Our eight person haul (and I do mean HAUL) to Manhattan was a semi-failure, seeing as we got cut off in line due to the overbooking of tickets for The Colbert Report taping. But, luckily, we got VIP tickets to see it next time on the date of our choice. Instead we all just ran around midtown, accidentally caught Enya in Rockefellar Center, had damn good pizza, and did a little shopping.
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November 28, 2006
November 26, 2006
Bryant in the Wintertime
Bryant Park is by far my most favorite park in the city, but especially in the winter. They opened up a free ice skating pond last winter and it's up again this year. I don't reccomend leaving without a cup of hot apple cider...
Scott, Patti, Sean and I started the trek with some intense I95 dance-offs, went ice skating, enjoyed some Patsy's Pizza (which I claim the E60th restaurant has THE best pizza ever) and frolicked around Chelsea for what seemed like years, looking for our car.
November 25, 2006
November 19, 2006
Convertibles & Dinosaurs
Saturday was quite the adventure. Shane, Sean and I hopped in my car, Manhattan bound, early in the morn. I made a little stop in Darien to talk to my salesman friend Fabrizio, who works at the MINI dealership there. Within a matter of minutes, the boys and I were cruising with the top down along Holly Pond on the Darien/Stamford line. I've been considering a new car, and through adequate research I'm pretty sure the MINI Cooper Convertible is everything I want right now. The handling is amaaaazing on it, and there's so much fun beaming from the thing I swear you can even smell it. So maybe that'll be my spring treasure...
So after being a little creeped out by Fabrizio's eloping offer, we hopped back in my car and I drove into the city. We took a little detour and skipped out on a couple tolls over the Triboro (I need a damn ez-pass alreadyyy!!!) but I found a parking spot right by the Natural History Museum, and caught a classic NY deli-style lunch and ate in Theodore Rooselvelt park; it was such a nice day out. Oh, and on the way, I introduced the guys to Design Within Reach's fine collection and got a couple color samples for some ideas I had.
Anyhow, we proceeded to the museum, where we got to see a show in the planetarium; for free, cause we're superior to all other museum visitors, and headed up to the dino exhibit. I love dinos. There was so much information, so many things that have changed since my last ambitious quest for Jurassic knowledge back in the early ninties.
It was a fun day...always is with Shane & Sean.
November 16, 2006
Eames Film Festival
Tonight my friend Melinda and I ventured to downtown Westport to attend Design Within Reach's Eames Film Festival. It was pretty cool because it was a free event, and offered delicious beer and the most reputable furniture in the world to sit on while throwin back a few and watching Charles & Ray Eame's films that they and their office have created over the last 50 years. They were all extremely diverse; some were very abstract, others were incredibly detailed design theory interviews, and some were zooming in on the craft of their designs. Check out DWR's website, they do stuff like this all the time if you have any interest in licensed mid-century modern furniture, film, or free beer and wine.
November 14, 2006
Carnegie Hall
So Tuesday night was the U.S. premiere of Ecce Cor Meum at Carnegie Hall in New York. I've never been there before, so of course my eyes were looking upwards almost the entire night. I think I really was able to grasp a sense of (WARNING: interior design boredom ahead) the intentions of architectural moulding. There's SO much of it in the main hall, and the way the lighting carefully plays on it definately gives a strong effect with light and shadows. I see why moulding can be a waste-- completely uneffective in enhancing a space with intricate decorative elements, if the lighting isn't right.
Anyways, the music was beautiful, I loved it. The piece is extremely personal; it's basically Paul McCartney's, the composer of the piece, emotions during his wife's death. The lyrics were partially in Latin, which I'm a huge fan of (if you couldn't tell by the enormous latin phrase tattooed across my back).
