Gotham Gal

Sundaes and Cones

Warm weather = summer = ice cream.  A very simple calculation.   

My prime time of unhealthy eating was in college, particularly in the summer.  I would actually eat nothing all day but one huge ice cream cone generally 2 scoops, one was always mocha chip.  Such a treat.

Now, my ice cream treat is Tasti-Delite which tastes like chemicals.  I try to fool myself how good it is but it isn't.  I also love the peanut butter chocolate frozen yogurt like ice cream at Scoop De Jour in East Hampton but it tastes too good to be minimal calories.

Last night we were walking home from the East Village and discovered a new ice cream shop that just opened a week ago.  Sundaes and Cones.  Great name.  There is a Japanese edge to this shop.  Perfect for this location which has more sushi restaurants than any other area in the city.  On 10th Street between Third and Fourth Avenue is this new shop. 

Large airy and clean.  Lots of varieties.  Ices, ice creams and sorbets, cakes too.  We tried wasabi ice cream.  So weird but good at the same time.  Sort of clears your senses.  Fred went for the green tea ice cream paired with a second scoop of red bean ice cream.  All really good.  Rich, creamy and good flavor.  I tried the mocha chip since that will give me an indication of how good it really is.  It was delicious.

Perfect topping after a sushi dinner.

A Walk Through Chelsea

I was invited to take a walk through Chelsea.  An art expert was giving us the tour.  I don't know if "art expert" is the right term.  I have met a few art experts.  I suppose there are more than I realize.  It is someone who certainly has an incredible wealth of knowledge in art history, is up-to-date on exhibits going on through the city and has relationships with a variety of galleries, helps clients collect art and sell if need be, helps catalog clients art, is hired by companies/hotels to purchase art or collect for them.   Probably more is under the job requirement but that is the gist.

Sometimes the art world can be overwhelming to laymen such as myself.  "Art experts" and gallery owners give so much information about the artist and history of why they came to create the piece that it is overwhelming.  The names, the providence sometimes makes me feel like an idiot.  The upside is that you get more insight into what you are looking at from a verbal presentation vs. reading about the artist in a book. 

We started at David Zwirner on West 19th Street.  The current show is of a 44 year old Swedish artist, Mamma Andersson.  This is her first US show.  Her work is well known among the art world and a variety of museums came in to purchase pieces from this show.  At first look, that work didn't strike me but on the second walk through with the information I was given, made me really look at the work differently.  She uses a combination of oils and paints that create a flat look yet there are so many questions that come to mind.  Why are those pieces of art hanging on the wall in the painting, is that smoke above the painting, is that a mirrored image below, who are the people in that painting and why are they all there, the landscapes are beautiful and 3D but look so flat from afar.  Her work is quite impressive and detailed.  Glad that we were given info here or I would never have had the appreciation of the work that I did once I left the gallery. 

In the back of the gallery, where it is always fun to peek, I saw some photos that I loved.  The artists was James Wellington.  It is fun in the back because all the artists that the gallery represents usually have a few pieces here and there left over from previous shows.  Gives you a good idea of what the gallery is about.  He lets light come through colored gels that create the photo you see on the left.  Beautiful.

Next stop was Tanya Bonakdar Gallery.  The installation was quite impressive.  Not necessarily for your home but certainly for a museum or collectors that will donate their pieces or eventually open a museum of their own one day.  Olafur Eliasson, the artist, is a scientist, mathematician and artist all rolled into one.  He uses elements such as water, light and temperature to create interesting effect.  You walked into a room that was encased in a circular soft rubber white wall.  In the middle of the room was a round body of water which had a light fixture in the middle of it.  The light was shown around the entire wall as if it was cut in half.  When people walk in to the room, the light moves up and down.  When the room is quiet, the light stays still.  It was pretty cool.  Upstairs he had built a huge sphere with tiny triangular pieces wired into the sphere, mirrored inside each piece.  The light bulb hanging inside of it reflected on the mirror creating small triangular shaped lights all over the room.  Quite impressive.  Very intense stuff. 

