One of the great New York happenings I've never attended is the Monday night Bryant Park outdoor summer movie screening series. This year, I will change that attendance record. The season opens on June 15th with a screening of The Sting, which I've wanted to see again for years. So bring a picnic and join me. Here's the full schedule of Bryant Park screenings for summer 2009.
The New Museum – on Manhattan's Lower East Side – is one of those places that makes you realize how rich in culture the city is. We have so many major world class museums here, you'd think there'd be no room for a smaller institution to survive or thrive. But New York draws such a massive audience for culture that most quality offerings can find an audience. For more than 30 years the New Museum has pushed the envelope in promoting contemporary art, and if you haven't checked it out in awhile, you should.
Its current exhibition is called "Younger Than Jesus", featuring only artists under 33 years old. It's an uneven show (as might be expected from such a concept) but it presents some absolutely captivating pieces/projects. In my opinion, the best of them is a 30 minute film by Cyprien Gaillard. Here's what New York Magazine said about it:
The film is totally mesmerizing, and you should see it if you've got 30 minutes to spare. You'll find much else to ponder on the New Museum's 5 floors. And if you're bored, the view from the top is worth the price of admission.
Great news about Obama's pick of "Nuyorican" Sonia Sotomayer for the Supreme Court. Go ahead, Republicans: Try to pick a fight on this one and see where it gets you.
On the topic of close-minded Republicans, congratulations religious right on your miserable little victory fighting back the right of gay people to marry. Civil rights will ultimately prevail over church rights, but you've won a few years in California. New York: It's time to take a stand.
On a happier note, this week Hilary Clinton's State Department announced that it will begin offering equal protection to same-sex partners of American diplomats. I've spent much of the past year working for a non-profit that gets much of the funding for its Africa-based programs from the State Department, and I know how welcome these benefits will be to the thousands of gays and lesbians who work hard to make the world a better place, on behalf of their fellow Americans.
Step by step. Brick by brick. America will right itself and become the place it should be. I believe it.
Back in the day, I sat in the front of the plane. How? By traveling often. By sticking to a couple airlines (no discounters like JetBlue and Virgin America to distract me back then). And by knowing people with influence.
Times change. Last week I flew from SFO to JFK on Delta. The 100% capacity flight was a 757 – the most hateful aircraft ever built – and I was in seat 41B. That's a middle seat, in a one-aisle plane. Not fun. But I scored big in the on-line trivia competition, and I had two good books to read.
When I returned, I flipped through the latest New Yorker, and came upon a short piece called "The Privileged Few." In 5 brief paragraphs, it summarizes what getting upgraded looks like today. Enjoy the hilarity below...
The Privileged Few, by George Meyer, New Yorker writer
Good afternoon. This is your pre-boarding announcement for Flight 505 to Milwaukee. All first-class and business-class passengers, passengers needing special assistance, and families traveling with small children may now board the aircraft.
We also invite any Platinum Club, ProTravel Select, Apogee Plus, and Sigma Alliance cardholders to board at this time.
Thank you for waiting. We now welcome members of Skyline Advantage, Priority Partners, Front Row Preferred, Exclusa, Summit V.I.P., Head of the Line, A-List Connections, Imperial Privilege, InCrOwD, Icarus Prime Choice, Top Rank Silk, and Top Rank Crystal Reserve. You may now board the aircraft.
We appreciate your patience. We now welcome members of Focus^One, Altius PremierPlan, Silver Platter, Jet Pack Invicta, Above and Beyond, Screaming Eagle, Canadians of Distinction, e-Go Trip, Express Wishes, Superba/FasTTraKK, Freedom Rider Élite, ¡Por Supuesto!, The Circle of Enchantment, Hegira, Hegira Mach Five, Wanderlu$t, Godhead Supreme, Godhead Burnt Offerings, Qomfort Qlub, MeFirst, MeFirst Deluxe Rewards, Out of My Way, and VelourPass. You may now board the aircraft.
Sometimes you need to step away from your life (and blog) to gain proper perspective. In response to a long, cold winter, retrenchment at the non-profit that was my main source of income, and a complete lack of travel outside NYC, I needed a break. Bad.
