6 pm → The Blizzard of State Street
Yes, we got 26.9 inches of snow today. Good times. I've posted a photoset on flickr.
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10 am → My Transit Strike
It's now day three of the transit strike. I won't bore you with idle banter about who's at fault and who's not, but I will tell you about how I got to work.
Tuesday: I didn't. For day one, I decided to do work from home. I could do that just about every day. Despite the potential distractions, working on my laptop while watching transit strike updates was quite productive. As an added bonus, I got Taco Bell for lunch, something that is relatively difficult in this city. Fast food is definitely awful for you, but it's tough to beat a double-decker taco.
Wednesday: As much as I enjoyed the comforts of my apartment, my boss wanted me in the office. Understandable, but disappointing. Being 8 miles from my office, I didn't feel like a 2 hour stroll. So, I opted to ride my bike. Aside from the expected discomfort of riding in 20 degree weather, the ride there was relatively easy. Madison Ave. was closed off to general traffic, so I only had to contend with a few buses and police vehicles. The ride home was far worse. Fifth Ave. had a lane blocked off, but there were tons of people crowding the streets and traffic was awful. The only real positive was the few entertaining cyclists I encountered along the way. Some folks just love to weave.
Thursday (today): Even if I could have biked today, I wouldn't have. Instead, I decided to try and hitch hike. A coworker had done it successfully yesterday and I thought it might be fun. So, I made up a sign* (as you can see to the right) and started walking. Luckily, before I could even take out my sign I head, "Anyone going to the Upper East Side?" I raised my hand, found out I'd get as far as 3rd and 46th and hopped in the back of his Geo. It was tight, hot and he had on Hot 97, but there was very little traffic and I got to work by 8:45. Mike, Bobby and another unkown were all nice. None of us had much sympathy for the TWU.
Tonight I'm staying in Soho and will probably walk downtown a bit (into the next zone) and catch a cab. If anything of interest happens, I'll be sure to share.
* Before making my sign, I had read a post on Speak Up about signs with really poor typography. Being a designer, I would have none of that. So, I broke out Gotham, since it was clear, readable and appropriately named.
Posted in New York | Comments (1) | |
11 pm → It's, Like, a Bajillion Degrees
I know it's been hot everywhere these past few weeks, but New York City has been painful. Today, the heat index was over 100 degrees. Obviously, that's hot. But when you're in a city packed as tightly as New York, the X factor plays a significant role.
The mysterious X makes your shoes sweat and turns the air into rotten butter. It makes my air conditioning cry blood. Other cities aren't like this. I've been in Chicago for Taste of Chicago when it was 95 degrees and it wasn't as bad. Imagine being surrounded by one million fat, sweaty tourists and thousands of pounds of hot italian beef, then know that New York is somehow worse. I don't know how or why, but it is.
This is why I am currently singing songs to my window A/C unit. I think it just whispered, "Put me out of misery." I wish I could, but it's only July 18th. There's way too much summer left.
Posted in New York | Comments (2) | |
4 pm → Wanna See the Eels With Me?
I'm gonna go pick up two tickets to see the Eels on June 30th at Town Hall. They're going to be touring with strings. Does anyone want to be that 2nd? Tickets will be $30.
Even if you can't make it, I would like to strongly recomend you pick up their new album, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. E is a mad genius and this double album is pretty awesome. If you don't trust me, listen to Metacritic, who show it is the 9th best record of the year and the 82nd best since they started tracking reviews in 2000.
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10 pm → Only in New York vol. 1
Today I saw a man playing Hava Nagila on his steel drums to a listless set of subway travelers waiting for their trains.
Posted in New York | |
12 pm → Perfect NYC Meal #1
Sunday night I had one of my favorite meals in New York City. What's better is that both locations are next door to one another.
The first half of the meal began at John's Pizzera on Bleecker Street. Unlike it's midtown brother, the original location uses a coal-burning oven, which provides a different flavor. I much prefer the downtown location because of this. In fact, it's my favorite pizzeria in the city.
While there, we got two small pizzas. One had onions and sausage while the other had onions, peppers, mushrooms and olives (the last two only on half). The pizza was fantastic. Their toppings aren't as good as Grimaldi's, but the rest of the pizza easily makes up for it.
Afterwards we walked next door to Cones, the best ice cream in the city. It's not your traditional ice cream it's not hard-frozen. As a result, the ice cream is very soft and the flavors stand out a lot more. If you're into sorbet, this method works quite well.