Paul actually sat about 10ft above Sean and I. We happened to catch him during intermission, where was also ran into everyone from Elvis Costello, to Alec Baldwin, to Glenn Close. People like Paul Newman were wandering the halls just like the rest of us. After Paul's thanks yous on stage, and the beautiful eruption of confetti paper hearts everywhere, we got stuck in the mobbed hall and lobby for awhile. It wasn't so bad; when you're stuck next to, and chatting with Jerry 
Seinfeld. When he walked away he shook my hand and said it was nice to meet me. Not a funny statement, but awfully kind. I sat there while he chatted it up with Elvis Costello, Lorne Michaels, Steve Buscemi, and Conan O'Brien. The best part was when I was sandwiched between Woody Harrelson and Steve Guttenberg. We talked about the show and were all smiles when I was responsive to their flirtiness (c'mon, it's every girl's DREAM to flirt with Steve Guttenberg!! hahaha)
Interesting night to say the least. Carnegie was beautiful, the music was great, and the company wasn't so bad either!
November 12, 2006
Meeting a Beatle
Over this past weekend, I came across some information and an opportunity to meet Paul McCartney. Of course I took it up. Even though it required the absurdity of doing a little urban camping on the streets of midtown Manhattan, I figured it was worth it to meet the man who I believe to be among the most successful and impacting musicians of the past century. Not only is he one of the last two living Beatle members, but the man has earned his way to the top in his own right as well. He's currently 64, and chances of meeting him or seeing him live are diminshing by the day.
Sean and I ended up camping on the sidewalks for 20 hours in Times Square; in the rain; overnight. We got there early thinking we'd be among the first 30 or 40 people in line, but came to find we were around the 114th and 115th people. It was all worth it in the morning when we got our wristbands and our specially designated autograph-able CDs and DVD. The line was grueling at this point, fifty year old women were applying make up like crazy, knowing that almost 45 years of waiting to meet their "crush" was finally minutes away. Some people were crying; before the man even set foot in the room. Reporters began interviewing people all over the room... I even got about 5 minutes with Reuter's, where I explained why a 20 something like myself would admire a senior citizen like Paul. The woman also asked me about his recent divorce case and Heather Mills' insane claims against Paul... I responded naturally and rationally, exemplifying the fact that she has no credibility and is a one-legged bitch, whereas Paul has been in the public eye for most of his life, and has never shown signs of any kind of aggression. Sorry Heather, nobody is on your side.
After all that, he fiiinally came down the escalader of the bottom floor at Virgin Records Megastore casually and cool as anything, despite the hundreds of reporters, photographers, and fans questioning and screaming. I suppose one gets used to that after enduring Beatlemania and the 40 year aftermath, huh?
So the line gets moving, and as I'm about 3 people away, I'm among Paul's personal security gaurds and friends, where I engaged in some mild flirting, which I'm assuming their recognition and excitement in that is what granted me a slightly extended time frame to talk to the man. I was excited as hell, but not a bit nervous; which I thought I would be. I walked up, leaned over onto his table and slickly exchanged "hellos" before we got into a very heartfelt conversation about his late 
wife Linda. When I spoke to him, he was extreeeemly responsive, impressively kind, and very very genuine. It's one of those things you can tell in a person's eyes, and he had that; I dunno if it's Paul's nature, or perhaps the intensity of the subject we were speaking of, but the words we exchanged were very inspirational and personal. I felt very privileged to have spent enough time to actually speak with him about everything I wanted to--which included the unavoidable, "Oh, and my mom says hi!" in order to honor Jan Bell's four decade infatuation. He got all excited and told me to tell her hello! I thanked him in a couple ways, shook his hand, exchanged the most wonderful smiles ever, and parted ways.
Did I mention we held hands as we talked? That's right, the man who sang the earth shattering "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"--held my hand. Haha suckkkkaaaas!!
My meeting with Paul was a success. In fact, it was even more than I hoped. More personal, more genuine, and more in depth than I ever thought I'd get the opportunity. When it comes down to it, all I ever wanted to do was remind him that the world hasn't forgotten about the lovely Linda, and to thank the guy for sharing his talents and generosity with the world; and I did just that.
