Astoria Life: New York Minutes

Ciao, Adios, Sayonara, Au Revoir, Yassou and Khodafus!

2010-05-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

Last night, I handed back the keys to Apt 10 at 28-08 Crescent Street in Astoria.

(Yes -- now that I don't live there, I will let you know where it is!)

I had moved all the furniture out with the help of FlatRate, repainted my lovely yellow and light green walls with a coat of light-colored paint, and cleaned the whole damn place.

I am a bit sad, there is a ton of memories, but they came from me, not the place. I made the place as great as it was, not the other way around.

Especially since, in all this time, the damn showerhead is STILL held up with twine! Apparently, they are going to renovate the place (they needed to about 6 years ago too, but then I went and moved in).

Worst. Superintendent. Ever. Even before his dumb criminal wife broke in.

I think it is only fitting that, as I leave Astoria, I end this blog. It captures my time in Astoria, my first NYC apartment, as I learned the ropes of the city and a whole helluva lot about my fellow human beings.

Did I learn EVERYTHING? Hell, NO -- and I never will. And neither will anyone else. But as long as we all keep on keepin' on, wherever that may be, it is all good.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

JAO -- still in MA, probably still iving with his parents. I have not spoken to him since 2006.

DRS - was engaged to be married when he asked me out. Saw him 6 months ago on the UES holding a little baby.

JDM -- still see him around from time to time, don't really count him as a friend.

The fabulous HB -- finished her Dr.PH at Yale, went to Oxford, then lived in CO, and recently moved to TX

DMH - neighbor who moved back to Seattle to help care for her dad

CSF - moved to China 5 years ago. I still talk to him from time to time. He loves it there.

ED - don't talk to her. She left the Gotham Girls Roller Derby when she got preggy with her son, to whom she gave a terrible unisex name.

Sancho and Dulcie, the parakeets --- Dulcie passed away and I buried her in Athens Square Park. I gave Sancho to my cousin, who released him in a park in New Jersey with several other parakeets.

Susie and Harvey, the rabbits -- adopted them out to a nice guy in Queens, who had 2 sons who cared for 2 other rabbits.

George the bunny - passed away in 2007. I buried his whiskers under a flowering bush at my parents' home in Ewing, NJ this past weekend.

and so ....

Ciao, Adios, Sayonara, Au Revoir, Yassou and Khodafus to Astoria and this blog. You were both great to me, but it is time to part ways.

One last time ---

Onwards and upwards! (Better than backwards and downwards.)

Bye.

Andie MacDowell at the gym

2010-05-26T04:31:00.000-07:00

I saw Andie McDowell at the gym. She has a very distinct look so I knew it was her. She is nice. But I was never a fan.

Great poster

2010-05-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

OK -- so after 6 years of walking by the Second Best antiques shop on Astoria Boulevard, I saw (and bought) the greatest poster ever.

(Because, a mere 2 days before FlateRate comes to move my stuff, I really need to go and buy more stuff to move.)

But is is well worth it. It is a vintage poster from April 1976 with a picture of a big red apple and the words:

"New York: You have to be a little crazy to live here, but you'd be nuts to live anywhere else."

That pretty much says it all.

(So FUCK OFF, BOSTON! RED SOX SUCK!)

Magic at the gym!

2010-05-22T04:28:00.000-07:00

I saw Magic Johnson at a certain gym on the UWS today! He is soooooo tall!

I accidentally stole his water bottle because I thought it belonged to my client. He was nice about it when I gave it back and apologized.

La petit rose cafe

2010-05-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

Back in the USA now ----

There is a new cafe right by Astoria World Manor on Astoria Boulevard (2522 Astoria Blvd)!! It is cute, clean and damn good because you can get a frappe for $1.50!!!

The guy working there was Greek and looked a bit like Hank Azaria. He said he also had a bar in Santorini, Greece, and a restaurant in Panama.

He told me that "yassou" is goodbye in Greek. I taught him to say "Khodafus", which is Urdu for goodbye (or yassou).

Which is fitting that I should learn this now, because as of next week, I move out of Astoria, which has the largest Greek population outside of Greece.

I have been here 6 years, and it has been kickass, but it is time for me to move on to the next part of my life, on the Upper West Side (for now anyway).

Also, my superintendent's wife is a bitch who broke into my house, even after I helped her crappy kids with homework for so long. Seriously, why should I stay in a former tenement putting up with crap?? I ASK you?

Yassou, Astoria.

The Spitting Llama

2010-05-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

I have found a kick-ass book exchange called the Spitting Llama! There is one in Copacabana. I traded 2 books for 1 new (to me) book. I got "Split Ends" by Rachel Barnes and read the whole thing. I also got a collection of stories printed in Seventeen magazine in the 1950s.

(BTW -- I had brought a bunch of books a neighbor had left under our mailboxes in Astoria. I read some, and brought the rest to trade.)

Back in La Paz, I found the main Spitting Llama near my hotel. I got "East of the Sun" from Julia Gregson (so good!) and "A Death in Brazil".

TheSpittingLlama.com

Lago Titicaca

2010-05-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

I love Copacabana, the beach town next to Lago Titicaca (the highest lake in the world and also named after an Incan king).

This is the premiere religous site in Bolivia, and people often bring their new cars to the cathedral here to be blessed.

I saw a monk, in long robes and a baseball cap, anointing a new taxi with alcohol. The car was decorated with flowers and streamers.

and off to Machu Picchu!!!

2010-05-07T13:35:00.000-07:00

I went to Machu Picchu today. It was worth the 10 hours' roundtrip, and even that was not too bad!

I got on Peru Rail at 7am in the town of Cusco, Peru. Apparently, heavy rains washed out most of the rail in Peru, so the first part of the journey was actually in a little coach. We drove through the Sacred Inca Valley (for which I have a tour tomorrow), seeing llamas, cows, pigs, dgs etc. In fact, there were even autorickshaws, which one of my coachmates told me are importaed from India!!

At Aguas Calientes, we boarded the actual train. It is the prettiest journey alongside a river.

When we got to Machu Picchu station, we met with a tour guide, boarded a bus (after crossing trhough the bustling Machu Picchu village), drove 20 minutes to Machu Picchu itself!!!!

