churros, chocolate and chelsea

well... it's been a while, and lots has happened... life is a mix of the mundane and the spectacular (which is not to suggest these are mutually-exclusive categories.

the weather has been spectacular, with these bright sunny days meaning vitamin d depletion is not so much of a concern (unlike the UK), but also spectacularly variable: from so mild I was walking through central park in just a long-sleeved t-shirt and t-shirt (weds), to so cold you think your nose will drop, frozen, off your face (thurs). crazy. walking through central park continues to be a delight; it's stunning...

and there's so much to discover, and the squirrels, did I mention how cute they are? There are 100s of them, everywhere. and they're well, just so cute.

one of the amazing things in central park are these really old tiles, in the arcade in the Bethesda terrace.

unfortunately some disaffected yoof took it upon themselves to tag the tiles... and they did so in an entirely uncreative fashion. unfortunately their 'life of crime' was cut short by being caught red-handed so to speak (more like purple if the paint got on their hands), and the latest story I heard was that the city was seeking to prosecute them as a 'felony' rather than as a 'misdemeanour' meaning they'd get a prison sentence. now that seemed pretty ridiculous to me; I thought a better punishment might be a 3 month intensive art programme, to get them to appreciate what they had tagged and perhaps develop some creative inspirations of their own. well, I can't see that being taken up as a suggestion, so i've withheld from emailing the city about it.

chocolate has also been spectacular. Finally made it to a new local chocolate outfit, nunu, who do this delicious burnt soft caramel covered with dark chocolate and salt. mmmmm. Not much to report on the bagel front, though we've eaten some very yummy pizza... from a place called artichoke, which the food critics can't seem to decide whether they love it or not. There was quite the queue, and we were crammed into a tiny space with a load of other plebs... but we loved it, even though it was very rich. and had our first bialys. and red velvet (cup)cake, which seems to be quite the thing, somehow the mixture's different to normal cupcakes, as it tastes as if it has baking soda in it. Certainly also good for the vampire-mouth look. And churros on the side of the street. what's not to like about deep-fried dough!?

tonight we went to the highly (over?)rated Momofuku Milk Bar... perhaps we were grumpy, or perhaps we just ate far too much sweet stuff (and got a grumpy post-sugar rush), but it was very loud and crammed and while the pie (I had the crack pie; D had the brownie pie) was incredible, it was just far too rich. but that's a small point. perhaps we should have gone for the savouries.

but perhaps since not everyone in the world is as obsessed with food as I am (i'm actually starting to get a little bit worried that I'm too obsessed; reading the reviews with great regularity), I should actually talk about other things we've done. Well, last weekend, after a fab game of soccer, we wandered around chelsea. or should i say hobbled, as d had hurt himself in the last minute of the game, twisting his ankle as he scored a goal. still, he scored. Incredible it wasn't me (but wait... in my wednesday 7.30am game(!), i think i cracked a rib... but that's another story. needless to say, laughing isn't much fun these days - i prefer grumpy instead).

anyway, I schlepped poor d around various galleries in chelsea, ignoring his agony, and it's one of those places which, every time I go, is truly mind-boggling... you just have to ask, is there too much art in the world!? Not that we saw much that was crap - instead, some truly spectacular shows, two faves were simon evans island time at james cohen gallery and itamar jobani wounded topographies at andrea meislin gallery. we also loved this building:

later in the week we went to MAD on the 'pay as much as you want' night - gotta love those nights - and saw some spectacular work on display, and a most fabulous building.

and i'm branching out from academia and joining the art world... i've talked to a gallery that d has made connections with (through NZ contacts), and their upcoming show is on plastic/cosmetic surgery. I'm doing a talk associated with the show. That's in April, and will be interesting.

i've got a crazy month of travel... on monday I head to Nebraska for 3 days, to do talks. i've never been to landlocked parts of the USA, it's kinda scary... Then the next week I head up to a waterlocked part, Rhode Island, for a conference. And not much more than a week later, during which time Simon comes to visit, I am off to Arizona for a conference. D's gonna come too, and we're gonna go hiking in the desert national parks. cannot wait. Wilderness!

