Some Musings

Happy Sunday. I thought I would try to catch up with some postings . . .

Restaurants we have visited recently worth mentioning:

Pastis (Meatpacking District; tasty food in a loud, open space that is still hopping at one or two in the morning)
MARKT (Meatpacking District; similar to Pastis in the noise and atmospher, but it's Belgian instead of French; great fish special)
Eli's Vinegar Factory (Upper East Side; possibly the best brunch we have had in this great warehouse space; nothing fancy but oh so good)
Spigolo (Upper East Side; very good and creative Italian; small but nice atmosphere with outdoor seating)
Max (East Village; tasty, relatively inexpensive Italian with a nice garden in the back)
Craft (Union Square; we just happened to be walking by after a movie and dinner near Union Square, so we decided to give a shot for dessert; pretty damn amazing, and I can't wait to go back for dinner)
J.G. Melon's (Upper East Side; just wanted to give it another plug for its great burgers and friendly host)

Ok. We need to go eat and run some errands. I will try to be back later today . . .

Damien Rice in Central Park

This was the first time we have seen Damien since Bonnaroo 2004 -- we felt like we were due for a Damien show, so we were definitely excited to see him at Central Park. And while I liked David Garza, he only played three songs so we did not have to wait too long for Damien to come out. Not waiting too long was nice, as it was hot, and the sold out crowd certainly packed it in there. We were actually situated on the right-hand side of the stage at first, but as I looked at the set-up, I realized that Lisa and maybe Damien would be left of center, so we shifted and found a great spot just two people back from the rail, to the left-hand side.

07.26.06
Central Park SummerStage, New York, New York

One Set:
Cannonball*, Volcano, Blowers Daugther part 2, Woman Like a Man, Accidental Babies^, The Professor, Rootless Tree$, Nine Crimes$^, Blower's Daughter$, I Remember$

Notes:
co-bill with Fiona Apple
* Damien solo
^ Damien on the rhodes
$ with Joel Shearer on guitar

While it was not the best Damien Rice show that I have seen, his set certainly did not disappoint. It was played, and Lisa was clearly having a good time, so that made me smile. It was also good to hear some (relatively) new songs live for the first time. I really like Rootless Tree, and I thought that Nine Crimes had a nice little jam as part of it. And while I initially did not like Accidental Babies when I first heard a recording of it, it was good to see it live and see Damien play the rhodes and sing those emotional lyrics. (The crowd was quite respectful for that song, which was nice to see.) There was a nice little (new?) jam out of the end of Accidental that was new to my ears. Also new was a bit tacked on to the end of The Professor; something Damien sung in French. The addition of Joel for the last few songs was good to see, as I liked his guitar playing with Pedestrian (even if I was not a fan of their songs), but he needed to be turned up as I really could only hear his contributions on I Remember. And speaking of I Remember, it was the only song to be really drawn out -- and I was hoping that it would have been drawn out even more. And while it was a bit odd not seeing Tomo behind the drums, Earl Harvin did well and held his own.

As a criticism, Damien just seemed a little too tight or unemotional. It was almost as though he was playing for the industry reps or something. None of the looseness and openness that we witnessed at Bonnaroo or many times before that. Or, maybe he knew he just had an hour to work with so he cut out any sort of banter. It is tough to put my finger on it -- you just know that it is an odd night when you see Shane smile more than Damien, lol.

Like I said, it was great to see Damien live after two years -- I had goosebumps for a number of songs, and that counts for something. And it is always a pleasure to see and hear Lisa. (As a side note, it was nice to see Lisa and Vyvienne on the same side of the stage, next to each other!) Let's hope for a solo tour this Fall where he can play a full set in a nice indoor venue.

We did not stick around too long after Fiona started; Shadowboxer was nice, but we were happy enough with Damien's set to deal with the surging crowd and Fiona's drama. Did catch Heather Graham off to the side as we left . . .

Someone to Drag You Out

While we have been setting aside some time to head to various restaurants and museums on our own, the presence of visitors in the City certainly does give you an extra push. Which is a good thing, actually; otherwise, you might simply be doing laundry and heading to the old stand-bys.

Two weekends ago, two classmates were visiting from D.C. So, on Saturday (July 8th), after brunch but before the World Cup's Third Place consolation game, we headed to The Met. Rob was interested in seeing the Kara Walker exhibit, "After the Deluge." I had seen Kara's work five years ago, I think, at the Carnegie Interenational in Pittsburgh and I certainly found her to be intriguing. She tackles racial and sexual issues utilizing "the traditionally proper, Victorian medium of silhouette." Either in prints or through cut-outs themselves, she presents scenes of slavery and African-American life from the 1800s that, at first glance, seem straight forward. But the simplicity of the white and black fools you, and you are taken aback by what she really is showing. Along with her own work, she was able to pick and choose other pieces from The Met's collection for "After the Deluge" and it all combines to be quite an interesting show on the history of African-Americans, the South, and water. Just down the modern wing from this show was a room exhibting erotic sketches from Klimt and Schiele. (Previous mention of those two Austrian artists) I didn't realize there was going to be a small show of these two until I got to the museum, but I was on a mission to hunt out the room as we wandered through the amazing art . . . A very interesting show, that is for sure. It showed sketches from the two men, alternating Klimt and Schiele around the room, of an erotic nature (mostly of woman, alone). The contrast between Klimt's beautiful simplicity and Schiele's grotesque "blatantness" was very powerful -- how the same subject matter could be handled in two absolutely different ways while both remaning sketches was quite amazing. Other highlights from the trip to The Met included the expansive collection of Monet and Degas, the European Sculpture Court (both for the statues and the juxtaposition of the building's additions), and the view from the roof garden.