This was the first time since coming to Peru that nobody came up to sell me anything!

Our guide, Mario, was fabulous. I was ecstatic to see chincilla and orchids, which people pay so much for in Manhattan and other such places, growing wild and free on the grounds.

I played with llama and alpaca -- one baby llama even came bounding down the stone steps to see me.

An awesome day!

Holy crap! I am in Bolivia!

2010-05-05T17:18:00.000-07:00

At 5.30 a.m., I landed in La Paz, at the highest airport in the world at 3500 km above sea level.

Llama is white meat. Who knew! And it is delicioso.

Tomorrow, I head to Cuzco, Peru before heading to Machu Picchu via train!

I love South America!

In South America ''' Bolivia and Peru!

2010-05-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

Today I set off on my mighty journey to La Paz, Bolivia, where I will then fly over Lake Titicaca in a plane to Cuzco, Peru and see Macchu Picchu.

After that, I return to La Paz, and journey to Lake Titicaca for a few days and just have fun.

Creator of the Anthora cup passes away at 87

2010-04-30T02:43:00.000-07:00

Leslie Buck, who invented the iconic coffee cup (above), died today.

I had no idea this cup had a name (Anthora!)

Saint Vincent's will close at 8am today

2010-04-30T02:31:00.000-07:00

Saint Vincent's will close at 8am today. Sad .......

Freakin' clowns on the N train

2010-04-19T05:25:00.000-07:00

So .... I am on the N train going downtown at approximately 4:45 am (I work at a gym).

At the 57th Street station, I hear a "thud" against the train window.

I look up and there is a clown carrying a baseball bat. There are 3 other clowns, including a dumb chick named Ashley. I know this because the guy clowns yell "Hey, Ashley!"

Because, OF COURSE, people dressed like clowns want attention!

They were annoying and a bit menacing what with the baseball bat, golf club and the very real possibility that they were drunk. Shaeds of "A Clockwork Orange" abound!

As predicted, they got off at 14th Street - Union Square, because that's where idiots like this live and/or go to NYU.

You know you have been in New York too long when you get pissed at the sight of clowns in subways at 4:45 am.

St Vincent's no more

2010-04-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

It turns out that St Vincent's Hospital, the 160-year-old institution founded by 4 nuns down in Greenwich Village, will soon close its doors due to its overwhelming $1 billion debt.

The hospital has treated Civil War veterans and 9/11 survivors. It also so successfully treated the uncle of poet Edna St Vincent Millay that her parents named her after it.

There are allegedly plans to turn the hospital into condos.

It's a family affair!

2010-04-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

I got a pretty nice haircut from one of the twin brother barbers on my street (See "Twin barbers!" 2/28/10).

It turns out their cousin is their coworker as well.

RIP: Corey Haim Dec 23, 1971 - March 10, 2010

2010-04-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

I absolutley cannot believe that Corey Haim died March 10th at age 38. I had the biggest crush on him in high school. He collapsed due to pulmonary congestion, and an investigation as to why that happened is underway. It looks like abuse of prescription drugs.

Since then, I got addicted to the 2007-08 reality series "The Two Coreys", which I found on youtube. Ut stars Corey Haim, Corey Feldman and Feldman's skanky wife Susie (who is now divorcing him.) It starts out all lighthearted and "Odd Couple" and quickly degenerates into the 2 Coreys going to therapy to save their 24-year friendship, due to Haim's abuse of drugs.

It's tragic. Haim is nigh on HI-larious in most of the "Two Coreys" as he tells off Susie, and he is really sweet when he teaches a class to kids who are studying acting. He seems like a nice guy whose demons got the better of him.

Corey Feldman Remembers His Friend Corey Haim
The child star pens a tribute to his fallen friend
By Corey Feldman | Mar 19, 2010

Nobody made me laugh the way Corey did. Corey was that kid in class who gets you laughing and then looks totally innocent when the teacher turns around, and you get the blame.

Even before we did The Lost Boys, I'd heard about him because one of my best girl friends, whom I had a big crush on, had started dating him. I had seen him in the teen magazines, and I had been up for Lucas — a movie I wanted badly — and he'd gotten the part. I was like, ''Who is this kid moving in on my territory?'' Then one day he left me this jovial message on my answering machine: ''Hey, what's up, buddy? We're going to be doing a movie together. Let's get together, maybe hang out.''

Lost Boys was a difficult shoot. There was a lot of tension on set, a lot of yelling. The older kids — Brooke McCarter, Billy Wirth, those guys — were having these parties every night; they had tinfoil on their windows so that they could catch up on their sleep during the day. Corey, our costar Jamison Newlander, and I wanted to hang out with them, but they didn't want us around. So we stayed in the hotel, watching movies, going to the arcade, and we became great friends. Corey and I both came from broken families, and when that happens you create your own surrogate family. We had everything from our own secret handshakes to secret code words to nicknames for each other: Haimster and Feldog.

He was wild. I remember one time breaking into the gym in his apartment building after hours, and…well, it involved a sauna and a blow-up doll. That's all I can remember. Corey, even at 14, had an overabundance of testosterone. Every girl he met he would fall in love with and ask to marry him, and then within weeks they'd be broken up. He only had one girlfriend who lasted more than a year. We grew up fast, so by the time we became young adults, our demons started to rise up. When we both fell into drugs, I, initially, was the one with the more intense problem. I went through my recovery, but he decided he didn't want to grow up. I understood why: We'd never had the chance to live our childhoods.

During those dark times he would do awful, selfish things. He did a lot to hurt me. But I would look at him and know what he was going through. I know what it feels like to be on top of the world and then suddenly have nobody returning your calls. He would call me and say, ''You're my best friend. I need you.'' So if he needed a place to stay, if he needed money, I was there for him. What could I do? I loved him.

After the second season of our reality series, The Two Coreys, ended, we had a falling-out. I felt like he was never going to help himself or appreciate what I had done for him. Then, during my divorce, suddenly he was there for me. I was able to be there for him when his mom was going through cancer, and those experiences created a new bond between us.