Sikkema Jenkins and Company was next.  I had actually just read about this particular artist they were showing, Wangechi Mutu, in Vogue magazine the night before.  Her work was first shown in NY at the gallery on 125th Street which carries mostly African artists.  Then her pieces were a couple hundred bucks, now they range from $30-80K.  Alas.  This work was exceptional.  African sex goddesses or warriors painted on mylar and then dressed up with ink, paint, glitter, beads, decoupage, etc.  Very powerful and beautiful.  Wangechi is a native of Nairobi.  Her women are strong and the references she has made of sex, politics and social issues are very powerful.

Andrea Rosen Gallery  show of Josiah Mcelheny was fascinating.  His work is a total take on modernity from 1929-1965.  All reflective pieces.  He comments on modernity of that time are interesting.  I'd love to hear talk about it.  Hand blown glass in transparent mirrors that create images that go on forever and ever.  All reflective. 

Our next to last stop in Chelsea was at Yossi Millo Gallery. I loved these photos by Loretta Lux.  Haunting, beautiful and creepy at the same time.  Digitally manipulated pictures of children.  Their heads are slightly larger than normal, the background are reflective of Old Masters paintings, the props and kids clothes are vintage.  Each child looks directly into the camera yet they seem so alienated from what is going on around them.  Her work is totally sold out but I did purchase a book of her work.  Really liked this. 

We did stop at another gallery in between of an artist from the 1980's boom with David Salle and Erick Fischl.  Luhring Augustine  show of George Condo was fantastic.  Paintings reminiscent of Picasso and the masters yet funny and silly.  I loved them.  True artist.  These pieces are only going up in price.

Big day.  Great day.  Always love a romp through Chelsea.

The Ever Changing Village

Washington Square Park will be the last park in NYC to get renovated.  If some of the locals get there way, it will be the only park never to get renovated. 

I have always loved change.  Good change is certainly better than bad change but that is a judgment call. Washington Square Park is old and tired.  It is in desperate need of repairs and changes.  Bringing the park into the 21st Century.  People are so tied to the old that they have a hard time wrapping themselves around the new.  Adrian Benepe, the head of the Parks Department is probably crawling the walls.

Let's walk up a few blocks to 8th Street in the heart of the village.  For years, 8th street was the shoe street.  Funky groovy stores filled with customers.  Now, 8th street is empty.  The majority of the stores have either closed or about to close.  There are literally "to let" signs on every window.  Yet, Bleeker street, just a few blocks away is rocking.  Why?  Because they have changed with the times.

There are plenty of people in the village who are aghast of what has happened on Bleeker Street.  No longer the granola stores of the 70's but Ralph Lauren, Intermix, Olive and Bettes, Marc Jacobs, and some high end stores from Europe.  These stores are packed on the weekends and during the week.  The rents might have gone up too much for the old store owners but the new store owners have appealed to the new downtown locals and they are paying their rents.

I am not making a statement that the new stores are better than the old.  Lots of people are really upset about what has happened.  But, change is underway.  You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see what is happening in the village and react to it.  Real estate has become so expensive that it has brought in a whole new clientele.

My prediction is that 8th street will eventually wake up.  Even now, Broadway Panhandler and Witchcraft has just moved in to space on 8th Street and Broadway.  These 2 stores will slowly affect the rest of 8th street going West.  Thank god.  The owners need tenants and the village needs the customers.  It creates a vibrancy that we need.

I hope that this is noted to the Commission that is looking at Washington Square Park.  Let the changes take place.  The village has always been progressive.  If the old timers consider themselves so progressive and changers of the 60's or 70's or 80's, then wake up and get into the 21st Century.  Don't hold us back.

Shining City

Once again this season MTC has put on a solid drama production.   Simply put, good theater. 

Shining City written by Conor McPherson has been nominated for a Tony for best play.  The play is about a man overcoming the recent loss of his wife and the guilt he feels surrounding her death.  He comes to talk with a therapist, a recent Priest who has left the parish, who is dealing with his own demons. 

The play runs a little over an hour and a half with no intermission.  The performances are all good but Oliver Platt is stupendous.  There is one scene when Oliver Platt, who is the husband burdened with grief over his wife, tells his therapist, played by Brian O'Byrne ( who was awesome in the original production of Doubt), the story of the past year and a half with his wife before her death.  It is a soliloquy from a therapist's couch.  It was one of the finest performances I have seen in years.  Even if you don't enjoy the entire play, watching Oliver Platt for that scene is worth it.  What is more incredible is that this is Oliver Platt's stage debut. 

