john turturro, david byrne and other adventures

Well, we were sitting on the stoop (aka front steps) the other day (memorial day, a public holiday to remember the war dead), waiting for a car service (aka taxi) to come to take us to a memorial day bbq we'd been invited to, and who should walk past, with (presumably) partner and kid, but the fabulous actor John Turturro, having just been shopping at the wonderful Union Market, just below our house. Well I didn't stare (although I did subtly signal to D to have a look - he did notice my small gesture!), and he seems to be one of those actors who look better in real life than they do in films... Clive Owen, who I walked past in SoHo (London) last year is another. Can't be said for everyone.

D's parents visited for two weeks from May 20, and life was all action stations. We wore them out with a full tourist itinerary, and it was great! Them being here gave David, in particular, a chance to do lots of touristy things he hadn't done in NY (I mostly worked over those times, having done most before), but we just also took them to neighbourhoods and places they would never go if they were here by themselves as travellers.

On one of their last evenings in New York, they got serenaded in the subway, by a guy with a guitar and a wonderful voice - and he wasn't even looking for money. He chose a song, quite coincidentally (or not?), which was personally meaningful to them. It was really lovely. We also went to see Joe Turner's Come and Gone, a play written as part of a series of plays dealing with black experience in different decades. it was fab, and the play Barack and Michelle Obama went to see on their Broadway date. Good taste, us! quite presidential...

With that visit, they are practically NYC natives. But we did a 5 day road trip as well, as part of their visit (in a bright red Dodge Charger - my grandfather had a charger in the 80s, though it wasn't red and was only 2-door). We set out up the Hudson valley; first stop DIA: Beacon for the most wonderful fabulous art experience. Situated on the edge of the Hudson in a 120,000 square foot ex-box factory, the space and building were incredible; the art was also exceptional. After many hours there, we set off again and stopped for a late lunch at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America - where the 'top chefs' in this country are apparently trained). Set in the most ornate grounds, it was an experience... We weren't able to eat at the restaurants ('country club casual attire at a minimum, no jeans and sneakers thanks - well that took D & me out!), but the cafe was great. We completed the day with dinner in Woodstock - where hippie residue remains (although the festival didn't actually happen there), but is kinda quaint and cute!

We ended the day in the state capital, Albany, and slept in a cheap motel opposite SUNY-Albany, a campus with integrated architectural design that looks somewhat Islamic. Really stunningly beautiful!
We didn't spend much time in Albany, only enough to wander around the Rockefeller Empire State Plaza, a really quite stunning plaza integrating water, art and a range of buildings, which seems despised as much as I loved it. They have an 'egg' performance art space, but overwhelmingly it is dominated by (apparently) brutalist architecture, and has the feel of the grand communist architecture...
I loved it completely, although D's dad, the engineer, inspected one of the buildings and decided it had cancer. oops! Randomly, I happened upon an Aussie colleague there - weird!

We then went to the Adirondacks, the largest state park in the US. On the way, we visited a small (tourist) town which happened to have an Elvis impersonator event on... there were crowds... and fans!
That sure is some dedication! We didn't dawdle, however, as hoards and hoards of bikers were arriving for a week-long motorbike festival starting a few days later. We stayed in a really cute B&B with a very knowledgeable host, in a region called Indian Lake. The supposed Moose capital of the state/region, and it certainly was moose-terrain... but still, no moose were seen (Bill, our B&B host, had only ever seen 2!). The closest we got to Moose were signs,
and Moose heads on the wall at a lodge we ate in one night near Indian Lake (they sure love shooting and stuffing things up there), and dinner in the Moosewood restaurant (yes, that moosewood!) in Ithaca a night later, In fact, the natural wildlife was remarkably absent in all the up-state rurality... While we most of the time drove through forests, nada on the animal front. Crazy. We saw a few deer (in towns) and one fox on the side of the road (and a few dead porcupine on the road), but that was it. Even the birds were underwhelming. Not impressed. More wildlife is seen regularly in Prospect Park. And there we have found animals cuter than squirrels! What could possibly be, you may ask, and the answer would be: Chipmunks! oh my god they are so cute:
David and I climbed Blue Mountain in the Adirondacks, but they're not really proper mountains (3700+ feet, and wooded), that was fun... we completed the road trip with a night in Ithaca, home of Cornell University all old stone buildings as befits its Ivy League status, and then a wonderful IM Pei designed art gallery. quite stunning...
So, the trip with Di's parents was wonderful, and then back to NYC, and life resumes normality... It's been hot hot hot, but other days, bloody cold! And May 31 - it snowed! not once, but twice! (admittedly this was in the Adirondacks, but we were only about 1000ft above sea level). Who would have thought the puffer jacket would be out again, after we were sweltering in 30+C temps the week before.

