A few months ago, I visited an Allen Ginsberg photography exhibit at NYU. Today I celebrated what he’s best known for – his mammoth poem, Howl. The poem, which paints a vivid picture of the perversity, hubbub and loneliness of a grimy New York, is being appreciated at Tompkins Square Park all weekend at a Howl Festival. Tonight, …
Read MoreArchive / May 2013
May 30, 2013
…watched a Chekhov play in Central Park
Since the start of the year, I’ve not found it too tough to find new things to do after work every day. But now that summer’s pretty much here, I feel like there are even more options thanks to the dry, warm, light evenings. Tonight I took advantage of one such summer option – a free Chekhov …
Read MoreMay 29, 2013
…saw Manhattanhenge
Finally! The sun is back. And tonight New Yorkers saw it on show in Manhattanhenge. Manhattanhenge is a beautiful phenomenon that occurs twice a year. It’s the moment the sun aligns perfectly with the city’s grid as it sets. If you stand on one of the wider blocks and look west towards New Jersey, you can see …
Read MoreMay 28, 2013
…joined a New York library
It rained today. Not good rain – manky, sideways, soggy rain that seeped into my shoes and left me wanting to hide inside. It also washed my after-work event right off the calendar so I was left wondering what to do. Then I realised it was the perfect day to complete something I’ve been vowing …
Read MoreMay 27, 2013
…paid tribute to fallen soldiers in Battery Park
After listening to Obama’s Memorial Day speech today, I realised he was right: Many people in this country – including me – are so distanced from war that it’s easy to forget we’re in one. Regardless of our politics or pacifism, we really need to remember how people are still dying in battle – and …
Read MoreMay 26, 2013
…visited the Whitney Museum (and Edward Hopper’s house)
For many of these new things, I feel like I’m in a rush. But this morning when I woke up groggy from last night’s karaoke fest, I had a glorious realisation: For the first time in many months, I had nothing to do and nowhere to be. It meant that when I scooted up to the …
Read MoreMay 25, 2013
…had lunch in Jersey City
Today was crammed with lots of activities – walking across the Williamsburg Bridge, a brilliant movie, terrible karaoke – and thankfully I was ready for it all after a delicious lunch in Jersey City. I go to Brooklyn a couple of times a week, but I’ve not ventured in the other direction – heading east across the …
Read MoreMay 24, 2013
…noshed a knish
Last summer, I discovered I’m allergic to blueberries. Today, I stupidly decided to test whether I still am – and I learned that I really, really am. After a painful day at work, some moaning, groaning and a nap, I woke up famished. I needed something comforting but reasonably bland. I needed a knish. I’ve never had a knish before, …
Read MoreMay 23, 2013
…watched a play directed by a friend
Tonight I went to see WHITE HOT, a play written by Tommy Smith and, even more importantly, directed by my friend Courtney. I haven’t seen Courtney in months – which is both bad (I love her) and good (she’s doing lots of great things) – so I thought I’d go and check out what’s been …
Read MoreMay 22, 2013
…booed at the Apollo Theater
It’s been a manic week at work, so tonight’s activity gave me the chance to blow off some steam. There were lots of new things involved: A trip to Harlem, a visit to the famed Apollo Theater and most importantly my first experience of openly – and very overtly – booing (and meaning it). I headed …
Read MoreMay 21, 2013
…saw the world’s biggest crochet
Well, it appears that I can’t tell the time, so I missed a poetry event I had planned tonight. Thankfully this is New York and there is always plenty of last-minute – and free – stuff going on. I jumped on the Q to Madison Square Park to see their latest outdoor art exhibit, Red, Yellow and …
Read MoreMay 20, 2013
…peed in the middle of a restaurant
Okay, this isn’t exactly how it sounds. I did relieve myself in the middle of a restaurant, but it was in a restroom and there were walls around it. They just happened to be glass. I met John and Paul at the appropriately named Peep, a Thai restaurant on Prince Street that for some reason …
Read MoreMay 19, 2013
…walked through Central Park with 30,000 people