While there I had one of my favorite combinations: dolce de leche and banana (truthfully I like anything and banana). I definitely recommend getting two flavors, even if that means sharing with your dining partner(s). The juxtaposition makes everything exponentially better.
While this is my favorite, I'm sure tons of other people prefer the Grimaldi's and Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory combo. This is definitely a safe bet and I highly recommend these places as well.
Posted in Food && New York | |
9 pm → My First Scary New York Moment
Amazingly, it took me nearly two years to really have an unsettling encounter in this city. I guess I should be thankful, but I still feel uneasy.
Yesterday, while walking to BAM after checking out the new Target in my neighborhood, a man tried to tell me something as I walked by. I had my headphones on and couldn't hear what he said, but I slid them down as I was curious. After a quick inquiry, the man told me, "Oh, I thought you were an undercover cop that one time. I wanted to apologize." He wasn't nearly so eloquent, but it's hard to write in gibberish. I showed confusion, and he asked if I lived around here. I told him I lived a few blocks West and he was like, "Yeah, I sell weed on Hoyt Street!" Uh oh.
He apologized again and then went to knock fists with me. He knocked mine and then I knocked his. When I did that, it knocked his inhaler to the ground. We picked it up and he realized it was broken. I apologized, but said it under my breath as I wanted out of the situation, and started to walk away. "Hey man! Can't you apologize?" Then he snatches my glasses off my face and says, "What if I took something of yours?" I was shocked. "Excuse me, sir. Give me those back. I told you I was sorry. It was an accident." He must have snapped out of his stupor because he gave them back to me. I quickly walked away, ignoring his repeated requests for an apology.
After getting over the shock, I thought about the episode of Six Feet Under from two weeks ago. After seeing it, I wondered how you can trust anyone you meet on the street. Yesterday's event brought that home. This won't stop me from talking to people, but I will be a lot more cautious.
Posted in New York | Comments (9) | |
1 am → I am a Self-Appointed Racial Ambassador
My neighborhood is diverse (see horribly generalized and fairly inaccurate map made because it was fun to make below). Okay, most of New York City is diverse. That aside, I am living in a neighborhood that is more diverse than I am used to. I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, where everyone except for the low-wage employees were white, and I went to school in Madison, which is a city that loves diversity but doesn't show it in the campus area. So, living in Boerum Hill has been a change.
It's pretty obvious that a ton of people are inherently a little racist. In my neighborhood, a lot of the non-white residents view me as someone who has come to gentrify things, raise rent prices and knock them over on the way to the subway. One of those is true, but that's not the point. The point is that this bugs me. I don't want to be viewed that way, but when I walk to work in my business casual clothes listening to my iPod, it's kinda tough.
I tend to get upset when I see a Hispanic man walk right past me and then ask a Black lady for directions, which happened this morning. I was also annoyed when I was walking into a store next to a Black lady and she asked someone a few feet ahead of me to open the door, even though it was much more convenient for me to do it. These are the small things, the tip of the iceberg, but it bothers me nonetheless. So, what to do?
Lately I've been going out of my way to be nice to people. I'll say "hello, how are you?" to passerbys on the street or I'll lend someone a nickel or a dime at Dunkin' Donuts. Sometimes, I'll just talk to someone in a line. It's amazing how shocked some folks are by this.
Thus far, I haven't made much of a difference in the neighborhood. I still get ignored when people are seeking favors/advice, but I feel a little better about myself. In fact, the other day I exchanged pleasantries with a racial ambassador from the other side. Our eyes met and he smile and said "Hello, how are you?" I smiled back and said "I am fine, thanks." At that moment, I knew he was on my side. The two of us were working together, probably unknowingly, to build a racially tolerant neighborhood. Okay, so he was probably just being nice, but I'd like to think that an army of us-es could change this neighborhood for the better. One day.
This is the horribly generalized map that I spoke of above:
5 pm → It Must Be Summer
Last week at some point I took the subway to the Union Square stop. When I left the station it smelled like a combination of B.O. and garbage. It must be summer.
Over the weekend I went to Central Park to play frisbee with a few friends. There were probably a thousand people in Sheep Meadow. Most of them were half naked. It must be summer.
Every single corner in my neighborhood has been ripped apart and repaved. The jackhammers are really loud. It must be summer.
I'm sure that more of these will come to me as we get deeper into the summer months. Add your own in the comments.
