The good ol' days

I just met a woman named Flash. You gotta love New York. When asked where she grew up, she said, "Delaware, but I haven't grown up yet." And true that was. She is a comedian, writer, illustrator, designer, among many other things I'm sure. I met her with Nicole at a book signing party in Chelsea. The author whose book was being honored was Laurie Rosenwald, another amazing woman in her 50s. The woman created a font fer gosh sakes. But her book is an utter hoot and a half. I started reading it on my way home and it's like a thought dump that I wish I had written. She is utterly insane and I love her even though I don't know her (yet). This group of friends that she has accumulated over the years were unreal. One of them said that 30 years or so ago, her friend with incredible blonde hair and just that way about her, was pursued by Jimi Hendrix. These folks are the real New York. These are the people who used to hang out with de Kooning, Pollock, Ginsburg. I have to get into this circle. I think Nicole and I found a good way but I can't write about it here because soon you'll read it about it elsewhere (he he). Anyway, the only downer was that someone took my umbrella, the one that I found left at a bar in Flatbush. It was my favorite. Now it's gone. But now that I meditate, it's all okay. I took another black umbrella. Granted, it was broken and not as functional, but I believe I got as wet as I would have with my awesome one that is currently in someone else's hallway. Ommmmmmmmmmmmm.....

A Quickie

So it's been some time since I blogged and I still don't have a ton to say (or moreso the time to say it) but I wanted to share some quick thoughts (or photos) before I head to London and Geneva tomorrow night for three weeks.

For those that know me, I have been extremely lucky finding gems in the discarded items we toss to the curb each week on "big pickup day." This past week was one of those lucky streaks and I found the below piece of wood furniture only a half block from my apartment. I love that something like this is hundreds of dollars in a Crate & Barrel catalog or Pottery Barn but I get to tell people, "Oh, that old thing. Found it in the garbage. Isn't it great?" And funny enough, it fit perfectly at the end of my new roomie's bed so now she has a place to display her things in a fun way. My home decor is based on the old phrase, "One man's trash is another man's treasure."



My new thing recently was taking a photo of my family home, the home I lived in since birth. For some reason, I had never done that and it gave me a totally different perspective on the place. Number one, it's so quaint and cute. But Dad, if you're reading this, it looks like someone dropped a bowl of blueberries on the roof and I think there's a lot of dirt on the siding near the garden. Otherwise, the gardens up front are gorgeous. Well done Mom! Beautiful choices in greenery.



This one is simply to continue my series of sleeping persons on the NYC subway. She was my latest victim. On the F train coming home from work.



The below photo is from a dinner I had recently at Brick Cafe in Astoria with Serge, the gentleman that went to Thailand to volunteer for MaryKnoll and never came back. He graciously gave me all the info I wanted on what it will be like there when I teach English for 3 months in Chang Mai (sp?) Can't wait. Thanks Serge for a lovely evening. Can't wait to have some Thai food with you in Bangkok. Oh wait, it would just be called "food" there, right?



On Mondays and Tuesdays, I get to look out on this view from my Design Department desk. It's awesome. This day in particular it looked like Armageddon but the photo itself almost looks fake because of the way the light was hitting the steel on the Manhattan Bridge.

Hell's Kitchen is Right

The kitchen part, that is. Before my volleyball game Tuesday night, I took the long way and walked around Hell's Kitchen taking in all the new cuisine this neighborhood has to offer (new thing). I used to frequent this part of town in my Newsweek days since there wasn't much going on at the intersection of Broadway and 57th Street restaurant-wise. We'd go to Uncle Vanya's, Puttanesca, Patsy's and Matt's Grill a lot, Mangia y Bevi on 9th Ave. and sometimes Kennedy's. The crew also went to East but back in those days, I didn't do it raw so there was no sushi for me. But now, there are a ton of places there that I'd like to check out. One in particular is on 50th between 8th and 9th and the chef is in her 80s or maybe even 90. She's adorable and although I only had time to peek inside, it's cute too. Very intimate but says on the window that it has authentic french cuisine so I'll have to check it out. Of course I've forgotten the name but I know precisely where it is, on the north side of 50th closer to 9th.



Another thing I finally captured (new thing) was a photo of this unbelievable sidewalk garden that I've passed for years on my way to the High School for Environmental Studies where Big City Volleyball has many of its games. Whomever tends to this concrete garden has done quite a lot with little space and no earth to speak of, except in the pots of course. A nice man came outside while I was taking a picture and offered to take a photo of me in front of the garden (like it's on the Time Out New York walking tour or something. It's nice, but c'mon sir (sorry, that was mean. I'm in a weird mood tonight).



The other thing I get a kick out of in New York City is the mix of architecture which brought on this next photo. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't. For instance, this shot is something that I like because it reminds me of that movie in the 80s where that big developer wanted to build somewhere and there was one holdout - this building with a little robot or do-dad that helped put the little white tiles back together in the entrance foyer (can't recall the name) but it often looks like that when you look up on a city block in these neighborhoods. There's old school charm and then high-rise luxury within spitting distance of each other. This is why I love New York. But one thing I don't like so much (and I was recently discussing this with Mo as we waited for a table at this great noodle joint), I'm not fond of mixing architecture in ONE building like the Louvre or the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Or the Hearst Building on 57th and 8th Ave. Why? I don't get it.