A travel book I much enjoyed was Europe Through the Back Door by Rick Steves. It became popular enough to spin off a TV series. Rick has a listing of “Bad Towns & Tourist Traps.” He prefaces it by saying that he is reluctant to make such a list but feels his readers/travelers likely have too little time, and his list will help avoid time misspent.There is merit to this argument, particularly when a place is prominent and likely to be seen by a visitor in his/her travels.
The same applies to restaurants - there are only so many meals to be had in a day and it is a shame when a visitor spends time and money only to be disappointed and a much better choice could as easily have been made, had he or she only been forewarned. Read the rest of this entry »

Back on Canal, there are these odd little electronics shops. They are not the same as the forever going out of business electronics shops of 14th Street or Times Square. You don’t come here, as far as I can tell, to buy a new digital camera.

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Greased at Loreley biergarten: In response to yesterday’s post on noise in the EV/LES, a commenter reports, “i was at loreley on rivington saturday (not by choice), which has an outdoor area in the back. the neighbors in the building threw hot grease down on the patrons.” Is this a challenge to Delicatessen’s pee guy?

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If you are interested in film and New York City, I would highly recommend the Hitchcock classic, Rear Window, starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly.The film, a virtual shrine to voyeurism, takes place in a Greenwich Village apartment, where Stewart, confined to a wheelchair while recuperating from a broken leg, spies on his neighbor’s apartment and observes a series of activities which lead him to believe a murder has been committed. The film is very engaging and we get what feels like an added bonus - plenty of time with Grace Kelly on the screen in charming repartee with Stewart. The film has been highly applauded and a winner of 4 academy awards and numerous other accolades.
Many feel that much of the film’s appeal is because of its voyeuristic premise. Some go further to say that part of the appeal of film itself owes to its voyeuristic nature and the inherent desire of most people to watch others secretly.
People do like people watching and cities are perfect environments to do so. I recall my surprise at the table arrangements in Parisian cafes where seats for two are joined side by side facing outwards rather than each other. This made so much sense that I was immediately puzzled why this practice was (and still is) virtually nonexistent in New York City.
There’s no better place for people watching than New York and with millions of residents, there are large numbers who have long given up concern about who’s watching what. Public Displays of Affection (PDA - see here) and all other manner of exhibitionistic behavior abounds and for the voyeur, this city is the Devil’s Playground.
The woman in the photo was relaxing on the third floor above Broadway in SoHo, certainly not a place where there is an expectation of privacy. Fire escapes in New York City often function as outdoor terraces and over the years our office has been entertained with various activities there - see Window Washer here.
The scenario is reminiscent of another film, The Time Machine (from 1960) where Rod Taylor, on the start of his many journey’s in time, observes a store mannequin and its changing wardrobe. The window and mannequin become icons of stability in a world of changing fashion. In the 19 years I have faced Broadway, the buildings have stayed the same and only the names and faces have changed. With such unabashed displays from a front window facing a major thoroughfare, there’s no need for a rear window … Read the rest of this entry »

Reverend Billy’s mayoral campaign message wins over the Wall Street Journal. [via RS]

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One thing that can be refreshing at times about children is their brutal honesty and frequent lack of pretension. They say what they think and do what they want without regard to social norms.
On Saturday, the city hit 79 degrees and it appeared that every able bodied New Yorker was on the streets and in the parks. A group of street musicians were performing in Washington Square Park and had an instrument case open for contributions. A father had taken the opportunity to teach his child the ways and means of supporting the arts. His daughter made a number of trips to and from the open case to her father, who supplied her with a coin on each trip. Satisfied with her deposits, she even closed the case for protection.
Soon, however, this child quickly appeared to see the opportunity and attempted to make a major withdrawal, reopening the case and dipping in some money.Why not just take what is available? Perhaps she, like many others in today’s banking crisis, had concerns over the security of her deposits.The entire thing became a small theater piece for the entertainment of all - the music took a back seat to the performance.
Some may feel this was just typical of a child’s behavior, notsocialized and left unchecked. It can be debated, however, whether adults are any better or just more covert in their execution.
Admonitions were not adequate to dissuade her and the father had to resort to a dragging ritual. But Dad should have realized that one could do much worse in handling money and investments (as most of us have). Perhaps he (and we) should see her actions as a very good way to handle a banking crisis Read the rest of this entry »

Sorella is a particularly bright spot on the Lower East Side.

As the privileged class loses its privileges, a collective moan rises from the canyons of Wall Street.

Now that it’s really spring, I find myself worrying about the people who live in the building that abuts the Cooper Square Hotel. The tables and chairs have been set out on the outdoor patio. With its glass stairway to another outdoor bar, it’s only feet away (in some places, mere inches) from the neighbors’ windows. Their nightmare is just beginning.

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Le Figaro Cafe has risen from the dead? A tipster sent in this shot of the reincarnated 50-something years-old cafe after it was crushed by Qdoba. Anyone know the story–same owners?

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