Classic Mr NYC

Happy New Year!

Tonight we ring in 2009 and bid 2008 a well-deserved adieu. As usual, a million or so people will huddle in Times Square tonight, risking hypothermia to watch the ball plunk down into the new year.

Presiding over this event, as always, is Mayor Mike Bloomberg. (Sadly it will be only confetti raining down on the crowds and not dollar bills falling out of our billionaire mayor's pockets.) His special guests tonight will be former our President, and our soon-to-be former Senator, Bill and Hillary Clinton. The three of them huddling together should be quite a sight.

As this little blog enters its third year, I went back to see what I wrote about on this date in 2007. Interestingly it was about our Mike planning to run for president. I had speculated about the possibility of a Subway Series Presidential Race -- Mike vs. Rudy vs. Hillary. Well, none of them made it, as we know. Rudy is back making money and licking his wounds, Hillary's wounds are licked and she's headed off to run the State Department, and Mike is gearing up to run for Mayor yet again.

Mike was twice elected as a Republican but now he's an Independent who is governing and plans to run again as a Democrat in everything but name only (although who knows, maybe he'll run as a Democrat now). He's hired almost all Democrats to run his next campaign. He's more liberal than most Democrats even dare to be. The Times quite rightly calls him a political chameleon.

I gotta hand it to this guy. He plays all sides beautifully. Besides the West Side Stadium and congestion pricing, this cat gets almost everything he wants. He's got the touch. No wonder he's a multi-billionaire. Kudos Mike.

Interview: Cheryl Harris Sharman and Russell Leigh Sharman of "Nightshift NYC"

My recent post on Nightshift NYC has happily yielded a short interview with scribes of this book and blog, Cheryl Harris Sharman and Russell Leigh Sharman. As you might remember, Nighshift NYC is about the men and women who labor through the night so that the rest of NYC can sleep comfortably and wake up with civilization still intact. Below Cheryl and Russell tell us about what made them pursue researching and writing about this unusual topic, and about some of the interesting things they've discovered about New Yorkers who work the night shift.

Considering what an intriguing topic the night shift in NYC is, it's hard to believe that no one else wrote a book about it until now. What inspired your book as well as the blog?

It is hard to believe that no one has written a book on the workers who make possible the city that never sleeps. The idea for the book came from two or three different all-night businesses within a block of where we living at the time, in East Harlem, and wondering how difficult that life would be. There was a 24-hour bodega, a 24-hour laundromat, and a 24-hour taxi mechanic. None of these sites made it into the book but they sparked our interest in the topic. As writers and researchers, we’ve always been interested in telling the stories of people who are often overlooked. In some ways, that’s what led to the blog, because there were so many stories that didn’t fit in the book, and we’re still meeting more night shift workers with equally interesting lives, so the blog allows an ongoing exploration of New York at night.

What are people's biggest complaints or favorite things about working such exotic hours?

Most of the people we interviewed worked the night shift because it was the first job they were offered. In 24-hour businesses, the day shift often comes with seniority. On the one hand, the kind of person who works the night shift is someone who will eventually switch to the day shift once they’ve gained some experience; we’ve already seen that happen to some of the folks in the book. On the other hand, many choose the night shift or to remain on the night shift because they come to see its many benefits. The benefits include things such as sharing childcare with a day shift spouse, a night pay differential, more autonomy and, especially in the service sector, fewer customers. Of course some people are just night owls, and may as well be at work when they’re most alert. Then again, there are those who never adjust to the taxing lifestyle and will take a day shift the first time it’s offered.

Do you think working overnight in NYC is different than in other cities?

We think that working overnight in NYC is similar to working the night shift in other cities all over the world. We’ve heard from night shift workers in other places about the lack of sleep, the strain on social relationships, the lack of seniority, the cherished autonomy, the benefits for childcare, and many of the same things we found in NYC. We just did a reading in Chicago where we met a former night shift nurse who felt the book resonated with her experiences, and a current night shift auditor at a hotel who wrote a guest blog for us on his experiences, many of which find overlap in our book. That said, there are aspects that are unique to NYC. New York has one of the only train systems in the world that runs 24 hours, so there’s always someone out, no matter the hour, creating a sense of safety and community that you don’t necessarily find in other cities.

Tell us something about the night shift in NYC most of us don't know.

Most people don’t know that NYC feels much like a small town in the wee hours of the morning, because of that sense of safety and community that comes from working nights in such a densely-populated city. In a city with a car culture, for example, everyone is insulated from everyone else and 24-hour businesses are few and far between. In New York, every block has several arenas of all-night activity, whether a doorman or a drugstore or a diner, making it safe to walk down just about any street at any hour. This sense of NYC at night feeling like a small town was a surprise even to us and was one of our favorite discoveries of writing Nightshift NYC.

Thanks!

New York vs. LA on Turner Classic Movies

Thursday nights in January, TCM will be showing great old movies set in either New York City or Los Angeles. Each night, the films will concentrate on similar themes mostly (crime noir, showbiz, romance) and will show how these things existed in these two great, distinct towns back in the day. Some of the movies they'll show include Anchors Away and On the Town (covering the sailors on shore leave genre), Shaft and The Big Sleep, Annie Hall and Modern Romance, and many others. In between these movies, with short documentaries about the films and filmmakers.

