It's coming ... ahhh ....
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Carvel holiday spots
If you grew up in NYC in the 1980s, then you remember these cheezy, silly, great Carvel Ice Cream commercials. That voice - that memorable, phlegmy voice - is actually old man Carvel himself (who died in 1990 and may have been murdered but that's another story).
Lloyd Lindsey Young - Critter Diner
Oh, what a treat. They just don't have fun weathermen like Lloyd Lindsey Young anymore. Today weathermen/ladies are all blow-dried, smiley, and "safe."
Lloyd, we miss you.
"Because everyone loves New York in his own particular way"
New York Magazine, that weekly bible of cosmopolitan Gotham, has published its annual "Reasons to Love New York" issue. There's some interesting insights and reflections from the ordinary and not-so ordinary citizens of this great burgh. Enjoy.
New York Magazine
New York Magazine
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Greed is (Still) Good: "Wall Street" at 20
Right on the heels of the two decade anniversary of The Bonfire of the Vanities comes the 20th anniversary of Oliver Stone's ode to 1980s New York capitalist excess, Wall Street.
Wall Street's plot has become legendary, both on Wall Street and in the American capitalist system in general: young trader Bud Fox comes under the wing of money titan Gordon Gekko. Together they annex the competition and make more money than anyone would ever dare dream. Of course it turns out that Gordon is crook, in fact - GASP!!!! - the whole Wall Street/American capitalist thing is a giant con game where the rich get richer, the poor get screwed, and lots of people end up in jail. Throw in a woman, a hot designer Darien, and you gots yourself lots of excitement while learning deep values. In fact, in that regard, Wall Street is - pun totally intended - quite a deal.
This movie was the cause celebre of 1987 for it was in many ways the ultimate indictment of its time. "Greed is good" seemed the perfect motto of the era, a time some people look back on today with odd nostalgia. But in many ways Wall Street now is a bit quaint. The go-go 1980s was more than super-seeded by the go-go-go 1990s. Also, the real-life corporate scandals of Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken were just warm up acts for Ken Lay and Bernie Ebbers, et al. Plus ca change, I guess.
And while NYC would go on to thrive in the 1990s and 21st century more than it had in the 1980s, Wall Street itself, at least its image as the ultimate financial powerhouse, has diminished. Today, places like Silicon Valley, China, India, not to mention the dorm rooms of college students inventing things like YouTube and Facebook, are the new frontiers of money. Most of all, New York has changed a lot since 1987. In one scene, Bud is embarrassed to admit he lives on the Upper West Side, insisting he plans to move to the Upper East Side as soon as his ship comes in. Today, the old East Side/West Side rivalry is gone: you have to big rich to live in either of those neighborhoods so that class tension just doesn't exist anymore. Also, the East Side today has lost of a lot of its snobby, elitist cache. Today's new wealth wants to live in Soho or Tribeca, in big hipster lofts, not snotty high rises.
Wall Street was a petty big hit when it came out and Michael Douglas won the 1987 Oscar for Best Actor. This was Stone's follow up from Platoon and it cemented his reputation as an important director. It was also one of his last conventional-type movies. He would go on to make make hyper kinetic visual ballasts like Natural Born Killers.
But as a movie and social commentary Wall Street still holds up after 20 years. And in many ways, quaint though it may be in the aforementioned ways, its lesson are more timely than ever.
Wall Street's plot has become legendary, both on Wall Street and in the American capitalist system in general: young trader Bud Fox comes under the wing of money titan Gordon Gekko. Together they annex the competition and make more money than anyone would ever dare dream. Of course it turns out that Gordon is crook, in fact - GASP!!!! - the whole Wall Street/American capitalist thing is a giant con game where the rich get richer, the poor get screwed, and lots of people end up in jail. Throw in a woman, a hot designer Darien, and you gots yourself lots of excitement while learning deep values. In fact, in that regard, Wall Street is - pun totally intended - quite a deal.
This movie was the cause celebre of 1987 for it was in many ways the ultimate indictment of its time. "Greed is good" seemed the perfect motto of the era, a time some people look back on today with odd nostalgia. But in many ways Wall Street now is a bit quaint. The go-go 1980s was more than super-seeded by the go-go-go 1990s. Also, the real-life corporate scandals of Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken were just warm up acts for Ken Lay and Bernie Ebbers, et al. Plus ca change, I guess.
