Wow, Mr NYC started eighteen years ago today.
Today Mr NYC is officially old enough to drive, vote, get drafted, have sex, pay taxes, and go to jail.
In short, an adult.
Happy to say, the real me has never been drafted nor gone to jail but I've paid a lot of taxes, voted and driven a bunch, and sex ... well ... I have two kids but my most constant partner has been ... Mr NYC.
Hope we'll go on for another few more years. This city never ceases to be a great source of material!
If you're a fan of the White Lotus series, you'll note that there are lots of scenes of characters lounging by pools or laying in bed, reading. Over three seasons, lots of different books have been used as props -- including Barbra Streisand's phonebook of an autobiography -- and they help to give the characters reading them another dimension.
In this third season of the show one of the characters is reading F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and Damned -- a book I blogged about back in 2022. And there's a person whose whole job it is to get these books onto White Lotus, a sort of literary props master, that must be a fun job. (People on TikTok are chatting about it).
This remind me of a story -- albeit, a very short, rather underwhelming one. But it involves another noteworthy HBO show.
In early 2001 I was working -- miserably -- at a company that produced trade books. It was an awful job at an awful company with awful people, and I didn't last long there. But there was one fleeting brief moment that catapulted me into cultural relevance.
One afternoon my phone rang and I answered. A cheery voice said to me, "Hi! I'm calling from the HBO show The Sopranos!" I was floored. In early 2001 The Sopranos was, by far, the hottest show on TV. Everyone was watching and talking about it. This was while they were making the third season that included the legendary "Pine Barrens" episode.
Of course, I thought, "Why the hell are they calling this company?" But the friendly guy on the phone informed me that they needed books on real estate for an upcoming episode and could we provide some gratis. I said I thought that was possible, took down the info, informed my bosses, they went nuts, and off the books went to the Sopranos production company.
Months later, I'm out of this job horrible job and, one night, catch the show. And there, at the end of the episode, is Edie Falco herself reading the book I sent. That was weird, and cool, and my only connection to one of the best TV shows ever made.
I don't recall exactly which episode it was but it's towards the end of the third season. So, if you ever see it, remember Mr NYC himself masterminded this epochal contribution to the culture.
As seen on Riverside Drive and 122 street on March 8th, 2025 at 1:37 PM ...
... and in Northest East, Queens on March 17, 2025 6:45 PM ...
That is all.
I might be forgiven for claiming that I possess a crystal ball. I don't -- but I certainly have, over the years, written about things long before the mainstream media or others have.
That's why I created an entire section of this blog called Mr NYC Ahead of His Time with examples of my psychic abilities.
Two blog posts that I did were about the borough of Queens and how it's essentially the "swing" borough in NYC politics -- the borough where mayors are made, the true political pulse of the city. (I referred to Queens as the "Ohio" of NYC but these days it's more like the "Wisconsin.") Also, I blogged about the political dynasties in this city, families that have posessed power in NYC for generations.
Well, whatyaknow, there was recently a big article that breaks down exactly how Queens breaksdown politically and how volatile it is, and the role that political dynasties play in NYC politics.
Like ... wow! I was writing about this stuff LONG before the hotshot political reporters in this town did. I don't claim to be brilliant but yours truly sure does have a habit of noticing and writing about things before others, a kind of "sixth sense" about NYC.
I plan to continue doing this for a long time to come!
Of all the great TV shows set in NYC, one of the best but most forgotten is the early 1990s show Brooklyn Bridge. It was one of those shows with smart writing, great acting but little seen -- yet those who did see it, loved it.
Set in the mid-1950s in Brooklyn, the show concerns a Jewish family trying to make their way up the socio-economic ladder in post-war NYC. It was a show about strivers, about trying to grow beyond your roots, about trying to "make it" while also not forgetting where you came from and who helped you along the way.
The show was created by Gary David Goldberg who, in the 1980s, had great success with the show Family Ties that made Michael J. Fox a big star. Brooklyn Bridge was based on Goldberg's childhood, and it received great reviews and award nominations -- and also low ratings.
The show had a short run, from 1991 to 1993, but it was remembered long afterwards for its quality. One of its episodes, "When Irish Eyes are Smiling", was rated as one of the best episodes of television ever made.
