2018 State of the City

#ItsMy2Cents

Larry King (Brooklyn native btw) used to have a feature on his Twitter handle called "It'sMy2Cents" -- a place where the legendary broadcaster would post nonsensical statements, rhetorical questions, and various other pointless observations. Some examples:

"I know about the dangers of sugar but I still love jellybeans"

"The net in baseball parks should run right to the end of the dugouts"

"Why do turtles live well over a hundred years?"

For whatever reason, ol' Larry has slacked on providing "ItsMy2Cents" wisdom lately so, in the spirit of social media nonsense, here's Mr NYC's contributions to the genre:

"Why is it called "limon"cello?"

"What's the "cello" in limoncello?"

"Can openers are tricky"

"Suspenders are funny"

"I've never found a scarf that doesn't itch"

"No one really likes figs"

"It takes a long time to realize that life is short"

"Are pots ever used to fill potholes?"

"Do you ever feel lucky at a potluck?"

"That Eddie Van Halen sure plays a mean guitar"

"Where's the scotch in hopscotch?"

"That breadmaker is a helluva invention"

"Why is it called Wyoming?"

If this post gets enough clicks, they'll be more!

Manhattan Plaza: Kramer's Crash Pad

There's a non-distinct high-rise on West 42nd Street, basically a very large public housing project, that turns out to have been a place where an unusually large number of creative people lived in their early days (including singer Alicia Keys who was literally born there) -- a rather drab sister to the Chelsea Hotel.  

It's called Manhattan Plaza, and it remains one of the few affordable places to live in midtown Manhattan.

One resident was the notorious Kenny Kramer and he was living there when he got to know his neighbor, a struggling comedian and comedy writer named Larry David. The rest, needless to say, is television history.

Kenny Kramer actually did an interview for this blog back in 2007 which you can read here. There's also a new document about this building coming out soon called Miracle on 42nd Street. I can't wait to see it!

Frank Pellegrino, Sr. RIP

One of my most popular blog posts, from more than ten years ago, is about my first visit to famed East Harlem Italian restaurant Rao's (yes, I've gone more than once!).

It's the hardest table in town and I've gone there twice (including a visit after this original post).

The food at Rao's is amazing, the vibe friendly, and the atmosphere "old school" and funky. The restaurant is over 100 years ago and, for years, was run by a man named Frank Pellegrino, Sr. who died on Tuesday. This heartwarming tribute to the man and his restaurant is a must read. It tells you everything you need to know about this NYC institution and the man who kept it going for so long.

I was honored to twice have my order taken by Mr. Pellegrino, who couldn't have been nicer. The restaurant has no menus, he tells you what they're serving and you make your selections. This is the kind of place that makes NYC great, and Frank was reason for it. 

Rest in peace, Frank. I'm sure your table in heaven is ready for you.    

The Odd Couple@50

Fifty-years ago the movie The Odd Couple was released. It's probably the quintessential NYC roommate story about a slob and a neat-freak, Oscar and Felix, middle-aged men who've been kicked out by their wives and are looking to re-start their lives. Of course, unlike most NYC roommates, they live in a huge apartment on Riverside Drive (best line: "Do me a favor? Smoke towards New Jersey") and seemingly no money worries. 

Originally written as a play by Neil Simon, The Odd Couple movie, starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, was a huge hit. It inspired the successful 1970-1975 TV show with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall, a 1998 sequel with Lemmon and Matthau, another recent TV show from 2015-2017, and even an early 1980s TV show where Oscar and Felix were black (The New Odd Couple). Oscar and Felix seem to be perennial.

Why? 

As a play and a movie, the story is okay but nothing terribly exciting. It's not even the best of Simon's plays (Lost in Yonkers or the Brighton Beach plays probably take those honors) and yet it's his most popular creation. Audiences seem unable to get enough of these wacky New York roommates and their antics. 

Again, why?

It's probably because it's a story about friendship, the original "bromance", and how men can help each other at difficult times in their lives. It's also an excuse for a couple of guys to be silly, "boys will be boys", and a chance for two actors to show their comedic chops. And it's about how there can be a bond between men that's separate and special from a romantic relationship that's not necessarily homoerotic or gay (more in the lines of "bros befo' hoes").

It's a story about a couple of New Yorkers that's also universal. Odd -- and understandable. 

