Sitcom Kitchens I Have Loved

While watching one of the countless marathons on TV this weekend (I am sorry, soldiers who have died for my freedom), I started thinking about the greatest kitchens in sitcom history. Yes, this is what I do when I'm alone in my apartment with nothing to do. And you wonder why I travel all the time.

Anywho, I'm gonna go with these as my Top 5 (honorable mention: Diff'rent Strokes, because of the spiral staircase, which was pretty awesome).

5. Growing Pains--Lots of light in this one, and I like the idea of a bookshelf/nook by the kitchen table. Maybe a little overboard with the plants, but, hey, if that's what the Seavers like, that's what they like. Who am I to judge?

4. The Cosby Show--Nice layout. Doesn't look cramped. Tastefully decorated. And that cool fireplace. I also like kitchens that you walk right into from outside. One of my grandmothers had a kitchen that you could enter through the back door, and I think that's why I liked hers best of the Kitchens of my Childhood. Our kitchen was OK, but it wasn't better than anything in this Top 5. No wonder we never had our own sitcom.

3. The Brady Bunch--I like the layout and colors, and I've always liked kitchens with the ovens in the wall like that. Like everything in the Brady house, it seems like it should be bigger considering nine people were sharing it (10 when Cousin Oliver came). But the design is solid (nice work, Mr. Brady) and it feels like Alice has her own command center in the middle. The little window into the den and the sliding doors leading outside (watch out for footballs) are a nice touch, too.

2. Benson--The forgotten kitchen. Spacious, a checkerboard floor (like my kitchen!), windowed cabinets (like the Huxtables'), and a nice simple table in the middle. Seems like it would be a nice place to have breakfast in. I suppose it oughta be nice, seeing as it's a kitchen in a mansion, but, hey there are no guarantees in life. And as much as I like the idea of a bookshelf in a kitchen, I love the idea of a desk. Imagine a kitchen so big you can have a desk in it? Man, I have to get rich. Or become governor. Or be spun off from another sitcom.

1. Family Ties--The reason why I even started thinking about this list. It's the best. What else can be said? Lots of space. The nice island in the middle. The sweet stainless steel oven. Nothing too fancy but everything just right.

Of course, because everything has already been discussed on the Internet at some point, there's this slideshow with its own votes (kudos to them for the Benson shoutout, even if I question some of the other choices) and a discussion here that gives the Full House kitchen some well-deserved props. But I'm sticking with my choices.

You're welcome, America.

What I Liked About April

*Last Call, Lakeside Lounge
*The arrival of Emrys Henry Micholychak
*The Baseball Project, Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ
*The meeting of the Hockey Film Appreciation Society











*The Sigmans' return to Atlantic City
*Trampled By Turtles, Webster Hall, NYC
*Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie
*Celebrity House Hunting

*The space shuttle flight
*Kathleen Edwards, Webster Hall, NYC
*NRBQ, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY
*The willingness of people with cars to drive me places