I remember when this show was on the air but I didn't watch it every week. I do recall one episode when the the teenage boy on the show, named Alvin, gets accepted by Bronx Science. He wants to go but his parents are worried about the very long subway ride he'd have every day from Brooklyn if he went. I remember thinking that this was a show that really got NYC -- the legnth of the commute is the kind of thing that makes people in this city think hard about what schools they want to send their kids too. My mom's dad didn't want her going to a prestigious school in Manhattan because of the commute -- a decision she always regretted.
Anyway, you can find a lot of episodes of Brooklyn Bridge on YouTube. I strongly suggest watching this nostalgic show that is itself a piece of nostalgia.
Sidenote: Alvin was played by a kid named Danny Gerard. A couple of years before Brooklyn Bridge I remember seeing him on stage in Les Miserables as Gavoroch. He was really talented and I don't know why he didn't go on to a big career as an adult. But he's really good in Brooklyn Bridge.
Every day in the news you hear things like "The White House says ..." or "According to the White House ..." or "Now we go live to The White House ..." -- whatever it is, it's "White House" this or "White House" that.
It's the most powerful building in the world, and its very name projects power. And we all know, it's located in Wasington, DC.
But the first capital city of these United States was New York City -- from April 30, 1789 until August 30, 1790, approximately. The first capital was at Federal Hall. And then the capital moved to Phildelphia while Washington DC was being built.
But where did the President, George Washington, live in NYC?
Two places: the first was the Samuel Osgood House at 3 Cherry Street. Washington moved in just before being sworn in. Believe it or not, the first presiden'ts first house was a rental, and ten months later, like any good New Yorker, Washington moved when he found a better deal -- a bigger place called Alexander Macomb House at 39-41 Broadway. But just a few short months later his gig took him to Philly. So these two NYC homes served as the first "White Houses" for a very short time.
Sadly both homes were demolished in 1856 and 1940, respectively. It's hard to believe that no one thought they were worth preserving -- certainly we wouldn't make that mistake today! But it's interesting to know that George Washington, the first American president, was an NYC renter like so many others.
It's hard to believe that it was only five years ago that COVID hit the world like a thunderclap. It shut down the globe for a year -- and, to a large extent, we're still recovering from it if also living in denial or trying to forget about how it destabilized us.
But did we learn anything? Are we better prepared if something like this happens again?
Sadly, the answer is no.
If you want to see a way that NYC has been failed by its current leadership, read this article. It outlines how, five years after COVID hit and a few years after the crises ended, there's been no attempt by the city -- or even the country -- to perform a comprehensive review of what happened. There's been no attempt to investigate and compile a narrative of the COVID timeline -- about what happened, what decisions were made (rightly or wrongly), what impact did it have on NYC, what lessons were learned, and how can we be better prepared next time?
None of this has happened! There's been no investigations, no "after-action" report.
And now, if the current insane people running the country, measles and other infectious diseases are headed our way -- and we're not ready!
Of all the things that drive me nuts about our society today, it's this almost pathalogical contempt for public health. This anti-vax, anti-educational movement that benefits no one and threatens everyone.
It's sick! It's insane! And I REALLY hope that this is a fad that ends.
I painted both of these more than 30 years ago when I was in high school.
As you can see, one of them is a placid lake scene (based on a special place I love) and the other is my Jackson Pollock/Basquiat-inspired color montage.
I know they're not great but they ain't that totally bad, aight?
A few years back I reviewed a batch of movies about New Yorkers who travel far from the city and get into all kinds of crazy adventures.
But perhaps the ultimate example of that is the show Tulsa King which I finally caught up on even though it's been streaming on Paramount Plus for a couple of years now.
It has a fun premise: a member of the NYC mafia, just out of 25 years in prison for not ratting out his bosses, is sent to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to establish an organized crime franchise. His job is to shake people down -- or "earn" -- and send his cut back to the bosses in NYC. But, as you might imagine, things get complicated when law enforcement, women, as well as other crime gangs that the mafia hadn't encountered on dealing with emerge -- as well as some unfinished from back home.