About two weeks before he died, he spent a weekend at my house and we had a party with friends. The next morning we were all sitting around in our robes and he gave me his hand and said, ''I just want to tell you how happy I am that we're able to have this time together. I can see the world through your eyes now, and it's pretty f---ing cool.'' I don't think I'll ever miss anybody more.

Published in issue #1095 Mar 26, 2010

On craigslist today --- so good!!!!

2010-04-07T09:40:00.001-07:00

yanks fan wanted

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2010-04-07, 11:30AM EDT
Reply to: gigs-vcwew-1680545862@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yo, I'm looking for a legit yanks fan that hates red sox fans to help a sox fan buddy from boston make good on a humiliatiing bet when he's down in nyc. so hit me up if you might be interseted

An elephant near 34th Street

2010-04-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

Although I have always missed the elephant walk in NYC (see above), when the circus elephants walk through the Queens Midtown Tunnel to Penn Station, I caught a bit of it anyway.

I was walking down 33rd Street by Penn Station around 1:30 pm today, when a little elephant, dressed in the decorations for the circus and a massive pair of bunny ears, being led back to Penn Station.

A little further up, I saw a clown talking with a crowd of people, and a huge easel with some splotches of paint on it next to them.

Apparently, the elephant was painting for the crowd!

Sounds like an April Fool's Joke, but it was real!!!

FIRE!

2010-03-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

I was walking through Central Park this evening around 8:30p. I was near the Delacorte Clock by the zoo when I saw a metal trash can with orange flames coming out of it.

As there were no Park Police nearby to call, I called 911.

I waited while the fire trucks drove past me, answered a callback from FDNY and told them AGAIN where the fire was.

A firefighter then walked by me to the still-alight trashcan.

He had a cigar in his mouth.

I am glad I did my duty as a citizen (so many people walked by and laughed about "toxic garbage" as smoke filled the sky), but really?????

The result of HOPE - number of NYC homeless up 34%

2010-03-20T06:44:00.000-07:00

This article was published in the NY Daily News today, with the results of the night of HOPE, during which I helped count homeless people on the streets of NYC (see "A night of HOPE", Jan 25, 2010).

34% more homeless
people sleeping on
New York City streets
than last year, survey
shows

By Kathleen Lucadamo
DAILY NEWS WRITER

Saturday, March 20th 2010, 4:00 AM

Platt/GettyA woman named Jennifer who has been
homeless panhandles on October 23, 2009 in New
York City. New York experienced a 34% surge in the
number of homeless people on city streets last year.

New York experienced a 34% surge in the
number of homeless people on city streets
last year - the first increase in five years,
according to data released Friday.

The city counted 3,111 people sleeping on
streets and in subways during its annual
survey of the homeless this January - 783
more than last year.

"These are challenging times that have had
an impact on our street homeless
population," said city Homeless Services
Commissioner Robert Hess.

Advocates for the homeless have long
argued that the city undercounted the
street homeless. Each January, an army of
volunteers canvasses the city during one
night to count how many people are
sleeping on sidewalks, subways and other
public spaces.

The figure does not include those staying in
city shelters, which were filled with 37,000
people as of Tuesday.

Despite Mayor Bloomberg's pledge to
reduce the city's homeless population by
two-thirds, the number of people in
shelters hit an all-time high of 39,000 last
year - 3,000 more than when he took
office.

A Hallmark moment

2010-03-07T03:04:00.000-08:00

I was at the CVS on 8th Ave and W 59th Street, waiting for my passport photos to develop, when an older Latina lady asked me in Spanish: "Do you speak Spanish?"

I said "Si un poquito" (Yes, a little).

She asked me, "How do you say "tia" in English?"

I said "aunt".

She asked me to help her pick out a birthday card from a (little kid) niece to an aunt.

So I translated a card for her (there was only one kid-to-aunt card).

Then she said she neede to buy the person a card herself-- it was her daughter's birthday.

So I found one and translated it to her:

"My daughter, I hope you for you that your dreams are realized, that you have a great future, and realize that above all this, you are loved by me."

She got very emotional when I read this (as did I because it was sappy-sweet) and then, with a catch in her voice, said "Es perfecto!!! gracias!"

That beat all those fake ads Hallmark had -- I bet they wish they could have seen us!

Team UmiZoomi!

2010-03-05T03:10:00.000-08:00

Today, I was an extra in a new kids' show on Nickelodeon called "Team UmiZoomi!"

I played a "Woman in Pizza Parlor". So I waited in the holding room for 5 hours for 2seconds to act surprised that a cartoon robot has landed on my table.

I saw none of this as we shot on a greenscreen, and they would project the pizza parlor and robot on later.

Still, not a bad way to spend a Friday and get a bit of $$$ while I am at it.

The kids on the show were very entertaining, as they figured out how to play soccer with the cap from a bottle of water. Gotta love it!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1594381/episodes

Twin barbers!

2010-02-28T16:17:00.000-08:00

So ... it turns out that the barbers on my block at Queens Elegant Barber (29-22 Crescent Street) are identical twin brothers!

They cut hair (almost) in unison. It's pretty cool!

A secret garden at NYU

2010-02-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine showed me this when he went to his appointment at NYU Medical Center in midtown (where I work, as well).

It's a Center for Horticultural Therapy that looks just like a beautiful garden, complete with koi pond (and massive goldfish), an African grey parrot, finches, doves, various other birds and a rabbit named Butterscotch.

It's beautiful, and the perfect place to reflect with nature and forget about my mean nasty a**hole boss.

http://hassenfeld.med.nyu.edu/community/siblings/horticulture-plant-therapy

Massive snowstorm!

2010-02-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

And I love it! We have almost 17 inches and it keeps on coming down/

Granted, it is not all a winter wonderland -- a man was killed by a falling tree branch on Literary Walkin Central Park yesterday, and another tree fell on a bus at 60th & Park yesterday evening.

But for the most part, it is nice to have a natural event that forces NYC to slow down with its rah-rah self.

Mother Nature always wins.

A night of HOPE

2010-01-25T16:45:00.000-08:00

I volunteered with the NYC Department of Homeless Services to count the homeless for census and outreach purposes.

I went to Hunter College for training (very brief and frankly not helpful) at 10:30pm. There I met my team of 4 others (we were Team #1 in more ways than one!)