New Yorkers like me have a lot of fun "dissing" LA but instead of trying to prove one city as superior to the other I will just say that both have their virtues and flaws, their pros and their cons, and aren't we lucky to live in a country where New York people and LA people can co-exist? And ever the twains shall meet.

P.S. In tribute to the great city of Los Angeles, New York City's West Coast counterpart, here's a great song by Aimee Mann about that most LA thing, the freeway!

P.S. Can you name the great New York-born director who this picture in 1945 when FDR died? He directed some of the greatest movies ever ... and his films be included in this series.

Blog Info

I've updated and refined my various links to the right. Please check them out.

The Best Radio Station You're Not Listening To

More and more New Yorkers aren't listening to music radio anymore; instead they tune into the literally thousands of songs that their IPods can hold. Everywhere you go, you see New Yorkers with little white buds coming out of their ears and white cords running down their necks as they ride the subways and buses, work out at the gym, stroll through the parks, or walk along the streets. Living in NYC today is like living amongst several million Secret Service agents.

But what's really wrecked havoc on music radio today is media consolidation. Here in NYC, Clear Channel owns Z100, Q104.3, WKTU, Power 105, and Lite FM. CBS Radio owns WCBS FM and AM, WFAN, 92.3 K-ROCK, 1010 WINS, and Fresh 102.7. Think about it: only two radio conglomerates own a huge swath of the airwaves in the country's biggest radio market. And most of what they play is either Top 40 or old hits, the same songs being repeated and overplayed, ad nauseam, ad infinitum. There's very little really good, interesting music to be found on the city's major airwaves today.

Except for one station: WRXP 101.9 FM "The NY Rock Experience" (yes, it used to be CD 101.9, the "smooth jazz" station that is mercifully no longer). WRXP easily plays the best music on commercial radio in this town today. It's the same station where you can hear a great old Beatles tune followed Linkin Park. They play Radiohead right after Janis Joplin and right before Bob Marley. You can hear tracks off the new Killers album and then a great Van Halen classic. It even plays good Stuff White People Like music such as R.E.M., Coldplay, and Tom Petty. It also plays some songs you won't hear on other radio stations, like Lou Reed's classic "Dirty Boulevard" or ZZ Top's "Tube Steak Boogie." It's just great music, period (heck, that could even be the station's slogan).

What really impresses me about this station is that you get the feeling the programmers respect their audience. They know that people who appreciate good music want to hear stuff they might not have heard before. WRXP also doesn't have "wacky" DJs or stupid jingles -- just straight to the point announcements and very little talk. Oh, and it doesn't have a lot of commercials either, so it's almost all music all of the time.

WRXP isn't getting very good ratings right now but hopefully that will change. But if you're feeling bummed about listening to music on the radio in NYC, give this station a listen, you might like it.

P.S. This has been a public service announcement. WRXP has in no way paid me for this plug. Wouldn't it be nice if they did though?

The Infinite Dial

Elmos on the Loose!

Yesterday we were strolling around Rockefeller Center (more like wading through the crowd, actually) when what caught my eye but ... Elmo! Right on the end of the block where the giant Christmas tree stands, the cuddly furry red monster was waiving to passersby and hugging and taking pictures with little children.

At the end of the block, turning north onto 6th Avenue, we then came upon ... another Elmo! Ditto with the waiving and taking pictures with kids. Standing right next to him was a very thin looking Cookie Monster too, looking a little shy as two kids hugged him tight.

And then up the block, crossing right across from Radio City Music Hall ... yet another Elmo! He was getting crushed in the crowd but looked happy nonetheless.

Elmo, Elmo, and Elmo. Who knew there was more than one? Perhaps it was an Elmo family outing.

So if people ask you what, amongst other things, makes NYC such a great place at Christmas time, tell them that you can see real live Elmos (three of them!) right on the street and not, you know, in a mall.

NYC on Christmas Night

On this Christmas evening, there is a distinct quiet hanging over our beloved city. Coming home tonight, the streets were barren of people and cars, most of the businesses were shut tight, and the usual New York volume was definitely turned down. In some ways it was nice, in other ways a little scary.

It feels, on this holiest night of the year, like there is a kind of pall covering this town. It's not doom or gloom exactly, but instead a unusual degree of worry that is seizing this already neurotic place The financial and housing crises, etc., have left many New Yorkers feeling blue. The holiday season is always an emotionally trying time, and this year our economic travails has made it all the worse. People are losing jobs, wages, and benefits, homes are going into foreclosure, stocks and retirement portfolios are plummeting -- you name it, it's tough out there.

What can we do? As 2008 draws to its end, how should we feel?

I wish I knew exactly how to feel or how to tell others to feel. 2008 has been tough and 2009 is shaping up to be even tougher. If things are gonna get better, it'll probably be another couple of years. If the future is going to be bright, it's a long way off. But I know it's out there ... somewhere beyond the horizon.

So on this Christmas night, as we look to the future, Mr NYC is counting his blessings. He has many wonderful people in his life and many things to be grateful for. The soul can be temporarily lifted by money but only the richness of life can truly nourish it.

And on this Christmas night in the greatest city in the world, I'm feeling strong.

Happy Holidays.

Ouch

Coal for Christmas: Brooklyn man's pardon revoked

WPIX Yule Log

Merry Christmas NYC.

Log: The Directors’ Cuts

Mr NYC Hearts Peter Luger's

Rooms: Where the Porterhouse Ages Gracefully

This is my favorite room that I never knew existed ... and am grateful that it's there.