We Americans have a love-hate relationship with powerful families. We hate nepotism and disdain the idea of electing people to office just because they come from a famous family. At the same time, a powerful family is like a brand, a comforting pre-sold item that we feel safe buying over and over again -- and that's why political dynasties emerge.
The last few decades have seen the rise of several political dynasties. The Clintons, the Bushes and the Kennedys are currently the most famous dynasties in American politics. Then there are regional dynasties like the Tafts of Ohio or the Carnahans of Missouri.
Here in New York we haven't really had a major political dynasty since the Roosevelts. However, this year will probably cement the Cuomos as New York's newest political dynasty. Mario Cuomo, of course, was governor for twelve years from 1983-1995. Before that he was the New York Secretary of State and Lieutenant Governor, spending 20 years in high office in the state government. In 2006, his son Andrew was elected Attorney General and now is the odd-on favorite to become governor. That will mean Cuomo pere and fils will have racked up almost thirty years of service to this state and, if Andrew is a successful governor and serves as long as his dad, it will push forty.
So who are the Cuomos? What is this new dynasty all about? Some recent articles about this family sheds some light and you can read them here and here. You can also read about why it's easier for sons to continue family dynasties than women -- something that Caroline Kennedy can certainly attest to.
These days the worst thing a person can be called is an "elitist." The term has become an epithet and even some rich and powerful people like to throw it at their enemies. We Americans admire, almost deify, the wealthy, but we don't want that wealth to transform them into precious snobs. Being rich and prominent is dandy but you gotta keep it real.
Rich, good. Elitist, bad.
It's hard to even know what an elitist is these days. The term is elastic. Some people will say, obviously, that being wealthy equals being elitist but others will argue that it has more of to do with your discriminating cultural outlook than your socioeconomic status.
This presents a conundrum. Some non-rich folks can be elitists while some rich people can avoid the curse. It's an endless debate.
Hmm? Perhaps the only good elite thing to be these days is an elite airline passenger. After all, it takes a lot of flying so that you can board the plane first and get upgrades. No one's going to begrudge anyone that. That's earned elitism I guess. And the debate goes on.
But if you want to define what being a true elitist in NYC means, that's easy. It means not only being rich, not only having a certain degree of professional and social prominence, but also being the member of a club. Not strip clubs or night clubs or sports clubs. Nor the kind of clubs that people form who have common interest -- books clubs, wine clubs, arts clubs, etc. I mean the kinds of clubs that give the term "club" and "elitist" their real meaning -- places that are exclusive because they exclude.
I'm talking about the old school, old money, must-wear-a-suit-and-tie-on-the-premises-clubs with dining rooms, guest rooms, pool rooms, gyms, libraries, and bars. I mean the kind of place where they serve 50 year old scotch to members sitting on black leather chairs while they discuss earning or losing their latest millions. I mean the kind of clubs where you must be sponsored for membership, get letters of recommendations, be approved of by a committee, and then spend around $25,000 a year for the privilege of breathing this rarefied air. I mean the clubs where the rich and powerful like to relax and unwind and entertain. The kind of clubs where true elitists can be found.
They still exist in NYC. These kinds of clubs are still amongst us. The people who belong to them, the true elitists in our midst, do not call attention to these clubs or to themselves. They do not court publicity. Instead, these clubs and their members, these true elitists, preserve that classy old-world charm of grace, elegance, refinement, and class.
Because they fly under the radar, I don't know how many of these clubs are left. Certainly I can't name them all. But the ones I know about and have links to here (if you're interested to learn more) are:
The Union League Club
The Metropolitan Club
The New York Athletic Club
The Colony Club
The Knickerbocker Club
Some of them don't have websites -- they are that private. And if you know of some more, please let us know. I have been to one of these clubs for dinner (can't say which one, my hosts would be offended) and it was almost like stepping into late 19th century London society. This was a place where class was just as important as money. And I remember thinking, if this was elitism than it was elitism at its very best.
This is a classic appearance Woody Allen made on The Tonight Show on New Year's Eve 1965. It was shortly after his first movie What's New Pussycat? had opened and suddenly Woody was a big star. He was about 30 years old at the time and was still, at the time, considered a daring comic. His comedy was cerebral and ironic, much different than the broad comedy of the time, and you can tell that Johnny Caron didn't quite know what to make of him. Forty-five years later, Woody Allen remains the gold standard.
You can check out part 2 here.
Last year Mr NYC endorsed John Liu for NYC Comptroller. Only one of three city-wide elected officials, the Comptroller is the city's chief fiscal officer whose job is to audit the city' government and manage its pension fund. Liu's candidacy and election was the only bright spot in an otherwise dull and unmemorable municipal race.
Well it appears that my vote was justified: Comptroller Liu just busted the Economic Development Corporation for hoarding over $125 million in secret accounts that it collected from taxes and fees. The city was doing everything it could to stonewall this audit and now you can see why: it didn't want to turn over this money to the city's general fund that would go to city services. Instead the city wanted the EDC to conceal this money so that it could go towards the city's development plans.