So I grabbed a dirt cheap flight (one of the few perks of a recession) and headed to Northern California, my favorite place to regenerate and rejuvenate when the going gets tough. Specifically I headed to Orr Hot Springs, a hippy retreat in the Mendocino hills. At Orr you sit in hot tubs, soak up the sun, breathe the fragrant air, walk awestruck through redwood groves, read, rest, reflect, cook your own food and rediscover the self that life sometimes keeps you from seeing. My days at Orr were bliss. I then spent 6 days in San Francisco, surrounded by more old friends than you can shake a stick at. I could not possibly have been happier. Now, I'm back in NYC and ready to face the recession head-on. Deep breath. Head high. Mind clear. Forward.
In the early fall of 2004, I went to Greece on an all-expense paid sailing trip celebrating a friend's ten year anniversary in a relationship that would end two years later. On that lavish sailing affair (see above), we were each treated to bottles of Absinthe. I returned to NYC with my bottle, and it sat untouched in a cabinet for the next 4+ years. I had a little party a month or so ago, and finally, after all these years, the Absinthe was drunk. Hallucinations were imagined. Sloppy speech was everywhere.
Today I received an e-mail announcement from Virgin America. They will soon become the first airline to offer in-fight Absinthe. It's such a brilliant move, I can't stand it. And guess what airline I'm flying to SF next week? I'm gonna have me a Mile High Cocktail: Le Tourment Vert Absinthe, sprite and lemons shaken and served over ice. Bring it on!
I've always loved the insane creativity of ghetto names. In fact last year I suggested that my friends Howard and Laura name their son Uniqua. Alas, they chose David. Given my enjoyment of crazy baby naming, you'll understand why the above YouTube video has had me laughing out loud for days. Genius.
Hope springs eternal, and spring springs hope. Hope for warmer days. Hope for sun on weekends. Hope that you get to keep your job that suddenly doesn't seem as bad as it used to. Hope for a little lovin.' And hope that life will keep things interesting.
This is a picture of my first rose plant. I bought it at a nursery in Jersey this weekend (along with $375 of soil, pots, plants and other goodies to make my deck beautiful), and I can't wait to take care of it and make it bloom. It's what I'm most hopeful about right now. In fact, I think this little rose is going to be my beacon of good things to come. Happy spring!
That's right. Finally, after all these years, Southwest is set to begin flying into the capital of the Northeast (and the world), New York City. My fervent wish is for nonstop flights to St. Louis and to Albuquerque. Alas, she'll only be making no-stoppers to Chicago Midway and BWI. Still, it's a start.
The economy sucks and I lose about an hour of sleep every night worrying about every element of my life. You know what I have to say to me? Get the f-ck over yourself!
Why?
Because we have the most kick-ass President in decades. We are regaining our moral footing as a country. We will survive this recession. My life is full of friends and a loving family. And both Iowa and Vermont have legalized gay marriage in the past week!!!!
God bless Vermont. Nine years ago the state led the country forward in recognizing the simple right of gay people to love one another and to be afforded the same rights the state affords straight people who do. Now, in a brilliant move, Vermont not only legalized gays' right to marry, it overrode a bigoted, close-minded veto of a Republican (aka: selfish) governor to pass the law.
Oh happy day. Let love live!
I grew up in Missouri. But an entire branch of my family – my Ginsberg cousins – live in Iowa. This is a picture taken at an Alport family reunion in 2006 featuring many of my Iowa clan. Last year Iowa led the nation on the great journey that culminated in the election President Barack Obama. Today, the Iowa Supreme Court moved the nation one step closer to the inevitable recognition that gay and lesbian people deserve the same rights as all others in this country. Laws banning gays and lesbians from anything are wrong. In Iowa. In Missouri. In New York. And everywhere else. Below are the words of the decision, unanimously declared by the members of the Iowa Supreme Court.
I've been too busy watching the world fall apart to post with any frequency lately. Jobs lost. Bailouts super-sized. Broadway shows closed. Philanthropies Madoff'ed. When will the madness end?