That says something about Oliver Platt.  We are seeing more movie stars hit the stage in small short run plays that create tremendous amount of hype and early sell-outs.  Then to find the productions well done but the acting just okay.  Live performances are a whole different ballgame from movies and TV.  Yet, Oliver Platt has shown through his brilliant first time performance on stage that he can do film, theater and TV top notch.  He has has been nominated for a Tony as best actor.  My vote is certainly in. 

Shining City is well done but the standing ovation goes to Oliver Platt.

The Devil Wears Prada

When the girls found out we were going to a screening of The Devil Wears Prada, they jumped.  This is the ultimate chick flick regardless of age.

The movie/book is loosely based on Vogue magazine.  Meryl Streep plays the editor in chief, Anne Hathaway plays her latest assistant straight out of college and Stanley Tucci plays side kick to editor in chief.  All great actors. 

The plot is pretty simple.  Girl graduates college with visions of being a journalist with a soul  She takes a job working for the Devil (editor in chief of the top fashion magazine).  She could care less about clothes and fashion but realizes that this job could help her get where she wants to go.  She is transformed into a fashion goddess.  Her friends and boyfriend are disgusted with who she has become.  All she does is work.  Hello, it is first job out of college, didn't we all work like dogs?  In the end she realizes that she must be true to herself.  Simple. 

So what did I like about the film?  The acting is great.  The clothes are simply spectacular.  Watching Anne Hathaway's character transform into a fashion maven put a smile on my face.  She wears the clothes well.  I was in the schmata business which is the low-moderate end of the fashion world.  I have always loved fashion.  I have been getting a monthly subscription to Vogue since my Freshman year in college. 

We all walked out of the movie with big smiles on our face.  If it wasn't so late, I would have gone shopping. 

The movie comes out June 30th.

Extra Virgin

Extra Virgin opened up on West 4th Street a few years back.  There are a few restaurants on West 4th Street between Charles and Perry.  It is nice in the summer because everyone has outdoor seating.  I have been to all of them except for Extra Virgin.  Last night, I got finally got there.

When it opened I asked my friend how it was who had been there.  Her reply still stands perfect today.  "It is a good neighborhood place.  I wouldn't go out of my way. " 

The salads are simple.  Good spicy vinaigrette.  The menu is small but something for everyone.  The portions are not huge.  I had the grilled sea bass which was good with a nice presentation.  Every-ones plates looked really nice.  The service is slow which is typical of a neighborhood haunt.  Why, I am never sure but I guess so you can just settle in an enjoy. 

I am not sure I'd pick it over the other restaurants in that area but if someone asked me to meet me there for a drink and maybe a bite, sure why not.  But, if you are making an effort to go check out Extra Virgin, don't.  They  have done a good solid job and it will probably be around for a long time. 

The Jap Chronicles

During college, I spend a semester in London.  One of the best classes I sat in on was an off-Broadway theater class.  Each week we'd go see something new and off the beaten track.  That type of theater is very hit or miss.  Once in a blue moon you'd get something so great you left the theater walking on air.  Other times you wanted to crawl out the back door when no one was looking.  The experience made me really appreciate the little gems that can be found in the world of theater.

In NYC, there is always a production going on somewhere.  On and off and off 0ff Broadway.  In order for productions to actually make any money or break even, they need to promote early on.  The key would obviously be selling out in advance before anyone has every seen the production.  The problem being the ticket buyer is that you are taking a risk because you know nothing but the name of the play and the actors associated with the production.  A low cost risk some would say.  If you were quick enough to buy tickets in advance to The Odd Couple starring Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, they were probably the going rate.  Once it comes to stage and the reviews start pouring in are fantastic, the prices go up and the tickets are really hard to come by.  If the reviews suck, then you are stuck with tickets to something that could be torturous to sit through such as The Odd Couple proved to be.  Alas, one of the problems of theater.