before I sign off, one more addition to my earlier comments about dogs: the monumental dog walker of prospect park... well, that's what I'm calling him. d saw him one morning with 17 dogs! a few days later, we both encountered him, with 16. So many that they kinda pull him along on a half jog half walk until they get to their 'off the leash' spot. apparently they all know the drill (a fixed routine it seems), but blimey, that's a lotta poo to pick up! here he is:

that's all from me for now

ciao

A whirlwind weekend...

highpoints:
- sunshine (lots and lots of it!)
- soccer. we play on astroturf which is apparently carcinogenic, the homeless people apparently piss on it, and the 'blades' of the turf coat everything you're wearing. our fab new soccer ball (chrissy pressent from my bro) is now black instead of white. but we're not complaining, it's so good to be playing again, even though on 1/4 size fields.
- free stuff: free chocolates being given out yesterday (they go SO mental for 'valentines day' here, we heard yesterday morning that the average person was planning to spend US$105 each on valentines day. recession!?!?!); free samples at the very 'nice' (and far too expensive for us) foodmarket close to us; free onitsuka tiger sneakers in my size (white with blue and red detailing) on the side of the road (you can put anything out on the side of the road, except fridges unless the doors are removed);
- free entry to museums on friday nights - this week, the Guggenheim. Last week, MOMA. A few weeks back, the Whitney (though others having also discovered it means they are crowded!).
- The Queens Museum of Art - we went today for a fantastic survey of contemporary queens artists, and they have the most incredible massive 3d model of the 5 boroughs of NY, to scale, with every building represented (planes even fly in and out of La Guardia). it's in the centre of the museum and you walk around the outside. incredible. I could see my office building; we could nearly see our house! the QMA is on the site of the 1939 and 1964 New York World Fairs and some of the amazing structures they built then are still there...
- A really fantastic show of contemporary Indian and Pakistani art at the Phillips de Pury Gallery & Auction House.
- Clap your hands and say yeah at BAM (though the support act was somewhat muddled, discordant, immature and tryhard - ow we're harsh!)
- and to show life's not all fun and games that we wouldn't have back home, watching a few episodes of 'The Wire' which we totally missed previously.

lowpoints:
- works on the subway lines, meaning they don't run - but this hopefully becomes a highpoint in the future, when they run even better than usual...
- pain after soccer (ow!)
- not enough hours in the day

Anyway, since this blog has thus far been pictureless, here are a few snaps of NYC:

First up, prospect park lake, frozen solid in the first big freeze:

Prosepct park after the big snow dumping a week or so back:

Oh and look, more prospect park, in the snow. You might get the idea that we actually like the place...

Oh those dastardly squirrels move fast when you're trying to photograph them (believe it or not, this one is actually in central park):

Oh and this one has neither snow, nor ice, not animals (except there are squirrels in the huts.). No, this is not the latest in temporary housing for those former traders at Lehman Brothers, it's an art installation in Madison Square Park:

right, that's all for now

over and out...

reasons to heart NYC, version 1

ok, so we're utterly loving this crazy town... so here's a random list, kinda organised, as to things we're loving at the moment:


first up, urban wildlife

• squirrels. god they're cute, and so entertaining. i know they exist elsewhere, but they look remarkably healthy here, and there are black and grey ones. and there's so many of them. and they're still out and about in winter (perhaps they have central heating too). the other day we watched about 7 racing around, chasing each other through the trees in the gardens behind our apartment.
• raccoons. we saw our first one today, as we were running around the fab Prospect Park this morning... it squeezed itself into a tiny hole but we saw the glint of its mad eye (actually we loved it most because it was a good excuse to have a break in the run!).
• all things dogs... how many dogs are there in this town? lots! one calculation suggested 283,000 in Manhattan alone (for those whose NYC geographical knowledge is limited, the city is made up of 5 boroughs on 3 islands and the mainland: Manhattan (the island, central), the Bronx (to the north, mainland), Queens (to the east, on Long Island), Brooklyn (to the south east, also on Long Island), and Staten Island (to the south). For the savvy among you, to the west is New Jersey.). Anyway, there are dogs everywhere! Prospect Park bleeds them from every corner; Central Park is awash with them; dog walking is a time-honoured profession, mingling dogs of all shapes and sizes. and the 'breeds'. last night we met a 'schnoodle' (a cross between a schauzer and a poodle). cuter than the 'labradoodle' but who chooses the names? why not pauzer? or poodador? and since when did a mix of two breeds suddenly get to be its own breed? and this glut of dogs naturally breeds a wild diversity of doggie accessories - of special mention, the doggie winter coat. This season's stylish pooch naturally comes with 'legs' and a cat-fur collar (kidding about that of course).
  

