Grandpa's Fishy Scene

This is the kind of place that is busy from 4:00pm to 6:00pm for the Senior Special. This is the kind of place that has loyal customers that drop the line, "I'll have my regular". Where the waitresses have cute coffee shop names like Esther and Judith, and chat you up like they were your aunt catching up at the holidays. Seafare is all of this, that which makes it great.

Seafare is also the midway point between Grandpa McWeeney's house and ours. It has cozy booths and Manhattan clam chowder. It is the first restaurant I came to when I flew back from eight months in Spain. It is the only restaurant I have never seen change since I was a kid. My grandpa confirmed that they really haven't remodeled at all, other than adding in a scenic ocean scape to the back wall.

McGrandpa kickin' it before Thanksgiving dinner

My grandpa knows fish. At 97, he doesn't remember every detail. He does remind you of his age when he is forgetful, to give him a break. But McGrandpa recalls the important stuff, like where to get the best rye in town, how much the iced ginger cookies cost at Food4Less, and jokes about dying. He also knows where to get great fish and appreciates a fresh trout finished with a glass of wine or beer.

For some time now, I've been suspicious of my Grandpa's fishy aging rate- still driving, walking, and cracking jokes as if he was a 32-year-old chap back in New York courting his soon-to-be bride. Perhaps it has been his dedication to moderation in life. Maybe his 30 plus grandchildren make him youthful. Could it be the bike rides? His punny nature? Daily mass? Not popping pills?

 Or, perhaps, there's something in all the fish he has had over the years.