We've been starting to (sadly) prepare for our trip home, but routines continue. This morning on our weekly dog-oggle (ie visit to prospect park when the pooches are off the leash before 9am, weekends) there were literally 100s and 100s.
craziness. best viewing: a Rastafarian man with 3 dreaded dogs (same breed) - long dreads, it actually looked cruel, with all the weight they must be carrying. Quite the image, nonetheless.

Anyway, to end on a 'high note' - last night we went to a free David Byrne concert in Prospect Park, as the first event in the summer 'celebrate Brooklyn' festival. It really was fantastic. Of course, there are loads of clips on youtube - here's one from one of their three encores... And today we visited two events that simply require superlatives... the first, the opening of 'the highline', the start of an elevated garden/walkway/park that weaves up the west coast of lower Manhattan. It's an old abandoned railway that has been restored... and it's spectacular - we walked the first half mile. the second, a show called 'anthropodino' - a sensory interactional art experience. The pictures do it justice, but you miss the smells from the suspended bulbs of spices. my favourite was the ginger, I wanted to immediately make and eat ginger crunch! But I satisfied myself with 'to die for' salt caramels from Nunu chocolates. They're a small local Brooklyn chocolatier, and boy are they good. The other eating experience of note were arepas from Caracas Arepa Bar, a tiny Venezuelan place in the East Village. Corn pockets filled with deliciousness. On that note, I'll have to stop raving about the food...

rolling-over and out!

live long, and prosper...

Well the crazy mix of weather continues here - hot some days, cold the next. A range of flowers. The blossoms of the cherry trees fell as quickly as they arrived - it was all pink snow for a while (far nicer than yellow snow, that's for sure!)
and within mere minutes, it seemed, the vast green of spring arrived, and the city is transformed... In the spirit of all this nature, last weekend D and I set out early as intrepid explorers, off up the Hudson River to a place called Cold Creek to go and hike (aka tramp) a place called 'breakneck ridge'. we left home early, on the Q (the best subway line when working properly, home to central park in just over 1/2 hour!)
Well it wasn't that early (7.30 or something), and it wasn't as deserted as this. But we had on hiking boots, backpacks etc... all kitted up for our BIG DAY OUT. Except when crossing the Manhattan bridge, we looked out the window and saw the reality of the day:
(Nb this view isn't from the Manhattan Bridge!) At that point I suggested we abandon, and so we opted for an urban hike instead - getting off at Canal St, and hiking home, first stopping for Doughnut plant sustenance, over the splendid Manhattan Bridge, and all through Brooklyn. The bridge afforded some wonderful views of the local flora and fauna:
and great views across the city. Now, NYC is not exactly a city without diversity. In fact, it's easily one of the most diverse places I've ever been. And in terms of style, you see anything and everything, from the most conservative to the most 'out there' you can imagine! But despite this, we got more than a handful of 'looks' at our get-up on our 3 hr hike.

We made the most of change of plans by attending a 'block party' - put on by Habana Outpost, a great little 'eco eatery' place (Cuban, of course) I've blogged about before - that afternoon. Think grilled corn and fresh coconut juice... mmmm! DJs and a large crowd bursting out onto the street, all presided over by a stylish and fabulous NYC cop - called Hippolyte:
And the day finished perfectly, with the STAR TREK movie. fab!

Sunday we visited the absolutely wonderful Nogouchi Museum, a museum displaying the artist's work in his former studio space. It's right by the East River in Queens, and is wonderful and restful. We then went to a outdoor sculpture park, Socrates, where a new exhibition (State Fair) was opening, that David had worked on. Freezing! The Nogouchi is definitely worth a visit for anyone interested in sculpture!

