Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for April 20, 2016

still, this is going to be a swell club

So, where is this Club Foote? In a suburban office complex?

Oh well, that will probably be where they wind up after they get on the wrong train, right? ;)

I have a bad feeling about this. Also, where are they getting all the money to be there in NYC? It’s very expensive.

I have to admit that I have my worries about this. Hope I’m wrong…

I’ve been getting the feeling that some of the inspiration for the Luann strip for the past year and continuing may be from the 2010 film Black Swan and the 2001 film Mulholland Drive. The latter is about Hollywood film actresses, and Black Swan is about New York Ballerinas. The Fuse is a dinner club with live actors. Luann and Bernice need to grow up and be less nerdy and conservative. In Black Swan, Natalie Portman’s character, Nina, is struggling to grow up, as well as get free from a controlling mother who holds her back. The struggle is affecting her artistic career as well as her love life. Another ballerina is a bisexual girl, Lily, who has occasionally flirted with Nina. Lily takes Nina to a disco, against her mother’s wishes, but has a positive influence on Nina in terms of loosening her up. Nina eventually does better artistically, and launches a romance with the dance director. It seems that Pru is having a similar positive influence on Luann and Bernice. Mulholland Drive involves a lesbian actress, and another actress who ends a passing relationship with her to marry a man who is a film director. Also, the two girls get up in the middle of the night to go to a club, just like Luann and Bernice in New York. But Mulholland Drive is also about mob influence on the production of a film. Enter Mr. Gray. I think that Gray, and his nephew Leslie, are mobsters who have been helping the DeGroots with the Fuse so they can use it for a covert purpose such as money laundering. I expect that those two will eventually be exposed and jailed, and that the DeGroots will pick up the pieces of their business. (Incidentally, Black Swan appears to be a blending of Mulholland Drive with the 1976 film Carrie.)

Luann, Luann, we hardly knew ye…

Hey – Berneice just grew a pair…

Very nice art work. I don’t know anything about New York, don’t care to, but this adventure seems a little dangerous.

We are looking at a storyline about Luann and Bernice going to a nightclub, and after three days of this story, they have only just managed to leave their hotel room. And they still have a subway ride and a taxi ride to go before they get there.

Anyone want to bet on the date that we will see a strip in which Luann and Bernice are actually inside the club?

Hope the cabbie doesn’t look like Travis Bickle.

Bernice in heels?? o.0

Something bad is going to happen, I feel it in my bones :-(

Strange, I expected Luann at least, to be wearing a ton of makeup and lipstick, that makes it look like her lips are gigantic!

New York isma large city. Seven subway stops is not too much and who knows where they are? Although being on a tall hotel says Manhatten. Leaving that time of night is not unusual but it shold be quite an adventure for thses two girls.

We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore, Luann

either they’re idiots or greg isn’t going to accurately portray new york

I’m just trying to figure out what club they could be going to that requires them to cosplay as Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren, because no 18/19-year-olds I know are headed out to the club dressed like that.

The city that never sleeps…

I’ve never been to NY! Is it safe for two ladies to go out that late at night? Unless it is a Saturday Night.

Umm…… why do I feel an “Uh Oh” brewing??

They both look like they are dressed to go to the office, not a club.

Remember the effect Dez’s brownies had on Bernice? .

Wonder how she’ll be with a few real drinks in her? Could be epic.

Better keep that phone hidden in the subway! They kill for those in Chicago!

Greg 4∙20. Is that a political statement, I wonder?

If they don’t get raped and murdered on the way.

Clubbing. That’s what’s important to people with less wisdom than a house plant.

On a vacation in New York, I was the leary one, when my wife decided that we would walk back to the hotel from Grand Central station at night. For the rest of our stay, we did a whole lot of walking and sightseeing. It was fantastic. Hopefully we will be able to make it back there, this year….planning on attending the US Open night matches on the middle Sunday, this year.

Shouldn’t it be Hotel Sikh?

Clubfoot. LOL!

This club is going to be the opposite of what they’re imaging. You can’t just show people “your” New York. They have to be free to see their “own” New York.

Get ready folks, she’s going to have a big surprise at that club. But on another note, why are they dressed like they’re going to work, or a job interview? Where’s the “party” clothes???!! This is NYC folks!!

I don’t see why people are so worried, a short walk, a subway/cab ride, & they’re at the club.

The club may likely be in Brooklyn.

Today’s NYC isn’t the same of the NYC of the 70s – or, heck, even of the early 90s. The ladies are going to be fine.

I think the worst thing that’ll happen to them is that the club will be weird or boring. Or maybe they’ll fall asleep in the cab because they’re squares.

Seven stops plus a cab ride makes me think that the club is in some industrial neighborhood in Brooklyn. Or maybe the Bronx, since Pru doesn’t seem like the trendy hipster type who’d hang out in Brooklyn.

