Mr NYC in Kennebunkport, Maine

Recently I spent a night in Kennebunkport, Maine. It was my first time in the Pine Tree State and -- wow! -- it's beautiful.

Maine is much in the news these days for political reasons but most of the time it's a quiet, sleepy place up north.

In my mind it's The Place Beyond Boston, even more remote than Vermont and New Hampshire, basically a piece of Canada captured within the Lower 48. In Maine, the pace of life is slower, time is more important than money, and culturally it's actually more French-Canadian than American.

Several years ago the humorous write Drew Magary wrote a piece for GQ called "Maine: Do We Need It?" that dissects the vagaries of this odd place.

Unlike northern Maine -- where both its residents and geography have more common with the Wildings in the land beyond the Wall in Game of Thrones -- southern Maine is gorgeous tourist trap. Kennebunkport is its crown jewel, a beautiful seaside town with charming shops, great restaurants, and nice bed and breakfasts.

When we got there, we visited one of the beautiful private beaches (thanks to some family friends). Then we stayed at the Kings Point Inn which I highly recommend, is reasonably priced, gives you breakfast, and has a jacuzzi bathtub. The friendly guy at the front desk talked about how much he loves his town and state, and gave us a nice map -- even showing us directions to Walkers Point, summer home of the Bush family (don't worry, we didn't go). For dinner, we ate a place called Hurricaine -- while the service was slow and it was crowded, the food was amazing. After dinner we walked around the charming streets, getting ice cream, and enjoying the relaxed vibe of the place. I took lots of pictures which, you'll see here, and drank in its beauty.

A couple of interesting things: 1) Apparently the Bush family was in-residence on Walkers Point and good ol' George W. was there celebrating his 80th birthday. 2) Did you know that Maine used to be part of Massachusetts? It became independent in 1820 as part of the Missouri Compromise -- Maine joined as a free state, Missouri as a slave state. 3) There's actually two townd, Kennebunkport and Kennebunk that are divided/joined by a bridge and make us this area. 4) If you go to Maine, you better like seafood.  

The End of Central Park Horse Carriages?

There's a currently a bill circulating in the City Council to ban horse carriages in Central Park. While they are a nostalgic and beautiful part of the history and identity of the park and city, they really are outdated and dangerous. People and horses have died and, even when they don't, these poor horses are scared of the noise and traffic of the city as well as being baked or frozen in the summer and winter months.

This editorial gives a good oversight of this bill, and how it would buy-out the  horse-carriage industry so that the people working in it aren't left destitute. 

But I agree, it needs to end. Heck, I can remember seeing groups organizing against horse-carriages back when I was a kid so this isn't a new issue. And yet, as nostalgic as I am for the old days of NYC, this is a lot like public smoking -- something that some people might enjoy but that really has no place in a decent society. 

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site

Recently I visited the birthplace of the only American president born in Manhattan -- the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace on East 20th Street. It's actually part of the US National Parks so it was odd and fascinating to see people dressed as park rangers in the middle of the city.

Since it's a Federal site, admission is free. However, in order to see the whole house, you need to join one of the hourly tours. The house itself is a beautifully preserved example of a Knickerbocker 19th-century Manhattan architecture and interior decorating, with the museum to TR on the first floor. 

It's a popular destination. I went at the end of the day in scorching hot weather in the middle of the week and there were lots of people on the tour. It's certainly worth seeing this historic place, and remembering that once upon NYC produced a president worth being proud of. 

Remembering the "Pine Tar Incident" @ Yankee Stadium -- July 24, 1983

" ... and thank you for your support": Remembering Bartles & Jaymes Ads in NYC

Gotta Love New Yorkers

Overhead in the Temple of Dendur at the Met Museum: "Who's more evil? Herod or the Sacklers?"

Brooklyn @ America 250

On this July 4th, 250th anniversary of American Independence, I'm going to focus on one place -- Brooklyn.

I recently spent a week there and, if you want to understand the greatness of America, you can find it in the history, food, and streets of this mighty borough that once upon was its very own city. For example ...

... if you go there you can eat at amazing restaurants like Wheated.

... if you walk the streets you can see funny bumper stickers like:

... at night you find people watching the World Cup on the streets and join them!

... and you can get stunning views of the city when you take the train into Manhattan, a reminder that we are huge city of islands, a city on water, a city that contains multitudes.

Happy birthday America, and America wouldn't be a great as it is without Brooklyn!

NYC Hosts the Wedding of the Year

Two Classy Brits Talk "Mamdani Effect" Beyond NYC

And as we celebrate America 250, what do our former masters in the United Kingdom, the people "across the pond", think of their once-upon-a-time subjects?

Well, these two classy Brits have some thoughts -- especially about the mayor of NYC and how the "Mamdani Effect" is extending beyond NYC and even into the former Mother Country.

America 250: George III's Failure

I'm fascinated by stories of failure. As a failure myself, it's so much more interesting than success. That's why I read books and watch documentaries about movies that flopped, about wars that went wrong, about various other things that went awry. Somewhere along the way someone made a decision or decisions that seemed correct at the time -- but that turned out instead to be really wrong. Failure is about the intersection of intent with human falibility, about the clash between dreams and reality. 

I'm a fan of failure. 

Therefore, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, I'd like to share these hilarious clips from the 1994 movie The Madness of King George where George III mourns the "paradise lost" that was "the colonies." Of course two decades later the musical Hamilton would have a more comic take on George III's defeat -- but after 250 years, we won't "be back."