Minor crisis

The trackwheel on my BlackBerry broke at 9 pm Wednesday night. I was issued new equipment Thursday at 5 pm. So I was sans Berry for about 20 hours. This generated a little more anxiety than I care to admit.


Reunited, and it feels so good!

Falling in love with NYC … again

Robyn and I saw a new doc Monday. It’s about Toots Shor, a man who owned a popular midtown Manhattan restaurant/bar in the 1950s. The film contained some excellent archival footage of a young Mike Wallace chain-smoking while interviewing Toots. Ah, the good old days!

Drink up, buttercup!

Toots didn’t have the happiest/easiest life, but he loved New York City. This was evident in the film: the 1950s are depicted as a very fun, glamorous time. Early on in the doc, someone quotes E.B. White’s essay “Here is New York.” I have a copy in my apartment, and the film inspired me to go home and re-read it. White’s words are as true today as when he wrote them almost 60 years ago. Here’s my favorite passage from the essay:

"There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter – the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something. Of these three trembling cities the greatest is the last – the city of final destination, the city that accounts for New York’s high-strung disposition, its poetical deportment, its dedication to the art, and its incomparable achievements. Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness; natives give it solidity and continuity; but the settlers give it passion. And whether it is a farmer arriving from Italy to set up a small grocery store in a slum, or a young girl arriving from a small town in Mississippi to escape the indignity of being observed by her neighbors, or a boy arriving from the Corn Belt with a manuscript in his suitcase and a pain in his heart, it makes no difference: each embraces New York with the intense excitement of first love, each absorbs New York with the fresh eyes of an adventurer, each generates heat and light to dwarf the Consolidated Edison Company."

Controversy

Many major heads of state and foreign dignitaries have been in town this week because the United Nations’ General Assembly has been in session. This prompts extreme security measures and essentially closes significant parts of the city to traffic. Fun, fun! Mr. Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran, was wildly successful in attracting an insane amount of attention. Columbia University asked him to address its School of International Public Affairs on Monday. He did so, and he also gave a speech at the UN Tuesday. Should he have even been invited to Columbia in the first place? Should he have been allowed to speak there? Why does he make the kinds of statements he does? How much power does he truly have in world politics? Everyone has an opinion, and the discussion could go on and on. But one thing is for sure: I’ve never seen one person generate so much outrage, protest, and emotion in this city. It has been kinda wild to witness.

Columbia "welcoming committee."

It’s about that time

We had a photoshoot last week. I’m still sick with the sinus infection, so I skipped the first 2 days. I shouldn’t have gone to the last day either, but I did. Stuff like this is basically why I’m in advertising, so it’s hard for me to stay away.

We shot at Barton Orchards, a picturesque farm in Duchess County, about 90 minutes outside of NYC. Aside from me wanting to be home in bed, it was a beautiful day. The weather has been gorgeous this past week, but hanging out in an apple orchard (in season) made me realize colder fall weather isn’t too far off.

Did you know apple trees look more like overgrown bushes than proper trees? A harsh reality my art director had to come to terms with.


There was a pumpkin patch. Where’s Charlie Brown?


My happy work family amid the orchard rows.

Another bebe

Jen gave birth to Nadia on Saturday afternoon. She’s “big and hairy” like her dad Scott (the parents’ words, not mine). With any luck, I will drink ouzo and dance at her raucous Armenian wedding in the future.

Note: a similar baby boom happened this same week last year when I was in Vancouver. Another baby trifecta was in the making this year, but my art director’s wife delivered a little girl Natalie Sept. 4 (a week early).

One last summer hurrah

Flew down to Atlanta Thursday afternoon. Nora retrieved me from the MARTA station, and we met Brian & Franklin for dinner at Treehouse. Headed north on Friday for some outlet shopping. The purpose of this trip was a girls’ weekend at Big Canoe. It’s still quite warm in GA (and I’ve been hankering for more outdoor/sun time). Also Joseph has placed his cabin on the market, so we wanted to take advantage of it before it sells. I’m definitely a beach girl, but must admit Big Canoe is a great getaway. The weather was really nice, so we were able to lay out Saturday & Sunday afternoons and enjoy lots of porch time. Unfortunately I have a sinus infection (ick), so I felt pretty lame the whole time. But it was nice to see everyone & relax for a bit.

Nora & Jan chillin’ by the lake.


Trees, trees, and more trees.


Angel statue on one of the cabin’s porches.

Fork Floozies revealed

Had dinner at Centro Vinoteca in the West Village last Wednesday night. This was a Fork Floozies gathering, and the restaurant was Donna’s pick. Had a drink with Gail afterwards at Employees Only, then met Charles for a bit at 10 Degrees to hear about his recent trip to Costa Rica.

Gail & Donna.


Me & Robyn.

Wonderful news from New Orleans

As of Monday, Eric & Brenda have a daughter: Ellie. Unfortunately Ellie's father will probably see to it that one of the first phrases she speaks is "Geaux Tigers!" ...but otherwise we welcome her into the world!

Not just another Tuesday

There’s recently been some debate in NY around the appropriateness of continuing to have elaborate 9/11 memorial services. There isn't a clear answer. The effects of 9/11 remain very real for many people. No matter how/if you choose to commemorate the attacks, 9/11 is still a day when almost 3000 people died, including 2750 people at the World Trade Center. It's still a day NYC took a couple of huge kicks to the ribs and America lost some of its naivete.