The mob guy is named Dwight Manfredi and he's played by a 75-year old Sylvester Stallone. I've never been a huge fan, his movies weren't exactly my thing, he's REALLY good in this -- you forget that behind the muscles and brawn is a hell of a good actor, and he owns the screen as a complex man trying to takeover this town's crime business while also becoming a better man. His pathos is deeply felt.
A great supporting cast, including the lovely Dana Delaney and other excellent actors, make this show a lot of fun. And you can tell that the writers are having a blast with the culture clash of tough NYC mobsters and Western crime gangs coming into conflict -- while the FBI is hot on their tails.
It's an entertaining, good time and I reccomend it.
Read Mr NYC's Anora coverage here.
If I had the cash and was going to build a palace, I'd build it in a great city by a river.
Imagine living in a huge home, gilt and elegance everywhere, and then looking out the window and seeing a brilliant cityscape, and then looking out another window and seeing a big placid stream of water.
How lovely, how ... rich.
This is not, no surprise, not an original idea to me. There have been several historic palaces built next to rivers but today, sadly, most of them are phantoms.
And here in NYC we also have phantom riverside palaces -- the lost mansions that used to exist on Riverside Drive in Manhattan.
But foist, to history!
In London, in the medieval era, there was a huge palace on the banks of the River Thames in London called the Savoy Palace. It was huge, gorgeous, and absolutely screamed of power and wealth. Unsurprisingly it was owned by the then-royal family, the Plantagenets. Its last resident was John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III, and an important political and military leader of his time -- a kind of guy-behind-the-guy, a Bismark or James Baker or Tywin Lannister kind of guy.
But tragedy befell the Savoy Palace in 1381 when, during the Peasants Revolt, it was burned down, totally destroyed (John of Gaunt had levied a very unpopular tax on the peasants and the peasants let him know what they thought of it). A smart politician, John didn't rebuild the palace -- instead, he made tax reforms and quelled the rebellion, restoring peace.
John of Gaunt was an important historic figure (see below), and he is also the grandfather of every British monarch since Henry IV. John and his longtime-mistress/last wife, the gorgeous and amazing Kathrine Swynford, had four kids. John of Gaunt's riverside palace may not have survived but his DNA sure does!
Moving down to Paris, on the right back of the River Seine, used to stand the Tuilleries Palace. It was one of many residences of the French Kings and it was actually the brainchild of the great Queen Catherine de Medici herself. The French Kings before the 1789 didn't actually live there much (they soon headed out to Versailles) but in the 19th century it was used by the short-lived monarchs Louise-Phillipe and Louise Napoleon.
But the Tuilleries Palace became another victim of mass fervor when, during the Paris Commune of 1871, it was destroyed, never to be rebuilt. Now it's a massive public park, the Tuilleries Garden, where families strolls and couples go to ... French.
Sidenote: a forgotten historical figure named Phillipp Prince of Saxe Coburg Gotha was born in the Tuilleries Palace in 1844. He was the brother-in-law and friend of the Austrian Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria who, along with a couple of others, discovered Rudolf and his dead mistress at Mayerling in 1889. Philipp is an intriguing, pivotal character in Episode 4 of Fall of Eagles -- see below; it's an amazing episode. (Phillipp also put his crazy cheating wife in an insane assylum and fought a duel with her lover that he lost. But anyway.)
Then there's the Yusupov Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. Built by the insanely wealthy noble Yusupov family on the banks of the Moika River, it was as huge, as gorgeous, as jaw-droppingly splendid as any palace ever built anywhere. It was a (literally) shining example of Tsarist Russia -- the kind of place that represented everything that the Communists hated and wanted to destroy.
Amazingly, the Communists didn't destroy it after the 1917 Russian revolution. It was too big, too impressive, and too useful to destroy. Instead, the Yusopov family fled Russia and the Communists turned into a ministry. Now its a museum. But even though this riverside palace still exists, it's still a phantom -- no one lives there, its use abandoned, it's a curiosity of history and not a living part of it.
But what's most interesting about this palace is that while it's huge and gorgeous and an architectural marvel, its best known for something that happened in a basement room in the palace late at night on December 30, 1916. That's the night that Prince Felix Yusupov and his friends killed the mysterious and fake holy man/Tsarist whisperer and advisor Rasputin. They fed him poisoned cakes and wine and, when those failed to kill him, shot him. Rasputin managed to flee outside of the palace where Yusupov and his friends shot him again. Then they chained him up and drove him outside St. Petersburg where they dumped his body into another river. And while Yusopov and his friends thought killing Rasputin would save the Russian monarchy, it was in fact the moment when its doom was sealed.