Posted in New York | Comments (1) | |
11 am → Metro Newspaper
We have another freebie in the midst. Metro is a new free newspaper that has a bit more history than AM New York. Unlike a number of the free newspapers across the country, Metro is not published by a major daily in the city (AM New York is published by Newsday, I'm pretty sure). Metro itself is published "in more than 100 cities in 16 countries in 15 languages across Europe, North & South America and Asia" (according to the press release, in PDF format). I guess that makes it more prestigious, but not so much.
Metro has the same basic format as AM New York. It is 80% AP articles with the ocassional piece written by someone they've hired and, of course, it's free. I haven't read AMNY all that much, but Metro seems to be appealling to a more educated and refined audience. In other words, AMNY is to the Daily News as Metro is to the Times (that's not a commentary on quality, just on the types of articles they publish and the way the way they present the news). Today's covers have similar content, but present it in a very different way. AMNY relies on massive photos that pop off the cover while Metro has a more laid back approach, one that allows the headlines to speak more than the pictures. After the front page, everything changes.
AMNY's second page has articles entitled, "NJ starve duo indicted," "Martha gets denied" and New cigs to help reduce fires." Metro has "Prisoner deaths rise," U.S. soldier, 15 Iraqis killed," "Bush seeks $25 billion for Iraq war," "Congress votes to slow tax" and "Cartoonist receives death threats." Essentially, Metro is reporting on real news and AMNY is looking for the salacious headline.
It's clear these two papers are appealing to different audiences. Metro claims their paper "is designed and packaged for a young, urban, active, well-educated audience..." AMNY claims their paper is "A must-read for time-poor, cash-rich 18- to 34-year-old professionals with active social lives -- a demographic that does not read traditional newspapers."
Personally, Metro is much more appealing to me. It's providing news that I'd actually want to read and I don't have to pay a dime for it. Unfortunately, no one ever hands out free papers at the Nevins St. stop in Brooklyn.
Today's editions in PDF format:
Metro
AM New York
2 pm → NY Bloggers Event
Ahhh, another blogger event brought together by Jake from Gothamist. I went to the Photobloggers event a few months back and it was interesting, but I wasn't blown away. This was a lot more interesting. I sat up front, stroking my chin and sometimes guffawing, alongside Matt and Jeff.
First you had Jason Calcanis duking it out with Nick Denton. This was the publishers panel. The two men were debating the best model for professional blogging. Jason favors an ownership share, where the publisher and writer split ad revenue 50/50, and Nick favors giving the writer a flat paycheck every month. I think both models can work, but I think that Jason was a bit overzealous. I appreciate his enthusiasm, but he has that typical salesman-style pitch that is a real turn off for me. On top of that, I prefer the model of fewer high quality blogs (Gawker Media) to numerous blogs that can be hit or miss (Weblogs Inc.) So, Nick won in my mind.
We also had the technology and editor panels, which were interesting but there were less fireworks. I was quite interested in what Meg Hourihan had to say about technology and the future of blogs in general. After the event, at MercBar, she pointed out that blogging is a very personal experience and the real excitement won't lie in the battle between professional bloggers -- it will lie in people finding an easy way to communicate with those they care about while learning about computers and writing. After a month-long hiatus, she's pondering bringing the educational powers of blogs to an after school program. I'd love to see this happen.
I really appreciate what Jake is doing and I look forward to more of these. My only suggestion is budgeting some time for dinner between the event and drinks. A blogger's gotta eat.
More:
Photos at Bluejake
Liza is cool
Jeff Jarvis seems cool (we didn't get to talk)
10 am → Am I a New Yorker Yet?
According to Colson Whitehead, yes. As he professed in his collection of essays, The Colossus of New York:
No matter how long you have been here, you are a New Yorker the first time you say, That used to be Munsey's, or That used to be the Tic Toc Lounge.
I've done that now, but I am beginning to consider myself a New Yorker for other reasons. The newest one is that I now subscribe to the three big "New York" magazines -- New York, The New Yorker and Time Out New York. Each week I spend most of my reading time working through these three publications. My recent desire to take a break from fiction is part of the cause, but the choice to subscribe is a bit bigger than that.
Truly, I think it stems from my recent decision to renew the lease on my apartment and commit to staying in New York for another year. Up until now, I hadn't committed to staying here for any definite amount of time. I've only really lived in sublets up until this point. My new commitment inspired a barage of purchases at Ikea and Crate and Barrell, as well as these new magazine subscriptions.
