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My little journey started on Friday, December 4, 2001, when a sportswriter for the NY Daily News by the name of 'The Mighty Quinn' wrote in his column that both he and Steve Buscemi would be appearing as guest bartenders at a charity event in Valley Stream. The event, to be held at a little bar/restaurant called P J Harper's, was designed to raise money for the children of Valley Stream who lost a parent on Sept. 11, 2001. Since NYC is only about 4 hours away by car, I decided, rather on the spur of the moment, to go and support this worthy cause. Joining me on this adventure, would be Soprano Sue, legendary Soprano fan and NYC area resident.

Previous to this trip, I had met a friend of a friend, who lived in Brooklyn, and knew the general area where Steve lives now. I couldn't pass up the opportunity, and took a quick cruise through that area, snapping a few picks of the local residences to get a feel for the place that he calls home. The neighborhood seemed very nice, rather upscale. (Learn more about Brooklyn, NY at www.brooklynonline.com.)

From there I headed back southeast towards a mid-sized (pop. 34,000) Long Island town called Valley Stream. It turns out this is the same town in which Steve grew up as well as the real live location that served as the backdrop for his semi-autobiographical film and screenwriting/directorial debut, Trees Lounge, a film in which he also starred.

So, I finally showed up with digital camera and mini-tape recorder in hand with the intention of trying to get some photos and/or interview with Steve for this website. I also planned to meet Soprano Sue and her nephew there. When I arrived, it was so crowded, I couldn't find them. The bar was pretty small, and already packed with people at 8:00pm. I bought a bunch of raffle tickets and then did my best to get close enough to the bar to buy a beer. As close as I could get was still about several people away, not really within shouting distance of the bartender.

After a minute or two of standing there, a guy turned around and asked if I wanted a drink. I thought he'd flag the bartender down for me. He asked what I wanted. I said, "Well, what are you all drinking?" He said, "Coors Light." I said that sounded good to me, and he just handed me a bottle. When I reached for my wallet to pay, he said, "No, no, it's on us." It turned out that the guy, and all his buddies standing around him, were local firefighters.

Before I knew it, I was 'adopted' by the guys of Engine 4 of the Valley Stream Fire Department. When I found out they were firefighters, I said that I should be buying THEM drinks, but they wouldn't let me. In fact, they didn't let me pay for anything all night (except raffle tix of which I bought many). Their generosity impressed me even more when I found out they were all volunteers. (It tuns out that most NY firefighters, except the inner city guys, are volunteer.) Amazing. Imagine putting your life on the line every day simply for the satisfaction of helping people.

Well, I was having such a good time talking to my new friends, that I almost forgot to look for Steve. I was standing pretty close to the bar all night, and didn't catch sight of him. At one point, there was a smattering of applause, and I thought it might be for Steve, but it was 'The Mighty Quinn'. Later, I finally caught up with Soprano Sue who staked out the overflow tent outside. No sign of Buscemi out there either.

So, I spent a very pleasant evening drinking beers and chatting with the guys of Engine 4. I really had a blast. They were so nice, that they even made sure I got back to the hotel safely at the end of the night. It really renews one's faith in humanity to know there are people like these guys out there. I hope to return to Valley Stream soon to repay their kindness and take these fine men out to lunch.

Even though I didn't get to meet Steve (I later found out from Mighty Quinn that Steve was held up in Florida with the "Baseball Wives" shoot), I was so glad I went. It was well worth the effort. Meeting some of the people of Valley Stream made me love New York even more. As testament to that, this Bostonian was wearing one of the guys' Yankees hats for half the night!

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