Well Lads, It has been a year since the successful completion of last year's Brian De Vale's 2nd Annual 32 Counties in New York Pub Crawl! The mission: To have a drink and sing a a song with someone from every County in Ireland right here in New York within the course of one week! Last year the quest was completed in a record 4 days! At the conclusion of last year's crawl, while sitting and reflecting on all the folks I had met and the fun that was hadwhile doing so, I realized that I was sitting in a Mexican cantina. It was then and there that the thought for this year's tour was born: To met and have a drink with someone from every country in Latin America right here in New York! Well I loosened up the regulations a bit, being that not every inhabitant of the Latin bar/restaurant secene fancies him or herself to be the singer that most Irishmen seem to fancy themselves after a few belts.I also took into the account that some of the characters on this pilgramage were family or in businesses that ruled out alcohol so I cut THEM some slack and "drank their health" for them, after meeting them and geting an education. While I welcomed and, in fact, encouraged my newfound friends to share the songs, if the person felt more comfortable, they could tell me a story or interesting fact that they felt everyone should hear about their country or their experience(s) as a person from that country. The purpose of my wanderings has always been about meeting new friends and learning about them and their homelands over a drink and through the songs that tell their stories.They say "you can not understand a people until you can understand their music"; well add to this; "in vino veritas' and you have the makings of a real education-or at least a great time getting confused!!! I have endeavoured to make this year's mission a success while still fulfilling my many family obligations as well as my personal an professional committments. I welcome you along for the journey... PUERTO RICO EN EL BRONX In order to kick this tour off properly, it was important that I get the kids off to Abuelo and Abuelita's place up in the Bronx.. They would be in fine care with their grandparents,Ramon and Crucelina Rivera while Papi was off on his walkabout. I delivered the kids they ate and I sayt down "con los abuelos"... Ramon and Crucelina come from Vega Baja and Isabela, Puerto Rico, respectively. They come from the purest of "jibaro" stock: extremely poor Puerto Rican peasant farmers who tolied in the fields, picked fruit, chopped wood, mad charcoal, tended animals, fished and sold things along the roadside. The jibaros were an amzing people: they had nothing but their sweat, honesty and love to offer anyone;dirt poor but as decent as the day is long. They were a proud, noble people brought to New York like hundreds of thousands of others from the island during the US Governments "Operation Bootstrap". This vast Government-Business devised plan was a piece of social engineering that resulted in the upheaval of two societies. Puerto Rican families underwent huge, never before seen waves of emigration to he Mainland and US cities reaped both cheap labor. City landlords got a new set of poor tenants to take up residence in the decaying buildings of the Bronx, East Harlem and parts of Brooklyn which droves of GI returning from the war and their families were now abandoning to head out to the "suburbs". Sam Levitt and Robert Moses had made a new lifestyle possible with the development of higwhays and the newer homes that could be driven to by car. These same GI's weere also going back to college on the GI Bill and cheap labor would be needed to take their old jobs..Both Black Americans moving North from the American South to get away from segregation and in search of better job opportunities and Puerto Ricans fleeing abject poverty were often redlined into the same neighborhoods and eventually public housing projects. Abuelo was first recruited to come to the US by an American company with recruiters in PR, to come to work on a farm in Upstate New York during the laste 1940's. He was sent to pick fruit much like the migrant workers of today. He said the work was horrible and the conditions were awful, "we lived in unheated barracks and a man on a big white horse sat watching us and yelling orders, it was like slavery"..That said he felt he and his comrades had all been well accostomed to such misery and worse while working on the sugar cane plantations back home. He described that work as "hell". He sent every penny back home as he was the oldest of the family's children. When he went back to the island he was drafted into the US Army and sent to Korea.Once agin while on-duty he sent every penny home to his parents. It is intersting that Puerto Rican troops have served in every US War since the US invasion of the island in 1898 and most of these soldiers spoke little, if any English. An interesting fact to pass by the "English Only"' crowd. En route to Korea, after completing Basic Training in PR, his Unit was stationed for some additional training in the American South during segregation, Misissipi