next up, food

• portions so big you can share a meal (good for people being paid in NZ$, as the currency continues to hover around the 1:2 rate).
• bagels... god they're good. i'm doing my bit to try all the 'best' ones, but can't really go past the pumpernickel flavour. I should, in the interest of spreading the love, but I feel a true scientist should hold some factor consistent (the variety) while varying another (the producer). So I've been chowing down on pumpernickel bagels from some of most highly rated places all over this town. so far I haven't had a single one I haven't liked, which suggests I'm not much of a connoisseur. One place, Ess-a-bagel seems to produce a cult following: we met a New Yorker working in the fab Goorin hat shop in San Francisco, and he said told us that when coming home to NYC for Christmas, he was going first to Ess-a-bagel and then to visit his brother and newly born first child... priorities. it was bloody good though. d is more in favour of the poppyseed, so we're not entirely shunning the rest of the bagel range.
• pizza. pizza by the slice. well we haven't been very picky here, haven't visited the places that get the raves, but still there have been some delights. like the delicious ricotta & tomato slice from the pizza place just out of our local subway stop.
• pretzels... smokey bready goodness in a (salty - not so keen on that) knot. what's not to love.
• artisanal bakeries, creating all kind of sweet delights - it's not Paris, but oh boy they are good. we haven't yet been tempted by the famous NY cupcake (they're so crowded with iceing) but i'm loving what i'll call 'pumpkin kisses' (think ginger kisses but with a pumpkin spiced cookie...), but which they apparently call 'whoopie pies' (as Rove would say, what the...?). Anyway, delightful from one girl cookies - see them featured on their homepage. and their homemade marshmallow is to die for, too.
• and the sweet note continues for the last but very definitely not least food item: doughnut plant, creating heaven in a yeasty bun... my fave: creme brulee doughnut (small round bun, filled with thick vanilla 'cream' and a crisp caramelised sugar crust on top). NOT one to be shared, as they're on the small side (unfortunately).

finally, today, winter

• snow! no more need be said. but preferably dry and powdery and all over the parks.
• sunshine - delightful clear crisp cold winter days with sky so blue it almost hurts.
• central heating & double glazing. i know i should be hating the winter (who hasn't me moan about being cold, like, all the time!), cos it's so cold here, but this is the best winter I have ever experienced... i'm just so, well, warm!! really. the central heating and double glazing here are incredible. i know it's probably destroying the planet, and do feel somewhat guilty, but and it creates an inner core of warmth that persists for ages when venturing outside, and makes all the difference.

so those a few of the things we're loving... there are far more to come. of course there's the odd thing that isn't great - there will be some on that in the future, i'm sure. but all in all, well, what's not to love?

We're off tonight to see Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at BAM (the Brooklyn Academy of Music); when we were about to leave NZ, d said this would be the one band he really wanted to see in NY, and here they are, playing at a local venue, at a price we can afford, as part of a week long 'sounds like Brooklyn' festival. affordability can't be said for all the music! The Killers were playing earlier in the year at Madison Square Gardens and the cheapest tickets were over $200US!! Needless to say, we didn't go. Next week we're going to see A Winter's Tale, also at BAM, directed by Sam Mendes, in a US-UK co-production, with Ethan Hawke and Rebecca Hall (recently seen in Frost/Nixon and Vicky Christina Barcelona) among others...

We're making up for missing summer!

the bbq bit...

or, not one for the vegetarians or vegans among you! Consider yourselves forewarned, this is a bit of a homage to eating meat.

so even from blog 1 the bagel bit is pretty obvious, as is brooklyn , but 'bbq'...? I can see the furrowed brows from here... I know you're dying of curiosity!