Okay, so we've delved into history of the riverside palaces in London, Paris and St. Petersburg. Let's come home to NYC.
And here you can learn all about the huge, beautiful mansions -- some of them almost as big and gorgeous as palaces -- that were built in the 19th-century on Riverside Drive in Manhattan. Obviously no nobles or royals built or lived in them, but they were examples of the the Gilded Age, of New Money, of trying to show their European counterparts that they could build great homes as grand as anything in the Old World. And Riverside Drive, that great stretch of road by the watery Western frontier of NYC, seemed like the perfect place.
Sadly, most of these mansions on Riverside Drive are gone today. A couple still exist but, during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century, their wealthy residents could no longer afford their upkeep and sold them to developers. The new owners proceeded to knock them down and build apartment buildings -- some quite splendid themselves but not quite as interesting as the mansions they replaced.
This documentary below about the lost mansions, the lost palaces, of Riverside Drive tells the story about ten of these long-gone gems.
And I have a personal interest in this -- one of the mansions mentioned in this documentary was replaced by the building that I myself grew up in myself and where my family still owns the apartment.
So yeah ... I kinda-sorta-but-not-really-but-want-to-believe that I grew up and lived for years in a kinda-sorta-palace on the riverside of a great city.
And that I have a some stuff in common with other previous residents of riverside mansions -- like intelligence and elegance -- except for like ...
John of Gaunt; I mean this guy had it all, money, power, a hot woman (and women), kids, bling -- I just wouldn't want to have my home burned down ...
... or Catherine de Medici but without all the killing ...
... or Prince Phillipp of Saxe Coburg Gotha but without putting my wife in a loonie bin or discovering my brother-in-law dead ...
... or Prince Felix Yusopov without killing a gross and weird holy man and then fleeing the country.
And if want to just enjoy the beauty and impressive current day architecture of Riverside Drive, I strongly suggest taking along this most amazing and unique of NYC thoroughfares.
The one and only time that I've been to Los Angeles was in late March 1995. My brother was living there and I visited him during my Spring break. I was there for a week and we drove north with a friend and visited San Francisco and then drove back along the Pacific Coast Highway, visiting San Simeon and gorgeous Central Valley places like Monterrey and Carmel.
I blogged about it extensively in 2018. And I concluded the post about how, just before I boarded my flight back home to NYC, I spoke to my dad by phone, informing me of my college acceptance.
Something I didn't mention, however, because it was totally irrelevant, was that my last full night in LA was the same night as the 67th annual Academy Awards. It was the same night that Forrest Gump swept the Oscars but also when Quentin Tarantino won Best Original Screenplay for Pulp Fiction.
So I was fascinated to stumble upon an article about the Oscar party held that night in LA by Harvey Weinstein and his company Miramax that had produced Pulp Fiction. Apparently, in a city and business known for wild parties, this was the wildest party in Oscar history. Many big stars at the time congregated, people got into fistfights, Harvey Weinstein threatened to go steal the Oscars from the Forrest Gump people -- and a wanted criminal crashed the party, apparently being persued by the cops while Hollywood partied.
It was, apparently, the last kind of wild, out-of-control Oscar party that Hollywood used to have. In the decades afterwards, the business and the parties became more sedate. And as you always see when you look at a moment frozen in time, some of the people at the party have continued to thrive -- like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jodie Foster, Samuel L Jackson -- while others -- like the host, Harvey Weinstein himself, and Kevin Spacey -- went into infamy ... and prison.
And to think that yours truly Mr NYC was in LA that night. Crazy. Only in the movies ...
P.S. This Oscars ceremony also had another NYC twist -- David Letterman was the host and he notoriously bombed. "Uma" ... "Oprah" ... "Uma" ... "Oprah."
Yeah, it didn't work.
Fourteen years ago I blogged extensively about my visit to Jamaica Bay. A massive wildlife refuge and national park located on a variety of islands in southern Queens, it's a world unto its own, part of the "blue highways" of America in a remote part of of NYC.
