Welcome to the SALections!

We hope you find this newsletter inspiring and just maybe it will make you laugh out loud or shed a tear. Here we go.

May 2025

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PIZZA

So it's a little dough, some sauce, cheese and toppings and we cannot get enough of it.

Every day, more than 8 million pizza's are sold in the US and that doesn't count all the people who make it at home or buy frozen pizza in the supermarket.

That boils down to 761 slices of pizza every second. Holy deep dish! That's quite an obsession and on the day of the Super Bowl we buy more than 12 million pizzas.

Had the people in Naples, Italy had any idea in the 1800's, they may have invested in some pizza franchises. I tend to like more of the local spots than the big national franchises.

So in this May edition of the SALections as the season is coming in and your taste buds are excited for Spring, we are going to look at the best pizza shops at the Shore - Philly - NYC & Washington DC.

This is an unscientific survey, but we are talking to enough people to deliver something to you that is statistically relevant.

So let's begin and we'll start by going down the shore in New Jersey.

Margate / Ventnor / Longport / Somers Point / Ocean City

One pizza shop that keeps coming up consistently at the Shore is Capri Pizza in Ventnor.

​https://www.ventnorpizza.com/'

There is another Capri Pizza in Northfield that is also highly rated

​https://www.capripizzaandgrill.com/​

If you like the coal-fired variety - there are a couple places that get mentioned often.

Carluccio's in Northfield that has been visited by Guy Fierri and his team twice.

​https://www.carluccioscoalfiredpizza.com/​

Don't forget Bocca Coal-FIred Pizza in Margate

​https://boccanj.com/​

If you like Chicken Parm, Bocca will put it in the oven for you for 10 minutes to make it crispy which is pretty damn delicious.

OCEAN CITY NJ

In Ocean City, NJ the leader by a large margin is Puccini's wood-fired pizza. Another place visited by Guy Fierri and his team.

​https://picciniocnj.com/​

There is also Roma Pizza on the boardwalk

​https://www.romapizzaocnj.com/​

and the boardwalk favorite Manco and Manco

​https://mancospizza.com/ocmenu​

The line is usually long at Manco & Manco but it moves fast. It has never been my favorite. Kind of like Pat's and Geno's cheese steaks in Philly. They were initially the top draw, but there are much better cheesesteak shops now.

And while we are talking food, don't ever bring me a cheese steak with that Cheese Whiz bullshit. A real cheesesteak has provolone cheese on it - not some cheese whiz spread.

Brigantine / Absecon NJ

In Absecon there are a lot of folks who favor Calabria's

​http://mycalabriapizza.com/menu.shtml​

And another shop getting some love is Roman's

​https://www.romanspizzahouse.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=wix_google_business_profile&utm_campaign=10509303545475490680​

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If you are enjoying our exploration of hand tossed, coal-fired, deep dish, frozen and homemade then you are going to want to keep an eye on JUNE when we look at the best ICE CREAM shops in the area and JULY when we look at the best CHEESESTEAK SHOPS.

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In Philly, the standout pizza is Angelo's in the 700 block of 9th street.

Tacconelli's pizza on the 2600 block of Somerset gets a lot of votes

Pizzeria Stella on 2nd street has some fantastic pizza

LaRosa Pizza at Broad and Snyder is a known for a great pie.

Special thanks to our poster boy for this month's pizza feature, none other than Michael Baldino.

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TREASURE:

HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS

In this segment we look at artists who have made a significant contribution with their body of work.

HUEY LEWIS

Huey was named Hugh Anthony Cregg when he was born in New York City - on the 3rd in July of 1950. He is a singer, songwriter, actor, harmonica and xylophone player who has made a tremendous contribution to the music world for 50 years.

If you have one of his best hits CD's like I do, no doubt you wear it out. The music he delivers with his band will get you up and moving.

If you're saying you don't believe me. Well exhibit A - one of the greatest songs of summer. Let's get this party started with - BUT IT'S ALRIGHT - and just watch the people dancing in this live performance from 1994.

This may look easy, but it is so damn hard and Huey does it smoothly and easily....because he's Huey Lewis!

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Huey and his band were from San Francisco and they often collaborated with the Tower of Power Horns from nearby Oakland.

This is from 1985 and Features Huey's Sax player Johnny Cola and the Tower of Power Horns - this is "Trouble in Paradise"

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Huey didn't just sing - he captured audiences with his spectacular perfomances. He really never gets the credit he deserves - sure Bruce and John Bon Jovi are terrific, but so is Huey Lewis!

Huey deserves some serious props for his amazing career and his fantastic concert performances. There is no way you can sit down when this man is singing.

This is the POWER OF LOVE from 1987 live with the TOWER of POWER Horns

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Huey has so many other great songs. If you are not listening to him regularly - you are missing out. This man and his band should be absolutely TREASURED!!!!

Very few people are in his league - Huey Lewis & The News!