And while NYC would go on to thrive in the 1990s and 21st century more than it had in the 1980s, Wall Street itself, at least its image as the ultimate financial powerhouse, has diminished. Today, places like Silicon Valley, China, India, not to mention the dorm rooms of college students inventing things like YouTube and Facebook, are the new frontiers of money. Most of all, New York has changed a lot since 1987. In one scene, Bud is embarrassed to admit he lives on the Upper West Side, insisting he plans to move to the Upper East Side as soon as his ship comes in. Today, the old East Side/West Side rivalry is gone: you have to big rich to live in either of those neighborhoods so that class tension just doesn't exist anymore. Also, the East Side today has lost of a lot of its snobby, elitist cache. Today's new wealth wants to live in Soho or Tribeca, in big hipster lofts, not snotty high rises.
Wall Street was a petty big hit when it came out and Michael Douglas won the 1987 Oscar for Best Actor. This was Stone's follow up from Platoon and it cemented his reputation as an important director. It was also one of his last conventional-type movies. He would go on to make make hyper kinetic visual ballasts like Natural Born Killers.
But as a movie and social commentary Wall Street still holds up after 20 years. And in many ways, quaint though it may be in the aforementioned ways, its lesson are more timely than ever.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Another Big News Day!!
Who cares about wars and presidential campaigns when today, right here in NYC, you've got:
- Bloomberg making a splash in Asia
- Major transportation news (subway fares going up, traffic schemes being hatched, JFK getting reigned in)
- An East Village artist being celebrated
- The Domino plant in Brooklyn getting landmark status
- The 125th anniversary of the birth of New York City's greatest Mayor Fiorello La Guardia
Friday, December 7, 2007
Oh Danny Boy, the Private Sector is Calling
Big news day here in NYC - in fact, it's so big, you should really check out today's New York Times metro section.
The New York Times
Robert Chamber's lady friend took a plea, there's not one but THREE subway stories, the city is trying to keep water bills low, and that's just the very, very short version.
Probably the biggest news of the day: Dan Doctoroff, Deputy Mayor Extrodinaire and Mayor Bloomberg's right-hand visionary, is resigning to become president of ... Bloomberg LP.
A Would-Be Robert Moses, Doctoroff had ideas of bringing the Olympics here, building a West Side stadium, developing Hudson Yards, creating an Airport village, rezoning parkland, and helping to create PlaNYC. He accomplished some of these things, failed at others, but definitely left an imprint. Glad we had him.
The New York Times
Robert Chamber's lady friend took a plea, there's not one but THREE subway stories, the city is trying to keep water bills low, and that's just the very, very short version.
Probably the biggest news of the day: Dan Doctoroff, Deputy Mayor Extrodinaire and Mayor Bloomberg's right-hand visionary, is resigning to become president of ... Bloomberg LP.
A Would-Be Robert Moses, Doctoroff had ideas of bringing the Olympics here, building a West Side stadium, developing Hudson Yards, creating an Airport village, rezoning parkland, and helping to create PlaNYC. He accomplished some of these things, failed at others, but definitely left an imprint. Glad we had him.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
East Side, West Side
Two stories from today's Times that I think sum up l'essence de NYC - stories about how this town is both a place of cold reality and utter fantasy.
First, one story about West Side development, extending the #7 subway line vs expanding Hudson Yards (Schumer wants the city to spend money on the #7 line while Team Bloomberg wants to spend it on Hudson Years. Schumer's right - the #7 is a much more urgent, long overdue project; Hudson Yards is a good idea but a lesser priority IMO).
City Urged to Rethink Rail Access to West Side
Second, an article about the filming of "Gossip Girl" on the Upper East Side, and how the show and it's true life milieu are all but indistinguishable (one would hope, since verisimilitude makes or brakes any show, particularly one about NYC).
Awaiting a Glimpse of Their ‘Gossip Girl’ Kin
In NYC, something's ALWAYS going on.
First, one story about West Side development, extending the #7 subway line vs expanding Hudson Yards (Schumer wants the city to spend money on the #7 line while Team Bloomberg wants to spend it on Hudson Years. Schumer's right - the #7 is a much more urgent, long overdue project; Hudson Yards is a good idea but a lesser priority IMO).
City Urged to Rethink Rail Access to West Side
Second, an article about the filming of "Gossip Girl" on the Upper East Side, and how the show and it's true life milieu are all but indistinguishable (one would hope, since verisimilitude makes or brakes any show, particularly one about NYC).
Awaiting a Glimpse of Their ‘Gossip Girl’ Kin
In NYC, something's ALWAYS going on.
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