It's just another reminder of how huge and geographically diverse this city is.
Well, the HBO anthology show True Detective has apparently now discovered this area too. After previous seasons set in rural Louisiana, Los Angeles, the Ozarks and the wilds of Alaska, the upcoming season of True Detective will take place in Jamaica Bay.
There's no word yet on what the story will be -- it's still being written, apparently -- and no word on who will star in it (it's not yet cast) but, no doubt, I will certainly blog about when it finally premieres (scheduled for some time in 2027, around the 20th anniversary of this blog).
I'm a big fan of True Detective (although the quality of the seasons has been very uneven) but I think setting the next season in Jamaica Bay is quite brilliant -- a mysterious part of the country's biggest city, a place where doubtless lots of bodies and secrets have been buried. The idea of it is intriguing. I just hope it's good!
I remember seeing this production in the summer of 1998. The star power is unbelievable. It was a fun time!
One of the reasons why I keep this blog running is because I feel like I'm recording history in real time. Journalism may be the first draft of history but this blog is sort of like the messily edited, marked up version before the second draft is completed.
So in this Year of Our Lord 2025 in the City of New York in the United States of America, here's the situation that history will have to try to reckon with: the Mayor of New York City is under indictment and under the control of the President of the United States who's a convicted felon.
The Mayor of New York City is under indictment and under the control of the President of the United States who's a convicted felon.
This is dystopian stuff, the abnormal that has become normalized. Right now NYC is under complete control by criminals. I never thought, never imagined, we'd be in such a situation and that apparently this is what the people of this city and this country want!
And it's having terrible side-effects: the mayor's top deputies are resigning, the people we need to keep the city running are bailing out, fleeing this profoundly messed up situation. I can't blame them but we need them!
And to make it worse: the hot gossip is that the corrupt former governor of New York State might be the criminal mayor's replacement!
What the hell is going on? We must, as a city, demand better -- and vote for it!
Here's the very first episode of SNL ever broadcast in 1975:
And here's some of the 50th anniversary celebration in 2025:
New York State Governor Hochul has the power to remove NYC Mayor Eric Adams from office.
Will she do it?
Adams is deeply compromised because the Trump "Justice" Department is ordering the dropping of Adams' corruption charges but the actual Federal prosecutors on the case are refusing to do so. Resignation is following resignation -- a rolling Constitutional Crises.
This is an NYC version of the 1973 Watergate "Saturday Night Massacre."
Growing up in decades right after Watergate, I assumed that something like this could never happen again. That America would never elect a bad, corrupt president again. But we did -- twice -- and it's even worse than fifty-something years ago.
And it's taking NYC with it!
I remembering seeing this movie in the summer of 1996. It blew me away and I'm happy that the entire thing is now available on YouTube. Watch it here.
You can also review the Mr NYC Andy Warhold archive here and read more about the life of Valerie Solanas and the SCUM Manifesto.
In 2021 I blogged about the infamous NYC madam Polly Adler.
Now there's a great little video bio of her you can watch.
But remember, you heard about her here first -- Mr NYC ahead of his time!
Brilliant character actor Tony Roberts has died at 85.
Born, raised, and living his entire life in NYC, Tony Roberts was the quintessential New York actor -- he did theater, TV and movies, his characters always bringing the city to life.
Tony made several movies with Woody Allen including two of his very best -- Annie Hall and Hannah & Her Sisters. And he made other classic NYC films like Serpico and The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3.
I also recall him being in an incredible episode of Law & Order back in the 1990s.
Most of all, Tony Roberts was a great Broadway actor, starring in over 20 shows over the decades. I saw him on Broadway twice -- in 1990 in Jerome Robbins' Broadway and in 2009 in The Royal Family which I reviewed here.
He was also a delight to see, a cool, calm, reassuring prescence, and he was always very funny. His best line in Annie Hall: "Where I used to live is now a pornographic equipment store."
A legend. RIP.
I love history. Even though this is a blog about NYC, I'm obsessed with late 19th and early 20th century European history, the decades where the various rulers of the great empires in Europe made terrible decisions that led to war and revolution -- and shaped the world we live in today.
