Gotham Gal

Kerry's speech

Last night I was not able to watch John Kerry's acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention but I did listen to it on radio. Listening and watching are very different experiences. I did not get to see the body language, the people on stage, the pumping arms of the delegates on the floor, the whole bravado instead I just got to listen.

I thought Kerry did a great job. He told us about himself, he told us some of his ideas on how to close this ugly chapter of Iraq in our history, he talked about his vision for health care, his vision for economic strength and he talked about his values. He presented himself as compassionate, caring, intelligent, thought provoking and someone truly committed to making America a place where we can be proud of being Americans. A very different vision from the one George Bush presented four years ago and executed on over the past four years.

There are a lot of undecided voters. That is interesting to me since I am such a decisive person. Are these people undecided on who to vote for or not to vote at all. I sat on a board awhile ago and the conversation was whether or not we should keep our CEO for another year and just let his contract run out or should we just let him go now so we can look for new direction immediately. The fact that we were actually having that conversation means that he should leave now. How could we hem and hem about someone for a year when we all knew that what we wanted was new direction. Better now than later..no? I think about this when I think about undecided voters. If you are unhappy with what you have, then you have a choice to put someone new into the job and if you don't like that person, you have another choice again in 4 years. That is one of the many things that make this country great. If you don't vote, you are missing out on being part of a political process that has continued to make this country grow in new directions every 4 years.

One of my readers emailed me yesterday about my post on the Control Room. I wrote about our military bombing the media stations in Bagdad and how unAmerican that was. The reader was from Canada. She pointed out that it wasn't unAmerican because that is what America does these days. It was undemocratic. She is probably right. It disheartens me to realize that people living outside the US has that perception whether right or not of what America has become. That is not the America that I believe in. That is not the America that I grew up in. That is not the America that stands on the values of Democracy. That is George Bush's America. Quite frankly, I do not want to be from that America.

If you even have the slightess uncertainty about the way this Administration has taken this country, then place your vote this fall for change. I have always been a Democratic and would have voted for John Kerry no matter what but last night's speech gave me a different perspective. I want to vote for John Kerry this fall because I believe not only will he be a better leader, he will be an excellent President.

After the Fall

I got to see After the Fall last night which is playing right now at the Roundabout Theater. I was excited to see Peter Krause who is terrific as Nate on
Six Feet Under on HBO, Sunday night. His character last night, who is certainly a different character, was not played so differently. I did not love his performance but there were moments where I really liked his performance. Very uneven. He did seem to feel comfortable and enjoy himself on stage so I hope he can continue to find roles that might help him develop on stage. He is awful cute.

The play was written by Arthur Miller in 1964. This play is a supposed play about himself, his life prior to marrying his last wife. The entire play takes place in an airport terminal, circa 1962. The scenery is actually well used, modern and sparse. I liked it. He is about to pick up a woman he met overseas at the airport, that is the present tense. The rest of the play goes back in time about his uncertainty of past relationships ending in divorce, relationships with his parents that appear to have lots of baggage and his question to himself of is he capable to having a healthy relationship. His past relationships all seem very unhealthy. He is in his own world. He doesn't communicate with his spouses. He doesn't communicate with his friends. At least he isn't sure he does and his wives obviously don't think he does. Also, there is the underlying theme of this character, who is a lawyer, being involved with the Commie craze of that time. His friends and firm are being subpoenaed to talk about their Communist beliefs.

The play is a bit all over the place. Some of the scenes go on way too long! The play is 2 1/2 hours when it could really be 1 1/2 hours but again, it was written by Arthur Miller so I am not sure that liberties can be taken. Although it would have been nice. The best thing about this place was watching Carla Gugino as Maggie, who is supposed to be Marilyn Monroe. She was absolutely amazing! I'd love to see her again and again in other other productions. She lit up the stage and her acting is superb.

I read a little bit of Arthur Miller's bio this morning. He ends up marrying a third time, happily, because he is still married to a European photographer ( I believe her name is from Danish descent) since 1962. He is still writing and lives in Connecticut.

I saw the Crucible last year which was also an Arthur Miller play and fantastic. This particular play, After the Fall, is worth missing.

The Control Room

Went to see The Control Room last night. I thought I had some inkling into how the media is involved in a war. I obviously did not.

The Control Room is basically about Al Jazeera's coverage of the Iraq war. Al Jazeera is the largest media organization in Iraq. There are for all intensive purposes, the Middle East's CNN.