or Alabama, he could not recall. He told me a story that sounds almost impossible to conceive today but tells a long story about how far we as a nation and a people have come. Abuelo had an Army buddy in his unit who though serving in the Puerto Rican ranks was from St. Thomas US Virgin Islands. Now this fellow spoke English but also spoke Spanish and as St. Thomas lies closer to PR than to the US mainland I guess they figured he could serve with his fellow West Indians. Anyway, the two soldiers got a pass to travel off base and went for a sandwhich only to find out that the gentleman from St Thomas was "colored" and since he was black could not eat at the "white's only" restaurant. So the two GI's went to the other side of town where Abuelo was not allowed in. Now, Abuelo would be the last person to ever try to pass himself of as "white" and his very Indian features and "trigueno" skin would not allow it if he tried- but they understood that these poor balck folks trying to run their restaurant under the madness of segregation could not take a chance that they would be seen serving anyone who was not officially "colored".. The accomodation was made that they could "go around back" of the colored restaurant and be served take out food. And so they did. And thus, sat two US ARMY soldiers sitting on the curb of the street while preparing to go overseas to serve their country. My son Brian has a deep interest and love for Puerto Rico and talked about it all the time. Last year as a result of his passion we took a trip to Puerto Rico- a trip abuelo paid for to indulge the boys passion- to see the house abuelo's father built -by hand- with the money abuelo used to send home. It was funny to be sitting there speaking with his brother and nephew who live there today. All but one of Abuelo's siblings remained in PR and became professionals due to him always sending money home so they could stay in school- a luxury he himself never was able to enjoy. We also met one of his siters whose husband told similar stories of his time in the American South while in the Army, There was a recent documetary on PBS called the "Borincaneers" that tells the story of the trials and tribulations of one particular group of Puerto Ricans who served in heavy combat in Korea (this was NOT abuelo's unit) .. they talk about how Puerto Ricans have consitantly been among the highest casualties in major US conflicts and have a long history of service in protecting the U.S. Abuelo went on to serve in Korea.He came home to a depressed economy in PR and quicky emigrated to New York. He arrived with 28 dollars in his pocket and the coat on his back.He got a job a day after landing making chaisse- lounge chairs in a factory in Bloomfield, New Jersey. He eventiually landed a job through a paisano as a cleaner at the Plaza Hotel. He always arrived two hours before his official start time. He worked his way up to elevator operator, attended night school toearn English and get his GED and eventually landed the job he wanted : "bellman" at the same world famous Plaza Hotel. He worked there for 40 years. when he retired they gave him a small, decorative clock. He said without reservation: "My children's milk was paid for by the Plaza, my grandchildren's milk was paid for by the Plaza, my children's tuition was paid for by the Plaza. They don't owe me a dime." Abuelo went on to own the 2 family home he lives in today. He married Crucelina a few years after landing in NY and they have been married for over 50 years- a rarity in this day and age -and a tribute to Abuelita's patience, as aging "jibaro's" can be thick headed and tempermental. Crucelina worked all her years here and never missed an opportunity to provide coffee, a huge meal (and hand you a dollar or two to bet on a number) for any guest who showed up. This was old school. This is an example of the beauty of the Puerto Rican people and one more reason I say with pride : Ramon y Crucelina Rivera-may God Bless them y QUE VIVA PUERTO RICO"!!!! THE LIGHTS GO OUT IN SPAIN Having left the kids off and had a great conversation with the grandparents I headed of to Corona to meet my wife who was having dinner at a great Colombian restaurant called El Fogo Costena with two of her High School friends. The two ladies she was eating dinner with were part of what I call her "Dirty Girls Social Club". In case you did not read the book it is the story of five ladies of various Hispanic backgrounds who go to college together and how their lives unfold and the way their various Latin backgrounds influence their decisions/lifepaths..In the book they get together every Christmas for dinner, well into adulthood and call themselves by the tiltle of the book. Anyway, the wife and her three friends were each English Language Learners who attended High school here in NY together: The Mrs. was born in New York but moved to PR from 2nd-8th grades and returned to enter 9th grade after 7 years in PR's Spanish -speaking school system, Fina is from Spain and came here as a young girl, Ana moved here from Venezuela when she was 13 and missing in action was Marjorie