And in so many ways the lessons that can be learned from that time and place apply to our country and NYC today.
"It was hard to be Tsar." So begins the British historian Simon Sebag Montefiore's book about the Romanov dynasty that ruled Russia for 300 years. Ruling an empire, a country, a region or a city is hard work. Well, it's hard if you take the job seriously, if you strive to do it well, if you try not to make mistakes, and if you truly care about the welfare and progress of your people and your land.
But if you don't take it seriously, or handle it badly, catastrophe ensues.
In the years leading up to World War I, three of Europe's biggest empires were ruled by people who were unfit to rule. In short, they were really bad at their jobs. They were incompetent, arrogant, delusional, prone to magical thinking, made huge mistakes, and it all ended in horror.
In Germany there was Kaiser Wilhelm II. An erratic, arrogant, narcissistic man-child, he engaged in building up a navy that Germany didn't need, just to piss of England (and his English relatives), tried to play different countries against each other, fired the best Chancellor that Germany ever had (Bismark), and finally plunged Germany into war in 1914 that forced it to fight on two fronts. Eventually Germany lost the war and Wilhelm fled the country -- leaving his country in ruin, eventually leading to the rise of the Nazis.
In Austria-Hungary, you had Emperor Franz Joseph, an amiable but unimaginable ruler who refused to give the 11 nationalities of his empire any real political sovereignty or respect. He was also vulnerable to demands of his army chiefs who yearned for war, any war, and eventually capitulated to their demands to attack Serbia -- that triggered World War I. Franz Joseph died in 1916, was succeeded by his very young nephew, and eventually Austria-Hungary lost the war, the empire broke up, and Franz Joseph's dynasty, the Habsburgs, lost power after 600 years.
And finally, in Russia, you had Tsar Nicholas II, the most staggeringly dumb man ever to rule a vast empire, who believed he'd be a great ruler because God wanted him to, who refused to make reforms until violence ensued, started wars (like the one with Japan) that Russia list in 1905, oversaw the massacre of Bloody Sunday, and finally plunged Russia into war in 1914 with an army that was totally unprepared to fight. This led to the fall of the Romanovs and the rise of Communism.
Disastrous rulers all -- and some of the people who worked for them were even more insane (like advisors who wanted wars or encouraged repression or ... Rasputin). It was rule by the unserious, rule by the mendacious, and it had very serious and cruel conseqences.
We see this in America today.
Today we are being ruled by reckless and unserious people who are dismantling our government, draining our country's power, condoning criminality and violence and repression, and destroying our nation's reputation. It's a horror show (unless you hate America, in which case it's a triumph).
Closer to home we have Mayor Eric Adams, perhaps the worst and most unpopular mayor this city has ever had, a criminal and a narcissist, a disaster. And he sure doesn't take his job seriously -- Adams has even said that his job, being mayor of the country's biggest city, isn't hard! It's like when Donald Trump told Bob Woodward that he didn't think that the COVID crises was a leadership challenge!
Well, if you don't really care about your job or your city or your country or your people or the challenges facing them ... then leadership is easy. Then it's easy to be the Tsar, or the president, or the mayor, or the whatever. Like school. If you don't care about doing your homework or taking tests or getting good grades, then school is a cinch! But if you do care, well, it's a little harder.
If someone tells you that something that is intrinsically hard is in fact easy, then that is not a serious person -- and that person should never be in a position of power or responsibility.
Last year I did a blog post about the kingdoms of NYC and I included links to a British mini-series from 1974 called Fall of Eagles. In 13 brilliant episodes it dramatizes the 70 years leading up to World War I and the fall of the German, Russian, and Austro-Hungarian empires in 1918. I can't praise this show enough -- it's massively entertaining and also shows how the warped personalities and priorities of these rulers and their minions created hell.
I strongly recommend you watch it and you can find all the episodes for free on YouTube here. The best episodes, in my opinion are: Episode 4 about the 1889 Mayerling tragedy; Episode 5 about the Nicholas II and Lenin (played by a very young Patrick Stewart); Episode 9 about the annexation of Bosnia by Austria-Hungary; and Episode 10 about the start of World War I.