Anyway, that was our art and hiking weekend, and the week itself was a blur of work... until Friday, which was tramping take 2... we set off at 6.30am, caught the Q to the wonder that is Grand Central Station, and then the Metro North train up the Hudson (fantastic views of the river, West Point Military Academy, the Indian Point nuclear power station) to the quaint historic 'town' of Cold Spring. Desperate for a loo (the town's public one's being shut!), we popped into the first cafe we saw, and the very friendly waitress convinced us to try some 'breakfast' (for us it was to be a second - aka hobbit' breakfast. D decided he wanted 'french toast' and she said 'share it, it's big... and it was:
It turned out to be the best breakfast we have had in the US (and probably the cheapest!), five thick slabs of 'Italian' bread, soaked and fried, oodles of fruit, and 'maple syrup (probably high fructose corn syrup)... and even between us we couldn't finish it! Laden down by that, we set off up 'main street' for what turned out to be a nearly 6-hour hike, through stunning forest, with wonderful views when we broke out into the odd ridge/peak:
It was hot and humid as hell, and we spent any bit of the tramp that involved an uphill slope absolutely drenched... glistening, one might say. As we were close to finishing, we crossed a little creek, and both of us used it as a time to splash and refresh. Walking on about 100m further, we realised we'd lost the track markers, and although there was an obvious track, it wasn't clear, so we backtracked to the last marker we could find... this was just over the other side of the creek. I was walking ahead of D, and just as we came to the creek I looked down to where I was about to step, and, suddenly, in very unlike me behaviour, screamed and jumped backwards... now why such crazy behaviour, you may ask!? Only the thing I have feared the most... continue to fear the most... a SNAKE!!! right there, barely inches away from my booted foot... black and slithery, about 4-5 foot long. It freaked me out, I was a shaking mess for about 20 minutes, resolved only by chocolate consumption!

D, on the other hand, was more excited than is humanly sensible. He'd spent the whole of our Arizona trip hoping to see a snake, and so instead of paying attention to my psychological trauma, grabbed the camera and spent 20 minutes photographing the thing... which crossed the creek: and continued on its merry way. Here's a close-up of the horrid thing.With a bit of research, I ascertained that it's probably a black rat snake, which is a constrictor. So I was probably never in mortal danger, but I can't even look at the photos without shivering.

Back to NY on the train, we stupidly chose a carriage without air-con, and boy was it ghastly...

Some great meals with friends on Friday and Saturday nights, and a good walk through Green-Wood cemetery today, about 25 blocks south of us. When it was first opened, it was the largest park in NYC, and the inspiration to create Central Park in Manhattan, apparently. It's home to the highest point in Brooklyn (220 ft above sea level, this not being a mountainous region), which was the site of the 'battle of Brooklyn' - the first battle between the 'united colonies' and the British, in what would be come the battle for independence. The British, with 20,000 seasoned troops roundly routed the (to become) 9000 unseasoned United Statesians (a more politically-on term than Americans, given that this whole continent, north and south, is 'America'!) led by one soon to be very famous George Washington. Apparently it's a bit of forgotten military history (as they said, probably because the US lost!). Great views of Manhattan. The cemetery is apparently also a (one hopes former!) site of Mafia killings, given that it's always very quiet. Luckily none were in progress today, or certainly none where I was walking. phew! Home after an absolutely scrumptious barbacoa huarache at the Guerrero Food Centre. Now that's one I'm going to have to go and enjoy a few more times before I leave.

On that note, my flights to the UK have been booked, and it means that the cold hard truth of leaving NYC has hit me. less than 4 weeks and I'll be bidding this fine city farewell. D, on the other hand, gets two weeks longer. To say I am envious doesn't half describe it.

with that note, since it's now Monday morning, sleep has to take priority. Even in the city which never sleeps. textbooks to not write themselves on no sleep, unfortunately. So, for now, live long and prosper!

ramps...

a ps to the last entry... I discovered an entirely new food on Friday night. Ramps! Most popular in West Virginia, they are a wild leek native to the north east of the US, and taste like a cross between onions and strong garlic, so 'they' say. We tried some pickled at Motorino - delicious - but didn't get the dish they came in. When we asked locals, they were met with such enthusiasm, that when we found them at the co-op we had to buy a handful. Quite the most expensive vegetable in the place, at US$9.95/LB (that's about NZ$40/kilo!), we went for a small sample. quickly pan-fried with a sprinkling of salt, pepper, lemon and chili, they were delicious! when you cook the leaves they puff up and look like they're alive. freaky!
definitely some seeds to smuggle back into NZ
(kidding!! before you reel in horror and tell me off)

viva!

