Gotham Gal

Paralysis

My husband, AVC, wrote about analysis paralysis on his blog and I keep thinking about what he wrote.   This is something that drives me up a wall.  Perhaps it is just how people are hard wired.  They have a need to analyze everything so many times that they aren't even sure where they started.  Should I do it, shouldn't I do it, does that look good, will it make sense, let me sit on that for a few weeks, maybe I can do better, etc.  UGH!

I am a decision maker, always have been.  The AVC is one too.  We come to conclusions completely differently.  Fred tends to hang on to his decisions a little longer than I do but not a very long period of time.  Perhaps my brain just thinks in a way that allows me to take in information quickly and make a decision.  Not that all of my decisions have been good but on the other hand the majority of them have been right on. 

I have no fear of making a bad decision realizing that I can always make another decision if the decision I made wasn't the right one.  Also, I like moving forward vs. idling.  There is nothing worse than doing nothing. 

I am also not a fan of people who work 80 hours a week and could get the same amount accomplished in 60.  Maybe that extra 20 hours would accomplish the project or business doing better by 5%.  Is it worth that 5% vs. a life balance.  I don't think so.  I believe that the majority of people who are working like that have a hard time making decisions and balancing their time appropriately.  Can you learn to balance better? 

One of my favorite quotes is from Soviet Admiral Gorshkov who said "Perfect is the enemy of good enough".   Striving for perfection is great but realistically good enough is pretty damn good. 

The Annual Art Show at the Armory

Some years I have gone, others I haven't.  This year, thanks to my friend, we went to the annual Art Show at the Armory.  The best time to go is definitely when there are as few people there as possible.  The booths are not large and neither is the space.  We went when the door opened at noon and as always, it is interesting to see what people are showing. 

Some stuff is absolutely god awful.  Pink and blue horse statues but we didn't wander into that booth.  Some stuff is really great.  Some stuff is way way overpriced, at least we thought so.  Some stuff is right on.

Vic Muniz, who I have always been a fan of, is shown at Brent Sikkema.  I loved his 3 pieces.  He has taken hole punch pieces and layered them into designs and then took digital pictures of them and enlarged the photo.  I was really drawn to them immediately.  The prices are still reasonable.  Obviously more than 4 years ago when I first saw his stuff but my guess is the price of his work will continue to rise. 

The other artist I really liked was Kate Shepard.  She was being shown at 2 different galleries, one being Barbara Krakow Gallery from Boston.  Barbara is the best contemporary art gallery in Boston.  Kate's work is very architectural.  She has created lines and images under an enamel based process which makes the painting really stand out.  Her pieces seem to me something that you would love more and more each day.

Barbara also represents Julian Opie.  About 5 years ago, we almost bought 2 huge Julian Opie pieces but decided not to at the last moment and bought something else.  Alas, his work has more than tripled in value but I'm not in for that anyhow even though it is always nice to know the work you purchased has gone up in value.  Julian has work all over the world.  It is very recognizable.  He is from London.  It's all over the Tate.  The piece today was a computer image that had the characters walking on a flat panel.  Extremely cool!

Lastly, my favorite piece.  Luhring Augustine represents Christopher Wool.  Fyi - their website is horrible, I hate the pop-up thing.  For the life of me, I can't understand the cost of it.  The piece I loved was $250K and supposedly the buy of the show is his smaller pieces at $80K.  Seems outrageous to me considering they are just words on a canvas but I'm not setting the prices.  I really loved this piece.  It just made me laugh out loud. It did not say RIOT like the piece on the side but it was in the same bold letters.  The piece I loved said IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE.  I just cracked me up.  Maybe I have watched too much Larry David. 

I'm glad I got up to the show.  It's always fun to see what galleries are showing and to see where the prices are.  All and all, it's a bummer that I'm not willing to blow $250K on the piece.  I think I'd get a kick out of it every day I would walk by but maybe I'll make my own and just blow it up and hang it near the front door.

The NBA All-Star Game

I grew up watching a lot of sports and basketball was always one of my favorites.  We had seasons tickets to the Bullets, now known as the Washington Wizards.  The knowledge of the players was basically that team, Wes Unseld, etc.