These episodes most of all demonstrate the failures of people unfit to lead or who operate through delusion and lies. And it makes you look at the people leading America and NYC today and realize that what happened in the past sadly is happening again today here at home.
In 1973 a movie called Serpico starring Al Pacino about the corruption whistler-blower NYPD cop Frank Serpico came out. To this day it remains a classic flick with one of Pacino's best early career performance (it came out between the first two Godfathers).
Then in 1976 a TV series called Serpico starring a guy named David Birney about an NYPD cop named Frank Serpico who busts other corrupt cops came out, ran for 15 episodes, got cancelled, and was promptly forgotten.
This being Mr NYC, I'm naturally interested in little forgotten cultural nuggets like this. And even though it wasn't a great show, it's certainly an interesting late 1970s slice-of-life. The show's pilot aired in April 1976 and then for half-a-season from September 1976 to January 1977.
Interestingly enough (for me) the show aired at the same time the recently deceased Jimmy Carter was elected and when yours truly was born. It also went off the air at the start of one of the most consequential years in NYC history.
If you have any interesting in watching this show, you can actually see the whole series here. And believe it or not, as of this writing, Frank Serpico is still alive at the age of 88!
In the early 1980s Lisa Cintrice blazed a short, memorable trail in the NYC adult movie business. She worked with Jamie Gillis, Bambi Woods, and other big stars of the time, partied and rocked'n'rolled in nightclubs and swinger clubs, and lived a fun, wild life -- before getting clean, getting out the business, and living a more healthy, normal life.
Lisa's gone on to have a great career as a CPA and great kids. And she was kind enough, in 2021, to give Mr NYC two interviews -- one about her life and career, another about her family's relationship with old school mob guys.
But that's the past. Lisa's living her best life in the present and looking towards the future. And she's still sexy! In fact, she has gotten back in front of the camera for the first time in over 40 years. Recently Lisa did a photoshoot with an erotic model/photographer named Cerise, and I'm honored that this legend of the NYC adult business is giving Mr NYC her first interview about her return to the camera -- and what might come next!
How did this photoshoot come about and what made you want to do it?
I did it for a couple of reasons. One being that I have been posting a lot of photos from my past, and I wanted more recent photos to post. I am proud of my body. As you know I work out a lot and I wanted to see if I can still be sexy and model at 62. As far as Cerise I saw her on X and found her unique and attractive and after speaking with her and getting to know her I found her to be a good fit for this shoot. I asked her if she was interested, she said yes and we set it all up to shoot in Texas.
What was the theme or idea for the photoshoot, what were you and the photographer hoping to achieve?
I honestly had no idea what we were going to shoot. I wanted it to be sexy sensual and relations. As we went through the process it was clear nudity was not required to achieve that goal. Next photoshoot might be different. I did get a good response from my fans. That does not mean I won't be more provocative later on.
What were some of the poses you did and kinds of pictures you took?
We did a variety of shots trying to convey sexuality and attraction with myself and Cerise and maybe a little mystery. We tried various poses and shared the best ones.
How did it feel doing this kind of adult work after so many years?
I was very nervous and anxious and excited also a little scared considering my age and how long it's been since I did a photo shoot. But once we started it came back pretty quick. Between the photographer and Cerise I was comfortable with it. But I will say it's definitely hard work.
Do you think you'll do this kind of thing again in the future?
I will absolutely do this again I am already thinking about the next shoot because of the positive response I got from my fans with this shoot. Who knows it might even be more salacious depending on the vibe.
Anything else you want to tell us about this photoshoot?
My time in the industry was short and I wanted fresh pics. I am also launching a website to promote my tax business and also my porn star wedding officiating by a porn star business. Of course I will sell autographed photos and have an interactive blog. So I plan on doing fresh shoots a few times a year. I want people to know what I look like now instead of only seeing pics of me at 18.
Thanks Lisa, all the best in the future! And Lisa was kind enough to send us some of the photos which you can see here:
The early 1990s were the Golden Age of the inner-city movie -- movies about the brutal, violent experience of black American city life in the time of crack and rampant police violence. This era last about five years, roughly from the time of Boyz in the Hood in 1991 to Dead Presidents in 1996.