Thinking about it all, it seems I've always been a New Yorker and I'm only now admitting it to myself. The only thing I'm nervous about now is when I actually have to leave.
Posted in New York | Comments (1) | |
12 am → NY Subway: What Does This Mean?
What does this triangle and star stand for?
9 am → Staten Island Ferry Loses Power
A week ago I rode the Staten Island Ferry and it lost power. Here's what it looked like.
7 pm → And So It Begins...
Pacific St. and 4th Ave. in Brooklyn
Update: Meh. It wasn't so bad. Yet, I am one of five people who actually showed up at work today.
Posted in New York | |
10 am → Why Is New York So Tired?
Yesterday, as I rode the 4 train home from work, I noticed that no less than half the people on my train had their eyes closed. Occasionally I would see a head start to bob back and forth or a jaw start to loosen as a mouth opens just a smidge. All the while I sat listening to Pearl Jam's No Code on my iPod, wondering the cause of all this sleepiness (and the reason for my unearthing of No Code).
Sadly, I could come to no real conclusion. My girlfriend helped me come close to one, as she pointed out that most of New York is overworked, stressed out and stays up way past its bedtime. I agree with this, but it certainly doesn't effect everyone. There are well rested, stress free, jobless people who still seem to nod off when the train starts moving.
So, I bring this to you faithful reader. Why is New York so sleepy? Better yet, why is the world living in this half-awake, half-asleep fog from 9am on Monday through 5pm on Friday?
Posted in New York | Comments (5) | |
1 pm → Lunch in New York
I have found that the most cost-effective meal of the day is lunch. Assuming that you purchase all of your meals, and don't make them yourself, you can find amazing deals around lunchtime.
I almost never eat out for breakfast, but if I did it would be around ten dollars, which is more than I can afford to spend for that meal. If I do "eat out" it means a muffin or bagel and an orange juice for the breakfast cart near work. Even this can get up to three dollars, which is money better spent on buying a box of cereal.
A tasty dinner is always going to cost you more than ten dollars and probably closer to twenty. If you like to cook, eating at home is far more cost effective.
The beauty of lunch is that you get good sized portions at lower rates because the restaurants need the business. So if you are only going to eat out once a day, this is the meal to do it. Here are two great deals in my neighborhood.
Kami Sushi (2nd and 55th): When I order from here I get the Roll Lunch Special. It comes with two rolls, soup and salad for only eight bucks. That's way cheap for sushi and it has been consistently good. They also do a bento box lunch for seven dollars that comes with shumai, salad, soup, white rice and either a california roll, three pieces of sushi or four pieces of sashimi.
Turquoise (Lex and 70th): This is a brand new Mediterranean restaurant that is pretty much just a lunch place. That doesn't stop them from having the best four dollar falafel I have ever eaten. The sandwich is huge and busting with falafel, hummus, and a bunch of veggies (that probably are a part of some named dish, but I don't know what). It is very filling. On top of that, they have root beer in a bottle (IBC), which makes me happy.
As far as your own neighborhood, check out the Chinese restaurants. You can often get a lunch special for $4.50 that will have enough food for two meals. Granted it's mostly rice, but that doesn't stop it from being tasty.
Posted in New York | Comments (2) | |
3 pm → NYC Events Lists
Today Gothamist launched their events calendar. It seems to be similar to mine in scope, but with less of a focus on music (also, their's is stocked with events by "professionals"). The biggest difference is they are using upcoming.org in conjunction with Movable Type to manage the page, while I am just using MT.
When I first created my events page there was no such thing as upcoming.org, so I didn't use it. When it was launched I was a little bitter because I had a similar idea at one point and never implemented it. Now, after seeing Gothamist's page and reading Kottke's talk on cooperative web services, I think I will also move my events to upcoming.org. It is good for everyone.
In the meantime you can check out the stuff I do have up on my calendar and see what Gothamist has to offer. If you want to do this yourself, follow Matt's instructions.
Also, if you would like to contribute to my calendar is some way, you are more than welcome. Just shoot me an email (available in the sidebar).
Posted in New York | Comments (1) | |
1 am → Party with Moses
I just returned from a Heeb party. They were celebrating the release of their fourth issue, which I may discuss later. Now, I will tell you about the party. I got to do a lot of observing since the lady was busy taking pictures of all the pretty people.