7Oh oh! The set-up here lends a sense of trepidation. I do hope that Greg is not planning something dangerous or scary happening (a near mugging or something else for instance). I am hoping this set up is just a “red herring”.I guess with my very limited time in NYC, I cannot know for sure, but having spent considerable time in other large sized cities (Boston, Chicago, DC, San Francisco) it seems really strange to me to take a subway ride to then get a cab to go further. Is this a common approach for folks in NYC? How readily available would cabs be AT SUBWAY STATIONS… especially at night in NYC? I do realize cabs are driving around all over the place in NYC at all hours, but, it seems that being able to hail a cab at a subway station may be a bit risky and unreliable. From my manner of thinking about travel of this sort, it seems that in most bigger cities I have traveled, the subway stations are often where bus stop hubs also are found to allow a more reliable way of getting places. I would think it would be good for Luann and Bernice to at least know of an plan for knowing the right bus route to take. Even though I am hoping there are no plans for a “scary” sort of event transpiring… this set-up sure lends itself to that thought.

Luann is carrying a purse, this strikes me as a bad idea…

This will be the real NYC adventure!(they should have just cabbed the entire trip)

That’s just the party panties talking, Berniece would never say that.

What are they, about 18 or 19 years old? They will never get in the club. And they may as well kiss those purses dangling on one shoulder goodbye. Without ID’s they are going to have a little trouble boarding that flight back home.

I don’t think we are being set up for a mugging, and definitely not sexual violence (as is being trolled) , for several reasons. The city is safer now than in the bad old days, and that plot twist would be an unpleasant dig at New York. Finally, I trust Pru in making this suggestion. But there will be some surprise in store for us. Hang on to your hats, fellow readers….

I’m betting that we don’t actually see the ride, it just needed to be mentioned. Tomorrow, we’ll most likely see them at the club. I am betting we will have one strip on the subway, just for the interesting characters that Greg will want to draw.

Do they feel safer about walking through the streets late at night if they do so arm-in-arm?

Seven train stops and a short (?) taxi ride isn’t all that far in the big city. But there is a sense of foreboding, and I just hope that they get to the subway and then to the club safely!

A purse? Not so smart, Luann.

Hey, WHERE is that E-Stacy Babe? I Thought She was was gonna Guide you guys around instead of leaving you wander around recklessly like Lambs to SLAUGHTER.???

Uh oh! I hope this does not bode ill!

If they’re in Manhattan, they wouldn’t be the only ones out at that time. As a college student I was all over that city at all hours. Perfectly safe. But I can’t figure out the cab ride part. The subway should be able to take them within a few blocks of where they want to go. Unless those are stilettos they’re wearing and then I can TOTALLY understand the cab ride for a few blocks. And yes, cabs are available everywhere at all hours. NYC NEVER sleeps.

Reminds me of this song about the post-disco, pre-AIDS days in NYC…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7RRJT50dnU

It is amazing how many fearful people who have never even been to NYC imagine that the false rumors about things that people do every day or night like using the subway must be real. Yipes! It is exactly like people assuming that anyone in Appalachia has no education past sixth grade, or that no one in the Bible Belt can engage in logical reasoning, or that New Englanders are all cold moneygrubbers, or that Southerners smile at your face while stabbing you in the back, and the list could go on. You know it. Those rumors also exist. Do you embrace them? There are false, ugly and fearful rumors about every part of the nation which are sometimes clasped by people who do not know better.

Does some crime happen on the subway or elsewhere? Sure, but NOT at high rates.

Could difficulties getting to the club happen? Yep. They might take a train going the wrong way, which is usually not a hard problem to correct, or they might take the wrong train and the subway maps look like rodent mazes — which can be a problem.

Might they have a chance to meet someone this way? Yes.

Might they instead get to the club without getting lost? Also possible.

Seven subway stops on a line in Manhattan will not get you very far, so I highly doubt they will be leaving the city to go to the club.With regard to taxis, my experience has been that I have always been able to find a taxi near subway stops in NYC even late into the night, especially the larger stations. Taxis tend to congregate near subway stops since many people will take a taxi from the subway to their destination. I have never taken a bus in NYC, but I have taken many a taxi to and from subway stations.With regard to the expense – NYC is not necessarily more expensive than any other large city in the US if one is aware of how to navigate it. We know that these characters have received advice from someone familiar with the city, so it is not unreasonable to conclude they have been given tips on how to make the most of the funds they have. Further, the characters are young and may not have the same expectations of travel that older people may have. I know that I could travel much cheaper at that age (even adjusted for inflation) than I can now.

Awesome? Yes, it is. That’s NYC.

