, there are people who will ride right on the line! This of course means we have to slow down and pull more over into our lane, the side of which is sometimes in deep snow which will "grab" your car and pull you off the road if you're not careful.

The absolute worst has to be the trucks with snowplows attached that, instead driving in their lane or into the snow a bit as they can, will drive as close to the line as possible. Their plow is sticking several inches into your lane meaning you have to move over and risk losing control over losing your driver's side mirror.

It would benefit us all a lot if everyone just slowed down and paid a little attention to what's going on around them.

I'm thinking bad Italian food

2007-12-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

I've had a handful of experiences (both good and bad) with Rome NY's latest fast food expansion, Arby's. So it was with mixed feelings I ventured into the drive-thru one lunch last week to try their new "sandwiches". Their sign advertised the new Chicken Parm and Meatball subs. Despite my past experiences there, this was something they could NOT get wrong...or could they?

I decided on the Chicken Parm. The speed of their service is on par with other fast food places around the city. My order was taken promptly, and food delivered at the window with minimum wait. I pulled off to a parking spot and unwrapped my sub. It was, like much of their packaging, pleasing to the eye. Unfortunately this is where the good news ends.

The chicken tasted slightly undercooked (not a first at this establishment). The cheese was not even close to mozzarella. But this cheese, I shudder to even call it that, was the kind of government cheese that you only find on a high school lunch cheeseburger. It was the most foul, bitter tasting cheese I'd ever let near my mouth.

Call me spoiled for having real Italian food, like Sophia's or La Roma's, within driving distance. With the many eateries around Rome, its hard to go wrong with a Chicken Parm, even on a questionable menu. But the Arby's imitation of the Chicken Parm is just that, an imitation. I would even go so far as to call it an abomination.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Meatball Sub was made of goat's meat.

I won't even try to describe the sauce (which makes the sandwich), only to say that it tasted like pure tomato paste. I found myself trying to wash it all down with the Sierra Mist I had ordered. Unfortunately for me, the drink had 95% seltzer water and tasted horrible. Please, if someone from Arby's reads this, fix your machines! This isn't the first time I've ordered a drink only to get a dose of seltzer water.

My recommendation to anyone who is in need of fast food is to steer clear of this place. While they've only been open a few months and still have some major kinks to work out, I won't be returning to them anytime soon.