Sarah Palin: God will help me decide what to do in 2012
Let's hope He treats you better than the McCain campaign did. Good luck.
Let's hope He treats you better than the McCain campaign did. Good luck.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Best Arepas in NYC
I've had Venezualan food twice in my life, once at a fancy restaurant in the East Village and once this weekend in Long Island City -- and the one in LIC was easily the best.
Arepas Cafe is located on 36th Avenue at 33rd Street. It's very small, only has about three or four tables, and it's laid out more like a deli than a restaurant. However, the menu has lots of options and the average cost of an arepa is about $6. And they are so good!
Served in little corn pockets with melted cheese, you can get arepas with a variety of shredded chicken, streak, and pork, some of them made with vegetables as well. It takes a while for your order to arrive because they make them fresh, but the ingredients are of such high quality and they are cooked so perfectly, that it's worth the wait. I could have stuffed myself silly with them and almost did. My mouth is drooling right now just remembering how good they were.
Getting to Arepas Cafe is really easy -- just take the N/W to 36th Avenue and walk straight down it to 33rd street, just a couple of blocks away. The place is rather inconspicuous and no frills but, when you bite into one of these juicy, luscious arepas, you'll agree that it's as good if not better than anything you'll get at a fancy place.
Arepas Cafe is located on 36th Avenue at 33rd Street. It's very small, only has about three or four tables, and it's laid out more like a deli than a restaurant. However, the menu has lots of options and the average cost of an arepa is about $6. And they are so good!
Served in little corn pockets with melted cheese, you can get arepas with a variety of shredded chicken, streak, and pork, some of them made with vegetables as well. It takes a while for your order to arrive because they make them fresh, but the ingredients are of such high quality and they are cooked so perfectly, that it's worth the wait. I could have stuffed myself silly with them and almost did. My mouth is drooling right now just remembering how good they were.
Getting to Arepas Cafe is really easy -- just take the N/W to 36th Avenue and walk straight down it to 33rd street, just a couple of blocks away. The place is rather inconspicuous and no frills but, when you bite into one of these juicy, luscious arepas, you'll agree that it's as good if not better than anything you'll get at a fancy place.
Anthony Trollope @ Duane-Reade
In NYC, you see everything, and I mean everything. These things can be good, bad, naughty, nice, legal, illegal, whatever. And sometimes these things are just plain imaginative.
To whit: the new Duane Reade pharmacy in Manhattan on Grand Street and Broadway. Nothing special about that. But when you look through the huge glass windows, you see the following quote emblazoned on the wall, making all shoppers and passersby take notice:
"No other American city is so intensely American as New York. -- Anthony Trollope"
Naturally, I agree. But what amazes me is that in a Duane Reade of all the unspectacular places, you can actually find a quote by a nineteenth century English novelist thrown into your face. I don't know whose idea this was but it was brilliant and very, very classy. And it has an only in New York kinda feeling. It's cheezy but I like it all the same.
If you want to find out more about Anthony Trollope, you should visit the Trollope society website. His most famous novels are The Way We Live Now, the Palliser series, and The Small House at Allington. Many of these have been made into BBC miniseries and, interestingly enough, one of Trollope's biggest fans is failed Supreme Court nominee and archconservative intellect Robert Bork.
But since I think he lives in DC, I doubt he shops at Duane Reade.
To whit: the new Duane Reade pharmacy in Manhattan on Grand Street and Broadway. Nothing special about that. But when you look through the huge glass windows, you see the following quote emblazoned on the wall, making all shoppers and passersby take notice:
"No other American city is so intensely American as New York. -- Anthony Trollope"
Naturally, I agree. But what amazes me is that in a Duane Reade of all the unspectacular places, you can actually find a quote by a nineteenth century English novelist thrown into your face. I don't know whose idea this was but it was brilliant and very, very classy. And it has an only in New York kinda feeling. It's cheezy but I like it all the same.
If you want to find out more about Anthony Trollope, you should visit the Trollope society website. His most famous novels are The Way We Live Now, the Palliser series, and The Small House at Allington. Many of these have been made into BBC miniseries and, interestingly enough, one of Trollope's biggest fans is failed Supreme Court nominee and archconservative intellect Robert Bork.
But since I think he lives in DC, I doubt he shops at Duane Reade.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Review: "King of New York" (1990)
If you want to see a really gritty, violent, and profane New York movie -- plus yet another film where Christopher Walken acts memorably crazy -- then you must see Abel Ferrara's King of New York.
Released in 1990, it's a brutal look at the drug trade in late 1980s NYC. Walken plays Frank White, a drug lord who just got out of prison and who returns to NYC to wipe out his competition and share his drugs profits with the poor and sick.
This movie not only has Walken as the star but also features (as he was known then) Larry Fishburne, David Caruso, Steve Buscemi, and Wesley Snipes in supporting roles.
