New York City
New Leaf Restaurant in Fort Tryon Park
Inside Fort Tryon Park in Northern Manhattan. Only had drinks at the bar there late one Sunday night. What a great place. The bartender was genial, the vodkas were home infused, the cocktails were a delight. The building itself is quite a charmer. Old beams and bricks from the early... »
La Bonne Soup in Midtown
The Maitr’ D is a good fellow, and knows how to handle a busy night. Our waiter was a little slow, or a little busy. The food was great, and reasonably priced for midtown Manhattan. Get a table on the balcony on a warm night, like we did, and sparks will... »
Looped, or: the Attack of the Gay Play
Looped, the new play about Tallulah Bankhead, ranks among the worst plays I’ve ever seen on Broadway. I saw it in previews. God help us all if its open run makes it to Easter. Nice Tallulah zingers here and there, but they could have left out the rest of the play and just forwarded the... »
Cybert Tire & Car Care – another disappointing mechanic
I was hoping Cybert, on 11th Ave in Manhattan, would finally be the good mechanic I could count on. It’s family owned, been around for years, is not too flashy, yet not too shabby. No such luck. On my first visit, they ripped me off and still didn’t fix the problem. The kicker is, the... »
Net-effective rents in NYC
A recessionary feature of life in NYC: landlords are not lowering their rents, but instead giving the first and last months free. So a crappy studio will still have a listed rental price of $1895; but with two months free, the net-effective rent is: $1 579. Why not just charge $1579 for... »
Parking in Manhattan
If you own a car in Manhattan, or are bringing a car into Manhattan, you might find this useful: http://nyc.bestparking.com/ You cannot live and work in Manhattan, and park on the street. The parking rules and regulations make it impossible. You’d spend all your free time looking for a spot for the following day. You... »
A Very Cozy Bar
A sad update: The Cafe des Artistes has closed, and the Parlor Bar closed with it. The last time I was in the Bar, the owner was sitting next to us, having dinner with his daughter. He was very nice, very friendly, and happy to share a little history. He told us about the night... »
Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them
Playing at the Public Theatre. Hands down the funniest, most timely play I’ve seen this season. Christopher Durang skewers the tragically idiotic logic that led to 8 years of US torture, illegal eavesdropping and imprisonment during the Bush presidency, and makes us all laugh hilariously while doing so. You come away regretting that no one... »
“The Thirty Nine Steps”, on Broadway
Saw this one a while ago, but since I’m on a kick of reviewing plays, why not. It’s very funny. It’s a great night out. The actors are wonderfully talented. The stage direction is terrific. I just found myself wondering, after a while, if I really cared about what was going to happen... »
Reasons to be Pretty
Last Friday, I saw “Reasons to be Pretty” by Neil LaBute, at the Lyceum. The best play I’ve seen all year. Wonderful to see such a strong new play. Young people really should go see it. It has a young cast, it’s not a revival, it tackles all the hard moments of being in... »