I had read the Jap Chronicles 2 summers ago.  Total trashy summer book.  Quick moving, dumb but as a Jewish girl who went to camp, I got the characters.  I happened to be at the theater one night and saw a full page ad in the playbook for the play of the Jap Chronicles.  I also get an email from Broadway Offers giving me the option to buy tickets.  So, I went with it.  Thought it would be a fun thing to do with my campers, Jessica and Emily and my sister and my friend and her sister.  We were all campers.  Also, my friend was the one who recommended the book to me.

The Jap Chronicles was written by Isabel Rose.  She also produced, wrote and starred in the one woman musical play.  She is obviously a talented individual.  That is the one area I must give her credit.  The play however is probably the absolutely worst thing I have ever seen in a live performance in my entire life.  Hands down.  The play was performed at the Perry Street Theater.  The minute she opened her mouth, I knew it, it was going to be really bad.  Unfortunately there was no intermission.  Also, the theater is small and  it would be really tough to walk out on.  Emily begged.  Jessica moaned.  I considered it but instead counted the songs down that we had to listen to.  Where was the stage manager who should have told her "hey honey, this should not be performed in public.  you will completely embarrass yourself".  It could have saved us a tremendous amount of agony.  I mean true agony. 

We all left the theater just speechless.  We didn't know exactly what to say.  Just awful, awful.  I can't help but see some silver lining from the entire experience.  We will talk about this in family lore forever and roar.  Jessica and Emily have certainly learned what I did living in London about good and bad theater.  Theater is a risk.  It is completely subjective. Someone else might have liked it..highly doubt it on this number but you never know.  I enjoyed the evening with the 5 other campers. 

If you have tickets.  Do yourself a favor and toss them.  Chalk up the purchase to one that just can't be returned.  Whatever you do, don't go.  Believe me, on this one, I'm right on the money.

Nascar

Who would have pegged me for a Nascar girl?  It was one of those moments that we had to jump on.  A once in a life time experience.

We were blessed to go with 2 other families that were involved with this particular Nascar weekend.  We stayed in the infield, next to each others own personal Winnebago's.  Yes, a Winnebago.  Quite the life.  It was one weekend of tailgate parties. 

The festivities started when we got there.  True barbecue and noise.  Nothing like getting hit full force the minute you get there. 

In the morning, we had a huge breakfast, outside at our friends long table conveniently parked between our Winnebago's.  The party has just begun. 

We were driven around on large golf carts over to the outside area where we got a taste for the local flavor.  Note the shirt, " A day without Booze is a day that never was".   Sort of sums up the weekend.
Outside was pure sensory overload.  Reminded me of going to the Preakness in High School or Marylands State County Fair.   

Fred wanted to get to really get into it.  My friend Melissa put it beautifully.  We are there to bear witness and so that is exactly what we did. 

Our next adventure was checking out the area where the players kept their cars and staff.  Each car is literally checked over by the officials before the race to make sure everyone is legit.  I think what really blew me away is that Nascar is privately owned.  The sponsorship situation is incredible.  Everyone has at least 5-10 sponsors.  I couldn't even begin to add them up.  Serious money is floating through this event and it is only growing. 

We all went back for a serious snooze and some relaxation and then the festivities began.  Here is Fred on top of our weekend home checking out the races.  Fred writes about this past weekend on his blog too. 

Before we went to the main event which is the first race and watching the Chili Peppers play ( of course there was music - Train played earlier in the afternoon ), we had some excellent food.   These barbecues are for serious parties.  The paella was awesome. 

This shot sort of defines the event for me.  Check out the cars and the people on the top of their Winnebago's for views.  Damn do these cars cruise.

After the Chili Peppers we walked back to our quarters to catch the end of the races or sleep.  The noise was unreal.  We all got headphones in order to block the intensity of the sound.  Here is a picture of the kids waiting on stage for the Chili Peppers and the crowd in front.  It was really quite an event this weekend. 

Will I return..I am not sure.  Josh and Fred got totally into it.
We will most certainly have opportunities to continue to go again.  Fred would love to go to the other big events around the country.  Each one has its own vibe and food.  North Carolina is barbecue, New England is lobster rolls, etc.  The girls aren't that interested in returning.  They loved it but considered it a once in a life time experience.  Maybe next time the boys will roll up their sleeves, pack their Bud's and head on out and the gals will head out to a luxuriating spa.  Hmmm...