Things started off on the wrong foot when I was forced to pay six dollars to check a bag and a coat. Totally bogus. I would have rather spent that money on something liquid, but my shoulder is less cramped this way.
Once the party started going I went into hermit mode. That's when the erotic balloon animal man came out. The one sitting on my table was of two dogs doing it. Doggystyle. Hilarious. Or not.
Next came the Spinning Dreydels. This was a Jewish breakdancing crew from Princeton, NJ. They were good but it is tough to live up to a name like that. Thankfully they were accompanied by DJ Static, who was excellent. Take note of that for some reason.
There was only one depressing moment this evening. I was sitting down, enjoy the "phat beats", when two guys in suits start to "feel the rhythm." Their dancing was pretty horrible. It was the kind of dance your dad does at your uncle andy's wedding when he wants you to come out and shake your tuchas. This is fine if they are doing it in jest and know how ridiculous they look, but I don't think they do. I genuinely wonder if they think that all the ladies are falling over each other to hump them. I really hope not.
The party didn't quite live up to my vision of a rockin'-indie-mag-release party, but it was still entertaining. At least I got some time to write a letter to my Peace Corp friend, Justin, and a free copy of the new issue. I wish all my nights were that fruitful.
Posted in New York | Comments (2) | |
12 pm → Boerum Hill
Recently, my neighboorhood has been getting a lot of press. It started when Jonathan Lethem's new book, The Fortress of Solitude, hit shelves a month ago. The book is set in Lethem's childhood neighborhood, Boerum Hill, and the heart of the story takes place only three blocks from my apartment. This inspired a feature story* in the Sunday Times about the neighborhood. The story, as told by the author and Lethem in tandem, looked at how Boerum Hill changed from a neighborhood where you locked your car doors to the gentrified yuppietown it is now. Then, Grocery is named to one of the top Zagat's lists and people start taking notice (sure, it might not be in Boerum Hill proper, but it is damn close).
I'm enjoying all the attention my area is getting. I really think it is one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city. It's easy to find a quiet spot, but you still have a decent selection of restaurants and stores. Also, it is wedged between Cobble Hill, Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights, so there are plenty of enticing options around the corner. Last night I was able to walk to BAM to check out Kill Bill in a great theater. Oh, and Junior's is three blocks the other way, for when you must have the best piece of cheesecake ever.
This is normally the point where I lament the attention as it will likely drive more people to live here, raising my rent and cutting down on diversity, but I don't even care. The neighborhood is already undervalued and I wouldn't mind paying a little more. I'm just happy to have a nice apartment for a reasonable price in a great neighborhood.
Also, I would like to note that my street (State St.) is often left out of the Boerum Hill area. The usually cut it off at Atlantic. This is silly because if you go one street North of State, to Schermerhorn, there is a marked difference. So, don't dis on the State St. neighborhood-boundry-drawing people.
For more on Boerum Hill, go here or here.
*Only an abstract for some reason. Sorry.
Posted in New York | Comments (1) | |
11 am → Parking Tickets
Over the last month or so I have received three parking tickets. Each time it was completely and totally justified as I parked on the wrong side of the street and knew what was coming. Now, I am debating whether to pay them.
See, on all three tickets the officer incorrectly wrote down my information. On two of them he wrote down the wrong license plate number. On two of them he wrote down AL instead of IL for the state. On all three he ommitted the VIN number. When I went online to look up my tickets, and possibly pay them, not one turned up when I put in my correct information. To me, this seems to be a justification not to pay.
The question is, what do I do now? Do I just ignore them knowing they have no real way of tracking me down or do I contest them in court? Help me figure out how to avoid paying these tickets.
Of course, even if I do end up paying them it will be $105 for two months of parking. Sounds cheap to me.
Posted in New York | Comments (3) | |
4 pm → The Happiest Hour
Last night I did indeed make it down to the Gothamist/601am Happy Hour and I definitely had some good times. Here are bits from the event:
- I spent a good part of the evening hanging near Hit-or-miss Matt. We, along with others, debated my gayness. Actual gayness: 0%. Theoretical gayness: 50-60%.
- Oh, and Matt also unintentionally convinced me not to go to the Morning News party tomorrow night. I asked, "Are you not going because it would make three blogging parties in a week?" Matt gave an emphatic "yes." I love you blogging, but I think you're moving a little fast.
- I was the recipient of a Gothamist t-shirt. I don't know if I will actually wear it. Instead I will hold onto it until Gothamist becomes bigger than Gawker, at which point I will sell it on ebay for $300.
