On Film

There are little orange signs all over the area today - because they are filming a movie!

When we got back on Sunday night (really, Monday morning), we saw signs for something called "Date Night." I knew nothing about it, didn't know they had been filming around the city, didn't know who was in it, and for whatever reason, didn't look it up. I think it's because I see the little signs up all the time, and never see anything. The closest I've gotten is seeing some people hanging out on the street with their equipment when it was supposed to be Gossip Girl, and a cameraman filming a random person walking down the sidewalk when it was supposed to be Fringe. That second time, no one even paid any attention. Maybe it wasn't even the Fringe crew.

I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary near home this morning, except a sign taped to a building explaining that it was a 20th Century Fox movie, that they were setting up all over the area (giving street names) and that they were filming on THAT block. Really? It's not just for the trailers?!

Not so the block near work. That one was covered on both sides with big trucks and trailers. Didn't see anything except the food spread when I left work.

But in Times Square...

It was really crowded on every side of the triangle. The crowd was packed in, and being short, I couldn't see a thing. It was late so I didn't try that hard, but the crowd reminded me of NYE. Ick. But it did look like they were actively filming something with recognizable people. Otherwise, why would all those people be packed in there staring??

I kept walking home, saw a lot of cop cars diagonally parked outside a building like they do outside the police station except there is no police station on the block, and I realize they have changed the exterior of the school into a police precinct. I felt weird trying to take pictures with all the security people and PAs around, and my hands aren't very steady and it was dark, so it would probably just have been blurry anyway.

I looked up the movie and it apparently stars Tina Fey and Steve Carell and a whole bunch of other peole. Now I kind of wish it hadn't been so late and I had tried to get a better look. Or that I were taller. Or that I could tolerate crowds better.

But I wonder - do they like filming in NYC? It's so crowded and there are always so many people just staring and watching. How do you keep anything secret? How do you get around with all those people everywhere? It just seems like a nightmare.

Plazas

To the Mayor (again):

I walked through the pedestrian plazas yesterday and today, just because I was there and they were empty.

Yesterday morning, I took a picture of one block's pedestrian plaza. It was completely empty.

Last night, there were people walking in them but it was very empty and there were more people on the sidewalks.

Midday today, and this is the most activity I could find for you:

I understand that it probably gets crowded on the weekends. Why couldn't we then just do that summer streets thing you did on the east side last year? Why close Broadway all day, all night, if it's not being used, and is just creating a traffic jam?

Why don't you instead concentrate your attention on making real "thru streets" so it doesn't take me over 40 minutes to drive crosstown?

Love,
Crayon

Sick

Feeling sick, yet again. And it's going to be an early morning tomorrow since I need to bring the car in for service, so no chance of "sleeping in." Sigh.

I guess it started when I left work around 9:30 (later than expected). I thought I was just hungry since it was so late, but once I finally was able to eat something, I just started feeling ill. I don't know if it's from the weather changes (70s and sunny over the weekend, 50s and damp today), allergies (so much pollen flying around the park this weekend), no sleep (the usual), catching a 24 hour bug from A, or any of numerous other reasons. Or all of the above.

(By the way, after I left work, I made a point of walking through the "pedestrian plazas" just because I could. They were fairly empty. I think a lot of the tourists are continuing to stick to the sidewalks. The streets make for better pictures, especially since they're wide open, but is that really the reason for doing this? I saw 2 different sections at 2 times of day today, and I can't say I'm impressed with turnout either time...)

Hopefully this sick feeling really can be cured with sleep. Hopefully.

Pedestrian Mall

To the Mayor:

 

I haven't walked around the entire pedestrian mall yet, but is the "mall" from 45th to 46th really necessary?  Just asking since it was completely empty when I passed by this morning.

 

I also still don't understand how closing a major street results in less traffic.  Maybe less cars past the point of merge/closure, but I don't know how it decreases the number of cars on cross-streets and pre-merge.  I was with you on congestion pricing, because I think that would decrease the total number of cars coming into the city because of costs, but how does closing a street reduce the number of overall cars?  Is it supposed to discourage people from driving?  Somehow I think they'll just take another road.

 

I like public space.  I like pedestrian space.  But I'm still not on board with this fantastic pedestrian mall plan you keep raving about.  Maybe you can explain how it really lessens the overall number of cars in the area.  I don't see it.

 

Love,

Crayon

To the MTA

To the MTA:

Are you still planning to reduce the number of station agents in your cutbacks for the budget?