Shame, shame on USAir and VISA

We took a flight this weekend on US Air.  First of all we were horribly delayed, so what else is new.  We finally board, take a seat and are waiting for take off.  Surprise, we are 17th in line.  Ugh.

The stewardess comes over the loud speaker to announce 25,000 miles that can available to you and a variety of other goodies that come along in this package.  She literally sounds like she is reading an ad.  Guess what?  She is.  This is a promotion from VISA.  You can get a US Air Visa and get all these wonderful extras.  Then she comes down the aisle with the forms.  Do you think one person took one...no.  Everyone had to use a credit card to get on the plane on the first place.  Shameless.  It is bad enough that we have to watch those awful ads before the previews at the movies these days.  Now we have to hear  promotions from the airlines. 

If all the money is with the advertisers, maybe the Government should come up with worthwhile ways for the money to filtered into needy programs and give them tax deductions.  Instead of giving the oil companies deals for bigger profits, maybe they should have to take all the money they are saving off of the Governments back (that would be out back) and put it into Education.  Maybe VISA should take all the money they are throwing on promoting more debt to the average American and put it into rebuilding Louisiana.  I could go on and on but shame shame on US Air and VISA.  I found the blatant promotion insulting to sit through.

Hope Saved on a Laptop

I am a voracious reader.  Books, magazines, newspapers, Internet info, etc.  Lots of trivia for the head and most of it doesn't stick.  Although this past week, on Wednesday the 17th, I read an article in the New York Times, front page, that I can't get out of my head. 

The article was called Hope Saved on a Laptop.  I'd link to the NY Times but unfortunately you can't access it unless you are a Times Select member.  That would be a person having to pay for content that was written yesterday.  Totally ridiculous so I am not a member even though I do get the Times delivered daily.  If you do get the Times delivered daily you can be a member for free but only if the Times actually is your carrier.  I got rid of them as a carrier and use a local carrier because they are incapable of delivering the Times on a regular basis.  Enough of that, I want to write about this particular article.

Dan Barry wrote about a family that lost their daughter on 9/11 from North Dakota.  Their daughter had come to NYC full of hope and dreams.  She was thrilled to be working on the 108th floor of the World Trade Towers for Cantor Fitzgerald.  When the parents lost their daughter, her laptop was given to them as part of her valuables. 

The parents were not really computer savvy and they were mourning.  The computer remained untouched since they received it. Recently the mother turned the computer on.  She found a list of 100 things that her daughter wanted to do.  Things from making a quilt to seeing a special place with her father to learning to do something.  Pictures were on her laptop of friends and family.  Her life.  Slowly her mother began to use the computer.  She played games on it.  She used it to feel connected again to her daughter. 

I found the article incredibly touching and heartfelt.  A real slice of life story.  It has stuck with me for days and will probably continue to.  It made me cry. 

9/11 was almost five years ago but it has been a very short five years.  That day is etched in my mind forever.  I can still recall the entire day from beginning to end.  Living in downtown NYC was surreal.  The image of people literally walking dazed thru the streets covered in dust comes back in a heartbeat.  We were living in a war zone that day.  We were lucky that no one in our immediate group of family and friends were lost.

Yet, when I read any article of families and how that day changed their life how they lost a child or sibling or friend, it just pulls me back to that day all over again. 

As movies and books continue to come out on the topic, I personally find the movies previews even difficult to watch.  They bring instant tears to my mind.  Book wise, I have only read one book that I found really moving that made me cry which was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer.  Perhaps because it is a through a child's eyes.  My children lived through that day and I know it is indelibly inked in their minds forever.

I think the other thing that I really liked about the article is the laptop part.  We know longer have diaries, we have laptops.  Our diaries are on line.  We can have live conversations taped on line about our favorites topics, or our favorite music  - podcasts.  Our lives can be eternal in the world through the digital age.  Even though we are not able to live forever, our lives can.  What a wonderful thing that this young woman's parents are able to tap into her abruptly cut short life and capture her words, her pictures, her thoughts that have been left with access to,  forever.