What's also interesting about the original 1968 movie is that it was largely filmed on the streets of the city so it's a great way to look at what NYC was like fifty-years ago -- a city once very familiar and strange. Much like Oscar and Felix. 

Other favorite line from the movie, after Matthau throws a plate of linguini at a wall: "Now it's gah-bage!" 

Favorite line from The New Odd Couple, after one of the characters has given money to a hooker named Charity: "I gave it to charity."

Michelangelo@The Met

Little late in blogging about this but that's only because I just saw the monumental exhibit "Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman & Designer" at the Metropolitan Museum a few days ago. It's a mind-blowing, overwhelming experience.

This is not a typical exhibit. Besides its scale, its ambition is greater than simply displaying Michelangelo's work. Its explores his education, development, growth and influence as an artist. We not only see the work Michelangelo created but also the work of his teachers and the artists he mentored and worked with. Specifically, it examines Michelangelo's disegno, or drawing, that is the basis for all arts (painting, sculpture, fashion etc.). The exhibit displays over 100 of his drawings, including the sketches he created in preparation for his great masterpiece, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome (there is an entire exhibit room dedicated to the Sistine Chapel, including a 1/4 reproduction of it on the ceiling).

Perhaps my favorite drawing is one that Michelangelo created with this students: a collection of eye drawings, of various sizes, that dot the page, along with everyone's signatures. It's a reminder that, in his time, Michelangelo was a working artist and teacher, a draftsman. That's the genius of the man and this exhibit: it shows Michelangelo as a worker, a plodder, someone in the act of discovery, who created works that have lasted over 500 years. Genius, ultimately, is about simply working and working and working -- and re-working. Genius is not in the head, its in the doing.

This exhibit closes on February 12th so run and see it now -- and prepare to be amazed.   

P.S. There's an entire movie devoted to Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel, and his complex relationship with his patron, Pope Julius II, called The Agony and the Ecstasy. It came out in 1965 and, while not a great movie, it's a trip to see Charlton Heston (as Michelangelo) painting the Sistine Chapel and being berated by a crotchety Rex Harrison as the pope. 

    

The Divine Ms. P

The first movie I ever saw in a theater was Annie, back in 1982. I didn't remember much about it except that I really liked the woman who played the bad guy's girlfriend. Sure, she was pretty, but there was something else about her, something more, a mysterious allure, that captivated me. You got the feeling in her performance that there was a depth to her character that we were only seeing the surface of, that there was more, a lot more, than met the eye. Oh, and she could sing. Boy could she sing!

I found out later that this actress was Bernadette Peters and I'm a lifelong fan.

Ironically, the first time I saw her was in a movie but she hasn't done a lot of movies in her career (although before Annie she was in the Steve Martin break out The Jerk) -- she's mostly done Broadway and is one of the last, truly great musical theater stars (check out my review of her performance in A Little Night Music from 2010). She's originated roles in Sondheim's A Sunday in the Park with George and Into the Woods, she's played Annie Oakley and Mama Rose, and very soon she'll be taking over from Bette Middler (the Divine Ms. M) in Hello Dolly. Ms. Peters is one of the great entertainers of our time, up there with Ethel Merman and Chita Rivera, and she'll be remembered long after she retires.

So, if you're a big fan like me, you should read this big interview with The Divine Ms. P from New York magazine. What's surprising about it is how modest, how normal she sounds -- considering that she's a Broadway and NYC legend, she sounds downright humble. Amazing.

If want to see The Divine Ms. P in something, you should watch her in two very different roles, from two very different eras, from her long career: the 1989 movie Slaves of New York and the current Amazon show Mozart in the Jungle. She's great in both, playing very different characters, but her talents, as always, shines through.

The fact that her career has lasted so long, in so many forms, speaks to her huge talent. 

P.S. A couple of years ago I saw Bernadette Peters being interviewed by some airhead on a red carpet and this interviewer was talking to the Divine Ms. P like she was a Kardashian or some such cultural bottom feeder (lots of "girlfriend!" etc.). I was offended that a massive talent like her was being talked to like a dummy by a dummy but classy way she acted the just made her all the more divine.    

Interview: Abby Feldman of the "Moist" Podcast

NYC is the real "comedy central" and there are more comedians and comedians with podcasts here than can be accurately counted; needless to say, for most of them, it's a challenge to be seen or heard above this din of hilarity. 

