Sunday, July 23, 2006

Mellow weekend

Met Jen & Scott for drinks at Industria Argentina in Tribeca, then we grabbed dinner at MaryAnn's.

I laid very low on Sat. Stayed in and watched the pilot episode of Miami Vice. Admittedly, there's some cheese, but for the most part I think this TV show has held up pretty well over the past 20+ years. It paved the way for shows like NYPD Blue and Law & Order, and definitely set trends in fashion & music.

Had to work all day Sunday, but met Gail Sun. night to hear about her recent trip to Asia. We had dinner at relatively new Barbone on Ave. B. Everything was really lovely: the garden, the food, the wine, the service. Glad I checked this out, but I'm sad there's only a couple of months left to enjoy the outdoor seating! After dinner we went next door to Rue B for jazz.

You're the reason God made Oklahoma

Enjoyed happy hour with a smattering of Okies Thurs. night at Tom and Jerry's. Bob & I had our birthday party there like 10 years ago. It's funny how this bar hasn't changed much over the years. The premise/draw is still the same ... it's a bar bar that attracts a somewhat artsy, literary crowd. Lots of seats and it never gets too packed. It's always comforting to see a bar in NYC stand the test of time without evolving for the worse.

Later (yes, yet another later for me this week) we went to Route 85A for another drink.

Grossest thing I've overheard in a while:
"I drank his urine... That's how close we are." -- a guy on a cell phone outside Route 85A

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Strange things afoot

I was getting a pedicure a couple of weeks ago, when a girl that interned with in NYC 12 summers ago came into the salon. We'd lost touch; it had probably been about 7 years since we'd last spoken. Anyway, we caught up over drinks last night at brand-new Japonais.

Ab hasn't gotten his green card yet, but he has been told he can work in the US for an unlimited time. So I met him & some others at Bubble Lounge in Tribeca to celebrate this news with a couple of Fraises.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

What's that sound?

Oh yeah, the shoe dropping. Clients approved our campaign yesterday, which is great news. Though we are moving into production immediately, so I will have less time for reindeer games for the rest of the year.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Newsworthy

Saw Kaity Tong and another guy from the WB11 news having dinner last night at Osteria Laguna. Also saw NY1's Bobby Cuza this morning at 14th & 1st. I developed a crush on him when he covered the transit strike last Dec. Does he live in my neighborhood?

Guilty TV pleasures

My creatives are obsessed with Rock Star Supernova. Dilana in particular. I can't be bothered to watch. Especially when they give me play-by-play recaps and show me clips online.

However... I missed the premiere epsiode of Project Runway last week, but I saw a repeat last night. There are some talented designers this season who did some fierce work for the 1st challenge (crafting an outfit from materials in their apt). This show is cool because it lets me view and appreciate the creative process, without being as close to home as a reality show based in an ad agency.

Sadly, I am also liking Fast Inc. which is about a company that finds cars based on client specifications. Complete train wreck. There's Christian, a pretty boy who's the face person for the business and a total yes man; he says OK to every client request irregardless of $, timing or feasibility. And then there are the 2 poor dudes who have to make it happen: Tater (who almost got beaten up trying to get a car in Compton) and Todd (who was forced to offer a case of tequila to a seller in order to close the deal).

Wishes do come true

Back in the winter, I desperately hoped for hot weather & now it's here! Starting last week, weather in NYC has been 90s with high humidity every day.

Coping/celebrations have included:
  • Drinks with Jim Q Friday night at Jadis (I'm loving this bar!)
  • Day-trip to Long Beach Sat.
  • Avenue C bar crawl with Rick Sat. night - Cafecito, Esperanto, and Satsko.
  • Yummy Mexican brunch at Mercadito Sunday with Michael and Shani
  • Reading the Sunday Times with Charles in Tompkins Square Park under major tree shade
  • Watching Dave Chappelle's Block Party while hibernating in A/C

Nostalgia

Wound up hanging out last week (on different days) with 2 of my old bosses/mentors from my first NYC agency job. Talked about old times. I was happily surprised to find out I'm not the only one who puts the former agency on a pedestal! It was definitely crazy, but we did some great work. And I have many lasting personal relationships from my years there as well.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Make levees, not war

Here are more photos from the Lower 9th Ward. When the levee breaches occurred, the water entered this neighborhood with such force that cars were overturned and houses were knocked off their foundations and pushed around.