- There were some good photos snapped. Ones snapped by Remote Lounge's booths (I am visible on this page at 11:22). Ones by rion.nu. Camera phone shots.
- It was also nice to meet Andrew and Henry. I wish I could have met more of you.
- At one point Anil said he is planning to dress up as Blog Man for Halloween. I am looking forward to seeing that.
- Finally, thank you, thank you, thank you to Jen, Jake and Aaron. Good times, all thanks to you guys.
5 pm → The Movable Type Gathering
I was just reading Matt's account of this weekend's Movable Type gathering and I realized I actually had some worthwhile thoughts on the event. Matt complained that a number of attendees (specifically Anil and Cam) were a bit intimidating. It's funny how different people deal with different situations.
I can understand Matt's problem as meeting someone you respect or admire can often be a difficult thing, but I don't seem to suffer from this phobia.* Despite people's accomplishments or notoriety, they are just people. They have thoughts and they deal with the same problems and see the same movies and take the same subways to work. So, when I sat down between Kottke and Meg I jumped right into a conversation. Why not? What's the worst that will happen? These are people whose opinions I respect and enjoy, so the logical response should be to engage in dialogue instead of continuing the one-sided conversations of reading weblogs.
When I went to the last 601am/Gothamist Happy Hour (another one is coming up tomorrow night) there were a couple college-age girls there who were creaming their pants when they got to meet Nick Denton and Aaron of 601am. These are both cool people but come on, they just run weblogs. It's no big deal.
So, when you go to the Happy Hour tomorrow night or the Morning News Party on Saturday, you should run up to whatever cool/famous people are there and share your thoughts. Oh, and if you think I'm cool then you can talk to me as I'll be at both.
P.S. I get 40,000,000 hits a day. Bow down to me.
*As you continue reading, I don't mean this as a shot at people who have actual problems in these situations, but to those who just don't know how to react around "famous" people, not people in general.
Posted in New York | Comments (7) | |
5 pm → 9 11 03
Everyone knows what today is. I have been thinking about it quite a bit, but I don't feel too much like blogging about it at the moment. Maybe tonight.
In the meantime, here are photos from this morning.
Posted in New York | |
3 pm → Rocks In Your Head
On Monday I stopped at one of the better record stores in NYC, Rocks In Your Head, and picked up the new Enon and Mogwai albums.* I would have to put Other Music as my number one overall, but RIYH is not nearly as hyped or snotty. RIYH puts more of an emphasis on vinyl and older stuff while OM looks to have the newest and greatest in a variety of genres.
These differences make shopping at RIYH much more pleasant. The staff is very helpful and willing to play a record for you if you ask nicely. They are also pretty willing to give good advice, which is rare even though it is an integral part of a store experience for me. The one thing that OH does better is their description and placement of new and interesting albums. I like seeing what is being featured as combing through hundreds of records is time-consuming and eye-numbing.
Other record stores I frequent in New York:
Rockit Scientist
13 - Great cheap bins outside
Kim's Video
Store that looks promising:
Future Legends
A List of Citysearch's top stores (you can vote for you fav too)
*Both albums are quite good. New Mogwai is definitely as good as Rock Action while new Enon is good but did not blow me away like High Society.
Posted in New York | Comments (2) | |
5 pm → The Underground SummerStage
Last night I went to "see" Ben Folds at the Central Park SummerStage. The "see" is in quotes as I never actually laid my eyes on Mr. Folds. This is because I did as hundreds do every night there is a show here: I went around back and listened to the show for free. I didn't have $40 to drop to see Ben and Aimee Mann play so I sat on the ground chatting with other fans as I listened.
This is one of my favorite tricks here in NYC -- one which I have not implemented enough. Too bad the only show remaining in the season is Paul van Dyk. Not really a fan.
If you know of any other cool NYC freebies let me know. I'd love to try them out.
Posted in New York | |
10 am → Blackout Photos!
There was a blackout in NYC! You heard it here first! Okay, maybe not but I do have photos. I'll also give you a rundown of my day.
At 4pm the power went out in our building. Sunday there was a water main break on the floor above so we just assumed that someone blew a fuse with all the cleaning equiptment. Soon enough we learned that the power outage was throughout Manhattan and the boroughs as well as other major cities. I had been hesitant to leave since I work on the 43rd floor and there was no elevator. And if I got down I work on 50th and Broaway, which is a good seven miles from my apartment.