Whenever I am overseas, I am always taken by the coverage in the European press vs. coverage by the American press on a topic. Al Jazeera tells a very different angle about the war in Iraq. The US media never told that angle. I guess it depends on which angle you want to believe.

I walked away from that movie feeling that once again, the Bush administration has spun a war to make them look like the good guys. I am not so sure we are. I actually believe that there is more hatred of Americans in Iraq now than there ever was. I believe that there is more anti-American sentiment overseas than there has ever been. The pictures shown by the press over here of people cheering the Americans coming into Iraq were all staged by our military. All bullshit. There were not cheering "yeah" but cheering "get the hell out of our country".

This administration/military actually directed bombs in Bagdad directly at 3 media outlets which are controlled by the Iraqi's, one being Al Jazeera. Why? Because they don't like how the Iraqi's are reporting the situation. The information isn't being controlled by them. They try to control the information by having conversations, with our military, with their journalists at the Media Center in Iraq. At the Media Center, every single news organization in the world has a tiny office at but everybody reports their own news. The Bush Administration obviously did not like what they were reporting so they blew up their stations so that they could not cover what was going to happen in Bagdad. Not very American of us, is it?

This administration has taken our values of free thinking, democracy and checks and balances and distorted them to fit their moral agenda. It is absolutely repulsive and scary at the same time. These guys are right wing maniacs who believe their shit doesn't stink.

The movie was only 83 minutes. The minutes don't go by that fast. But, this is a must see movie. I wish HBO would air this over and over in the fall so people could see another example of this Administration's control of information. It might be a help to boot these evil doers out come this fall.

Quick dinner

It rained so hard the other day that going outside was a chore. No grilling outside either. I tried to whip up a dinner that we had at a restaurant. It was delicious, quick and easy. I made it for 2 but you could easily double it for 4 or triple for 6.

1 pound shelled shrimp
1/4-1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese ( I prefer the french feta which is not as strong)
2 Tablespoons dried oregano
8-10 italian tomatoes sliced
4-5 dried tomatoes in oil (not necessary but it gave it a bit of a kick)
2 shallots, sliced

Take a large non-stick frying pan. Put in about 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Heat up. Saute the shallots until almost crispy. Then, add the all the tomatoes. Bring the heat to medium and let them braise a little bit, about 3-4 minutes. Toss in the dried oregano and let that mix in for about another 1-2 minutes. The tomatoes should be soft. If not, just let them hang out in the pot at the medium heat for a little more time. Then, add your shrimps. Stir them around until they all turn pink. It should take about 3 minutes at the most. Shrimp cooks up pretty quickly. Once the shrimp is done, toss in the feta. Once the feta is completely incorporated in, serve. You could serve this over pasta, couscous, or rice. I served it over a bed of sauted spinach with a hunk of bread on the side and a basil leaf for over the top for pure looks.

Enjoy!

Schiller's Liquor Bar

Had dinner at Schiller's Liquor Bar which is one of the new hot restaurants on the Lower East side.

My review will probably be a bit different from the norm. The food was ok. The vibe was ok. What makes Schiller's interesting is the location. It is located on Rivington Street which is one block east of Essex street. The customers flocking there are mostly the young cool hipsters in town. Also, the hipsters that have cash not necessarily the people who have lived in the neighborhood for the past 20 years.

What is intriguing about the new restaurants and young entrepreneurs in the Lower East Side is that they are putting down roots in neighborhoods that are inexpensive and are prime for change. I give them all tons of credit. The new store owners are taking risks. They are putting out new and inventive merchandise. 71 Clinton, and WD-50 are striking out. I have found food there good but not that incredible. But what is incredible is the risk they took. They are creating new neighborhoods and a flow of money coming back into an area that has not seen much in many years. That is exciting. Check out the page in Menupages.com which can direct you to all the new and old restaurants in the area.

I remember years ago when Amsterdam's opened up on the Upper West side way past the "safe" areas. They were literally pioneers. The place rocked. People went. The food was simple and good. But, as the years passed, something happened, movement. The blocks of Amsterdam which were vacant leading up to the restaurant were being filled with new stores, new eateries, new development. The Upper West side no longer stopped at 86th street, it now continues straight up to Columbia.