While it's not a great movie, King of New York is a real New York movie. You get a visceral feeling for the dangerous streets and pace of life in this city, and you really feel what it's like to go into the back alleys, the low-rise buildings, and the dirty subways. This is not some souped-up, Hollywood version of NYC, this is brutal truth.
Also, this movie was bravely ahead of its time, boldly declaring long before movies like Traffic and shows like The Wire that the drug war was a stupid idea and miserable failure.
Check out King of New York, you won't forget it anytime soon.
Released in 1990, it's a brutal look at the drug trade in late 1980s NYC. Walken plays Frank White, a drug lord who just got out of prison and who returns to NYC to wipe out his competition and share his drugs profits with the poor and sick.
This movie not only has Walken as the star but also features (as he was known then) Larry Fishburne, David Caruso, Steve Buscemi, and Wesley Snipes in supporting roles.
While it's not a great movie, King of New York is a real New York movie. You get a visceral feeling for the dangerous streets and pace of life in this city, and you really feel what it's like to go into the back alleys, the low-rise buildings, and the dirty subways. This is not some souped-up, Hollywood version of NYC, this is brutal truth.
Also, this movie was bravely ahead of its time, boldly declaring long before movies like Traffic and shows like The Wire that the drug war was a stupid idea and miserable failure.
Check out King of New York, you won't forget it anytime soon.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
PSA: Watch Out For Stomach Flu
There's a nasty stomach flu flying around town and it's caused a 19% increase in visits to emergency rooms in the past two weeks. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has some info about how to prevent getting it. Bottom line: wash your hands and clean your surfaces!
Save Tin Pan Alley
American popular music was largely born in New York City, and the heart of it was Tin Pan Alley. According to Wikipedia, it was located between 5th Avenue and Broadway and wasn't really an "alley" but five old buildings located at 47-49-51-53-55 West 28th Street. It was the first site for the Music Publishers Association of the United States, founded in 1885.
Some of the most beloved old American songs were composed there, including "The Sidewalks of New York" by Lawlor and Blake, "Give My Regards to Broadway" by George M Cohan, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" by Albert Von Tilzer, "Swanee" by George Gershwin, and "God Bless America" by Irving Berlin (amongst many others).
And now Tin Pan Alley is threatened. These buildings have been up for sale since September (price tag: $44 million) and the plan is to turn it into a luxury high-rise. You can check out the LoopNet listing here.
The great blog Lost City was already writing about this a month ago and has been advocating for city landmark status. Although the lousy economy has made the construction plans fall through, these buildings are still on the market. Fortunately there is a group of committed New Yorkers trying to save historic Tin Pan Alley. I hope and pray they succeed and plan to join this cause. Our city's history is not just in books or on TV -- it's literally in our streets and neighborhoods and is too precious to lose.
Some of the most beloved old American songs were composed there, including "The Sidewalks of New York" by Lawlor and Blake, "Give My Regards to Broadway" by George M Cohan, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" by Albert Von Tilzer, "Swanee" by George Gershwin, and "God Bless America" by Irving Berlin (amongst many others).
And now Tin Pan Alley is threatened. These buildings have been up for sale since September (price tag: $44 million) and the plan is to turn it into a luxury high-rise. You can check out the LoopNet listing here.
The great blog Lost City was already writing about this a month ago and has been advocating for city landmark status. Although the lousy economy has made the construction plans fall through, these buildings are still on the market. Fortunately there is a group of committed New Yorkers trying to save historic Tin Pan Alley. I hope and pray they succeed and plan to join this cause. Our city's history is not just in books or on TV -- it's literally in our streets and neighborhoods and is too precious to lose.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Is This a Good Idea?
Triborough Bridge to be named for Robert Kennedy
Don't get me wrong, RFK was a great man but the Triborough Bridge has been the Triborough Bridge for over 70 years and changing the name now seems a little pointless to me. Will most people start calling it the RFK instead of the Triborough? Maybe. What do you think?
Don't get me wrong, RFK was a great man but the Triborough Bridge has been the Triborough Bridge for over 70 years and changing the name now seems a little pointless to me. Will most people start calling it the RFK instead of the Triborough? Maybe. What do you think?
Busy City
There's so much going on in this town it's hard to believe -- just because we're going through an historic presidential transition doesn't mean bidness' in this town slows down. Oh no.
The bad economy is hitting our city hard. I heard Mayor Bloomberg on the radio this morning talking about how he's going to make the city adjust to the new realities of it. He's already announced that the homeowners tax rebate is being junked, and now there's going to be a $0.06 tax on plastic shopping bags (obviously he's trying to raise revenues in an environmentally friendly way). On top of that, our Mike is axing parts of the city workforce and cutting other important public services. None of this is pretty or good but at least he's doing the right thing -- if only he could have exercised this same kind of discipline when it came to city term limits, then he'd be the greatest mayor ever. But we should take what we can get (or not, when it comes to this new budget).