I really hope not.

You claim that they're not necessary because people can just use the automated machines to get their Metrocards. This misses the point of the agents. The agents are there to help people when machines cannot. Can machines give directions if someone can't read the subway map? No. Can machines clearly tell people what routes aren't working if someone can't figure it out after reading the 50 signs in the station about diversions? No.

And most importantly to me today - can machines help when your unlimited card fails? No.

I bought an unlimited metrocard this morning for use today, knowing that I would take at least 4 trips on the subway, and would save at least $0.50 by getting an unlimited card for the day. I used it twice and there was no problem. On the third try (of course, in Times Square where it was busy), it didn't work. It wanted me to swipe over and over in that turnstile. After 20 or more tries I gave up and tried at least 4 other turnstiles but nothing. The station agent thought maybe their turnstiles were the problem, since she confirmed my card was valid and could even tell when it was last used.

We took our trip downtown and out of curiosity, I tried my card again on the way out to see if I would have further problems. Yet again, it didn't work. So I guess it's not the turnstiles! This station agent told me that if I swiped it 20 times at the turnstile the card would fix itself. I told him I did that at the last station but it didn't work. So he tried it and it still didn't work. The solution? Tell the station agent at every station you're at what the problem is and they'll let you in. Could I get a replacement card since I knew I had at least 2 more trips? No. Clearly each of the station agents I spoke to could see I had a valid card. But could a machine determine that and let me through the gate?

Now, MTA, please tell me. If you get rid of station agents, how would I get through with my unlimited card if there is no agent at the station? Yes, it was annoying having to go through my story over and over, but the card was clearly valid and no one could figure out why it was broken. I would have to buy a new card even though I had an unlimited card, and would you reimburse me for that? Somehow I think not.

So how can you get rid of station agents when you need people to evaluate and solve problems like that? How would that work?

Love,
Crayon

Weekend Time

Heading into Memorial Day weekend, a few random notes:

1. I have been so exhausted lately, and I don't understand it. Most days, it feels like the "focus" part of my brain has just vanished, and I don't know what happened to it. What happened? Is this like second-stage burn-out or something?

2. I saw a gorgeous sunset today, made more gorgeous because of the clouds. I love sunsets for their colors, but the clouds made this one. See?

You really need the panorama and large sizes to do it justice, but the stitching isn't so good on my mini-camera panoramas, so I'm not posting those.

3. It's Fleet Week here in NYC and everywhere you look there are men and women in uniform. (I also spend most of my time in midtown, so that's probably why.) I ran past the piers this evening, and the place is locked up like a fortress.

4. I don't think I have ever had "vinegar peppers" until tonight.

5. I ended up walking 1.5 miles at lunch today (round trip) because I either couldn't find the places I was looking for, didn't like the options, or didn't know what I wanted. I ended up going to Zaiya, which is never a bad option, but not where I intended to go!

6. Bryant Park looked wonderful today with the sun shining through the green trees. I love that it was in the 80s today. Summer is really coming!

7. Since it's so warm, it's quite hard to believe that just last week I was wearing a fleece jacket on top of two shirts to go to the food fair. This weather is insane. But just bring on summer! Woohoo!

8. One of these days, I think I'll just sit and watch the sunset instead of only seeing it on my evening runs. Of course, this would require me to be in shape and have the luxury to not have to run at the time. Someday.

9. All afternoon, I had the song that plays on the Cafe Boulud website in my head. I don't know why. Yesterday it was Kris's studio version of "No Boundaries" and today it's some French (I think) song. I don't even speak French!

10. So excited for a 3 day weekend! Even if it's not a full vacation and I have to do some work over it, I'm still excited for an extra day, warm weather and more time!

Post Office

I can't believe the 24/7 post office is really not going to be 24/7 anymore.  I know it's because of the economy, but it's just so sad. 

2008 Recap II

New Years posts, recap part two!

As I mentioned in the previous post, I didn't keep track well enough to figure out my favorite meals or restaurants of 2008, but I can do a restaurant recap of my own. We keep a running list of the restaurants we've been to so I'll pick every 10 restaurants and mention them here as a sampling of the places we've been to this year.

1. 99 Cent Pizza: We live near the 99 cent pizza place by the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel, which ends up in a lot of the cheap eats lists. The pizza is fine, not the best pizza I've ever had, but it's certainly cheaper these days than most pizza!