All our kids play basketball and I still love going to the games.  The Liberty Games are a bit more exciting these days than the Knicks and I have yet to get out to see the Nets.  So, we were all pretty excited, especially the kids, about seeing the All-Star game this year in Denver. 

Was it the Rookie vs. Sophmore game on Friday night?  Was it the dunk contest?  That is pretty cool.  Was it seeing East vs. West?  East finally won this  year.  I think the most exciting thing is seeing all the star players. 

Shaq strutted in for the Rookie/Sophmore game during the first quarter.  You couldn't miss him.  The guy is a true natural specimen.  He is huge!  He donned a bowler hat and a black coat over his fine 3 piece suit.  He looked like the king, and in the NBA, he is. 

The Denver arena (that would be the Pepsi Center) is heaven compared to Madison Square Garden.  The place is huge.  3 tiers that have their own separate escalator banks.  Intelligently designed.  The 2nd floor is total club seating.  Nice seats, totally clean, pretty remarkable.  Maybe New York needs to take a lesson from Denver and find a sponsor like Coca-Cola and change the name to the Coca-Cola Center and they could buy the slice of land on the West side highway.  The large corporations such as Delta, Pepsi, Coke - I have lost count of the original arena names - have all the money anyhow - right?  New York - wake up!

The best part of the game for me was Clifford Ray.  I had the sheer luck of sitting next to him.  He had a brace on his lower left leg and so I asked what happened.  The guy is pretty big so I figured he was a retired ball player.  I asked him "did you play ball"?  He was happy to oblige.  Since I knew the Bullets growing up I actually could talk the game a little since he was on the Golden State Warriors 1975 team that crushed the Bullets in 4 games for the NBA champs.  He told me they had "kicked their ass".  It was great. 

His perspective about the game now and the money that is handed out to a 17 year old kid drafted out of high school was interesting.  Clifford has been coaching and scouting since his playing days.  He has been with a variety of teams and is the big man coach.  He was involved in the number one draft pick this year, Dwight Howard who went to play for Orlando, where Clifford is now coaching.  Dwight now is worth about $80M.  Not bad for a 17 year old kid who can play ball and has yet to actually play in a NBA game.  The kid even has a website. 

If any of you know me, you can imagine the questions I asked Clifford.  What did he think about the players now?  Their physical abilities vs. his generation's physical abilities.  What about the money? He says that the amount that Michael Jordan made is nothing compared to the owners. Kobe Bryant?  The small community? Traveling all the time?  How the top players have become bigger than life stars.  He was wonderful.  He asked me tons of questions too.  It was like being next to someone on an airplane that is happy to share their entire life with you because the chances are they will never see you again. 

I won't share all of his comments and information but it was really a memorable  night.  Afterwards I made sure all the kids got to meet him and see his NBA Champs ring which even I was thrilled to see.  Also, the guy has huge hands! I'd love to post a picture but I got a new small digital camera which absolutely sucks and is going back today because all the pics are blurry.  More on that later. 

All and all, a really great game. 

Ebay and Pay Pal

EBay has been on of the biggest commerce success stories on the Internet.  My frustration with EBay is Pay Pal and spam. 

You buy something on EBay and you have the unfortunate experience that they own Pay Pal and use it to pay their customer transactions.  The user interface sucks.  You can never sign in under your supposed name and id.  I am at a loss to who is the bigger spam artist, EBay or PayPal.  I get something from them a few times a week although I supposedly opted out of that permission marketing. 

Truly, if any site uses PayPal, I bag the transaction.  I refuse to use their services.  EBay owns PayPal so in that case, you have no choice.  I like EBay.  I had a few items that I wanted to get rid of.  I hired one of the companies that come to your home, take a picture of your item and sell it for you on EBay.  They take a cut which is fine.  I got rid of the item and I never expected to see a dime so it was a total bonus. 