On top of that, looks like Eliot Spitzer dodged the legal bullet. Hopefully that means he can now put his life back together. Good luck.
But there is some good news: tomorrow, the Intrepid opens back up. It was removed from Pier 86 on the West Side and totally refurbished two years ago and then returned on October 2. Starting tomorrow, you can begin visiting it again. If you've never been to the Intrepid, you should definitely go. I went when I was a teenager and found it amazing. You really get a sense of what an awesome and unique experience living and working at sea must be like. You'll love it.
So, as always, New York City remains busy. Some things good, some things bad but never boring.
The bad economy is hitting our city hard. I heard Mayor Bloomberg on the radio this morning talking about how he's going to make the city adjust to the new realities of it. He's already announced that the homeowners tax rebate is being junked, and now there's going to be a $0.06 tax on plastic shopping bags (obviously he's trying to raise revenues in an environmentally friendly way). On top of that, our Mike is axing parts of the city workforce and cutting other important public services. None of this is pretty or good but at least he's doing the right thing -- if only he could have exercised this same kind of discipline when it came to city term limits, then he'd be the greatest mayor ever. But we should take what we can get (or not, when it comes to this new budget).
On top of that, looks like Eliot Spitzer dodged the legal bullet. Hopefully that means he can now put his life back together. Good luck.
But there is some good news: tomorrow, the Intrepid opens back up. It was removed from Pier 86 on the West Side and totally refurbished two years ago and then returned on October 2. Starting tomorrow, you can begin visiting it again. If you've never been to the Intrepid, you should definitely go. I went when I was a teenager and found it amazing. You really get a sense of what an awesome and unique experience living and working at sea must be like. You'll love it.
So, as always, New York City remains busy. Some things good, some things bad but never boring.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Bravo, America
It happened. It actually happened. Still hard to believe. America rejected the politics of hate and division and actually took a bet on hope, unity, and working towards a higher purpose.
It doesn't happen too often so let's savor the moment. American politics is cyclical and the bad guys'll get power back some day -- but after last night American politics and America will never be the same.
President-elect Obama (can't believe I just wrote that) has a very hard job ahead of him and let's pray that he succeeds. Good luck man!
It doesn't happen too often so let's savor the moment. American politics is cyclical and the bad guys'll get power back some day -- but after last night American politics and America will never be the same.
President-elect Obama (can't believe I just wrote that) has a very hard job ahead of him and let's pray that he succeeds. Good luck man!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
New York City Votes
Hope everyone out there voted today. I got to my polling station at 6 AM and there already was a line down the block -- so many people anxious to make history.
The line moved pretty decently until we actually got inside the gymnasium where all the machines were. Once inside, several poll workers mistakenly sent people to the wrong lines and there was much consternation. Fortunately I had my voter registration card and got onto the correct line for my election district. Unfortunately the people working at the tables for my election district didn't seem to know what they were doing so the line got stalled. On top of that there were people doing dumb things like taking cameras into the booth so that slowed things up as well.
It took me almost an hour to vote and, while I was happy to do it, it was annoying that it took so long and it could have been avoided. That said, I won't be a baby about it -- as Americans, we're lucky that we can vote at all.
So now all we can do is hurry up and wait. The first polls close in about 5 minutes and the first big state, Virginia, closes in about an hour. Fingers crossed, breath held, eyes closed, America is about to make a big giant leap into the future.
P.S. I was included in a mass e-mail from Philip Leventhal of Columbia University who's plugging the new edition of The Almanac of New York City. He gives a short history here about how New York City has historically voted in Presidential elections, and it includes a few surprises.
The line moved pretty decently until we actually got inside the gymnasium where all the machines were. Once inside, several poll workers mistakenly sent people to the wrong lines and there was much consternation. Fortunately I had my voter registration card and got onto the correct line for my election district. Unfortunately the people working at the tables for my election district didn't seem to know what they were doing so the line got stalled. On top of that there were people doing dumb things like taking cameras into the booth so that slowed things up as well.
It took me almost an hour to vote and, while I was happy to do it, it was annoying that it took so long and it could have been avoided. That said, I won't be a baby about it -- as Americans, we're lucky that we can vote at all.
So now all we can do is hurry up and wait. The first polls close in about 5 minutes and the first big state, Virginia, closes in about an hour. Fingers crossed, breath held, eyes closed, America is about to make a big giant leap into the future.
P.S. I was included in a mass e-mail from Philip Leventhal of Columbia University who's plugging the new edition of The Almanac of New York City. He gives a short history here about how New York City has historically voted in Presidential elections, and it includes a few surprises.
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