But the podcast "Moist" by the multi-talented funny person Abby Feldman does the job nicely: a Monday night live-stream features Feldman and another comedian of note talking in her bathtub. It's a unique show that explores, not only what's funny, but also what's uncomfortable in life -- and why that's funny. Abby was kind enough to give Mr NYC a quick interview about her career and her show, and why we should all tune in. (I should note that this interview wasn't uncomfortable at all which probably explains my failed interviewing skills.)

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career up until now.

Hey, I'm Abby. I create content that is funny & purposeful. I'm a co-star and writer on the Netflix comedy 'Gringolandia' and am currently writing and starring in the series spin-off 'Ovulady,' based on my character, Mary, doing whatever it takes to get pregnant. You can watch me every Monday night at 11pm live-streaming my new late night talk show 'Moist' live from my bathtub, and hosting ‘Moist Live!’ at The Creek & The Cave. I also created Comedy At Rockwood Music Hall which is part of the New York Comedy Festival! I'm bilingual in English & Spanish and have performed stand up in Spanish on TV in Chile and Argentina. You can see me perform stand up nightly around NYC. You can watch my contributions to the radical comedy news show 'Redacted Tonight' on RT America where I have written and performed over 70 sketches & segments and was interviewed by Larry King! My comedy news web series 'Bad News Goodnight' was just picked for 'Official Selection' at Dublin Web Fest. My improvised advice series "Love, Abby" won 'Best Original Series,' 'Best Actress' and 'Best Comedy' at LA WebFest. I trained in all levels of improv & sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade and learned method acting at The Lee Strasberg Institute. I am a Fulbright Scholar and made a documentary about the relativity of craziness at an Argentine mental hospital. I also love to dance and sing. I try to do both every morning. 

Your show is about things that make people uncomfortable which is certainly a cool if risky idea. What made you want to start it? 

When we’re uncomfortable is when we grow and learn the most about ourselves. A lot of what I do is taking the dark, difficult aspects of being human and reveal the hidden silver linings. Moist was born from my love of baths, helping uplift people and talking about taboo topics.

What's the funniest/strangest part about interviewing people in the bathtub?

You really bond with a person after you’ve shared a bath with them. Also, sometimes they fart. That’s funny.

What are some of the funniest or oddest things that have happened on the show?

I had Christine Meehan-Berg as a guest when she was 9+ months pregnant, then 4 months later her baby daughter Piper joined me in the tub. 

You interview mostly comedians. What other kinds of people would you like to interview?

More comedians

What are your hopes for the future of Moist? 

I’d like for Moist to evolve into a late night TV show with sketches, a political/social monologue, guests, a live audience, etc. 

What's your favorite thing about NYC?

The best part about NYC is you can feel like you’re in any part of the world while you’re in one tiny city. Food, people, shops, experiences. Also NYC has the best comedy scene in the world. 

Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?


70 percent of people say they don’t like the word “moist” but 100 percent of people are 70 percent moist. 

Thanks so much for doing this! 

My pleasure!

NYC Transit Chief Andy Byford

One of my chief interests in life -- besides, you know, everything else -- is transportation. 

Getting from here to there, specifically how we get from here to there, is something we don't think about much but transportation literally effects every aspect, as well as the trajectory, of our lives -- where we live, where we work, what friends we have (or not), who we even date (and love). How we literally move from place to place, how we zig and zag, determines our fate.

The fact that the transportation in NYC, for decades, had problems is not a surprise to any New Yorker (blame Robert Moses). It took decades to open only three subway stations on the far East Side of Manhattan. Being charge of any aspect of NYC transit is thankless task. That's why it's interesting that man named Andy Byford -- a Brit who was in charge of transportation in London and most recently Toronto -- has come to NYC to be the head of NYC Transit. Here he talks about his vision for transit in NYC and what he hopes to accomplish. Don't ignore this guy -- his vision may very well become our collective fate.

Hook Up City

When you have a city of 8.5 million folks, needless to say, there's a lot of chances to "hook up", "get busy", "get lucky", "do the nasty", you know, that kind of stuff. Lots of people = lots of opportunities for liaisons d'amour. 

These days people in NYC (and elsewhere) mostly use dating apps to hook up. But, occasionally, people actually like to meet in person first without using an electronic weeding system. Apparently the Union Pool hall in Brooklyn is the best hook up joint in NYC but I'm sure there are other places where a young (or not so young) person could get some action.

How about you? Where do you like to go to hook up in NYC? Help our readers out!