I just love that the rest of America is all of a sudden paying attention to New Yorker magazine covers. Hysterical.
Here Comes the Summer
Today’s the Summer Solstice, the day where there’s the most hours of light. In celebration, I thought I’d remind everyone that it’s legal for women to go topless in New York, and that a clever photographer did a nice photo essay celebrating the fact.
I particularly like the one of the tattooed girl asking the NYC cop for directions.
And Happy Birthday, Lara!
Park Slope Drama
Firewater Redux
Right now, drunk, my only regret in life is not having had Tod A.’s lovechild. Really.
Tonight at Southpaw, here in the Slope, they were amazing – from the female trombone player to the Sikh drummer who was goddamned amazing.I haven’t danced so much for forever. Continue reading “Firewater Redux”
The Other Two
& The other two most popular attractions for the French, when they come to visit NYC, after the Brooklyn Bridge:
- #2: The Statue of Liberty (because the French gave it to us, after all)
- #3: Harlem
If you’re wondering about #3, let me remind you of Ms. Josephine Baker (amongst other reasons).
#1 Reason to Come to NYC
Tonight Betty & I were watching some combination of Burn Notice, Keith Olbermann, and Law & Order (always L&O), when we heard fireworks out our window. There were some last week too, so we kind of responded with a “must be more of whatever that was.”
It turns out that yesterday, May 22nd, was the 125th Birthday of the Brooklyn Bridge.
So Happy Birthday, bridge of bridges, and well done, Msrs. Roebling: we still love your bridge.
The Brooklyn Bridge is often listed as one of the top three attractions the French come to NYC to see. The other two? That answer tomorrow, but guesses are welcome.
Law & Order Gawk
My little plan today was to take 6 bags of clothes over to the Salvation Army since the one near us was gentrified out about a year or so ago; Betty volunteered to come with me, & then said coquettishly, “I thought maybe we could stop at the Old Navy.”
We never made it to Old Navy. We went to Victoria’s Secret, where I was promptly given the dyke sign to carry around when a salesperson came up to me to ask if I needed any help, and I just pointed to Betty and said, “I’m just waiting for her.” Afterwards, Daffy’s for a quick minute, since the place gives us both headaches. I walked quickly by the Cold Stone Creamery, since it’s a weakness of mine and I’m trying to lose weight, and then Target, since I have a firm belief that the only good summer clothes are cheap – nearly disposable. At least for bras and t-shirts I like, since I tend to sweat through them over a season. (TMI, maybe, but hey, you try finding cotton bras to support D cups in 90 degree heat & 90% humidity without sweating through them, & get back to me.)
We bought nearly nothing but we were starving by the time I’d try to pick out Hanes hipsters in the right size – $8 for 6! – and decided to walk to the Wendy’s in Fulton Mall. It was a hike, but we had lunch, & then we walked home, all the way down 4th Avenue (about 1.6 miles), decided to grab the all-important accordion files I needed for us, & for a client, on the way home.
& There was Kathryn Erbe! In Staples on 4th Avenue in Brooklyn! Kind of the least likely place I would have expected to see anyone, but it was her, & I didn’t gawk. The only odd thing was feeling safer with Eames in the house, which is of course desperately goofy since she’s an actor, not an actual NYPD detective.
We did make it home. I’d say we did a little more than 3 miles of walking, which means that my flat foot gave in & now I’m gimping with pain. But unfortunately there’s going to be a bit more pain before I get some of this weight off, which I have to do.
There Goes the Neighborhood
So I’ve been back in Brooklyn a few weeks, and in three months the neighborhood has changed drastically. Mostly not in a way that pleases me, either.
- Jack’s is, after all, closed. Not only will I miss the pot roast, but I will miss the place for the sake that it was the first place I heard a song by Spoon. That is, I heard a cool song, and asked who it was, & the server said “Spoon.” I think it was their “Back to the Life.” Anyway, a place that played music cool enough for me to discover will be sadly missed.
- We now have a 7-11. I’m really not even sure what to think of that one.
- Our local favorite Greek diner is remodeling.
- But the worst change of all is this: My favorite pizza joint, Lenny’s, no longer makes zeppolis.
And I’ll tell you why it sucks: because when I first moved to Brooklyn, and first went into Lenny’s, I felt like I was home. Old Italian guys making pizza who’d been making pizza for decades, photos of Italians on the walls, those awful formica stalls, fountain soda, italian ices out of paper cups, and yes, zeppolis.
I’ve always had this vague feeling I was born in the wrong era. I’m beginning, more and more, to be more sure that I was, watching the change all around me. I still haven’t gotten over paying more than 50 cents for a cup of joe, after all. Why people ever agreed to pay $2 for a cup of coffee that you have to prepare yourself so that now that’s all you can buy, I’ll never understand.
I (heart) NY
What I love about my town: 200+ people gathered in Grand Central Station to freeze in place for five minutes, with no announcement, explanation, or flyers about what they were doing.
Love public art. Love that people who were there applauded, because they got it.
(Thanks to Mendel for the link.)
NYCCentric
I’ve noticed that people who don’t live in New York don’t seem to mind – or even notice – that they don’t live in New York.
How peculiar.