The pioneers on the Lower East side are creating the same thing. In the past year, the changes are tremendous. More stores, more eateries, better housing, more development. What I like about the development down there is the intimacy of the neighborhood. Like the village, these neighborhoods will continue to have their unique vibe whereas the Upper West side really just became an extension of the Upper West side. The downside is for all the people who have lived in those neighborhoods for years, paying next to nothing or living in city housing. Where do these people go? It is important that our city Government is involved in the changes and makes sure that these neighborhoods remain diverse and create the ability for lower to middle income housing to continue. That is what will create something successful and unique. Particularly as the World Trade Center area is up and running in 2 years. Lower Manhattan will be transformed. There will not be any neighborhoods left that are affordable for many or areas where there is opportunity to stake new grounds.

I'm really looking forward to my next visit to the neighborhood to see what the next entrepreneur has opened and at the same time, watching the transformation of lower Manhattan.

A double feature

I love the movies. Yesterday, we went to a double feature at the Sunshine Cinema. The location of this theater is great. It is located right in the heart of 3 neighborhoods undergoing major transformation. North of the cinema is the East Village. We lived in the East Village in the mid-80's and have always loved that area. The neighbood hood to the West is Nolita where a new funky store opens daily, and to the East is the lower East Side which is experiencing a new resurgence.

We first saw Maria Full of Grace which is one of the best indie films I have seen in awhile. It is a story of a young woman living in Columbia who is entering adulthood. She is 17. She sees what her life will be like living in Columbia and isn't too happy about it. She is a few months pregnant and has no interest in her boyfriend. She choose to become a mule for drug runners. She swallows about 1/2 kilo of heroin to bring into NY. Her journey, her thoughts, her relationships are thought provoking and make a powerful statement about life outside our supposed "perfect" existence. Another drug runner describes America as "perfect". The photography is really good. You really feel as u are right there. It is very real. It is a movie absolutely worth going to see.

The other film we went to see is Napoleon Dynamite. It is ok. I can see why people like it. It is about a total geek and his world. Napoleon lives in Idaho with his grandmother and wacky brother. They are all looking for love in some of the right places. Jon Heder, the main character, is a really good actor. He's very funny. I am more interested in seeing what he does next.

In between the movies, we went to a small outdoor cafe on 1st street, near 1st Avenue. It was wonderful. I felt like we were in Paris at an outdoor cafe. If you are seeing a movie at the Sunshine Cinema, I recommend sitting outdoors afterwards or before at this cafe. It gives you a good outlook of the neighborhood.

The ever changing city

We first moved to NYC in the late summer of 1983. Just graduating from college and ready to begin our next phase of life. My boyfriend/roommate and now husband, and I rented an apartment on 28th and Madison which was at that time was prostitute row with SRO hotels being financed by the city. Not a great neighborhood but it allowed us to walk to work. After all, we really knew nothing about the city and obviously based on our choice of location, no one gave us any advice but it was within our budget.

We had just finished traveling around the country for 6 weeks before starting work. When we got to NYC, we were mesmerized. We traveled around our town, like we had around the country, at every chance we had. We walked down Fifth avenue, hung out in Washington Square Park, ate in sidewalk cafes in the village, walked through Soho, had dim sum in Chinatown, ate dinner in Little Italy, went shopping in the Lower East Side, walked up and down Columbus Avenue, Amsterdam and upper Broadway, had dinner in Harlem, had a picnic in Carl Schurz park, went to the museums as often as possible on the Upper East side and had brunch, shopped upper Fifth, went down to City Hall, ate in Brooklyn and Queens, did street fairs, went to new clubs in Chelsea. We took it all in. I even had my favorite places to shop located all around the city and would just hop on a subway to go there.

We still know the city, inside and out. I spent a year working in Brooklyn. Thanks to Macy's, I also spent time cruising around all the boroughs, including Staten Island. I was also able to spend time in a variety of neighborhoods working with MOUSE. We continue to explore the "new" stuff. Our kids are learning how to navigate their town and know the neighborhoods.

Yesterday I took a bike ride up the West Side Highway from 10th street to 125th street. I've cruised up and down before but never that far up. Wow! It is fantastic what is going on. The parks, the outdoor cafes, the community areas, the tennis courts, the baskeball courts. I love how the city has kept all the old iron works as a backdrop for the new greenery. Driving by the myriad of different faces of every possible nationality enjoying their town.

It made me fall in love with this city all over again. New York City is an ever changing town and there isn't a day that I don't thank my lucky stars that I am able to work, play, raise our family and live in it.

Molyvos

I think I have been to most of the Greek restaurants in town, also a few out in Queens, last night for the first time we went to Molyvos. My sister said, that she was not impressed with the place. You know what, she was dead on. Perhaps it is the location. If this place was not in midtown near the theater district, maybe it would not have succeeded all these years.

