I Want My MTV!

He said, "If I have to work all night in this crummy

bodega with the pigeon poop all over the awning

and the drunks coming in for more beer and

everyone complaining because the cigs are up

to $10 a pack, then you'd better get me some

Wrestlemania!"

pictures at an exhibition

Our friend Bob Sievert is having a show

at the moment.  Between us, the ex and

I have three of his things (which we 

got either in trade or as a gift). 

 Wish I could afford to buy art.

St. Patrick's Cathedral

My favorite moment in this cathedral was the wedding
of an actress (friend of a friend), who sailed down the
aisle proudly 8 months pregnant.  The child (a girl)
was born on time a month later, and named Margo
Channing (after Bette Davis' character in All About Eve).

The Plaza

Things have changed a bit here, since it
was built 102 years ago, and a single room
cost a whopping $2.50 a night!  Apparently,
the Vanderbilts were the first to sign the
register.  Now, you can't even get a cup of tea
in the Palm Court for $2.50.  Even so, I still
like to come here and channel Eloise and her
turtle, Skipperdee.

skate while there's still ice

They're getting rid of it sometime in early April,
so make like Dorothy Hamill (or Scott Hamilton)
while you can.  Used to skate here when I was 4 (!),
under the watchful gaze of Prometheus.
And do (or did?) you skate?

Argosy Book Store

This place has been around since 1925.

Not exactly a discount bookstore, but

there's always the classy "bargain bin"

out front.  Sorry now that I didn't buy the

Albert Schweitzer book.  Maybe I'll go

back and see if it's still there.

Fontana di Nettuno in Bologna

Speaking of pointy-topped doo-dads! I lived
here for a while, and love this outrageous fountain.
As the pope said when he heard about it, "It's good
enough for Bologna." Thought my laptop was fixed,
but when I turned it on my dock had disappeared.
My advice to anyone buying a computer: Pay for the
extended warrenty (so glad I did)!

back in business

I hope. Went to the flagship Apple store on 5th Ave.

(where you can buy, learn, or fix anything Mac) this 

morning and wound up being there for 3 hours.

Gotta say—those kids really are geniuses, and they

went above and beyond for me today.

As a bonus, on the way out I stopped on the

glass staircase and saw a building with a

pointy-topped doo-dad on top for Shell.

Asia?

No, Flushing—which is in the borough of Queens.

Used to live there and still go back to see friends

and eat the best dim sum.  Flushing was the site

of two World Fairs ('39–'40 and '64–'65) and is

home to Shea Stadium, where the Mets play.

Currently it's also known for having the largest

concentration of Asian-Americans—99% of the

Asian-Americans who live in Queens live here.

spring has sprung

At least on the windowsill in my office.  On the

other hand, this is an amaryllis, which I always

associate with Christmas—but it decided to

bloom full out on the 1st day of spring.  Nice.

[I'm not sure what you guys will get from me in

the next week.  My laptop—where my photos mostly

live—is currently fekakte (more Yiddish for Eric)

and iPhoto has gone missing (oy vey!).  Will do 

my best with what's on the desktop.]

water towers

I've shown them before, but I'd recognize a
NYC skyline in a . . . NY minute—if it included
these things.  Love the juxtaposition between
a beautiful building and its homely water tower
up on top.  Just another layer, because you
hardly notice them from street level.

ET, ET, ET!

Not what I'd planned to post—but one of

my kids was here on my laptop (where

most of my pix are stored) and something

went wonky. Forced to go to another

computer, I chose to share this (hope

Suzy sees it).

strong medicine

I've been fascinated by this shop for a long

time, but found it a little bit intimidating

and never went in. But I'm definitely going

back for some of their black seed—sounds

like the magic cure I've been seeking 

in all the wrong places.

really fresh fish

I stood there taking photos of these fish

flipping around in this bin—until I

realized they weren't going to be alive

that much longer.  I love taking photos

of fish, dead or alive, but I don't want

to stand there and WATCH them expire!

(And yet, still an omnivore—how 'bout you?)

Erin go bragh!

I have not one drop of Irish blood in my

veins, but on St. Patrick's Day we're ALL

Irish! So I'll be a good sport and wear

something green. Actually, the Irish

loom rather large in NYC and we've been

celebrating for a while; there was already

a parade in Queens on the 1st, and one

on Staten Island on the 8th. At that one,

Mayor Bloomberg veered off the parade

route and visited the home of some local

residents, where he chowed down on

corned beef and cabbage and played with

their dog, Elvis. (The Manhattan parade is

still pretty political.)

light a candle

What—another birthday? 