As mentioned in my posts last week, for all intents and purposes the NO tourist areas are OK. However, it's upsetting that other neighborhoods still look like this 10 months after Katrina. This is happening right now in America -- so it makes no sense that so much of the country's resources are currently being dedicated to efforts like Iraq and preventing people in Mexico from emigrating illegally to the US.


Look closely, the house on the left is on top of an overturned truck.


The brown house is obviously not supposed to be sitting in the middle of the road.



Roof and side of a house has collapsed. Posted by Picasa

Photos from Eric

They don't call me MargaritaAnn for nothing

Had prickly pear margaritas and spicy guac at Dos Caminos in Soho last night with a former client and my former supervisor. Good times, good times.

When I was in NO, I told Eric & Brenda that every day I don't have to wear a jacket in NYC is like a gift from God. And I believe that. But my love for Manhattan goes beyond the summer weather ... I am so ridiculously happy here it seems too good to be true (and that's not just the margaritas talking).

Monday, July 10, 2006

Hello, Soul Provider



I stopped by the Starbucks in my office building today for my morning caffeine fix, and Michael Bolton was in line ahead of me ordering a Frappucino. Posted by Picasa

French soccer players don't like Yo Mamma jokes

On Sunday, Sarah (French) and Mario (Italian) hosted a party for the FIFA World Cup final. They started by serving a delicious homemade lunch (paprika chicken, potato dumplings and tiramisu). And then we watched the match... Italy won via penalty kicks. The most dramatic moment was when French captain Zidane head-butted a guy from the Italian team and got thrown out of the game. We're dying to know what provoked him.

A day at the beach

Caught a (very early) train Sat. and spent the day with Rick on Fire Island. I hadn't been in 2 years. I really like Fire Island; it's so pretty and relaxing. Even a day trip makes you feel like you've really gone somewhere far away. I think it's the ferry ride to the island that does it - it puts you in a different mental space.

After sunning, we ate some seafood by the beach at Jumpin' Jacks and then had some frozen drinks at Cherry's as the sun set over the bay.

Cherry Grove is a phenomenon that must be seen and experienced to be believed. The town attracts such a random, diverse mix of people: old/young, black/white, gay/straight, naked/clothed. For instance, at happy hour, we observed a very preppy girl & her boyfriend ordering drinks at the bar, and they were standing between a leather man and a drag queen. Though as long as the vibe is happy (and it always is), it's a good, fun scene.

2 1/2 day work weeks make life easier

We celebrated Marina's birthday Thursday night at Rosa Mexicano with many pomegranate margaritas. Was nice to see some old faces from her social circle.

Worked from home Friday morning, and met Sarah in the afternoon at Bliss in Soho where we both got the Blissage 105, a really sick massage. Was a great treatment, and we didn't want to leave the spa.

Friday was Ricardo's last day working at Satsko, so we stopped by there for a few goodbye sakes, and then went to a new place (new to me at least) on Avenue A called Drop Off Service. It used to be a laundromat.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

I'm big on bridges

I think NYC may actually have been more hot and humid than NO yesterday. But as you know, I love it!

Following requisite morning bagel/coffee/paper in the park, I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge with Robyn and Paul. Paul brought his video camera. Maybe he & Shani can merge their footage to create a definitive work: "Annabelle and the Bridges of NYC." It was all fun and games until we got stopped by security guards in the waterfront park in Dumbo; they thought we were filming a movie without a permit. We walked around in Brooklyn Heights, and then took the train back to Manhattan. Robyn and I went to Barca 18 for tapas. Their food is very authentic; I had flashbacks to Barcelona.