I think I know. We've reached the bottom. Today. The Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia – gorgeous and storied resort, but also one enabled by lots of corporate and individual bloat – has filed for bankruptcy. Sad, but true.
I visited the Greenbrier on my drive back to NYC after my three years in San Franciscos. I have little doubt that, like Tara, she will rise again. But the rebuilding of its finances, and America's, is gonna be a long and painful struggle. Lordy be.
Off to jail you go, Bernie Madoff. Woo hoo!
Yes, his guilty plea will bring joy to Mudville. But let's not be too quick to relieve ourselves of all complicity in the greed and selfishness that led America to its current mess.
We've (hopefully) learned that there is no such thing as easy money, and that revering the wealthy above all else is folly. Bernie Madoff will spend the end of his days in jail, paying in the smallest way for the crimes he committed. Most painful is the thought of some portion of the billions he plundered would have made its way to charitable organizations.
Today, one devil got his due. If there's a devil-slayer in the world, let Cheney, Rumsfeld and Bush be next. Watch out fellas! (Thanks to the NY Times for this image ... I made the horns!)
Sure, times is tough. And they're going to get tougher before they get easier. But our President is making the pain so much more bearable by undoing one horrific Bush/Cheney decision after another. This man is restoring our nation to one of fairness, sensitivity and reason. As a nation, we can look ourselves in the mirror again. I've thought it before and I'll say it again: God Bless Barack Obama.
Photo of President Obama undoing Bush's stem cell regulations and restoring science to its proper place, from the NY Times.
I've been moaning and groaning a lot lately about being grounded here in NYC, with no plane flights since last November, and nothing on the books.
I now realize that I'm not the only thing that's grounded. Take a look at these shots of the US Airways plane as it was transferred out of the Hudson and through (egads!) East Rutherford, New Jersey. Now that's some serious grounded. Thanks to my blog bitch Bruce for this tip.
I've been feeling cranky lately. In part because I'm not traveling, for either work or play. And in part because I am so OVER winter. Today, however, I was reminded that life ain't so bad.
I followed a link to an article in AM New York – a periodical I never read, even when I'm desperate for something to read – about a woman with the worst commute in New York. She lives in Brooklyn and commutes to Dix Hills. Both are on Long Island. But somehow, the commute takes nearly four hours and costs $26 R/T.
This urban horror story reminded me that my commute take 4-6 minutes by bike and it's free. The MapQuest image above details my complex route.
Okay. I'm smiling again.
When is the right time to push onward, and when should we take a pause? This is a dilemma we all face at various points in our lives. I’ve decided to put Upright and Stowed on temporary pause, as I seek new inspiration for inking a compelling read. I’ve got some ideas. And I’m likely to post periodically. But for now, I've pushed the Pause button.
Worry not: I’ll be back and better than ever. As the marketing minds of Pepsi put it so well, it’s the pause that refreshes. [photo]
It's cold as a witch's tit here in New York this weekend. And it's supposed to snow on Sunday. Not an ideal forecast for a weather-sensitive bloke like me.
So I've decided to seize the occasion and post this a-ma-zing tap dance number, featuring the Nicholas Brothers in STORMY WEATHER, a 1943 film by 20th Century Fox. The film featured a mostly black cast, and well, this is Black History Month, isn't it? Fred Astaire called this performance "the greatest dance number ever filmed." It's gotta be up there. Decide for yourself.
In a city with so many amazing characters, you've gotta get a gimmick if you want to make your mark ... and to be written about in The New York Times. And so it was for Joe Ames, the amazing vegetable peeler of the Union Square GreenMarket. How many Saturdays did I listen – along with thousands of others – to his booming, resonant British accented voice, marveling that a guy could support himself hawking carrot peelers.
I wasn't the only one who took notice, of course, and when Joe died a couple weeks ago, he earned one of the great badges of life in New York City: An article and obit in the paper of record. With the passing of Joe, the Big Apple is one character poorer. But because it's New York, you know there's a long line of new talent ready to stake its claim.
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