The Twin Towers In Film

I've been posting Dan Meth's stuff on this blog for a while now, but this one, a montage of the Twin Towers in film, is prob his best work yet. Bravo, Dan.

Twin Tower Cameos from Dan Meth on Vimeo.

You Call That A Hurricane?

Now that Hurricane Irene turned out to be the biggest non-event of the summer -- as least in Manhattan -- check out this video of real hurricanes that have hit New York City.

Empty Grand Central Station

031, originally uploaded by MTAPhotos.

New Yorkers Are Different

With the hurricane a-brewin', I figured it was a good time to trot out this oldie but goodie.

You can track Hurricane Irene here.

Saw this tattoo on another broker this afternoon. She was self-conscious about it. I think it's great.

JJ Fad Were Ahead Of Their Time

My affinity for late 80s and early 90s hip hop is well documented. One of the most underrated groups of that time was JJ Fad. Essentially they were one hit wonders, but they came from the same school of thought as Salt n' Pepa, who are legends. Aesthetically, they even look the same with the oversized jackets, tight pants and bamboo earrings.

If I were more of an academic (read: had more time) I would happily write a paper about feminist figures in the early years of hip-hop. JJ Fad would certainly be included. They were assertive without being aggressive and lyrical without being crude.

Larger issue: why are there no JJ Fads and Salt n' Pepas today? The bizarre Girl Power fad of the late 90s which spawned the Spice Girls was certainly not what I had in mind in terms of positive female role models in music.

This Is The Book To Read On The Beach

Every summer there is at least one truly fantastic chick lit novel that I can't get enough of. In 2009 it was Laura Lipton's The Mating Rituals of the North American WASP. (Particularly funny if one grew up in lower Fairfield County, comme moi.)

In 2010 Alexandra Lebenthal knocked it out of the park with Recessionistas.

This summer I'm up late reading under a mag light thanks to Molly Jong-Fast's The Social Climber Handbook.

There have been plenty of chick lit novels written about the pre- and post financial crisis era, and some of them have actually been good. The trick, however, is to write about the Upper East Side and not turn the characters into cartoons. It takes someone who knows the terrain to do it correctly, and -- as a card-carrying member of the New York Junior League -- I'm amazed at how accurately and nuanced the uptown crowd is portrayed. Everyone is flawed and the plot takes some great turns. This is chick lit done well.

A Sunday Morning Musical Selection

If anyone ever wondered what the girliest song ever written is, this 2003 Leona Naess song is certainly a contender. I think she's totally underrated. Thanks to Spotify, I can now listen to this piece over and over again, like a mental patient.

It's a little Sunday Morning Schlock, but it's a nice song and will go well your coffee.

It's the end of August and Manhattan is a bit of a ghost town. I don't want the blog to turn into one as well, so for the next week or so there may be some random content up here. I figure it's as good a time as any to indulge in some of my more esoteric interests, like early 90s hip hop and economics.

First thing first: the ladies and I are doing a few races come the fall. If anyone is interested in joining us, the dates are as follows:

Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure, Central Park, September 18th. (5K)

Rock N Roll New York 10K, Saturday, October 22nd. Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Poland Spring Marathon Kick Off. Central Park. Sunday, October 30th (5 miles)

It really is the dog days of summer if I'm posting cat photos on the blog.

But Val's looking good, out in the Pennsylvania countryside.

Today I was up on 75th Street and Fifth Avenue showing this apartment. On the windowsill was this mama pigeon and her two, fluffy charges, taking an afternoon nap. She stared at me while I took a few shots of her, but didn't move. Who says Manhattan doesn't have wildlife?

Right now I have a whole bunch of one bedrooms around $3500 or so right off Fifth Avenue along the Upper East Side. Below is one of them on 88th Street and Fifth Avenue. It's a great deal for $3500, large enough for a couple, and in a lovely elevator building.

Full specs here.

It's Sydney's Wedding!

Wowzerz. If anyone's looking for an incredible location for their wedding, I highly recommend the Liberty House. It's about 100 yards across the Hudson River in Jersey City, (you can take a $7 ferry there) and Ellis Island seems as if it's part of the grounds.

Old Skool Syracuse friend Sydney tied the knot this past Saturday. It was a gorgeous affair that brought out the usual suspects of my ne'er do well college friends -- including a surprise guest appearance from Julie. While it rained a bit, I think there's something romantic about a rainy wedding.

Pre-game shots. TR busted out the three piece suit, because you can't wear any old thing to a Saturday night wedding.


A man and his city


Boats ruin otherwise good hair




No one gave us espresso or a puppy


The Dream Team


These two know where the bodies are buried.


Everyone loves wedding cake.


First dance, amazing dress


Best photo of the night

If you're going to some cocktail parties this weekend and the issue of the S&P downgrading the U.S. credit rating comes up, (and it will) might I suggest this video as a primer, so that you have some talking points.

Economists are the new rock stars.

Nouriel Roubini (and others) on Bloomberg TV. It's 21 minutes long, but worth it. He makes some good points.

Required Reading

If anyone wonders what a great gift for me would be, might I suggest Def Jam Recordings: The First 25 Years Of The Last Great Record Label.

This book would make me extremely happy.

New York magazine did a great write up of it as well.