Well, the so-called swine flu epidemic/panic seems to be happening in another universe. Soccer was cancelled this afternoon - not because of an ostensible flu pandemic, but because it's been raining all day, and so, to defy the rumours we heard that people are eating less Mexican, we went this afternoon to Sunset Park (kinda the suburb of Brooklyn south of Park Slope where we live), which is a very Mexican neighbourhood. We ate some delicious tacos and tamales at a place called Tacos Matamoros; particularly delightful were the tamales, which I suspect I am quite now addicted to - this wasn't my first encounter! I'm even pondering where I can get the dried corn husks and meal at home to make them-quite seriously. Never fear, the love of bagels, BBQ, burritos (and pizza) has not disappeared, but another food 'group' has been added to the repertoire.
Speaking of pizza, had some damn fine specimens at a newish place in Williamsburg called Motorino, which won TimeOutNY's 2009 Food Award for 'best new artisanal pie' (pie in their crazy lingo here being a pizza - as opposed to a slice!) . Boy were they good. (Surprisingly, being in NYC is learning me that I have a bad case of potty mouth, gosh and darn and BEEP... so am attempting to adapt to their clean-cut ways! Maybe all those beep-outs of swear words really do have an effect!?)
We also discovered a really great new cafe/bar this morning on an early walk (exercise and breakfast, what a perfect combination!), a place called Prime Meats, by the same people who do the great Cafe Pedlar, visited last weekend. It uses apparently the best coffee beans in NYC (Stumptown, roasted in Portland, OR), and is delightful because the inside is decorated much as it would have been quite a few decades prior. Great mags, no art on the walls, and delicious Olive Oil Cake and Stout Cake for breakfast - an all-round top notch cafe experience!
But it's not all about food. The spring continues to delight... this is a couple of blocks from our place:
And the tulips in this city really are spectacular. Here's some from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which is about 15 minute's walk from here.
Apparently the Dutch donated something like a million tulips to NYC after Sept 11. They certainly have a connection to this city (you see it so often in the names: Harlem [and Harlem Meer], Amsterdam Ave, Spuyten Duyvil, which is also a very nice bar in Williamsburg), and even nicknamed one of the tulips the Manhattan. The parks are full of them, and so many varieties. Spectacular.
This week has also seen the pivotal moment in the blossoming of the cherry trees. I went on Tuesday and read data under one in the Botanic Garden. Simply quite spectacular.
Unfortunately a million other people had had the same thought, but there you go. You're not allowed blankets/rugs/anything to sit on, because it kills the grass. I got told off - they have 'guards' walking around for just such rebels! In 1912, Japan donated 1000s of cherry trees to NYC. The botanic gardens this weekend celebrated Sakura Matsuri (the rite of spring) with a big festival we didn't get to. But we did get to the Brooklyn Museum, finally! Right by the botanic garden, we hadn't got there either. Last night we went to an 'First Saturdays' evening. Each month, they open on the first Saturday from 5-11pm and have music, talks, shows, movies, and a 'dance party' in this huge central atrium space, from 9-11. We didn't stay that long, but saw a great Brooklyn Latin-ish band, Pistolera, and wandered around the shows. One thing they have on permanent display is Judy Chicago's 'the dinner party'. A hugely influential (and not un-criticised) piece of feminist art that featured in both my PhD, and my teaching since, it was amazing to see it 'in the flesh'. The enormity of it as a piece of art/politics, as a piece of research, and as a piece of craft is quite outstanding. I wondered what other 100s of people viewing it thought! It's part of a feminist art collection the Museum has.
Other than that, we're planning a slight change to our trip home - a visit to Marfa, Texas, instead of LA, but will still be home at the same time (Sunday morning, in time to have a break and then enjoy Sunday afternoon soccer!)
That's enough for me - pesto to make, books to read, that sort of thing...
adios!