Upright & Stowed

If You Get Caught Between The Moon and New York City

Sure, the song might be a bit cheesy. But if you've ever come in for a landing at Laguardia on a crystal clear night and found yourself in a window seat on the lucky side of your airplane, you know you're looking at song-writing inspiration.

(Soft)-rock on, Christopher Cross!

Last week when flying back from Miami, I hit the jackpot with this awesome approach to the Big Apple. I violated the Captain's instructions, found the song on my iPod (there for this purpose specifically) and listened as I snapped this and a few more shots. Travel bliss. 

Donut to Die For

Like most red-blooded Americans, I have had a life-long love affair with donuts. I made them with my cousin Ellen in St. Louis when we were kids. I fell in love with Dunkin' as a teenager. I would walk a mile, any day, for a French Cruller (the most fattening donut of all). And I consumed as many Krispy Kreme's as a New York City gay man was allowed in the 90s.

So yeah, I love my mass-produced donuts. But I was simply floored a few years back when I discovered The Donut Plant.  This is NYC's premier gourmet donut maker.  Happily, they opened their first non-factory branch in my hood a couple years ago. It's in the Chelsea Hotel, which makes The Donut Plant the donut company with the coolest instincts on earth. All of their flavors are mouth-watering. Check em out here.  But take note: If you want to taste perhaps the greatest donut ever made, the coconut creme is the one worth flying to New York to devour. Fortunately, I live two blocks away.  Grin. Lip-smack. Mmm mmm good. 

On Jeanne-Claude and Impermanence

Jeanne-Claude, wife and artistic partner of better-known art-wrapper Christo, died this week at 74.  Jeanne-Claude and Christo were known for their temporary art projects in which they used materials on a monumental scale to change our perception of things, to make us think and (more often than not) to lead us to a smile.   The Gates was their last substantial project, located in Central Park in 2005 (pic is me and my friend Steve at The Gates). 

In describing their work and Jeanne-Claude's view of it, the Times obit wrote:

... all of their projects ... were intended to be temporary. Whether executed in oil drum or brightly colored fabric, the art of Jeanne-Claude and her husband ... expressed “the quality of love and tenderness that we human beings have for what does not last.”

This resonated with me because recently I have been reflecting on the concept of impermanence.  Burning Man, where I've gone for five of the past ten years, is a recognition of and embrace of impermanence.  An entire city appears, and then disappears, in seven days.  The  figurative heart of that city -- The Man -- is burned to ashes as the entire community watches.  A lavish wooden temple is covered with thousands of participant messages of hopes, dreams and fears, and then burned and released into the atmosphere.

This year I also began a meditation practice.  I am beginning to understand the Buddha's thoughts on impermanence.  He recognized that all things are impermanent, and that by embracing this knowledge we can better deal with the constant change (and constant loss) in our lives that so often cause us suffering.

Life is short and fleeting.  If we are not afraid to lose things -- ultimately, we lose everything -- we have a better chance of living in the moment.  Christo and Jeanne-Claude got it.  

Empire Falls. ('bout time)

The Empire Diner is a New York dining legend.  For 35 years it has occupied one of the city’s most perfect corners (22^nd and 10^th) while preserving its most iconic railcar diner.  Alas, for most of those years it has also served some of the city’s worst food and possibly its very worst service.  Appallingly rude, 24 hours a day.   It’s a dining buzz-kill. 

I’ve been closely following the rumblings that the Empire’s lease is about to change hands.  Today I was delighted to read that the owners of Union Square’s Coffee Shop are taking over the Empire.   Chelsea Today has the story.  Photo credit here.

Coffee Shop has itself delivered questionable service over the years -- at least to the less than hip and lovely … not me, of course.  But nothing compared to the rudeness of the Empire staff.  I’m happy to see the change of hands, and even happier to know that the good ol’ diner is not becoming the first Capital One branch-in-a-railcar.

If We Knew Summer Was Gonna Be Like This...