The actual survery started at 12:15 am. We had to talk to everyone we saw -- whether they looked homeless or not (excluding people who were clearly working) and ask them if they would answer a few questions about their housing situation. If they were asleep or bedded down for the night, we were to consider them homeless.

Our team had 3 areas to cover, which spanned from East 58th Street and Central Park to 3rd and 63rd.

Even though we had probably the toniest section of Manhattan (this project was taking place everywhere in the 5 boroughs), including exclusive Park, Madison and 5th Avenue, we found many homeless people sleeping in the church courtyards. At one church, we counted 8 people.

We also found a man who was not homeless but rummaging through all the perfectly good stuff that people throw out on Park Avenue. I gave him the tip to check outside the Trump Hotel on Central Park West, as they sure throw out tons of useful stuff. He thanked me for the tip.

I also spoke to one man, who was awake sitting on a bed of blankets in a doorway. He nodded "yes" to my questions if he had a place to go. Clearly he didn't, but he had been looking at me and my team while we debated whether we should talk to him, and I think he just wanted to have someone to talk to (if he even understood me.)

We were finished by 2:30 am --- we had found 15 homeless people in our little area alone.

https://a071-hope.nyc.gov/hope/welcome.aspx

Free Cardiac Risk Assessments in NYC!

2010-01-22T02:59:00.001-08:00

New York Cardiovascular Associates (NYCVA) is presenting:

"Heart to Heart Screenings for Women and Men"

Feb 11, 2010

5-8pm.

Call 1-877-863-6873 to register.

275 Seventh Avenue, 3rd floor
NY, NY 10001

Skateboarding and Native Americans

2010-01-15T15:17:00.000-08:00

Members of the 4 Wheel Warpony skate team (White Mountain Apache). Photo courtesy of Dustinn Craig (White Mountain Apache/Navajo), 2008.

I saw the greatest exhibit on my lunch hour today. I went to the National Museum of the American Indian (part of the Smithsonian Institution, based in Washington, DC). so it is FREE! Yes, FREE!

The exhibit is a simple but impressive photo and film display on how skateboarding is actually an indigenous sport, derived from Native Hawaiians surfing.

And I learned that there is actually a school that combines elementary school curriculum with skateboarding. It's called "Kids That Rip Skate School", and it's the only one in the USA.

http://www.kidsthatrip.com/

Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America
December 11, 2009–June 27, 2010
George Gustav Heye Center, New York
Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House
One Bowling Green
New York, NY 10004
FREE
212-514-3700

http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=visitor

Send $5 to Haiti within seconds

2010-01-15T02:55:00.000-08:00

Wyclef Jean is donating money to the victims of the earthquake that struck Haiti this past Tuesday 12 Jan 2010.

Text YELE to 501501 and his foundation donates $5. (it will be charged to your cell phone bill.)

So far, over $1 million has been raised.

You can do it at any time --- I texted around 4:30 am and got a confirmation text immediately.

We already text so much anyway, it's good to put it to use to help a bit in such a dire situation.

Palindrome alert!

2010-01-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

Today's date is 01/02/2010. This is a palindrome: a rare confluence of month, date and year that reads the same backward as forward (palindromes also apply to words and names like Hannah and Elle.)

The last palindrome date was Oct. 2, 2001 (10/02/2001). But before that, it was more than six centuries before Aug. 31, 1380 (08/31/1380).

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

And all dressed up on the Upper West Side are these cheery gargoyles to ring in the new year!

Blue moon -- you saw me standing alone!

2009-12-31T08:35:00.000-08:00

I saw a blue moon last night without knowing it. Here's why ....

A blue moon is the second full moon in a month. The name has nothing to do with the color.

So happy new year tro you, not-so-blue moon. I love the 1950s doo-wop song about you.

Quote of the day as you are on your way!

2009-12-26T11:19:00.000-08:00

Last Monday, Dec 21,I was riding the Bx21 bus down to the East 180th Street Station at 3:39pm.

The bus driver had written on a whiteboard facing the passengers:

"Success comes in cans.

Failures come in can'ts."

The truest words I have ever seen written on a bus!

Coats for Clunkers

2009-12-23T08:09:00.001-08:00

This morning, I took a very nice leopard-print faux fur coat to the coat drive at the police precinct at the Union Square subway station.

"Wow!" said the male officer when I showed it. "That's the nicest one I've seen all year!"

"He wants to steal it for his drag queen shows," deadpanned his female assistant.

Aesop in the Bronx

2009-12-04T06:59:00.001-08:00

I was up in the Bronx when I passed a business at 1084 Morris Park. It had the following sign in their window:

"Whines are the products of sour grapes."

Hee hee

2009-11-25T08:58:00.001-08:00

I just overheard one coworker ask another if she was going to the workshop on "smoking sensation."

She meant "cessation".

A weird unintended compliment.

2009-11-18T06:39:00.000-08:00

This morning, I washed a load of laundry at the laundromat around the corner. because it was so close by, I went out in some sweats to get it when it was dry.

An older guy chomping a cigar told me it was too cold to be out just like that. Then he said in a concerned voice, "You're too young to know what I'm talking about. Go talk to your mother about it."

I am 36 years old and haven't lived in my parents' house since 1995.

Happy 20th anniversary to the Fall of the Berlin Wall!

2009-11-09T04:01:00.000-08:00

I remember on Nov 9, 1989, my Catholic school broadcast over the PA the United Nations playing John Lennon's song "Imagine" when the Berlin Wall fell.

Happy birthday, Sesame Street!

2009-11-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

Sesame Street turns 40!

Sesame Street debuted on Nov 10, 1969 and has been going strong ever since. It's first episode was brought to you by the letters W, S & E, and the numbers 2 & 3.

The show was first taped at Teletape Studios at West 81st Street and Broadway, then at Dick Cavett's old studio at 9th Avenue and West 55th Street, and then to its present home (since 1993) at Kaufman Astoria Studios in my neighborhood, Astoria!

I always knew Astoria looked like Sesame Street. Turns out I was right!
(See "Sunny Day! Chasing the clouds away!" 6/9/2004)

It's not Hollywood, it's Bollywood!