November 08, 2006
The U.S. vs. John Lennon
As alot of you already know, even though I'm a huge Beatle's fan, I've never really been a huge fan of John Lennon's character. Of all the things I've watched and read about the group, it's never been a secret that he cheated endlessly on his first wife, negelected his first son, criticized a country he was not a part of yet lived in, was addicted to heroin, was an alcoholic for years, and has made numerous statements negatively attacking the other members of the group. I've always been a fan of his music, never the less. But, unexpectadly, my opinion of the late music icon has changed...
Eric and I went to the Bethel Cinema the other night. The place was really small, but it had a cafe that enhanced my life with their butternut squash ravioli. I went to see this documentary with interest because it had to do with the side of Lennon that I didn't really know much about: his political involvment of the early 1970's.
I always thought John was a jerk for being a British citizen, who was incredibly outspoken about changing the United States government. I still think it was a little bit ridiculous, and that his message was far too utopian and idealistic. "Give Peace a Chance", "Imagine" and his and Yoko's 11 international citied billboard: "War is Over" seemed to me to be a naieve, lazy and simplistic way of speaking his mind about the US. But after seeing the film, and I don't think it was biased at all, considering there was all kinds of people interviewed, from former Senator George McGovern, who was a Lennon supporter, to members of the Nixon administration who are against him (and sadly still for Nixon), I really think he did more positive things for our country in the 70's than I thought. And, I suppose, to sum it up, I never really knew much about the Nixon administration, hah.
I never heard of the John Sinclair story. He was the leader of the White Panther Party, who was jailed in 1969 after selling two joints to undercover narcotics officers. In 1971 his case received international attention when John Lennon performed at a benefit concert on his behalf. Instantly, after Lennon's song for John, completely insulting the authorities who locked him up, Sinclair's ABSURD 10 year sentence was unexpectadly turned around, and he was let free. That's some power.
I guess I just didn't realized how much him and Yoko really tried to physically get out and do positive things. Whether I agree with his exact words and statements is irrelevant... he once stated on an television interview that he didn't care what people thought of him, and that he's famous, and he's going to be on the cover of the newspaper; it might as well have the word "peace" on it. That point really hit me, because I really really really really hate seeing excessively weathly celebrities who waste their time and money on themselves; and who make the paper and the tabloids with their anorexia, divorce case, lavish spending, and millions of other trivial reasons. And what's worse is we all feed the attention to those kinds of things. I do admire that John took his wealth and time and worked hard to do something positive, tried to make a difference, and encouraged people to stick up for what they believed.
The film gives an accurate portrayl of John's life in the US, his struggles with Immigration, the FBI, and the Nixon administration. It's just an interesting little sliver of history, and hey, it's all about one of pop music's greatest legends!
November 06, 2006
Irish Cravings
It's been almost 2 months since my Ireland escapade, and I guess I'm having withdrawls. Saturday night, a bunch of friends and I ventured off to McSorley's Old Ale House in Manhattan's East Village. Little did I know, but it's actually on the same block of one of my favorite neighborhood's, right near St Mark's and 2nd Ave (I just wanna point out the strange coincidence that many of my fav NYC spots are between 2nd and 3rd Aves...hmmmm) and I've been near it SO many times without realizing.
The pub, or saloon as it is called, is the oldest operating one in New York City, and it's very evident once youre inside. Honestly, of all the wanna-be Irish restaurants and pubs I've encountered, this place is the closest to the real thing Ive seen in the States. The lighting, the old wood finishes, and the ecclectic collage of wall decor truly reminded me of Dublin's finest. If you want a little taste of Ireland without crossing the Atlantic, this is the place to go. The waiters are all ancient, and maintain authentic Irish accents, and ask only one question: "Light or Dark?" The beer is sold in 2 mugs at a time, so you can't buy just one (c'mon people, we're Iriiiish). We had a great time here, considering we were all of Irish decent (oh, and SCOTTish), we really had a fun time-- especially screaming happy birthday with a hundred drunken strangers. The rest of the night was a random adventure; always a good time when you combine a great city and great people.
PS: Although we has Irish-like drinking festivities, we got pizza-- REEEEEAAAAL pizza this time. Good ol' NYC style; thank god!
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