Hallowed Halls Of Academia

I've been saying it since 2002: No one throws a reception quite like Columbia. Whether it's refreshments before a talk or an all-out graduation ceremony, I have never been disappointed by an event thrown by Columbia. Today I hopped uptown for the Back To Columbia alumni event. It was a tented picnic with a carnival for kids, great food and lots of smart and friendly people. I get the invite every year and was never able to make it, until today.

It didn't disappoint. Andre didn't just get a balloon animal, he got a balloon Hulk, clearly made by someone who has an MFA in Balloon Animals.
We totally rocked the photo booth.

Casual Yiddish

Today at my Columbia alumni fiction group, I got probably the best comment ever on the first chapter of a novel I am working on:

"If your protagonist has a reason for the casual employment of Yiddish, it will need to be explained for the general reader."

You know you're a real New Yorker when casual Yiddish starts showing up in your recreational fiction projects.

En route to the meeting I noticed that on 113th Street someone had the sense to use a chain link fence around a parking lot as a trellis for roses. Oh, Columbia. You're so civilized.

Central Park West Two Bedroom -- $2200

It's a good week for apartments. Today I just got this listing for a true two bedroom that is literally steps from Central Park. New kitchen, great living/dining area and large bedrooms. High ceilings, hardwood floors. Lots of of closets. Can come with dining room table and chairs. NO FEE! Perfect for shares, Columbia students, etc.

New kitchen




Comes with dining room table and some other furniture

Early 2002 Photos

The little video about Bulgaria yesterday got me thinking about the summer of 2002. I'm not a very nostalgic person, but ever have those times in your life when everything was so random, after a while you step back and think, "How on earth did all that happen?"

In April 2002 I moved into a great apartment in Chinatown, on Bayard and Bowery. It was huge, and right after I moved in I threw a huge party.

In May 2002 I finished the Columbia School of Journalism, which was quite a feat considering I was working full time at the time.

In June 2002 I took off for a two-week singing tour of Bulgaria.

In July 2002, I spent the summer working as the food writer for the AP. It was a very random assignment, but led to one of my most productive writing periods ever. Also: I didn't have to work weekends, and no one ever questioned what I was up to.

Photos from Chinatown and Columbia below. These were all in taken in film, and with a disposable camera.

With Dave and Brian. Am I the only one who didn't notice at the time that I weighed all of three pounds?


In the ernormous kitchen at 50 Bayard Street with Cara


With Godfrey. I have no idea what's on his head.


A happy grad at Columbia. It was the nicest day ever. Perfect weather.


A sea of excellence!




La madre et moi


End of the afternoon, buzzed on the champagne at the reception.

Thoughts After A Quick Trip Over To Columbia

NYC - Columbia University: Low Memorial Library, originally uploaded by wallyg.

I just got back from a quick trip up to Columbia this afternoon. I was helping one of my colleagues hang up flyers for an apartment he's trying to rent.

I finished Columbia in 2002 and as I walked around in the rain this afternoon, I realized how much I missed the place. Sure, it's kind of in the hinterlands of the Upper West Side (not Harlem, kids) and it's a pretty self-contained environment. But it's neat to be around so many intelligent people, so much academia. And no, academia is not the real world, but if I had to be engrossed in it, Columbia is a great option.

A few things:

1. I am amazed at how tight security is now. When I went to Columbia I think the only time I used my student ID was to get into the Met for free. They wouldn't even let my colleague and I into Lerner Hall without one. Even when I asked a journalism student to let me into the journalism building, she quizzed me about what classes I would have taken second semester. Weirdo.

2. I couldn't get past the guards in Butler Library, but I did get an alumni ID, so I now have alumni borrowing privileges. Way-pah. If I start quoting Balzac and Plato, you'll know why.

3. I think that the bookstore has some nerve charging upwards of $40 for ski hats that say "Columbia" on them. Furthermore, they weren't even fully lined. Grrr. Do. Not. Want.

4. Several members of my family are getting Columbia -themed Christmas gifts. Enjoy!