So, to put it blunty, the EDC was hiding this money to help developers and not the city's people. Outrageous.
This revelation just shows why it's so important to have checks and balances in government and, more importantly, the right people doing it. So good job Comptroller Liu, on behalf of all New Yorkers, thank you.
A confession: Mr NYC is a yoga fan. Not a fanatic, I don't do it every day and say namaste to everyone I meet, but I do enjoy it and take classes about twice a week. It calms me down and Lord knows that's a good thing. In the last decade or so, yoga has become something of a yuppie staple. And, like everything else, it's become commercialized what with hundred dollar mats and exercise clothes and super-expensive instructors. Not exactly chill. But true, mellow yoga fans are fighting back! (As much as mellow people can fight.) Yoga to the People is a come one, come all, totally stripped down, back-to-basics yoga studio in the East Village that does yoga the way it should be: simply. There's a great article about it that gives you a sense of what yoga does, where it's gone, and where Yoga to the People is trying to pull it back. 
Check 'em both out and see what you think. Namaste.
During her long reign, Queen Victoria was not only the monarch of her native land but was also dubbed Empress of India by one of her favorite prime ministers. India was then part of the British Empire (which covered a quarter of the globe at the time) and giving her this meaningless title is perhaps history's biggest act of flattery. Yet this silly title only helped to solidify her role as the world's most important ruler.
Today, there are very few monarchs left and many of them don't have much power. Even back then Queen Victoria didn't have any real political power. In fact, there's a whole bunch of descendants of European royalty living among us in NYC, quietly living their lives, devoid of any authority.
But if our city has one true monarch today it's Mayor Michael Bloomberg. He may not be an official royal but he's the closest thing we have. The richest and most powerful man in town, he wields political and economic power that even Queen Victoria might envy. He has been dubbed the King of New York and just about everyone agrees it's an apt title. None dare cross him. None dare question him. He rules. We are his subjects.
And he's not just the King of New York! He's also the Emperor of Bermuda. Mayor Bloomberg lives part time on that small island in the Atlantic ocean. This exhaustive New York Times piece examines Bloomberg's life in Bermuda, where he apparently goes at least twice a month and is well known by all. He travels there on his private plane, plays lots of rounds of golfs, hits the best restaurants, and parties down. Plus he has a lavish, enormous mansion that is apparently the most spectacular home on the island.
You gotta hand it to this guy. In the post-colonial era, where monarchs and empires are basically elaborate jokes, Mayor Bloomberg has managed not only to become the most powerful man in the world's greatest city but also the first citizen of an entire country. Louis XIV himself would be impressed. Mike really is the ultimate royal New Yorker, our city's first self-made king.
One of NYC's best kept secrets is the Central Park Conservatory Gardens. Far from the tourist crushed regions of the 60s and 70s, or the kid-infested areas of the 80s and 90s, the Conservatory Gardens rest in a quiet stretch of Central Park where real New Yorkers roam. And it is the most stunning part of Central Park by far.
When you walk through the beautiful Vanderbilt Gate on 106th street and Fifth Avenue, you feel like you've instantly left NYC in the 21st century and gone back in time to 19h century Europe. The Conservatory Gardens is a stunningly beautiful collection of three distinct gardens based on Victorian-era designs: English, French and Italian. The Italian gardens is full of wisteria as well as a twelve-foot high jet fountain. The French garden is full of pansies, tulips, and boxwoods, as well as another fountain called The Three Dancing Maidens. The English garden is the one you enter through the Vanderbilt gates and has a huge lawn and planting beds, as well as the Burnett Fountain which is based on the story The Secret Garden. If you 
want more info on the plants and designs of these gardens, go here.
The really stunning thing about these gardens is not just how gorgeous the plants and flowers are but how amazing well-designed they are. They really look like something out of the great palaces of Europe -- you'd be forgiving for thinking you were at Versailles or Windsor Castle. Walking through these stun
ning gardens, you almost feel like you're going to bump into Queen Victoria or Emperor Franz Joseph at any moment (and you'd want to apologize for walking there). You can tell that theses gardens were meticulously planned and lovingly constructed. The thought, care, and a generosity of spirit that brought them to life is probably the most beautiful thing about 
the Conservatory Gardens.
And the fact that these were built for us regular folks, not just the rich, brings a burst of joy to your heart just like one of the gardens' flowers bursting open in springtime.
There's a new show on HBO called Treme, about a neighborhood in New Orleans trying to pull itself up from the ravages of Hurricaine Katrina. It was created by David Simon, the genius behind the brilliant shows Homicide and The Wire. There have been two episodes of Treme so far, both really good, and it's looking like this will be another great show.Last year I had a memorable weekend in New Orleans which I lovingly blogged about. So as a tribute to this new show, you can re-read about that trip here. And while I didn't make it to the real Treme last year, I certainly plan on visiting it next time I get to NOLA.