2009-10-16T04:36:00.000-07:00

Today I had an appointment to go audition for Sonya, a "featured extra" role in the upcoming movie "When Harry Tries to Marry." It's about an Indian guy in NYC trying to find a wife among millions of set-ups, as is the tradition.

(I actually already am in the movie -- sort of ---- as my photo is one of several potential fiancees that Harry's relatives show him.)

The agent told me to look as young as possible as the actor playing Harry is only about 20 years old (I am 36.)

I arrive at the address given for my 5:30p appointment --- the agent is not there and I am told to take a seat in the front area. More and more really pretty Indian girls --- who actually ARE 20 or so ---- arrive, and I am sure I come off as too old to get this part.

About 45 minutes of all of us waiting there with no agents or movie production employees speaking to us, another Indian woman rushes in and asks everyone who is there to audition for Sonya to gather round her.

"So!" she says (without telling us her name or apologizing for the wait). "In this movie, Harry is trying to meet a wife. He has a dream that he is on a game show like "Love Connection". They show the first woman with the sign -- Neeta, Audience Approval 89%! and the Sonya -- 10%! And that's the part! That's the part!" she repeats the last sentence like "Isn't that great????"

No one says a word but everyone is lookig at each other like "Can you believe this crap????"

I meanwhile am thinking I could very likely get this part.

But I didn't. I didn't even get anything but a glance-over -- as did almost everyone else --- before getting sent on my way and a reject e-mail the next morning.

I just looked it up on imdb.com http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535110/

Seriously, don't tell me that the Indian Harry gets with the actress so blonde her name is actually Caitlyn Gold.

YAWN.

I am an auntie (again)

2009-09-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

So I now have a nephew -- he was born via C-section last night in Trenton, NJ. Very cute!

See ("I am an auntie", Saturday, March 19, 2005).

French hairstyling

2009-09-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

A banner weekend for shoots, as today I got up, went all the way to the East Village to the Anthology Film Archives (above). There, I and several other extras were dressed up for the Cesar awards for a French film called "Red Carpet". We were in the dream sequence where the main character wins an award, and we give her a standing ovation.

Later that afternoon, I went midtown to a hair salon for another scene. I was originally not in this scene but they needed more extras, so what the hey.

I ended up being a featured extra because the main character works in a salon and needed to style someone's hair. The other guys were bald. So I played the client for the actress (Julia Faure) as she talked with all her friends and made plans to go to a jazz club.

C'est magnifique!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1029367/

Parading for Rob Thomas

2009-09-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

usually when I go to a shoot, I am the bottom person on the totem pole -- I have no union or agent. So I am not allowed speaking parts and I get paid less. (Upon writing that, I wonder why I even go????)

Today I showed up at 5am to be an extra in a Rob Thomas video. I had to go to the Church of St Sava on 25th Street between Broadway and 5th.

Apparently, I was considered VIP because I was getting paid (all of $100 but that's not bad when it's in cash.) There were about 25 of us.

All the other scads of people were from Rob Thomas' fan club! When he arrived at 9a, some were crying and fanning themselves a la Beatle Invasion circa 1964!

I have to say that Rob Thomas is a nice, cool guy. He posed with the fans and said hello to everyone.

The video depicts a parade of people with various messages of peace and equality, etc. I was dressed simply, like a girl from the 1970s, holding a sign that said "Peace" on it.

Other people dressed up like trees (and could hardly walk, but were great sports about it). We had a bunch of little kids dressed as bumble bees and flowers (and were soooo cute!) Then there was a gospel choir and a Scooby-Doo-looking bus.

I think they turned it into a gay pride parade because there was an archway of rainbow-colored balloons over the whole thing. So -- while I am not gay, but I play one on TV!

Then we marched singing the refrain:

"Sometimes
we don't notice
How good it can get.

So maybe
We should start over,
Start all over again."

Not bad, even in the drizzling rain! Rob Thomas played someone watching the parade go by with all the onlookers.

http://www.robthomasmusic.com/

Happy 9/9/09!

2009-09-09T06:23:00.001-07:00

It's a very special day --- consecutive nines have not been seen for 10 years (on9/9/99) and won't be seen again for 90 more.

Multiply nine by any two, three or four-digit number and the sums of those will also break down to nine. For example: 9x62 = 558; 5+5+8=18; 1+8=9.

Sept. 9 also happens to be the 252nd day of the year (2 + 5 +2).

Yeah, number geeks and 9-lovers! Today is a great day!

An elephant washes in Brooklyn

2009-09-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

Photo by AP via Uniformed Firefighters Assoc

New York is chock-full of spas, but apparently there wasn't one big enough for this customer, so a Brooklyn firehouse was ordered by the City to shut down for 30 minutes and wash .... an elephant.

Lucky Suzie! (That's the elephant.)

Only in New York.

Famous places by the park

2009-09-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

Marian Anderson, the contralto who was the first African-American contralto to perform at the White House, for President and First Lady Roosevelt after being turned down by the Daughters of the Revolution for her race in 1936, lived at 1200 Fifth Avenue (overlooking Central Park) from 1958 - 1975.

In 1939, she gave a concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. Over 75,000 people were in attendance, and approximately 6 million listened to the concert on the radio.

In 1955, Marian made her debut at The Met, becoming the first African-American singer in Met history.

In 1958, she then served as a delegate at the United Nations (and moved into this apartment building, which now has a plaque describing her achievements outside its front door).

She went on to win the United Nations Peace Prize in 1977, and the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in 1984.

I like when I read about amazing people in NYC ---- makes me think I could do a lot more with my life, given today's technology and anti-racism laws.

http://www.metoperafamily.org/_post/education/marian-anderson/html/index.htm

A great day in Harlem!

2009-08-31T07:48:00.000-07:00

This is the name of Art Kane's 1958 photo depicting 57 jazz musicians, posing on the stoop of a brownstone around 10am at 126th Street, between 5th and Madison.

You may not be able to pose for that photo, but you can still have a great day in harlem with the following walking map, provided by Mount Sinai School of Medicine (located at 100th and Madison!)

http://www.mssm.edu/cmca/initiatives/pdf/east_harlem_walking_map.pdf

From Vegas to the Village ....