But, the few times that we have used EBay to purchase items for ourselves it has been a nightmare getting the transaction to go through.  Last night Jessica, our oldest daughter,  won an auction for something she was buying for her friend.  It took all of us over an hour to figure out how to execute the purchase.  We all wanted to toss the computer through the window. 

I don't get it?  EBay is one of the largest commerce sites on the web and they haven't figure out how to make the purchase easy.  They have you by the balls because nothing else out there is like EBay, so you have to suffer through the transaction process.  Did anyone over there ever think that perhaps they would have more customers if they actually fixed their user interface and stopped spamming people?  Aha.  Perhaps someone who owns stock in that company should mention it. 

Bond 45

Bond 45 opened up about 3 weeks ago on 45th between 6th and Broadway.  This restaurant is part of a group of restaurants from the Fireman Hospitality Group that also own Cafe Fioello, Trattoria Dell Arte and the Red Eye Grill to name a few.   Needless to say, it is always a good thing for a new restaurant to open in the Theater District. 

I am not sure why but the majority of the restaurants in the Theater District are not very good.  Maybe it is in line with theater because most of the plays are just ok too.  Who knows.  There is an audience every night that needs to eat.  Maybe the expectations are low.  I am not sure but it does seem that lately a variety of new restaurants with potential are cropping up in that area so I am thrilled.

We went to Bond 45 last night.  They couldn't have been nicer.  We had an incredibly attentive waiter.  The food was solid.  We started with some vegetables from the array of antipasto available.  We also had oysters that were on the specials.   The cauliflower was roasted with breadcrumbs  and delicious.  The fennel was roasted until it was caramelized  and very tasty.  The eggplant which was my least favorite was a bit too thick and roasted with capers on the side.   The oysters were excellent.

For dinner we both had the special whole fish that was baked and boned at your table.  The fish was really delicious, cooked right and juicy.  They have not perfected the deboning process.  2 people did our fish together.  One worker per fish.  They didn't do such a fabulous job.  They weren't sure if we should keep the skin or not and the fish wasn't that beautiful by the time it got to our plate.  I could have done a better job but they have only been open a few weeks.  This is an area that they could use a bit of help.

We decided on dessert because we still had some time to kill before dinner.  We had the profiteroles.  3 puffed pastries with vanilla ice cream inside and chocolate sauce on top.  Solid.  They also gave us a lemon aperitif on the house and someone was walking around with large tray of peanut butter cookies.  Nice touch.

I'd absolutely go back.  We both decided that the restaurant reminded of us of Cafe Un Deux Trois when it first opened.  Then the food was good, the service was good and it was fun to be there.  The bar was packed as it was at Bond 45 last night.  Glad to see another place in the area that has good food pre and post Theater.

Brooklyn Boy

I really enjoyed Brooklyn Boy.  There are so many plays and so few that are good.  Not only did the play have humor it also had a thoughtful edge about returning to your roots.  Do you ever leave home? 

Adam Arkin was terrific.  The premise of the story is that Adam Arkin is a novelist who has just recently hit the big time.  His book is on the best seller list and has been opted for a movie.  He is in his mid-40's.  His father is dying, his wife is divorcing him.  He is top of his game but his life is falling apart.  He has to go back to Brooklyn and deal with a life he has left behind.  He even bumps into an old friend who has stayed in Brooklyn. 

His father is the typical over bearing, unhappy for him, demeaning Jewish father.  Why did that generation behave like that - you got me?  As the play unfolds, it forces the audience to take a look at mid-life.  How did you get there and where are you going next?  How do you reconcile with your past? 

There are a variety of characters he comes across.  The ruthless movie agent in Los Angeles, the dumb movie actor, a one night stand who is half his age, the ex-wife who is also a writer and the father. 

I highly recommend the play.  It was two hours and 20 minutes with intermission but it didn't feel that way.  Really well written play.  Bottom line, I liked it.