I started at the bar. I was the first one there. I ordered a drink, $9 for a lot of ice and very little drink. It was ridiculous. Once everyone got there, we sat down. We shared some stuff to start. Of course, a greek salad. The greek salad was so small with tiny flecks of feta cheese, big chunks of cucumber and very little tomatoes and too much oregano. This is for $9.25. I should have been $6. We also shared the samplings of greek spreads. The "caviar" mousse was rich and good. The other dips were ok. Even the pita bread for dipping wasn't warm and soft. We also had the grilled octopus served over capers and chopped tomatoes. The capers and tomatoes were so few that it wasn't that important to the dish. The octopus was grilled perfectly.

For dins, my husband and I split a grilled fish that had way too much oil on it for a grilled fish. We shared 4 different side dishes. Sauteed spinach, sauteed escarole, rice with spinach and feta and the 3 cheese potatoes. All ok, not amazing. My friend had the lamb chops and her husband had the vegetable stew. I didn't taste them.

I will say we had some really good red wine. My husband, who loves collecting wine, has been reading up on his Greek wines and so now he knows what to order. So, with all that wine, dessert was tempting. I ordered the classic custard and phyllo dough. A bit chewy and thick on the custard. This dessert should just slide down your throat, and this did not.

We had a great time with our friends, but I will absolutely not return to Molyvos. I still feel off today. Down the street from there is Milos which is around the corner on 55th street. Definitely go there. It is by far a much better restaurant for the atmosphere, price and food.

Art Works Foundation

Yesterday, as the heat was welling up on the sidewalks of Manhattan, I hooked up with an old and dear friend to go to a fundraiser for the Art Works Foundation.

First we had drinks at the rooftop of the Gansevoort Hotel which has fantastic views, ridiculously overpriced drinks and poor service. I guess the views make up for the rest. Then, we went over to Chelsea to see an exhibit of young children and their siblings using art to express their feelings. All kids have feelings but these kids are all suffering from life-threatening or chronic illnesses. I was really impressed with the depth of their work. The teenagers had written some poems which cut right to the heart. This is really a fantastic organization. They also have given money to other organizations that allow kids who are waiting to see their doctors do art, or see clowns or anything happy to keep their mind occupied on something else. At the end of the day, most of these kids are fully aware of what is happening to them. Probably more than their parents. It is their reality.

I met Doctor Gold last night who works with these kids. I only talked to him a few minutes, but he has been a tremendous help to my friend and her family. Thank god for doctors like him. Although the event was small, u could feel the sense of commitment and good faith of the people involved in this group. I would imagine that commitment would help in their fundraising efforts to this wonderful cause.

What a night...

Last night was one of those ever ending NY nights. My friend and I took the subway uptown - something he has not done in 20 years - and went to Thalia for drinks. It was around the corner from the subway and a block from the theater. Perfect location. We had drinks at the bar and ordered the yellowfin tuna tartare with dried granny smith apples. It was delicious. The guy next to us was eating a burger that made me want to definitely come back and have a bite but we were having dinner downtown after Theater.

We went to see Caroline or Change. The play originally started off-Broadway at the Public. It got such terrific reviews and sell out audiences that it moved to the Eugene O'Neil Theater on Broadway. Maybe it missed something in the move or maybe it wasn't really good to begin with. It was an operetta. It was horrible. I did not even get what the point was. We had great seats, front and center. Thankfully, the first Act when pretty quick and we bolted immediately at Intermission.

We grabbed a cab and went to dinner down at Bond Street. I was having a real hankering for great sushi. The place, as always, was packed with limousines lined up in the front. But, they took us even though we had absolutely no star power in our group. The sushi was fantastic and the appetizers were delicious. It is always good there and ridiculously expensive.

We walked home through Washington Square where we ended up talking to 3 elderly people who had just watched a concert in the park. They told us all about it and were thrilled that there was another concert next Tuesday night. One of the best things about being in the village, it is like a small town. We then walked up 5th and saw that Cru just opened on 9th and 5th in the old Washington Park Restaurant space. One of the owners was there so we walked in and talked. There will be a large bar type area in the front with seating and food - like a Grammercy Park which he had worked at - and locals can stop in anytime to eat. The food will be expensive in the back room - $20-30 for entrees and appetizers. I hope to get in there soon for dins. Right now it is not open to the public.

Finally, home. My favorite kind of NYC night.