I worry that we haven’t changed our processes enough as a result of 9/11, and that the country is still quite vulnerable to more terrorist attacks. But that’s another blog post.

For now, I pause to remember that day 6 years ago, and all the people whose lives ended so tragically.

Memorial outside my neighborhood firehouse for 2 of its firefighters who died on 9/11.

More Saturday stuff

There's a garden behind my apartment building. I knew it existed, but have never been back there (I know, I’m a jackass!) The co-op held a cookout in the garden Saturday, so I stopped by for a burger and met some of my neighbors. Novel concept.

Went to Bryan’s show at the Living Room on Sat night. Lovely and amazing, as usual. New songs, old songs, and a Lou Reed cover. Found out Bryan’s also playing in an LA cover band, and the drummer for that band is a fellow Dawg who grew up in Savannah.

Art around the park

This past weekend was the Howl! Festival, an East Village arts festival named after the famous Allen Ginsberg poem. One of the great traditions of this festival is Art Around The Park: the gates surrounding Tompkins Square Park are covered with canvas and artists can sign up to get their own square on which to draw/paint. Some of the resulting murals are political; some are sexual; some are portraits; some are abstract. People walking by this spectacle get to see and enjoy the art (and sometimes participate in its creation), and the artists "get their art out." I took the photos below around 2pm Saturday, when things were getting going. I walked by again around 8 pm, and the murals had evolved to become much more elaborate. It's cool that the park turned into an art gallery for the weekend.

Local graffiti legend Chico sprays it up.


Sometimes creativity happens when you're wearing fewer clothes.


Painting away on the north end of the park.

Back to Billyburg

Had dinner Friday in Williamsburg at Fette Sau (German for "fat pig"). It's a BBQ joint in a former auto-body repair shop. We ordered a ton of food: ribs, pulled pork, beef pastrami, baked beans and potato salad. It was an intense parade of meat! Like Hill Country, there are no plates. The staff put everything for all 4 of us on one big metal tray, and we had to just dig in. I don’t like to feel high-maintenance for wanting to eat off my own fucking plate! However, the food was pretty solid.

I still haven't gotten the results from my cholesterol test.

Next we went to Spuyten Duyvil (“spitting devil” in Dutch), a bar across the street. It's actually owned by the same people as Fette Sau. The bar's known for its beers, but we ordered some German wine. Refreshing, $5/glass, with liberal pours from the bartender! We sat in the bar’s large backyard (pretty trees and ivy-covered brick walls). Between the greenery and the cheap drink prices, I felt like I’d been transported out of NYC!

Stepped next door to see Blip Blip Bleep and Seems So Bright at Luna Lounge.

Walking back to the L train, we came across a new bar Oulu. The owner's from Finland, and you definitely get the Scandinavian vibe from the decor (lots and lots of wood). The bar wasn’t too crowded, probably because it’s located on a quieter side street and last weekend was only its 2nd weekend being open. But it was nice to stop in for a drink and check out the design.

Live greenery on the exterior wall of Oulu.

An engaging evening

We had a gathering last Wednesday at Le Souk to celebrate Sara & Mel's engagement. You know you’re in for a wild night when a bellydancer arrives at your table before 10 pm. Sara & Mel are off to Texas this week to get hitched, so best wishes to the happy couple!

Mel breaks it down.


Sara & me.


It's all so mysterious...

Glimpse of suburban living

Went to Connecticut Sunday to visit Matt and Nicole, two former work colleagues. Took the train out of Grand Central Terminal, which is such an awesome building. A woman saw me snapping photos, and we wound up chatting. She told me a good factoid: the clock in the middle of the main concourse is worth ~$20 million because each of the four clock faces are solid pieces of opal. Apparently I had too much time to wander around Grand Central because I wound up buying a sour cream apple walnut pie from the Little Pie Company.

Main concourse of Grand Central.

Architectural detail above the gateways to every track.


Matt and Nicole moved into a house in Wilton, CT 3 months ago. They have two little boys. Sharing is caring: I brought them some real NY bagels to eat, and they introduced me to their pet hermit crabs! We went to a pool club for a couple of hours and later grilled out on the deck at their house. Nothing crazy. I’ve known Matt for about 13 years and Nicole for 9 years. Unfortunately I don’t see them often at all, so it was nice to just hang out & catch up.

Enough laboring

Worked from home Friday morning, then ate lunch at a new Cuban place off Tompkins Square Park. Had a really good cubano sandwich and cafe con leche. Charles' brother David was in town visiting so I made the rounds with them to a few Lower East Side bars Friday night: Crudo, Nurse Bettie and Spitzer’s Corner.

My surrogate brother David.


Krystal hosted a picnic-type gathering in Central Park's Sheep Meadow on Saturday afternoon for her birthday. Good idea. I don't think I've ever spent a day in this part of the park. It was pretty crowded for a holiday weekend. Some excitement: the police gave us a warning for having alcohol in the park. Oy.

The Sheep Meadow, NYC’s backyard.


Shani’s back in NYC for a couple of weeks for work, so I went to dinner with her Saturday night at El Rey del Sol, and then we met Clara and her cousin for drinks at Socialista. I didn't go back to my apartment before going out, so it was challenging to make the clothes I wore all day in Central Park seem appropriate for an exclusive, new West Village nightclub.

Jersey at night: view from the West Side Highway of NJ across the Hudson River.