Cepeda McNamara who came from Ecuador, also at about 13, but has since relocated to California. These are life-long friends who are always in touch with one another something that I think is a fantastic and if you are fortunate enough to have any you are truly blessed. Delfina (Fina) Sotelo is a gem. She is one of the most genuinely funny people one could ever meet. It is also obvious despite her constant joking about all things gallego that she is extemely proud of her Galician Roots. Fina is not simply "Spanish" she is a Gallega. Gallegos or Galicians as they may be called in English hail from the far Northwest corner of Spain just above Portugal. Many gallegos have told me that their language -NOT A DIALECT- is more closely related to Portuguese than Spanish. They are probably the strongest keepers of the original Celtic Spanish culture and traditions. In fact, it was telling that when I arrived she an ana were discussing where to get a good "gaitero" or bagpiper for her parents 50th wedding anniversary. The original inhabitants of the Iberian peninsula were the "celtiberos" or Iberian Celts. These tribes that arrived on the Iberian peninsula from western Asia over centuries of migration made their way to Ireland and eventually Scotland: bringing with them their language, culture,arts, music knowledge of metallurgy, weapons crafting etc. To this day the winners of international bagpiping competitions are often fro Spain-usually either galicia or neigboring Asturias. Spain was changed from its Celtic cuture by the many invasions that took place over the centuries:Visigoths Romans Moors etc.. However, the Moors never conquered the north and it was at the famous "Battle of Covadonga" that the Christian under El Cid-come on you remember Charleton Heston- began to reclaim the parts overrun by the Moors.. Well Galicia remained galicia -Spanish yes-but also something more.. FINA I ordered a nice Colombian beer called "Aguila" and Fina took off with a charge- She began by singing me a traditional Galician song called Olinas and then sang a more spicy one with words to the effect of "dime con quien bailaste y te dire quien..." "tell me who you danced with and I will tell you who you.." Fina tells of breaking her arm as a child in rural Galicia as a child and of her parents getting the veterinarian to set her arm which explains why she can bend it to a seemingly impossible angle .. She alaughs as she shows how she can bend it.. She tells a very funny story of the blackout back in the 1970's. Her parents were "poor rural farmers who had jobs lined up for the before they got of the plane and they each worked those jobs for 40 years until they retired" (Does this sound familiar? Is a common thread emerging already?) Anyway, as both her parents were always out working and her teenage brother was out with his friends she took pleasure in watching the 9:00 pm novela or spanish sopa opera.. She lived in one of theose buildings where if too many people turned on the Air Conditioning at once ad then someone turned on another major appliance-the power went out- because a fuse would blow.. So here is poor Fina -she turns on the air turns on the T.V and BOOM! the power went out. Now she figured she had done it and that someone would change a fuse and -presto-the lights would come back up. No such luck. after a few minutes she looked out the window and sw that the entire neghborhoods lightswere out-AND SHE THOUGHT SHE DID IT!!!! I remember walkig home down 37th street and seeing the DONT WALK sign on 34th ave begin bliking like mad and then seeing all the lights go out as I walked home pat the schoolyard with my childhood pal Johnny Caruso at 9:00pm..that night.. Little did I know that 4 blocks away Fina was worried that it ws all her doing. Fina is a gem- she is fun, proud and a fountain of information about the Spanish and Gallego cultures. Gracias VENEZUELA Ana Rodriguez Gonzalez is a classy, quiet but equally funny person. Ana was born in La Guaira, Venezuela. I asked Ana if she could think of a good song and she told me that though she was born in Venezuela and attended school there she never really felt very "Venezuelan". You see, Ana's parents like Fina's were born in Galicia and had emigrated to find better employment. But after school the girls were kept at home and were not out and about and at home they spoke Gallego and lived in that atmosphere more tha in the native Venezuelan fashion .It is also at the Celtic roots of the Gallegos: No matter how far they roam they all get misty eyed at the mention of their homeland or the sound of the "gaitas"and they all dream to some degree of returning to Galicia. They are a people spread broad and wide all over the globe especially in Latin American and the U.S. There was a song a few years back that made fun of them saying "Hay un Gallego en la Luna" (there is a Galician on the moon) poking fun at how they seem to be everywhere .I found this interesting as I know Americans who dont really think much of themselves as "Americans" but rather identify with the culture(s) of their parents. It was interesting to hear this perspective