In the interim three such movies were released, all written by a guy named Barry Michael Cooper. While many of these kinds of movies were set in Los Angeles, Cooper's movies were set in NYC, specifically in Harlem. The first and best of these was New Jack City (which made Wesley Snipes a star) followed by Sugar Hill and Above the Rim (featuring Tupac Shakur).
Before he turned to screenwriting, Cooper was a journalist covering the same territory. He actually wrote one of the first articles about the crack epidemic for otherwise lily-white Spin Magazine in 1986 with the brilliant, chilling title "Crack, a Tiffany Drug at Woolworth Prices." He also invented the term "New Jack Swing."
Cooper recently died at the age of 66, far too young. But he chronicled and contributed to an important, pivotal moment in American culture, and left a great legacy.
So many people want to live in NYC -- close to 9 million of them -- that they'll grab any piece of the it and make a home. This includes the docks and shores of the city where people moor their houseboats.
The idea of living in a houseboat has always seemed rather romantic to me but it's not an easy existence -- as this article points out. You still have to pay rent for your houseboat, you still have to worry about being evicted if your marina or dock closes -- and then there's the waves.
Just another reminder that we are a city of islands, the world's greatest archipelago.
On this otherwise miserable day, it feels good to take action -- even if it's a small one. So I'm making a change to the Mr NYC social media presence: I'm getting off "Twitter/X", whatever it is, and moving over to Bluesky. You can find the link on the updated social media list on the right-hand side.
I don't wait to stay on and patronize a business that is owned by a fascist and that spews fascist propaganda. I try be an erudite, well-spoken gentleman with a strong vocabulary but, as I leave "X", all I can say is ...
Fuck Elon Musk. Fuck Donald Trump. Fuck MAGA. Fuck the Republican party. Fuck everyone who votes or supports them, fuck them all, they are not good people.
I hope Bluesky is a little less toxic. Fingers crossed.
The brilliant, visionary director David Lynch has died.
He was one of those artists, during both my youth and adulthood, who just always seemed to be ... there ... working ... doing something ... almost always weird. Loved his movies Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, and Lost Highway, and Twin Peaks is a milestone not only in television but in all of American culture.
Now David Lynch and his unique, wonderful mind have gone into the Red Room (if you know Twin Peaks, you know what I'm talking about). We'll never see his likes again.
Amazingly, when Lynch was at the height of his career (with Twin Peaks and Wild at Heart big successes), he created this PSA for the NYC Department of Sanitation in 1991. Wasn't that just like the guy -- doing something totally unexpected, bizarre, and fun.
RIP, David. Say hello to Laura Palmer for us. And that chewing gum you like is really coming back into style.
I've written extensively about the book and movie Slaves of New York over the years. The book by Tama Janowitz came out in 1986 and the movie version in 1989.
If you want to find the complete Mr NYC Slaves of New York archive, go here.
And even though I can't find a full version of the movie available anywhere, you can watch the end credits, with wonderful shots of late 1980s downtown Manhattan -- a place both very familiar and quite distant.
End credits for movies usually aren't that interesting but I suggest you read these for a few reasons:
1) The cast inludes, in minor roles, actors who would go on to big careers: Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci, Mercedes Ruehl, and Anthony LaPaglia. It's odd to see them next to people who ... wouldn't go on to big careers.
2) At the end of the credits, they thank Mayor Ed Koch -- and this movie came out just a few short months before he was bounced out of office.
3) You will notice that two future Mr NYC interviewees are in these credits: Tama Janowitz herself and Barbara Nitke who served as an on-set photographer.
Enjoy! Watch these credits, go into the archive, and revisit the world of bohemian NYC!
As congestion pricing takes effect in NYC, we may very well be seeing the eclipse of the car in NYC -- or at least in lower Manhattan. Less cars, more money to public transit it music to the ears of any real New Yorker.
Take that Robert Moses!
But people still loves their cars -- I get it.
And even if you don't love cars (like me), you might have enjoyed theSaturday morning NPR show Car Talk (like me) that ran from 1986 to 2012 -- syndicated nationally from Boston and broadcast locally here on WNYC.
If you want to listen to some old Car Talk episodes, WNYC has a massive archive of old shows that are a pleasant diversion from the miseries of our time -- and love letter to the all-American automobile.