And regarding subways, seven stops can take you all the way out of Manhattan. Depends on whether you take a local train or an express.

They should take a cab both ways.

Hey, let’s cut away and check in on Gunther’s old girl friend in the mountains of Peru.

Thinking about express vs. local trains has called to mind an experience I had about five years ago. I was in NYC on business and had a free afternoon. I wanted to go to 5th Avenue as it is one of my favorite places to walk in NYC. I took the Lexington line to Grand Central, where I intended to take the 7 train west to 5th. I was not paying enough attention to what I was doing, and I mistakenly boarded the Flushing Express going east instead of the 7 local going west. I ended up riding it all the way to Queens just because I had never been there before (or since). I thought about wandering around Flushing, but once I got there, I decided to just take the express back to Grand Central then walk to 5th (which is what I should have done in the first place). When I told my wife about my little misadventure, she had quite a laugh. When she is in NYC, she always worries about going the wrong way and ending up someplace she did not intend to go. I have never worried about that but ended up doing it, whereas she has (as of yet) always managed to avoid it.

It’s the New York experience.

The hotel is probably in midtown and the club is probably downtown and 11:45 pm is very busy at night. They should cab or Uber it on the way back to the hotel though. And I’m loving Greg’s beautiful drawings of the people and sites of NYC.

Maybe Aaron Hill is waiting for Luann?

-Since Quill is allegedly working in a traveling show, that means he shouldn’t be in New York City (since the whole point of those shows is to try something out on the road before bringing it to a bigger city.)

So, if they have to rely on Quill for help, they may have a long wait.

I will continue to hope that there will be no mugger…

This is exactly why I continue to read this strip: sheer predictability. I’m pretty sure Evans graduated with a degree in “Foreshadowing.”

Someone has to teach bern how to dress up.

I do predict:.that we will see the Subway,.and meet a humorous cabdriver, perhaps a stereotype,.then get into the club, which may be quite different than expected,. and meet someone unexpected. Perhaps a non-New Yorker..That should take us to Saturday, maybe beyond. .The NY arc will continue through next week, and possibly as run long as the Valentine’s Day arc..

JPuzzleWhiz said, about 6 hours ago@gromit82We are looking at a storyline about Luann and Bernice going to a nightclub, and after three days of this story, they have only just managed to leave their hotel room.===Huuh? They have had active days in the city.

In New Orleans, a cab both ways is the only way to go. Maybe Quill will save them from the mugger they have to encounter-

Have to?

I am a senior citizen and have been doing day trips and a few overnight trips to NYC (without adults when i was in my early teens) since i was so ething like 14. Never got mugged.

Exactly! The NYC subway map looks like an advanced rodent maze.

As far as expenses go, remember Luann was planning on taking this trip with Quill…

Uh Oh…..

BTW, Sheriff, the Montana notes were real (though uncommon).

I have a cousin living in the Lake Effect Snow region, and i think she woukd like pulling a comment like yours w some people.

We used to sometimes visit Montana when the fair was in town. My Mom-in-Law would introduce me to people, wait for them to like me, and then ask, “Can you believe she lives in NJ?” Arrrggggghhhhh. To this day she assumes i must be unusual even though they visited several times.

Then again, another relative, this time in the SW, does not understand why NJ is called the garden state. Where we live we not only has more plant wildlife than her town does but also more animal life in wide variety. A three minute walk takes us the edge of a preserve, bird watchers set up near our street’s water retention basin, and a federal preserve and a neighboring county one are about a 10 minute drive away. Last night some foxes were calling quite a lot nearby.

Being a sweetie, i found you two gifts, Sheriff:

http://www.weather.gov/buf/wxhis.html

http://www.intellicast.com/Local/History.aspx?location=USNY0181

I did not realize the night temps can be that low there in certain months!

Imagine if they run into Quill at the club?? That would be the surprise of the year!!!!

The big city near me is bad and basically deserted after dark, but to get to it you have to go through neighborhoods that are like 3rd world countries.

Forgot to add the images when replying to mikey:Graduation:Prom:And one I remembered while looking those up:

Separated?Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I don’t think jeffbacon meant any real offense. Look at the way the desk clerk is dressed.No one means offense, but why not Hotel Jew. or Hotel Black Guy. Why bring it up? Stay away from this kind of thing.

Okay, refreshing the page helped with the prom strip, but the one I was supposed to see after that is still missing, even after multiple refreshes.

April 25, 2011.

Are they going to a club, or are they going to go teach middle school English?

Spoiler: still in Manhattan and feeling mighty.

-I noticed that, but your comment was posted first. I guess that’s one of the perks of being a PRO, LOL!!

Methinks they’re going to meet somebody really, REALLY cool!!! (At least, I hope so.)

wow! Luyank looks hot!

and Ms. Ra looks like her best friend.