2009-08-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

... is where a boatload of toiletries with the names of casinos on them went. (Or maybe from Atlantic City.)

I found a Macy's bag filled with conditioner, bath gel and the like in the area in my building where we put reusable items for our neighbors instead of just throwing them out. There were names like Ceaser's, Harrah's and Bally's on them. Seriously, what did thi sperson do -- try to make up their gambling losses by raiding all the housekeeping carts they could find?

Anyhow, I don't need that many toiletries for myself, so I packed them up and delivered them to the Bowery Mission at 227 Bowery in the Village.

The man at the desk who accepted them said "I know these guys can use THIS!"

Then, when I got home, there was a letter in the mail from the Bowery Mission asking me for a donation. It's like they knew!

www.bowerymission.org

Angelo and Sons Bakery

2009-08-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

Despite living practically around the corner from this great place since 2004, and it's being in existence since 1983, I only discovered it last fall (2008).

I love this place! It's clean and nice and pretty. The people are so nice! I heard it got renovated after a fire in late 2007/early 2008 and that's why it's so spacious. There are also little cafe table and chairs on the enclosed porch outside, so you can look at the street. (I have never figured out why people want to do that anywhere.)

And of course who can beat great food at low prices? Nobody, that's who!

My favorite is the cannoli cookie - cannoli filling on a shortbread cookie, topped with tiny chocolate chips and some drizzled chocolate. This treat is a mere $1.50. The coffee is so good, I come here before my morning commute now. For $1.25, why not?

I also pick up 6-inch cakes for less than $20 ---- that's at least $10 cheaper than the hyped-up Magnolia and Buttercup Bakeries of Man-Hurtin'. And one such cake is the cannoli cake --- with almonds!

Angelo & Sons Bakery/Cafe - 22-09 Astoria Boulevard, Astoria, NY 11102
718.278.2332
N/W Train to Astoria Blvd

I find it funny .....

2009-08-20T08:20:00.001-07:00

... when people in New York City say they are going "upstate".

There is no "downstate" when you are in NYC. We are the southernmost point in New York state, an archipelago of people in sight of New Jersey.

The Great Urban Race is ON!

2009-08-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

Today I volunteered for 5 hours for the Great Urban Race in NYC. (www.greaturbanrace.org)

This scavenger hunt charges $140 (donated to charity) per team (at least 2 people) to run around any given city looking for clues, taking digital photos of them performing their tasks, and coming back to the finish (where they first started) to check in. They are allowed to skip one clue without penalty, and get 30 minutes added for each clue they miss or do incorrectly.

Almost everyone I checked in completed all that was needed. Apparently, so many people hit the same gas station for the task of filling up a stranger's tank that the managers got mad. (Though I am very impressed by the one girl who gassed up someone's U-Haul!)

And I discovered a great new park called Teardrop Park with a huge slide (via the photos). I am going to go there soon.

It all reminds me of the cheesy 1980 movie I love "Midnight Madness", which features a 20-year-old Michael J. Fox playing someone's 14-year-old bratty brother.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081159/

Tompkins Square Park stone

2009-08-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

Over a year after I first sent in to do it, my stone in Tompkins Square Park was put at the foot of the Temperance Fountain there last week! Here it is!

It is a shout-out to everyone: "To love, money, happiness and time to enjoy them all! Saima"

Coolest. prize. EVER!

2009-08-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't say I never win anything anymore.

My name was pulled out of a raffle I randomly entered on the New York Post website (nypost.com).

The prize?

A seat back from the old Yankees Stadium, signed by Mariano Rivera who pitched the last game there on 21 Sept 2008.

Holy CRAP!

NY Cake!

2009-08-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

I was walking in Chelsea when I saw the cutest store, devoted to cake-making and baking accessories!

NY Cake is located at 56 W. 22nd Street.

www.nycake.com

Awesome and true quote

2009-08-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

'ONE belongs to New York instantly. One belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years," Thomas Wolfe once wrote.

I wish I could go do this!

2009-08-03T07:30:00.001-07:00

You find the greatest things on craigslist! I would love to do this but am all the way uptown at my new full-time job:

Need witness now for wedding ceremony at City Clerk's office (Downtown)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 2009-08-03, 9:09AM EDT
Reply to: gigs-ppgdz-1303056857@craigslist.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We forgot to bring a witness. Please have a state ID and be 18 over.

Compensation: 20

A bicycle built for one (literally!)

2009-07-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

At about 8:30 am today, at Lexington and E 74th Street, I saw a guy in a suit riding a unicycle to work.

Pretty impressive!!! And easier to carry (I think, anyway.)

DC's Smithsonian in NYC!

2009-07-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

I went to the Smithsonian Musuem of the American Indian in Battery Park the other day. Many people do not even know this museum exists, but I learned about it back in 2004 when I went on my one and only "Discovery New York" neighborhood walk.

The museum is free, like all Smithsonians, and I have to admit that's the main reason I went.

It is in the old US Customs House, which is gorgeous. And I learned a lot about the different clothes of the different Native American tribes!

http://www.nmai.si.edu/

Peacocks on the Upper West Side!

2009-07-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

I was hanging out with a friend on the UWS. We had just goten coffee and pastry fromthe Hungarian Pastry Shop. It was crowded there, so we ate in the garden of St John the Divine, directly across the street.

We heard weird cries, like a cat in distress, and went to investigate.

Turns out there are peacocks (and a snow-white peahen) who roam the garden, and that is the noise they make!

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

2009-07-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

In an early episode of Seinfeld (about 1991), the street sign for the diner they always ate in was shown.

It is at the corner of W 112th Street and Broadway.

Right near the Hungarian Pastry Shop!

Keep in mind that it was only the OUTSIDE of the restaurant that was filmed -- the inside is completely different.

But even with Seinfeld ending in may 1998, people still recognize and photograph Tom's Restuarant.

Gargoyles!

2009-07-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

I found these lovely gargoyles at 527 W 110th Street (near the Hungarian Pastry Shop!)

My Harvard degree!

2009-07-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

Just reminiscing .....