from someone from Venezuela. When she came to New York, Ana's family sent the kids like all good Gallegos in Astoria to El Circulo Espanol". I spent many a Saturday night during my teenage years in that locale as it was always a great place for Spanish music, dancing, culture AND BEER!!!! El Circulo is still in operation and was a great invention for families to teach the new generations the language, grammar, traditional dances and to set up prosepective couples for future weddings. Ana's Husband is Cuban- born but also of Gallego parents. Hey, give the people some credit-they keep it together and keep their culture alive-and are hard working and successful, driven folks. Now that is networking! Well, to humor my mission Ana mentioned that the big singer during her time in Venezuela was "El Puma" also known as "Jose Luis Rodriguuez", a former church singer with a very powerful voice who found there was more money to be made driving las muchachas wild doing a Latin Tom Jones act.. Alright so I fess up he had a couple of good songs and I owned a copy of the album,, Guilty as charged, "CULPABLE SOY YO"!! I finsished my beer and was off to the Andes. ES MI PERU I drove down Roosevelt Avenue in search of Signs representing the more obscure countries..Mexican Bars were everywhere here and would be hitting one later tonight. I spied a sign that said Peruvian Restaurant. I pulled over too park and the snow everywhere ceratainly added to the atmosphere. There were police everywhere which gave the area the feeling of the streotypical banmana republic- It felt like living in a police state. There were vans pulling over drivers and checking License/Registration, dozens on foot patrol- not welcoming as I was heading in for a beer. well the restaurant is called El Pollito Dorado and it is clean and neat and I ordered a beer called" Cristal"-it said "A beer from the Andes" on the label- and it was great. I asked the waitress if the owner was in and a nice young man named Junior came out and we spentten minutes talking about New York's Peruvian Community. He said theywere spread out unlike most Hispanic groups and kept in touch more through soccer leagues than bars and social clubs. He got a kick out of what I was trying to do and he recommeded I go the the Argentianian place a block up and I took his advice. Argentina La Cabana Restaurant is as crowded as it is small. from the street you can look in the window of the grill room. All kinds of fine cuts of meat are lais about la parrilla or grill.. I walked in only to bump into the last person on line who ws literally halfway out the door. A man pushed in behind me with his family behind him and yelled en espanol to the host "The famous Hugo told me no reservation was necessary".. Lots of luck he was told Hugo ws not in and even if he was there were no tables available- This was a VERY argentinian crowd but was also very Argentinainly crowded-so I asked the man behind me where he ws from when he said Argentina I shook his hand wished him well and headed off promising to have abeer at another locale for him as I had no interest in sitting in a crowded steakhoue as this was a PUB CRAWL!!! Uruguay As I pulled up to El Chivito D'Oro III I realized there were again police everywhere. This time it was to cordon off an area where a fire had just been put out. It was on 37th Avenue and 84th street. The fire had taken our 8 stores across the street. I pray nobody was injured. That said I could not helpaughing hen I saw on of the stores was called "ACME FURNITURE", I had never seen anything called ACME accept in Bugs Bunny /Road Runner Cartoons.. Anyway, the place was mobbed. I ordered a Uruguayan Beer called Pilsen and a nice Morcilla. I know Uruguay and Argentian share a border but it was apparent that they share something else :A LOVE OF MEAT!!! I will definitely be coming back to eat here with my wife as the grill looked GREAT. I shook hands and spoke with the manager" Martin" from Montevideo who was very kind and spoke to me for what time he could, but his place was very busyas even cops were coming in to eat and or get out of the cold. Martin invited me back and said he would talk to me at length.I thanked him for the beer and I will take him up on that offer. Colombia As luck would have it I was driving down 37th Ave and spied a neighborhood bar that I have not been in in many years. a dear childhood friend who was even in my wedding party used to bartend there to make extra money in between his gigs as a scout for Major League Baseball. As I have stated above having firends since childhood is a gift and a blessing- as this fellow's friendhip meant agreat deal to me I was quite hurt when for some reason or other he stopped returning my calls. It got back to me that he was upset that I did not attend his father's funeral. I was caught totally bewildered as nobody even called me to tell me his father had died. Anyway, being one who believes that there are few problems that cant be worked out over a few beers and conversation I pulled up and went inside to see if he was on duty. He was not. I decided to order a beer in