It’s about time I did something good, so today I battled the rain and took part in the city’s AIDS Walk – an annual event where thousands of participants power through Central Park to raise money for HIV/AIDS awareness, services and treatment. I was supposed to take part with a friend (who shall remain nameless) but after …
Read MoreMay 18, 2013
…danced in Tompkins Square Park
I’d planned to watch the city’s 7th annual dance parade today, but somehow my Saturday boozing got a little out of hand. Thankfully, said boozing was taking place just a stone’s throw away from Tompkins Square Park, where the dancers congregated after taking to the streets. It meant that I did even better than just watching them …
Read MoreMay 17, 2013
…sailed around the tip of Manhattan
I’ve been on some good adventures since starting this blog – flying over Manhattan in a helicopter, climbing volcanoes, battling a mechanical bull for a whole 40 seconds – but today’s new thing just might have topped them all. Tonight, Noah and I boarded the Shearwater – a rustic 82-foot schooner – and sailed around the southern …
Read MoreMay 16, 2013
…went to Hooters
I’ve been to the top of the Empire State Building, hollered at a baseball game and eaten my bodyweight in nachos while watching the Super Bowl. But there’s one American tradition that I’d avoided until tonight: Hooters. Elektra and I decided to pay a visit after walking past the chain’s New York spot in Midtown West last …
Read MoreMay 15, 2013
…watched the sun set over the Jackie O Reservoir
Tonight after work, Meghan, Snejana and I popped across the road to Papatzul to fill up on frozen Margaritas and sopes. When we stumbled out an hour or so later, my belly was full – and I desperately needed to walk it off. I decided to head to Jackie Kennedy Onassis Reservoir – an 106-acre, decommissioned …
Read MoreMay 14, 2013
…visited Bluth’s Banana Stand
A few weeks ago, I was looking for a show on Netflix that I could put on in the background as I got ready, or if I just needed a brief distraction. Arrested Development popped up as a suggestion, so I went for it – unaware that a few weeks on I’d be a serious addict. I …
Read MoreMay 13, 2013
…went to Madison Square Eats
‘Tis the season for outdoor food markets and because I’ve obviously not done enough food posts recently, after work I headed to Madison Square Eats – a snug food market opposite the Flatiron building. I’d never heard of the market until Meghan, who lives close to the park, told me about it – and promised me there …
Read MoreMay 12, 2013
…took an archery class
Today Noah and I headed to Brooklyn Heights to make good on a Groupon I’d nabbed a few months ago – an archery class for two. I booked us in for a beginners slot – because, well, I’m a beginner, and also because Noah had been pretty modest about his archery skills until this morning. …
Read MoreMay 11, 2013
…fell in love with Japanese desserts
Today’s torrential rain cancelled a tour I had planned and left me craving some comfort. I decided to head to Minamoto Kitchoan, a Japanese bakery by the Rockefeller Center that I’d spotted on my way to the Easter Parade, and which I’d been saving for a rainy day. The store was ridiculously serene and lined …
Read MoreMay 10, 2013
…saw the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere
Today One World Trade Center was fitted with its spire, making it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere at a ridiculous 1,776 feet – an allusion to the year the US signed the Declaration of Independence. I was looking through pictures at work this morning and felt inspired to go and have a peek myself. …
Read MoreMay 9, 2013
…rode a mechanical bull
I’ve drunk far too many frozen Margaritas to make sense at this point. Or maybe it’s concussion – because tonight I rode a mechanical bull. With a group of work friends, I headed to Johnny Utah’s – a grimy Midtown spot famous for its bull – and eventually convinced two of the others, James and …
Read MoreMay 8, 2013
…went to the New York City Ballet
Due to the rain earlier today, my event for tonight was cancelled. But in a sign of how great New York is at accommodating boredom, within moments I’d booked a ticket to the ballet at the Lincoln Center – for a sweet $22. However, I inadvertently bought a ticket for the black tie gala night …
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