Several years ago, I attended the Harvard Bartending course for one day and got a signed certificate of completion:

http://www.harvardstudentagencies.com/hbc/bartending/default.asp

You can get one at Columbia too:

columbiabartending.com

MJ memorials around NYC --- June 26 - July 3

2009-07-08T07:25:00.003-07:00

2009-07-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

This T-shirt has been in the display of Alphabet T-shirts across the street from Tompkins Square Park for years. I love it --- it captures all that I love (humor, creativity) and hate (rats) about this great city all at the same time.

Why do dogs do that?

2009-07-06T09:29:00.001-07:00

I was at the dog run in Tompkins Square Park (East Village) the other day with my friend WRB. Dogs of every breed and size were running together, playing and getting along.

WRB asked me, "How come all these different dogs get along so well in here, but when 2 dogs on leashes pass each other on the street, they bark at each other?"

My guess it's the safety of the leashes, but I truly do not know the answer to that very good question.

A damn fine neighbor!

2009-07-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

I saw the coolest thing on the Upper East Side (around 3rd and 91st).

A man was walking his dog, and using a squirt gun to dispel the pee on the sidewal so it ran into the sewer and didn't cause stank.

What a great neighbor!!!

Lady Liberty's crown reopens. Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

Today, people will be able to access the crown of the Statue of Liberty for the first time since September 11, 2001.

I went up there on a class trip in 1983 (when I was in the 5th grade). I remember having to trudge up about 300 winding steps (the elevator only went up to the base, after that you hoofed it), and spending about 5 minutes looking out into the ocean.

Despite being a personal trainer and really loving New York, i doubt I would ever put myself through that again.

Happy 4th of July, y'all!!!!

Something to think about!

2009-07-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

On Columbia University's campus in Morningside Hieghts (W 116ht Street), there is a copy of Rodin's sculpture The Thinker outside their Philosophy building. Gorgeous!

From Wikipedia:

The Thinker (French: Le Penseur) is a bronze and marble sculpture by Auguste Rodin held in the Musée Rodin in Paris, France. It depicts a man in sober meditation battling with a powerful internal struggle.[1] It is often used to represent philosophy.

Best coffee in town is on UWS!

2009-07-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

The Hungarian Pastry Shop, located at W 110th Street and Amseterdam (and across the street from the gorgeous St John the Divine Cathedral), serves the BEST coffee ever and it is a mere 95 cents! MMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

1030 Amsterdam Avenue (btw 110th and 111th Streets)
212-866-4230

It's all a fake!

2009-07-02T07:42:00.003-07:00

I thought that the empty bodega on the corner of Crescent and Astoria Boulevard had finally been rented out to a business named Sid's Bonds and Bails. The sign went up 3weeks ago ... and came down last week.

It was all a prop for that Bounty Hunter movie they had been filing.

But I was right about it being (very temporarily) rented out to a business!

Our security guard gets down!

2009-07-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

Here he is, still in his security guard uniform, dancing in a tribute to Michael Jackson outside our building in Jersey City! Go, Dirty Sanchez!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfc_eTjliDU

Taxi-top Memorial

2009-06-30T08:05:00.001-07:00

I saw a taxi drive by my house today, with a memorial to Michael Jackson from NBC on top of it. It read "We will miss you, Michael Jackson" and had his photo from his 1982 Thriller album.

So cute!

2009-06-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

These are some cute little gargoyles I see regularly at the corner of E 40th Street and Lexington.

Brooklyn Botanical Photos

2009-06-28T07:57:00.001-07:00

The yellow rose is the Julia Child rose!

Very fast

2009-06-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

I was on 125th Street in harlem and already, not 48 hours after his death, they are selling michael jackson 1958-2009 T-shirts.

The Apollo does have a very nice memorial marquee up. I took a photo and will post it later.

Payard

2009-06-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

I went to Payard, at 1032 Lexington Avenue between E 73rd and 74th. My good friend Mrs G invited me. She is the coolest lady you will ever see on Park Avenue and beyond!

I had actually only seen Payard from the outside and on the defunct show "Cashmere Mafia". It is elegant and gorgeous, and so is allt he fine desserts and chocolates they have on display! Highly recommended!

Michael Jackson passes away at 50

2009-06-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

By now, the entire world knows that Michael Jackson died suddenly of cardiac arrest this afternoon.

At 6pm, a saxophonist was playing "Thriller" at Queensboro Plaza in tribute.

Just discovered this blog by a Homeless Guy

2009-06-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

Chris posted on craigslist that he needs a Metrocard to help out, and included his blog:

http://thehomelessguy-nyc.blogspot.com/

Pretty picture!

2009-06-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

I took this photo a few weeks ago in the East Village by the church St Mark's in the Bowery. I was in fact there today, and there boring women poets were outside it, yelling something about how they were women who wanted to be the men (???).

What was cool was a man was watching, while holding an equally-rapt cockatiel on his arm.

Our street is movie-ready!

2009-06-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

I always thought our little street looked nice, but it has gotten spruced up (almost literally) to be the backdrop for the Jennifer Aniston/Gerard Butler Flick "The Bounty Hunter", in which a bounty hunter is hired to track down his ex-wife. Limited details can be found at imdb.com

Someone came and trimmed all the overgrown tree branches and repainted our stoplight till it was even brighter yellow. I take it all the dogsh** will eventually get picked up too.

Jazz by Charlie Parker's crib

2009-06-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

I was in the East Village around 1p today and there was a jazz band playing (and being filmed, natch) at the corner of Avenue A and E 9th Street.

Turns out that jazz great Charlie Parker once lived across the street in #1849.

To learn more about Charlie Parker, check out this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Parker

My street is a movie set!

2009-06-18T06:49:00.000-07:00

My little unassuming street in Astoria is being used as the set for the new Jennifer Aniston/Gerard Butler movie "The Bounty Hunter". It's one of Ms. Aniston's forays into drama, apparently, as it is about a man who sets a bounty hunter after his ex-wife.

This may be because the Upper East Side has a "hold" on filing due to residents complaining about movie crews after "Ghost Town" in which I played an extra in Nov 2007. (see Ghost Town 11/26/07) Thus making Astoria HOT!