Eventually I had to go downstairs and I started walking down Broadway. There were tons of people walking and buses packed to the gills. It was completely odd to see Times Square without electricity. As you'll see in the pictures, there were people selling scooters, selling shoes (to girls in heels), selling ice cream for $1 or just hanging out and listening to radios. It was quite a scene. You also noticed a lot of business owners shutting down with the fear of looting.
Around 23rd Street I decided to get a Choco Taco at a Tastee Freeze truck. While in line and chatting with people I met Margaret. We were both on our way to Brooklyn so we teamed up for the walk home. The Buddy System is key. We kept walking down Broadway all the way to Chambers Street on our way to the Brooklyn Bridge. When we arrived the bridge was overflowing with people and one side of the bridge had become pedestrian only. We eventually made it back to my place, with two more friends in tow, and I drove the three of them home as they lived many miles further into Brooklyn.
I got home to my roommate and we talked for a while and then went to my car to watch a movie on my laptop in the AC. It was very nice. I came back, went to sleep and woke up at 8am to see the power come back on. Good timing. Now I am going to eat breakfast.
More Blog coverage:
Gothamist
ftrain
John Weir
Cheesedip
Camworld
Zeldman
Andrew Raff
2 pm → Tomorrow, I Ride
Unless it's raining at the moment I intend to leave, I will be riding my bike to work tomorrow morning. I was debating whether or not to do it, but after reading testimonials from commuters at Transportation Alternatives I decided to give it a go.
I did a little research today to figure out the best way to make my ride and I feel I'm nearly prepared. First, I checked out Bike Routes provided by the city to see which path I would take. The maps show roads with bike paths, wider routes suitable for riding, and bike only paths throughout the five boroughs (the maps also helped me to find out that there is a bike only path from Prospect Park down to Coney Island). I decided that I will cross over on the Brooklyn Bridge, head over to the Hudson River Greenway and shoot all the way up to work. On the way home I may go on Broadway, but I haven't decided if I'm up to it. Also, it's not as nice of a ride.
Then I figured I should head over to Brooklyn Heights Bike Shop and pick up a helmet before I leave. It's one thing to ride in the park without a helmet, but I don't want to ride Manhattan streets without any protection.
The other crucial piece I had already taken care of: the New York Chain by Kryptonite. I do not want my bike to be stolen and this should do the trick. The thing is a monster.
After I do the ride I'll make some notes and take some pictures. We'll see how things work out.
Posted in New York | |
1 pm → Bryant Park Movies
Last night I made my debut appearance at the Bryant Park Summer Film Series. Ever since I first found out about the series a few years ago I have been dying to go. This was the first summer I've lived in NYC while knowing about it and it was prime opportunity. My hopes were shot down early as I found out that my improv classes were scheduled on the same day as the film series. My class ended last week and my Mondays are free again, which allowed me to attend last night.
They were showing Cat on a Hot Tin Roof this week, which was wonderful. I had always wanted to see it and this was a great opportunity. My only complaint about the whole event was the size of the crowd. It was too big. Apparently this was unusal and probably because last week's movie was rained out. Aside from the crowd's size, I had an amazing time. I think it would be nice if they sold food and drinks right in the park, but maybe that's asking too much. Just sitting in the park on a beautiful night, watching a wonderful movie should be enough. And it is.
Posted in New York | |
4 pm → Shooting at City Hall
Earlier today there was a shooting at City Hall in NYC. The man got off several rounds and hit two people. The thought is that he was targeting someone in the chamber balcony.
What I found interesting was the following quote by Mayor Bloomberg, who was in the building but not near the shooting:
Mayor Bloomberg said the attack appeared to be "random act'' and not terrorism.
"This is a terrible attack, not just on two people - and they are in our prayers - but this is an attack on democracy,'' Mr. Bloomberg said.
An attack on democracy? Isn't it a bit premature to say that? We know absolutely nothing about the shooter - except that he had a gun and was shooting - and we have determined that this not an act of terrorism, but the mayor decided it was safe to assume this was an attack on democracy. I know that politicians are expected to say something after an event like this, but Bloomberg's statement is ludicrous.
Imagine if I owned a mini-mart that had been held up for cash only to say the following, "This is a terrible attack, not just on my cash register, but on mini-marts all across the country." Can't anyone wait until there are actual facts before speaking to the public? I know it's a near impossibility but it is worth saying.
Posted in New York | |