honor of the gentleman from Argentina who I had met earlier in the evening-and I drank his health! I made few inqiries about my friend and found tha the had not been around for a few years. C'est a vie.. As I sat talking to another fellow a very loud woman stepped behind the bar making good natured fun of one of the patrons-in very heavily accented English. Iasked her where she was from and she said Colombia- another Coors Light please!!!! Her name was Mailyn Villariny and she was from Medellin Colombia. When I asked her if dhe sang she quickly said "no". So I expalined what I was about and she said that what everyone should know about Colombia is that "we "make the best perico and marijuana" and she began laughing hysterically..When I laughed but expalined that this was not the type of answer I wanted to share with the world she got serious and said "Gabriel garcia Marquez is a Nobel Prize winner for literature and I forget but let me call someone" . She made a call on hercell and went on to tell me that Colombians are proud of Fernando Botero, who is world class Sculptor . I offred to buy her a beer and she said she" could not because she is taking medication-but if you could give me the "plata" I would be very pleased-so she got the price of a pint I got a Colombian story and had my beer".. And I was off for Paraguay... Paraguay 9:00 p.m. So I arrived at the "I Love Paraguay" Restaurant on Greenpoint Ave.in Sunnyside just as the lights were going out. We lived in Sunnyside for a few very happy years after we got married it isstill a wonderful, clean neighborhood full of Koreans,Chinese, Indians, Irish, Hispanics of every denomonation and more recently Romanians and middle eastern folks. The door was unlocked and I walked in but the staff was already dressed with their coats on to go home. I gave a 30 second explanation of my mission and they were absolutely lovely. (What more could be expected from a bunch of Paraguayans set upon by my six foot two hundred pound bearded self with a guitar slung on my back asking about paraguatan beer and music at closing time?) They told me that their national Song or at least one they are very proud of is Recuerdo Ypayraii..If I have misspelled this it is due to my handwriting getting sloppier as the night wore on.. They also told me sadly thet there are no Paraguayan Beers sold that they are aware of in the States. I offered to take them next door to the BlackThorn Irish pub for a pint but they were obviously a family and looked beat- so instead I asked what I could buy to take home to my kids. She packed some lovely looking large stuffed cookies and she insisted I come back to have dinner there with my wife at a more reasonable hour- The kids loved the cookies and I will try to swing by as I often pass the place on my way back to Astoria.. The empanadas and a few other specialties look inviting -BUT THEY BETTER GET SOME KIND OF PARAGUAYAN BEER UP HERE-PRONTO!!!! I remind you this is a pub crawl, not a coffee clatch!!!! ASTORIA :SAMBA CAPITAL OF THE WORLD I turned onto 36th Avenue on the way to my mother's house to meet up with my brother Michael. 36th Avenue has really been revitalized. What used to be avery industrial area now is loaded with fancy restaurants and a nice etnic flare-Brasilian flags dot the landscape. I wandered into a bar that looked like my kind of place-El Quijote Bar. I t was dark, cozy, had a pool table with a couple of guys playing. It was a fine place and the music on the jukebox was a nice mix, other than it being a bit too loud for my taste. The barmaid came over and I explained my purpose-she thought it was cool and I could tell she was pleased that I had added Brasil even though it is not a Spanish- speakinhg country. Her name was Cristiani and she took out two Coors lights and we toasted "Saute" as they say in Portugusese, please forgive me if I murdered the spelling. She hails from Espiritu Santo in Brasil.She looked at my list and saw waht countries I was misssing ad pointed to a bunch of guys that were Mexican but I was saving that honor for a future stop later that night. She said if I stayed long enough she had several groups coming in that would fill out most of the sheet. I asked her if hse sand and she nodded no but told me "one thing everyone should know about Brasi,l is that they should stop destroying the rainforest in the Amazon". I was quite pleased with this answer as she was dressed in a leopard skin miniskirt. Most barmaids in Spanish beer joints look like they are dressed out of frederick's of Hollywod catalogues-not that i am complaining- real me like atractive women dressed provacatively- but her insightful answer was refreshing. Now the other barmaid that came on duty after I entered, I am told was from Colombia, she was dressed in an outfit that left nothing to the imagination so having already gotten a signature from Colombia I pushed no conversation. Then entered a fun looking couple. La Brasilenna told me the woman in the pair was Cuban. He wasa fun loving little guy who everyone called Chelsea because that was the hoetown football club from his home back in England . He liked the idea right away when I asked where his partner came from and asked her to sign the paper. She thought it was some kind of scam. I taold her what I was up to and we had a long conversation en espanol afterv which I aksed if she was cuban how come she had a Puerto rican accent-she replied that she was born in Havana but like many left as a child and was raised in PR. There is a large number of Cubans who went to Puerto Rico after Castro took over; Many went into banking, commerce and enjoyed great success there. I believe Puerto Rican singer Carlos Ponce is of Cuban parents. Spanish- born Cuban National Poet Jose Marti once famously wrote :Cuba y Puerto Rico son dos alas del mismo pajaro" Cuba and Puerto Rico are two wings of the same bird".. The relationship is old and goes back to colonial times. In The great Puerto Rican short story/play "La Cuarterona" one of the main characters was Cuban-showing even way back then how strong the cultural ties were that were being forged between the two islands. Anyway "Juanita agreed to let her little englishman sign her in and he wrote it as only an englishman could "Quanita"... We toasted : Viva Cuba Libre.. and I wished them a fine evening! COMO MEXICO NO HAY OTRO I stopped by my brother Michael's house but he was just getting showered so I told him to meet me up the block at TACOS MEXICO. Now I love this little hole in the wal and have been going there for yearsl. Most people come into the restaurant for the first class, authentic Mexican meals. I always head straight to the back room -to the bar. It is a clean truly Mexican setting. A place where tired Mexican folks can come to get a sense of home. Ranchera music blasts on the jukebox and Claudia the barmaid serves cold beer with a kind, Mexican grace. Now keeping in mind what I have said about the dress code for barmaids in many Latin bars- you wont find that here. Claudia has a family is there as a kind paisana for the men who spend long hors doing hard work and send most of their money home. I asked Claudia her hometown again for the reord and she signed for Guerrero Mexico. I asked her to sing but she laughed and said the best Mexican song is "Los Caminos de Guanajuato" by Jose Alfredo Jimenez.. I gave her a dollar and she played it. As I had been hitting may bars (dont worry-car was parked long ago-this is a PROFESSIONAL-RESPONSIBLE pub crawl we are on foot now!!) and I wanted to hit a few more, I was puzzled why the song took so long to come on. It turned out that a little fellow in the corner with avery very long goatee had put 5 bucks in the jukebox just befor Claudia so i got to hear him sing along with many a song as I had another beer or twountil she gave me the sign-her song was on. It wa a standard ranchera number , well sung and passionate. When it ended I thanked her for the service and the song-gave a viva Mexico and slipped out into the night. THE WILD GEESE I wouund up at cronin and Phelan's for a drink with my brother Mike. As i got to the pub tretired firefighter Mike Wren was out front having a smoke. We chatted and a large disturbed looking fellow came up smoking and started talking to us asking what year we graduated because he was back from the Navy and wanted to look up everyone from his old neighborhood. I slipped inside and dave the barman pulled me a pint of my standard Guinness on sight. The big man came in and ordered something as well and sat next to me and Mike Wren. After a minute he asked what kind of guitar was in my bag and what I played-I replied "Yamaha accoustic/electric and I play folk/ballads/country/Irish/Spanish/John Denver Johnny Cash" he said "nice I gotta go for a smoke".. he left and never returned. As he walked out Dave asked in his Cork accent "Brian do ya' know that fella" I said "no".. to which he replied ""Cause I just took the price of your pint out of his money"!!! I replied "Oh in that case yes-he is a friend".. My brother Mike showd up and we chatted for a bit..After a beer or two we walked up to Doyle's Corner. Doyle's Corner was hopping! karaoke was in full swing and I signed Mike and myself up to do a song each.. They must have had some list because after an hour and afew beers they still did not get to us and we decided to take the show on the road.. We would up at Lavelle's admiral's Lounge on 47th and Broadway. Pat the owner was away on vacation but his daughter Danielle made him proud-she ran the place like a pro! There was a guitar player and singer and they did a nice job and then Danielle threw on some saw doctors and I spun some Wolfetone's rebel songs.. A nice way to end the first night of the 32 County Pub Crawl's latin American Kick Off- cursing England to the words of James Connolly : God's Curse on you England, You cruel hearted monster, Your deeds they would shame all the devils in hell, There are no flowers blooming, but the shamrock is shining O'er the grave of James Connolly, the Irish Rebel!! 10 countries down in one night!!! 11 to go!!!! Tomorrow night: A SESSION in the Woodlawn Section of the Bronx and EL REY DEL MANGU on DYCKMAN STREET For dinner in the Dominican Republic!