Stopping to smell the roses

2009-06-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

Today I literally stopped to smell the roses buy goingt o the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. It's free on Tuesdays!

They have a great rose garden with every imaginable color and scent (good scents, that is.) I learned that Julia Child and Barbra Streisand both have roses named after them.

www.bbg.org

The Taking of Pelham 123

2009-06-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

Such an awesome movie!

I saw "The Taking of Pelham 123" today, the remake of the 1974 movie starring John Travolta and Denzel Washington. It was incredible! Not to be missed --- James Galdofini playing a mayor modeled to a T on Mayor Bloomberg, down to the fact that he works for $1 a year.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1111422/

The Hotel Gansevoort

2009-06-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

I met some friends after the movie -- they were at the rooftop of the Hotel Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District. http://www.hotelgansevoort.com/

It has a great view of the Hudson River and in the distance you can see the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building. All in all, a rather pleasant enough place!

Well, hello, Liza!

2009-06-07T07:40:00.000-07:00

I was in the East Village when I passed none other than Liza Minelli on the street! Even with big shades on, I could tell it was her (well, after I looked to make sure it wasn't a fan trying to look like her!)

Up on the Roof!

2009-06-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

(photo from mytimes.com)

I went to the Met today, which is always great. But what truly impressed me was "Roxy Paine On the Roof: Maelstorm" (above). You went up on the roof, saw all of Central Park and this great piece of art!

Quite a day

2009-05-31T07:20:00.000-07:00

Today marked:

1. the official 100th anniversary of the Queensboro Bridge (still no toll)

2. the 150th anniversary of Big Ben in London (with a different kind of toll -- Big Ben is thename of the bell within the clock tower, not the clock itself)

and

3. The death of the last survivor of the 1912 Titanic sinking. She was 2 months old at the time and had no memory of it, stating she preferred it that way. Ms. Dean was 97 and died in her sleep in England.

Cafe Culture

2009-05-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

At Cafe Bacio on 3rd Ave and 70th Street, I saw a woman sitting with her pet parrot, feeding him some pastry.

So many people walked by and didn't even notice!

Taxi Driver

2009-05-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

I finally saw Taxi Driver (1976), Martin Scorsese's film starring Robert DeNiro, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel and Jodie Foster as a 12-year-old streetwalker.

It was amazing to see 1970s New York, gritty and rundown, as most of the places where this movie was shot were razed to make swanky high-rise building worth millions. Travis (De Niro) takes Betsy (Shepherd) to Child's Coffee Shop on Columbus Circle --- that is gone and replaced with the Time Warner Center, near my old job at the Trump International Tower (also still there.)

That movie was only 33 years ago but "looks as if it might as well have been lensed on Mars", according to this article in The Village Voice:

http://www.gothiccabinetcraft.com/inthenews.php?mid=&doc_id=1101334463

Explosion at 92nd and 3rd Ave

2009-05-25T07:30:00.000-07:00

A device detonated at 3 am at the Starbucks at 92nd and 3rd Ave today. The reports are it happened by a Starbucks -- which is true.

That Starbucks is located directly behind the 92nd Street Y, my old job, which I left last September. Chilling.

Death anniversary of Christopher Columbus

2009-05-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

Columbus died on May 20, 1506.

I know this because it was my one and only line in the 4th grade play back in 1983.

A referesher course

2009-05-12T13:23:00.000-07:00

I was on the 6 train uptown around 7:30p today, when a Chinese lady sat down next to me and asked me to quiz her on her upcoming citizenship exam.

It was a good refersher course for me as well. And she got them all correct!

How many Senators do we have? 100.

How long is their term? 6 years

How many in the House of Representatives? 435

How long is their term? 2 years

Crossing those state lines!

2009-05-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

I had a meeting in Fort Lee, NJ today and decided to walk back to New York via the George Washington Bridge.

Although I have worked for years at the new York Presbyterian Hospital complex at the base of the bridge at W 178th Street, this is the first time I have ever done so.

It is a truly spectacular view as you cross. The Hudson River actually looks clean, and you can see all these trees and flowers on the NJ side and the Empire State Building and other skyscrapers on the NY side.

Get your free hugs here!

2009-04-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

I was walking through Astor Place in the Village this afternoon when I saw a group of NYU students standing on the corner with signs offering "Free Hugs".

So I went and hugged a guy and wished him a happy spring.

he said "Uh... you too." and looked at me like I was the crazy one.

C'est la vie!

Aruba again!

2009-04-27T06:59:00.000-07:00

I recently came back from visiting my sister, brother-in-law and niece who live in Aruba. The language there is Papmiento, a mixture of Latin and Dutch.

I also saw about a million iguanas again!

Is this an April Fool's joke? It IS funny!

2009-04-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

I was walking out of the train station at Queensboro Plaza around noon today when I homeless guy missing a few teeth smiled at me and said "Hey -- for ten cents, I'll tell you I love you! I love you ANYWAY!"

Well, at least there's ONE guy in NYC unafraid to say those three little words! He's even willing to suffer a profit-loss for it!

Subwayland!

2009-04-01T05:45:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I read a really amazing book centered around NYC. With the exception of Sophie Kinsella's "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan", it is NEVER chick lit.

The latest is "Subwayland" by Randy Kennedy. It is composed of essays with interviewees throughout the subway system, including kiosk workers, commuters, performers, and even a couple who met on the subway and came to take a photo at the station where they met after their wedding ceremony -- in complete bridal regalia.

I even found out the name and history of the only subway magician -- i saw him back in 2006 (see "El magicio --- Dios mio!", Sept 8, 2006.)

His name is Olmedini -- a combination of his name Olmes and an homage to Houdini, and he hails from Ecuador.

100 years without a toll!

2009-03-30T06:08:00.000-07:00

The Queensboro bridge turns 100 years old today! It has been toll-free the entire time! Yay!

A good clean neighbor!

2009-03-26T06:18:00.000-07:00

At 1st Avenue and York, there is a dry cleaner called "First Professional" who have the following sign in the window:

"If you are unemployed and need a suit cleaned for an interview, we will do it for free."

I love people who do this! I hope his karma is repaid a million times over. It takes a lot of guts to be nice in today's world.