Charles & I met Dave on the rooftop of an apartment building in Battery Park City to watch the fireworks over the Statue of Liberty. Nice night, and the view was great. Although I never go to that neighborhood, so I was totally disoriented when we were leaving to go home. Bad things happen when you leave the East Village!

What a difference a day makes

I flew down to New Orleans Sat. morning, shopped on Magazine St. near the Garden District, splashed around at the hotel pool, and enjoyed a fab dinner with Eric and Brenda followed drinks on a veranda. All seemed relatively right with the world, and I think "Things are really getting back to normal here. All NO needs is more conventions and tourists to help bolster the economy."

The next day, Eric and Brenda took me to see the areas hardest hit by the flooding that followed Katrina. We went to Lakeview, an upper-middle income section of the city. The homes closest to the 17th St. Canal have 6+ foot-high water marks on the outside and the obligatory spray paint markings to indicate when the house was checked for occupants. The foundations of the houses are still standing, but the vast majority have been gutted. There are mounds of trash (probably stuff from the insides of the gutted houses) on the street waiting to be picked up. After months of sitting neglected, these once-nice homes are starting to look like crack dens.

Then we went to the Lower 9th Ward. Complete and utter destruction. The water from the canals hit with such force that houses were pushed off their foundations and carried away, or they just crumbled. Even now, there are houses on top of cars and couches in trees. Sadly, here, you can see holes in roofs where folks chopped through the attic to (hopefully) escape the water.

As we drove through the city, it immediately became apparent that all is not normal in NO. The situation there is appalling and disgraceful for a couple of reasons:
1) It was preventable. The majority of the damage was from the flooding, not from Hurricane Katrina. Had the levees been properly designed and constructed in the first place, then the flooding in the city would not have been so severe.
2) The lack of governmental response. Why is no one cleaning up the 9th ward? Why isn't there a definite recovery plan 10 months after the hurricane? What is FEMA doing? 9/11 was upsetting and awful on so many levels. However, I never felt the government was dragging their feet and not helping NYC rebuild.

What can you do? You should visit NO. The traditional tourist areas - the French Quarter and the Garden District - are totally intact, and these parts of the city have lost none of their beauty and charm. The people of NO are as interesting and gracious as ever. And the retailers, restauranteurs and hoteliers definitely need your $.
Though you're doing yourself a disservice if you only stay in these areas... Seeing the flooded neighborhoods with your own eyes is way more affecting than watching an Anderson Cooper soundbite.

I also challenge you to learn more about the situation in NO so you can be informed and take action. Whether it be praying, emailing your senators and congresspeople to ask for help for NO, voting (what kind of president appoints someone like Michael Brown to head up FEMA?), or donating your time/money to the city's recovery efforts.



The Lower 9th Ward. Photo courtesy of Charlie Varley Posted by Picasa

New Orleans recap

The specs of my weekend trip:

Hotel - W French Quarter

Saturday:
lunch - fried shrimp po boy at Joey K's on Magazine St.
dinner - Dick and Jenny's Uptown (fried green tomatoes topped with crawfish and crabmeat, pain perdue with duck, brie and apples, and fried oysters with remoulade)
drinks - on the expansive front porch at the Columns Hotel, a St. Charles Ave. mansion

Sunday:
breakfast - cafe au lait and beignets at Cafe du Monde in the Quarter
lunch - the New Orleans roll with crawfish at Sake Cafe on Magazine St.
dinner/drinks - hamburgers, very potent monsoon drinks and live jazz by the Chad Fisher Group at Snug Harbor

Monday:
breakfast - Li'l Dizzy's Cafe on Esplanade Ave., just outside the Quarter
lunch - red beans and rice with sausage and a Pimm's Cup at Napoleon House in the Quarter

Retail friends:
Clothing - Trashy Diva and The Red Carpet
T-shirts - MetroThree on Magazine St.
Jewelry - Oonkas Boonkas on Chartres St. in the Quarter
Art - Casell Art Gallery on Royal St. in the Quarter