Day Six: A Religious Experience

Marcus explained it as "congress with the divine." I felt similarly. My exact words were, "No resistance."

Today we ate at Katz's Deli. We stumbled upon it by accident.

While Ted, the Ted-man Tuttle, visited a friend close to NYU, Marcus and I perused the nearby eclectic corridors of East Village, winding in and out past the boutiques, pubs and book stores. After we passed this mini-urban environmentalist conference in this quaint park, Marcus inquired about food.

"You're the one with the smart phone. Can you find us something?"

After consulting Google, we were surprised to see the famed Katz's Deli only three blocks away. It was a New York miracle!



Quick background about Katz's Deli.

Jeff, my lab manager at BYU and a good friend, has talked about Katz's Deli with quiet reverence ever since his last New York visit. I was actually on the phone with him talking business as he was about to enter the place, when he was stopped from partaking due to a family emergency. The call went something like this, seriously.

"Steve, I see it. Oh baby, I'm almost there, almost to sandwich heaven."

"Katz's Deli?"

"You know it. I can smell it now. Oh mama, it's good. Steve, I bet that when I sink my teeth into that sandwich light is going to shoot forth from my fingertips. People are gonna have to shield their eyes. Do ya know what I'm talkin about?"

"*laughing* Oh, Jeff good for you. Don't kill anyone."

"Yeah, like I said...wait...oh, shoot. Oh no. I'm gonna have to call you back."

At that point Jeff hung up. Jeff relayed to me later that his father who was traveling with him slipped on some ice on the January sidewalk right across the street and broke himself. Jeff told me that his dad, who had pulled himself up into a sitting position, told Jeff to go in while he sat outside. Though Jeff dismissed his father's generous offer and took him to the hospital, Jeff did say that for a second he thought, "I wonder how long it would take me to just run it."

So, though spring sprung here in NYC, I was cautious as I got closer just for good measure.

Instantly upon entrance our noses were pampered by the butcher's noble gift to mankind - pastrami. And nobody does pastrami like Katz's.

It is juicy and warm and melts in your mouth, like an m&m's dream. For good measure, when you tell one of the guys behind the counter what you want, they cut off three slices of meat and put it on a plate for you just to close the deal. I was sold.



I'll take the Reuben.

Everything was fresh (I wouldn't be surprised if they made the bread), and it only cost me $17.50. And though I can't spend $17.50 every week at Katz's Deli, culinary nirvana doesn't come very often.

After dinner, I immediately called Jeff to thank him for showing me the path to enlightenment and to boast.

Here are other photos I took while roaming the streets.



East Village Mirror



Straight Shot



Roofs on Broadway



Sunset