My Review of Katz's Deli in New York City

Until this year I had been to New York a couple times before but never made it to Katz's Deli. 

"I've been to Carnegie Deli, that's close enough," I thought. 

This trip was going to be different. I was going to go out of my way and head down to the Lower East Side to Katz's to see what all the buzz was about.

I left the touristy glitz of the Theater District and caught the F train down to Houston Street. The neighborhood looked a little sketchy. Still I continued a to walk a couple blocks over to Katz's where I saw a long line around the building. This was a good sign.

In line the I overheard someone saying this place was a tourist trap. After about a 10 minute wait I got inside to what reminded me of organized chaos. I was handed a pink ticket and told to get in one of the six lines to order. The place was packed.

I was a little put off by the crowd, the confusion of the whole process, and the comment that I overheard in line that I was at a tourist trap. I was starting to expect disappointment.

Then I got to the front of the line and ordered a pastrami sandwich on rye. The guy cut me a sample piece and gave it to me. "Holy S**t!, Amazing!"

Then the guy next to me in line said, "I'm from Queens. When I want the good stuff, the really good stuff, this is the only place to come."

And he was right. This sandwich was amazing. Better than any other sandwich I have ever had. It was worth the trek out here. All I could think was that I was glad I didn't cop out and go to Carnegie instead.

So if you're in NYC mark this down as a definite stop for lunch. This place has been around since 1888 and they are still here with a line out the door for a reason!

Katz's Delicatessen - 205 E. Houston Street - katzdeli.com 

Axiom 43: Serendipity Through Meditation

"Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice. Better than knowledge is meditation. But better still is surrender of attachment to results, because there follows immediate peace." -Bhagavad Gita

"Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity." 
-Swami Sivananda

Many successful people meditate. Steve Jobs meditated. Many large companies in silicon valley now have meditation rooms. Meditation is no longer a religious activity or some obscure backroom hobby - it has gone mainstream. So, should you try it?

For one, meditation offers you a stress-free release from the world. It allows you to clear your mind, relax, and gain mental clarity and control. It teaches you to block out the useless noise in our modern world.

Some of the other side-effects may not be noticed for weeks. Solutions to problems may just come to you as you get use to clearing your mind to focus in a different way. You may notice that the things at work that use to stress you out no longer bother you.

It all sounds great, right? So how do you meditate?

Here are a few beginner guidelines:

• Block out about 30 minutes 2-3 times a week to start.
• Find a quiet spot where you can comfortably sit up straight on the floor with your legs crossed.
• Buy a meditation music soundtrack from Itunes to listen to while you meditate.
• Close your eyes, have controlled deep-breathing, and clear your mind.

You must remember to totally clear your mind. Try not to think about anything. It can be really hard starting out to do this but practice will improve this. Just focus on your breathing and concentrate on the area between your two eyes - this helps keep the mind clear.

Try meditating for at least one month and judge the results for yourself. You should find that your overall stress and problem solving skills will improve.

Axiom 42: You Are What You Wear

"Good clothes open all doors." -Thomas Fuller

"You'd be surprised how expensive it costs to look this cheap." -Steven Tyler

In 1971 the Stanford Prison Experiment took a small number student volunteers and put them into the roles of prisoners and prison guards to see what would happen. The goal was to research the causes of prisoner / prison guard conflict. After just a short while the students internalized the roles so much they had stepped beyond the predicted behavioral bounds to create some borderline dangerous situations. So much so that the experiment was stopped early.

I would argue that the Stanford Prison Experiment proves the power that clothing can have over human behavior. The students dressed as guards started to internalize the authority that wearing a badge gave them. The students dressed as prisoners started to internalize the savage and reckless behavior that wearing a prison outfit exudes.

It makes me realize how important clothes are in how we are treated by the world and how we feel about ourselves. Ever put on a good suit or nice dress and felt like a million bucks? Did you feel like people treated you with a little more respect?

A few years ago when I would go out to my favorite local bar I would always run into a guy who simply called himself "Big Time". (That's his picture with me above). Every time I saw him he was always wearing a different handmade suit. I saw at least 20 different suits over the course of the few years I would run into him. He told me he only would only wear a suit for one night only. Pretty interesting, huh?

If Big Time had just worn a t-shirt and jeans every time I saw him I would have probably never noticed him. Other people would not have noticed him. He would have blended in the crowd. He wouldn't have got the admiration and respect that he did. 

When Big Time walked in to a place people were excited to see him. I looked forward to seeing what new suit he would be wearing. People would shake his hand and offer to buy him a drink. Ladies ran up to have their photo made with him. He was a local celebrity.

and it was all because of the way he dressed. Get my point?