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CINEMA LOU

We are delighted at the SALections to have Cinema Lou share his thoughts with us as a Special Contributor.

He is a pure aficiando if the world of entertainment, who is also a regular on the Arch Campbell podcast. We are delighted to have Cinema Lou and his astute observations with us.

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So what’s your favorite pizza? Ask that question to a hundred folks and you’ll probably get 100 different answers.

A few years ago, I took my kids on a pizza crawl In Manhattan. We visited Lombardi’s, John’s and Joe’s. All were great. It’s hard to get pizza in NYC that isn’t at least good, but these were the top of the class.

Growing up in Brooklyn, I lived a couple blocks from Di Fara pizza, a place some consider the holy grail. Back then it seemed there was a pizza shop on every street, so we didn’t really venture out to try other neighborhood pizza places. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I finally tried Di Fara, at $5 a slice! It was very good, but there are great pizza places in most cities, and except for the curiosity, probably not worth the trip.

I live in the Washington DC area now, and you can get almost any kind of pizza here, and usually, pretty good. Although I love thin crust pizza, there is great Detroit style pizza in the area, and 2Amys, an artisan pizza shop, makes all the “ best of” lists. And many of the well known pizza restaurants, including Frank Pepe, the famous New Haven CT joint and Colonial Pizza, another famous CT pizzeria, have opened here.

When I visit NY, I always grab a slice, but there are decent frozen pizzas you can make at home as well. Home Run is a good Chicago thin crust pizza you can get at the supermarket. And, you can order Di Fara and other famous pies online. My favorite is Lou Malnati's, a deep-dish Chicago style pizza you can order. My freezer is packed with different variations.

I consider myself a pizza snob, but with so many good options, it’s hard to go wrong.

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PLAYLIST Plus

This is a new segment where we look at a classic song reinterpreted by a group that deserves your attention.

The first song we are looking at is...

How

How Deep

How Deep is

How Deep is Your

"How Deep is Your Love" by the Bee Gees

This is the Brothers Stone and the Get Down with

How Deep is your Love.

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And this is Sheer Elegance with

How Deep is Your Love!

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Great harmony from Sheer Elegance. Both versions are fantastic, but I lean a little more toward the Brothers Stone & the Get Down.

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4-24-65

It's a solemn day.

Today marks 60 years since my Dad passed on 4-24-65.

He was 37 and I was 8. Fortunately, I have great memories as we spent a lot of time together.

His pride and joy was his '64 Black Thunderbird convertible with red leather interior.

One year he put up the Christmas tree and the next day while I was at school, he surprised me by building a wooden platform for the tree and putting an electric train around it. I didn't care about any gifts that year, just played with that train 24/7.

I was lucky enough to get some great advice from my Mom's best friend's husband Al. He said it stinks that you lost your Dad, but life deals you a hand and you've got to play it. Your hand may be lousy now, but it could turn into a full house.

So for those of you out there who lost your Mom or Dad early in life, remember they are always with you and would want you to be the best person you can be. So do that, in honor of them.

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LOVE SONGS

Bruno Mars - Leave the Door Open

Bruno has so many love songs you can put 15 to 20 of them on a loop and have a special playlist for a night with your partner enjoying, Grenade, Locked out of Heaven, Marry Me, That's what I like, Treasure, Versace on the Floor and Nothing on You to name just a few.

Here is the sensational Bruno Mars with....

Leave The Door Open

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Versace on the Floor

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Billboard Awards 2017

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GRATITUDE

As we head into May, what are you grateful for and why?

GIVING THANKS

So what sprinkles your donuts as we move into May?

Are you grateful for the new season, fresh air, spring and your family and friends?

Well you better be thinking about your Mom this month as Sunday May 11th is Mother's Day!

Let's make a conscious decision to make EVERY DAY SPECIAL with our loved ones. Our time is precious and we are here for just a few moments, so let's make those moments count.

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THANK YOU – GRAZIE – MERCI – OBRIGADO

That wraps up the May Edition of the SALections.

The SALections is proud to sponsor the Fabulous South Philly String Band. The SPSB became special for our family as my Uncle Rocco played accordion in the band for 30 years. We have fond memories of the parade when it began on Broad and Oregon.

The SALections sponsors the South Philly String Band in honor of Rocco Filoso!

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Special thanks to Barb Berlin, a great friend and my former weekend news anchor & work wife in Richmond for her amazing proofreading skills. Thank you Barb!

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#SALections May 2025

#Pizza, #CinemaLou, #HueyLewis, #BrunoMars, #SouthPhillyStringBand, #MothersDay, #BarbBerlin

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#SALections

#Humor, #Confessions, #SaxSolos, #Concerts, #CinemaLou, #Gratitude, #GivingThanks, #PlacestoVisit, #Concerts, #Secrets #BarbBerlin, #Heroes, #OldPhotos, #Gratitude, #DayTrips, #Promises, #FavoriteDishes, #MomentsThatTakeOurBreathAway

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