Buying Art

If I could, I would go into the art world and buy something new and different every day.  I have always been moved by art.  I am especially intrigued by young artists who are emerging and what they are creating.  Listening to them describe how they create their art.  Their passion is so exhilarating.  I feel incredibly lucky to be able to meet young artists and then get to know them personally and watch them grow. 
2 years ago, we purchased a piece from a young artist Sebastian Blanck.  Not only is he beyond talented, he is totally groovy, cool, sweet and warm, and a total rocker hipster.  That's a mouthful, right?  Anyhow, we were introduced to him from a woman who has helped me tremendously understand the art world.  We bought 2 paintings from him that we love. 

These two pieces sit side by side right near our bedroom.  I love them.  I really am looking forward to watching Sebastian grow in his work.  Talent is pouring out of him.

A few years back, I was walking through Lombard-Fried galleries, who at that time were representing Isca Greenfield - Sanders.  I saw the pieces in the back and asked Michael Friedman, who at that time ran that gallery, if I could buy a piece before the show unveiled.  Unfortunately, I was bumped out due to 2 museums who wanted her work.  Totally bummed.  The good news is that I became friends with Michael and his adorable wife Jesse who are about to open their own gallery in Tribeca.  More on that in my later posts I am sure. 

Fast forward, we buy Sebastian's pieces and it so happens that with the purchase we made Sebastian was able to buy his lovely girlfriend an engagement ring who's name is Isca Greenfield-Sanders.   Small world - right? 

Isca's work is so complex that is takes time to churn out her work.  She has taken old photographs, puts them into watercolors, blows them up digitally, breaks them down onto an easel and then oil paints over them.  Truly diligent process.  Knowing her now I am not surprised.  She is totally efficient and organized which of course I love.  On top of that she is warm, bright and sweet and of course, groovy. 

Yesterday we got the opportunity to see Isca's new work through one of the galleries that represent her out in Denver, Balwin Gallery.   We purchased a piece and we are thrilled.  It is called "A Walk with Daddy" in blue.  I love what she is doing in her second round of work.  I also love the fact that we own pieces from two young artists who are making their mark in the art world, are married and have such a wonderful aura as a couple.  They are really good people. 

The piece will be in the Denver show and be coming to it's new home in April.  That would be my house.  I can hardly wait!

I Love Them, I Love Him Not

Judith Warner wrote a really interesting editorial in the NYTimes on Valentines Day called I Love Them, I Love Him Not.  She wrote about how Valentines Day is no longer for lovers.  How it is transformed into a holidays for parents loving their kids. 

Now, I admit my mother always gave us Valentines Day gifts.  I have done the same for our kids.  It is a sweet holiday.  The article was about the national obsession with our children.  What is it all about?

People attempt to give their kids everything.  They sacrifice every waking moment for the kid's sports leagues, their events, their activities, their homework etc.  When is enough, enough?  Can't they have their own freedome and independence.  Why do I see more parents not give their kids boundaries and at the same time  plan their entire lives? 

The magazines this month have all written articles on keeping the marital romance alive.  I read an article that suggested that couples should plan on times to have sex.  Plan that into your week.  Supermom and Superdad are so busy from work and the children's bliss that they haven't found time for each other.  It is ridiculous!

Kids learn from their role models which generally happen to be the people living in their house.  If they see happy loving parents - with each other - the chances are they will go on to have happy loving relationships.  Being a bit selfish isn't such a bad thing. 

My advice, bag the Saturday night basketball game for your kid, and go out on a date with your spouse.  Make sure you book one night a week for the 2 of you.  Leave the kids at home.  Make time during the craze of the weekend to turn off the kids.  At the end of the day, it will be better for you, and your kids. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

What should every good American do on Valentine's Day, the day after the Grammy's?  Blast Green Day's American Idiot and bake a cake.  Right?   

My latest issue of Food & Wine had a recipe for Chocolate-Peanut Butter cake with Cream Cheese and Butterfinger Frosting.  What could be bad? 

The recipe was from Emily Luchetti.  Years ago, someone had given me her first book when she was the dessert chef at Stars in San Francisco.  The book was called Stars.  She has put out quite a few cookbooks since then but that book sent me baking which is something I had never really done before.  I was always more of a food cook. 

Today is Josh's , our youngest, 9 year old bday and he requested this cake.  It was incredibly rich and delicious.  Actually, not that hard to make so here is the recipe.