Yup, this time it's mine.

I'd just as soon ignore them at this

point, but my friends and family

won't let me—so I might as well

go public (and enjoy all that cake!).

and she's still cute!

This is my mother, who turned 89 this
past week. We had a little birthday
dinner last night at her favorite
restaurant.  She's a real inspiration—
the woman still works (and the place
would fall apart w/o her)!
This shot was actually taken last
Thanksgiving, which explains the
pilgrim earrings.  (They belonged to
someone dear to us all, and now my
mother wears them every year, to
keep our friend with us in spirit.)

low overhead

(in more ways than one)

I don't know if they've been 

operating THIS way for 26 years,

but they sure don't have to worry about how they're going to
pay the rent for the shop—no small thing in this economy.
Might get a bit chilly though.

then and now

No, it's not a bakery.  Not even close.  But

once upon a time—and how cool is 

it that this antiques store 

didn't feel the need to change that?

 I don't even know what this place is called. 

I just know that I really want that horse!

Miracle on Vanderbilt Ave.

Was walking home last night when I came upon
this inspiring scene.  The guy who was walking
next to me stopped too—and like it was
choreographed, we both whipped out a camera
and snapped a shot.  Then we looked at each
other and had a good laugh.

Free Tibet

Fifty years and counting. I wonder how

many times this scene was repeated

around the world yesterday.

I've felt a connection (unexplained)

with Tibet since I was 11 or 12—about the

time the Dalai Lama was forced to flee.

I'll never forget the way I felt when I

unexpectedly found myself 

five feet from him.

the Chelsea Hotel

Used to live around the corner from the Chelsea,

home at the time to, among others, Viva, whom

I knew vaguely from back when—and her daughter

Gaby Hoffman, who stood in front of the movie

theater down the block when Field of Dreams

was playing there, and told all the passersby to

go in and see "my movie."  Cute?  Obnoxious?

You decide.

Sat. night at Rodeo Bar

. . . and the Lone Sharks rocked the joint until
the wee hours.  Here's my question:
How come I can barely walk and chew gum at
the same time, and my bro Chris here can do
something different with each limb—and sing—
all at the same time??  So unfair.

barefoot in the park

Last Monday we were snowed in and

the temp was about 8°F.  Today we're

all walking around in T-shirts!  Hope

this trend continues.  I know I'm ready

for spring—how about you?

no more pb&j?

The poor beleaguered peanut farmers showed up
yesterday at Grand Central. They were hoping that
a photo op with the friendly giant peanut would
make us forget about that whole salmonella thing.

skywatch Friday

Oh, I do love to watch the sun set over

New Jersey. Somehow, all those chemicals

that they're cooking over there really 

add to the whole effect.

Houston Street

I love this Keith Haring mural—

it just brightens up the whole

neighborhood. I like our prez

peeking out on the right too.

Farewell to the Casbah

This is Gates of Morocco, one of my fave stores.
Or it was—it closed recently.  The owners had been 
paying the rent out of their pocket for a while.
It still exists on the Internet, but like I told them: 
Coming into this place was almost like stepping into 
the souk in Marrakesh or Tangier.  It's just not the 
same online (I hate this ^&$#* economy).

my secret restaurant

Here's what I love about this Vietnamese/Chinese

place: You know it's a good sign when every time

you're there, you're invariably the only Caucasian

in the joint.  There IS a menu, but you can also

just describe what you want and they'll make it

for you.  (And no—call me a big meanie, but I'm not

telling you the name of this place. Maybe later.)

the final tally

Here's an addendum to Eric's 2/22 post:

My cousin Kay just got back from Paris, where

she took this shot of part of the 6-hour line

to get in and see YSL and PB's gorgeous

collection.  Apparently they made close to

$500,000,000 for Aids research.  Must have

been hard for Pierre to let go of some of those

things—but what generosity!

I think YSL would be very pleased.

my dream job

I know—at first glance, this doesn't seems like

the best gig ever. But wait— this is Rice to Riches.

If I worked here, I'd never have to spend

a dime on food ever again. All the customers

would be in a good mood. I'd be on the cutting

edge of . . . rice pudding!