Apart from the pure pleasure an instance of alliteration can bring, 'bbq' signals both my general interest in all the gastronomic pleasures to be found in this fine city (well the ones I can afford), and invokes the true delights of the bbq meal - as embodied in the most marvelous bbq place we've discovered... fette sau (http://www.fettesaubbq.com/)! mmmmm.

situated in the still-so-hip williamsburg, fette sau is one of those places you wish for in your own home town - we'll miss it when we come home. a bar and an eating joint, on any given night they serve about 6 different kinds of bbqed pork and beef - all organic. you order by weight and type, they slice it up off the slabs kept hot under lights in a glass counter, weigh it, slap it on a paper sheet on a tray, add whatever sides you've ordered (e.g., potato salad), and the complimentary bread buns that appear identical to, and taste as truly bland and awful as, a KFC bun (weirdly out of place among the quality of the meat) and away you go. off to find your seat on the long wooden picnic style tables.

The interior is fantastic - think renovated urban-industrial, illustrated on one wall with cuts of meat, in that old-fashioned butchers chart kind of style. the bar stools are old metal tractor seats; the handles to pull the beers are long knives and meat tenderisers, blades and all. one sees the potential for a nasty accident after one pint too many, but given this is 'the land of the sue', i'm sure all safety angles have been covered. beer is served in jam jars - this isn't 'haute cuisine' here, or silver service. it's warm, loud and social, and a fab night out.

The only downside? unfortunately there is one, but it might be particular to me... so you arrive and join the cue to order, having decided, based on previous experience, that, 'we'll get a 1/2 lb of X and a 1/4 lb of Y, and one side' , which should more than easily fill two people... but then you get to the glass counter, see the options, have a truly libran 'i can't decide and i want to taste it all' moment, and all common sense flies right out the window... you end up ordering a 1/2 lb of this, a 1/4 lb of that, another 1/4 lb of that, two-three sides, and probably more, and before you know it, you've eaten so much you can barely move. there are, of course, worse downsides, and it's nothing that a good hour of walking around williamsburg won't fix, after all. However, this option's not so fun at -6 with the pavements covered in ice. slipping and sliding around williamsburg, complaining of the cold is perhaps a more accurate account.

so there's the bbq...

snow, and then some

hello

so we moved to brooklyn a month or so ago, leaving the start of what has turned out to be a stonking summer, to immerse ourselves in the depths of nyc's winter. and then we left for 3 1/2 weeks in england (holland, for d) and germany. we're exhausted but very happy to be 'home,' despite a great trip. it's snowed all day, and there's more due tomorrow - the world is white again, and I am very happy. I improved my long subway ride to work by getting out at 57th st and walking the length of central park - this is going to be a regular feature of my commute. it takes about 45 minutes at a quite leisurely pace. The few other souls crazy enough to be out there this morning emerged from the whiteness occasionally, but the park was mostly populated by the squirrels, clearly mad for the snow! like me, really, but somewhat more adapted to it, what with the fur 'n all. so cute! the lakes and reservoir in the park are frozen, and the new snow was collecting across the ice, covering water as well as land. I read this morning that there are 58 miles of walking tracks in central park, and i aim to walk as many of those miles as possible before we leave.

the flight back from germany was on a very cramped lufthansa 747, with a pilot who must, i think, have a somewhat macabre sense of humour: as we're about to depart, when the captain does their little introductory speech, ours announced that the flight is bound for 'the hudson river'. given that we were actually heading to JFK, which is not on the hudson, I could only hope he didn't intend to emulate the incredible feat of the pilot of US Airways flight 1549! Fortunately the air traffic controllers had other ideas, and we landed safely at JFK, getting home after a leg of the journey that involved 3 trains, 1 flight, 1 airtrain, 1 subway, and 1 unfortunately rather long walk with heavy packs - winter travel does not invite travelling light, for those of us who struggle with the concept to begin with!

anyway, back to brooklyn, and back to bagels. hooray. today's bagel consumption: a pumpernickel bagel from terrace bagels (http://www.yelp.com/biz/terrace-bagels-brooklyn), with a boiled egg. absolutely delightful!

over and out...