FILLING:  This part needs to made a day in advance

• 2 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup golden brown sugar
• 12 ounces of bitter sweet chocolate - I just used a bag of nestle's chips
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

Bring the cream and sugar to simmer, whisking to dissolve the sugar.  When warm, take off the heat, add in the chocolate and let stand for about a minute.  Whisk until smooth.  Whisk in the peanut butter next and then chill uncovered overnight.  I covered it which might have been while it wasn't thick enough.  You could always beat it the next day to make thicker if it didn't get there.

CAKE:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking power
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1 lb golden brown sugar ( yes, one pound)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350.  Sift together the dry ingredients.  Line three 9 inch round baking pans with parchment paper.  I have the non-stick ones and I still lined the bottom with parchment paper after spraying them with a non-stick baking stuff.  It worked great.  Using electric mixer, beat together and butter and peanut butter until blended.  Beat in the sugar.  Beat in the eggs - one at a time.  At a low speed, beat in the flour mixture in 4 additions alternately with the buttermilk in 3 additions.  Divide it into the 3 pans, bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool cakes for about 5 minutes and turn out onto racks, peel off the parchment paper and cook completely. 

FROSTING:

• 1 1/2 8 ounch packages of cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cups powered sugar
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

Using electric mixer.  Beat cream cheese, 1 1/4 cup powered sugar, butter and vanilla in a large bowl until blended.  In another bowl, whisk cream and 3/4 cup powdered sugar until it holds medium peaks.  I used a hand held mixer for this.  Fold the cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture in 3 additions.  Chill in the fridge for about an hour or until cold.

Place 1 cake, bottom side up.  Spread with the filling.  Place another cake on top, bottom side up and spread the filling over it.  Place another cake, bottom side up.  I admit, I did top side up each time and it turned out fine.  Now frost.  I used smashed up butterfinger bars and roasted salted peanuts over the top for decoration.  It tastes good and I think makes the cake.  Also, I put the cake in the refrigerator and took it out about 2 hours before serving to bring to room temperature. 

One more thing, I have a great utensil for spreading the frosting which I think makes all the difference in the world.  I can't find it on the Internet but bought a bunch at Bridgekitchenware in NYC.  It is like a knife with a larger end for spreading.  After all, it's all about the accessories. 

Voila! 

The Gates

Someone told me 750,000 people went through Central Park this past weekend.   What a number.  We were part of that number.  I'd say that 95% of our kid's school were in Central Park this weekend too.  We all came together to see the Gates that had been installed by Christo and Jean-Claude and many many volunteers. 

It happened to absolutely beautiful out on Sunday which was an added bonus.  The 2 big questions I have heard this morning is "did you see the Gates"  and "what did you think"? 

I did think it was pretty amazing how many people turned out to see the art installation.  Was it because Christo doesn't do them every often?  Is it something we can gather around as a community when there isn't much else that right now?  Hmmm. 

The color is great.  The fabric blowing in the wind is pretty cool.  The light pouring over each piece is interesting.  It is hard to get a real visual for the entire setting unless you are lucky enough to have an apartment or office overlooking Central Park.  That I would have really like to see. 

Bottom line, I am glad that we went.  The kids poohed the whole thing but in the end they were glad they went too.  I figure when they are in the 30's they can say that they saw it. 

Yet the exhibit asks the age old question which is "what is art"?  Was it worth $21 million for 14 days?  Is it astounding?  Is it making a true impact in the art world?  I don't know if I am qualified to make that call.  I do know that I enjoy art particularly from emerging artists.  I know how I feel looking at a piece that really move me.  I like coming back to that piece again and again and feeling different each time.  Seeing new ways to look at a piece and finding new things.  I also enjoy the history of art and how classic artists have influenced younger artists. 

Perhaps I am too pedestrian.  There is always the pretension in the art world that I don't get.  It is as if the emperor has no clothes.  You would be afraid to say that you don't get it.  As for Christo, I am not sure I get it but it was exhilarating to see that many people come out in NYC to see the show.  It was good for NYC and that to me is a successful art show.