2. Beach Club: The Beach Club restaurant was the restaurant in our condo-resort in Maui. We had some free dollars to use there as part of our hotel package so we went there for a lunch and a breakfast. Lunch was better than breakfast. It was OK, but I wouldn't have gone there without the free offer.

3. Brooklyn Museum Cafe: We went to the Brooklyn Museum this summer to see the Murakami exhibit and dropped by the cafe for dinner. It wasn't cheap but it was nice getting Asian dishes at a museum cafe. Some of the salads were pretty good.

4. Cantina de San Angel: I believe this cantina is the "quick service" or "counter service" place at the Mexico exhibit at Epcot, and not the sit-down place (which I don't think we visited this time). It was a nice snack that I believe we had on our "tapas" day where we attempted to eat small meals all over the Epcot world showcase. We had some tacos, some Japanese food, etc.

5. Coral Reef: Another Disney spot! I had been to Coral Reef many times with my family before, but the quality had gone down significantly since the last time we were there (10 years ago). It either got worse or my standards got higher, but I think it's mostly the first. I thought it was just OK this time. I would probably pick somewhere else next time.

6. Esca: Esca. Crudo. Delicious. All of the crudo were so good. That's what I remember most. Especially the razor clams. The whole crudo sampler was fantastic. I would definitely go back for that.

7. Hallo Berlin: I love Hallo Berlin. Reminds me of our brief stopover in Germany and our visit to Sachsenhausen. Mmmm.

8. Kodama: Kodama is our local go-to Japanese place. We love everything, especially the potato salad which we get every time.

9. Le Madeleine: This is a sad one. We used to live near Le Madeleine. Then the landlord evicted them. He had been trying to evict them for years, under the pretext of building a condo building. He finally kicked them out earlier this year once the court challenges were over, and a few months later, what ended up in its place? Not construction for a new condo building, not a demolition team, but a NEW French restaurant?! Upsetting. No, we haven't been there. I don't want to hold it against the new owner without knowing whether or not they were part of the mess, but I just don't feel good about this.

10. Mex in the City: JFK airport, pre-Jetblue food court. I like tacos so it was fine, but I can't wait to try the new places!

11. Orchid Caribbean: Orchid is another neighborhood place. We worried earlier this year that they had closed down (like so many other places around here) but it turns out that it was really for good news and they had a baby (according to the sign). I love the food at Orchid and its laid-back vibe. It's like a real break from the city.

12. Popeye's: I like Popeye's but I'm not sure what else needs to be said here. I think we went here in connection with the Superbowl but I'm not sure.

13. Rosa Mexicano: Yummy tableside guacamole. The last time we were there, we ate $42 worth of guacamole. Yes, $42. We like the one in Union Square.

14. Tangierine Cafe: The quick service place at the Morocco showcase at Epcot. This was a great place to stop for lunch (and we made it just before the rush). Couscous, tabouli, good food. Highly recommend for lunch at Epcot.

15. Wing Shing: Why am I always talking about restaurants closing? This place in Brooklyn got DOH-ed (which was bizarre because the inspection just before had been really, really good). Our family used to go here all the time, and I have so many pictures of food here. I'm not sure if it's now reopened but it was closed for awhile.

16. Yum Yum Too (not really 10 later, but last on the list): The latest branch of the Hell's Kitchen Yum Yum chain, we really liked this one. But I think it's now closed for renovations?

There's the recap!

Photos: Golden tofu salad with hijiki and carrots from Brooklyn Museum Cafe; soft tacos from Cantina de San Angel; Japanese potato salad from Kodama; tacos from Mex in the City; platter from Tangierine Cafe.

NYE Snapshots

Some snapshots of New Years Eve in Times Square:


(20-09 glasses)

(happy 2009 from pepsi!)


(people sitting on the curb in times square at 10:30 am - I think they're crazy...)

(ball drop site)

(the crowd at 1:30 pm)

(are they really going to wait there like that for 10.5 more hours?)

(lots of people pushing and shoving just to get into the holding pens to wait like this...)

(more pepsi sponsored new years)

happy new year!!!

Walking

I love it when the weather is nice out. It was in the high 70s both days this weekend, sunny and gorgeous. As a result, yesterday we walked at least 5 miles (hard to measure on the gmaps pedometer when we were walking around non-marked roads in Central Park) and today we walked almost 6.5 miles (Hudson River Park). Add in Kati rolls, Peruvian food, Pinkberry, lots of sunlight and small dogs and nature, and it's been a fabulous Earth Day weekend!