I scanned this image from the paper the other day.  It shows NYC temperature and precipitation deviations from average for the past 10, 30, 90 and 365 days.  I post this as NYC has its first true hot spell of 2009.

Looking at the chart above, I'd like to draw your attention to the "90 Days" vs. average line.  The one where the temperature is on the far left (way below) of average and the precipitation is on the far right (way above) of average.  Yep.  That pretty much sums up the summer 09 in the Big Apple. 

Knowing what I know now, I might have chosen to spend the summer in, say, fog capitals like wintery San Francisco or chilly Seattle, since both have enjoyed unusually delightful summers this year.  But I stuck it out in NYC, as I always do, and I've enjoyed the real riches of summer in the city:  a never ending performance of street theater, more cultural events than you can shake a stick at, and my garden, which has never looked better.  A great summer so far ... though I'm rooting for hot and sticky dog days before it all ends.

Reeling in the Years

If you’d told me in 1978 that I would be attending a Steely Dan concert in 2009, I’d have looked at you funny.  Who can imagine being 48 years old when they’re 17?  Who wants to think about a favorite band – at its peak – playing well past its prime?  And who, at that time, would allow that Steely Dan would ever perform live again, given their move towards becoming the ultimate in-studio recording artists?

But there I was last night – in 2009 – with my college friend Rob (acclaimed music critic and Brown freshman year dorm mate from 1979) listening to Steely Dan play the entire Aja album (in order), plus 15 or so other classics.  This most fastidious of studio bands delivered a terrific live set, with all the complex jazz, rock, R&B and other influences sounding as smooth as I remembered.  Donald Fagan’s vocals were painfully strained, but his enthusiasm and commitment made up for it.

Memories of another time in music flowed:  Listening to an album as an entire composition … reading lyrics on the record sleeve … sitting in my bedroom with my Sennheiser headphones on… anticipating a band’s new release.  

What do ya know?  Thirty years later and there I sat, reeling in the years.  It felt good.

I Heart NYC, 32 Years Running

I've been dreaming about my nephew Jeremy's first trip to visit me in NYC since the day he was born.  This weekend that dream came true, and here we are in the heart of Times Square having a great time.

I first visited NYC in 1977 with my high school drama club (shocking news, right?), and it was the most influential week of my life.  At the time, the Big Apple was at its low by financial, crime, infrastructure, and many other measures.  But by its most important measures – creativity, energy, adventure – it was at a frothy peak.  This is a picture I took of my cousin Laurie and friend MaryAnne on that trip.  A lot has changed in New York in those 32 years, but the essential ingredients are all still there, and my love of New York has not diminished one bit.  Here's to you, New York, New York.

"The smaller the dress size....

... the larger the apartment."  That is the money quote in an article in today's NY Times about the greater thinness of Manhattanites.  Probably true, and definitely hilarious.   When I moved to San Francisco in 2000 and began to drive instead of walk, I gained five pounds that I did not shed until I moved back to The Thin Apple.  Sadly, I'm carrying around an extra five now, which today's article made me realize is probably because I now bike everywhere rather than walk.  My mountain bike is faster for getting me from A to B, but I barely break a sweat riding it.

Above is a shot of three friends, taken at my house over gay pride weekend.  I can't imagine why any of them would want to be seen with their shirts off.  But I'm glad they did, so they could reinforce the point that, when it comes to waist size, the Big Apple ain't so big.

Christopher Street

Blog devotee (and dear friend) Scott did not like the Jesus-y black and white photo that marked yesterday's return to blogging.  So here I post an alternate picture of me that is very colorful and energy filled.  Oh, and blurry too.  I hope Scott is happy now.

This shot was taken on Sunday night at my friend Steve's birthday bar crawl in the West Village.  Specifically, it is right in front of classic gay bar/dive Ty's, and across from the Lucille Lortel Theater.  I love this picture because it captures the color and energy of the West Village, my first and favorite neighborhood in NYC.

The Screen's the Thing

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.