Later that night, we headed down to the Angelika to see the new documentary about the New York Cosmos soccer team, "Once in a Lifetime." I found it to be quite enjoyable. Maybe I was just experiencing soccer fever with the World Cup and all, but I found it to be quite entertaining and informative. The story of how the Cosmos grew into the (albeit brief) success that they were was very interesting -- who comprised the team originally, where in New York they played (Ryker's Island), who the owner was (Steve Ross) and how much influence he had (the money of Warner Brothers), the players he brought to the team, and the rock-and-roll lifestyles that the lived for a few years. Definitely worth it. If only for the funky soundtrack . . .

Afterwards, our group headed across Houston into Nolita for what is touted as the "best pizza in New York." I had not been to Lombardi's yet, but I was certainly looking forward to trying it. (We were all ready to wait for some time before they could seat us, but this was actually one of those times where being a large group was helpful -- they didn't want to sit a two-top at a table that could hold seven. Should have seen the faces of those people we walked past on our way in . . . ) Now, I will admit that I enjoyed every single bite of the pizza that we had that night, I am just not positive it was the best pizza I ever had. Nor do I think it will be the best pizza I eat in New York. I don't want to take anything away from it, as I was quite pleased. Just not blown-away.

I was hoping to write more about Sunday and our participation in the World Cup celebrations in Little Italy after their defeat of France. Let me just say that we quickly rushed from a bar in Chelsea to Little Italy, simply to be part of "it." And as we rose from the subway, we could hear a dull roar off in the distance. That roar turned into a red and green cacophony as we made our way to the clogged Mulberry Street. (I should add that Italian was indeed being spoken and sung; not everyone in the crowd was fudging their heritage.) Fun way to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon, that is for sure. And while it might sound odd that we left Little Italy to eat an Italian dinner, I was more than happy with the wonderful food we ate at Ballato's on Houston. Very, very good.

I'll stop there, but I will be back to talk about our friends' room in The Rivington from the following weekend, as well as our dinner at Pastis. Also, discussion of this past weekend, which included good food at Markt and Spigolo, a trip to a Williamsburg gallery, and some beers at the Half King. And I will make mention of Klimt and the current exhibit at the Neue Gallery. Thanks for reading.

Umphrey's in Central Park

Just wanted to share some thoughts about Umphrey's McGee's show in Central Park last night. Laura and I had a great time, and thought that the band sounded very, very good (tight and relaxed, if that makes sense; just having fun up there).

07.20.06
Central Park SummerStage, New York, New York

One Set
Glory, Wife Soup > Anchor Drops, Got Your Milk (Right Here), #5 > Ringo > jam^ > Ringo^, Intentions Clear, Der Bluten Kat > Words > Der Bluten Kat, Plunger > jam, Baba O'Reilly

Encore
Partyin' Peeps

Notes
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals and Galactic opened
^ with Rich Vogel (Galactic) on keys

I arrived at the beginning of Galactic (I couldn't get out of work in time to see Grace Potter). They sounded good. It had been a few years since I had last seen them (B'roo '02, maybe? Wow . . . ) and I didn't hear anything new. But it was good. The crowd seemed to enjoy it.

Here are some thoughts on Umphrey's that I put together last night:

- the fact they played #5
- nice bit of funkiness in Ringo from Rich and Joel
- the great jam in Der Bluten Kat into Words
- the Plunger jam that featured Jake on his new Babicz guitar
- Partyin' Peeps with David Fricke bobbin' his head and grinning

Joel was thinking there might have been 3,000 people there. Very nice turn-out for the guys (and the rain held off!). Seemed like everyone was having fun; I know the band was.

Edit: Link to David Fricke's review on RollingStone.com.

Edit: My photos from the concert.

Coffee, Baked Goods, and . . . Exhaust?

Every since my freshman year of architecture school, I think the way I look at my surroundings has changed. I know for a fact I look up more, and I look at how the built environment is, well, built. What the materials are, and the detailings, and how buildings interact and relate to what are around them. While I am having a hard time remembering what it was like before I started at school, I know I recognized a change a few years in (especially after Rome).

Along with sight, I am constantly listening. I hear snippets of conversation on the subway, or hear co-workers talking. Or I have headphones on, listening to any music that fits my fancy. Today I went from a blind couple from Mali to a band from New York called Donna the Buffalo to Built to Spill, the Grateful Dead, big band jazz, and Umphrey's McGee. I can't get enough of music.

And even with all of the sights and sounds, I am always surprised by how a certain smell can immediately transport me to a different place. The other day, I smelled some perfume that for whatever reason reminded me of CCD class and a nun (maybe it was the smell of the building? I hope . . . ). And most subway stations and the track grease or something takes me to Kennywood Amusement Park back in Pittsburgh and those summer picnics. Usually, though, there is a specific combination that takes me to Rome. Immediately. In some combination, it is coffee, cigarette smoke, baked goods (bread), and exhaust. Usually kerosene or something from motorinos. I am always amazed by how immediate it is.

Designers, Rock the Casbah

So, tonight was the first night of Project Runway Season Three. I didn't think much about New York and the connection to the show before moving here, but since I have moved, lots of friends have talke about their run-ins with past contestants -- a friend of my brother's has even tried out for the show (her camo evening gown was not right, even though that has since been seen on runways . . . ). I think I might have even seen Austin at this sandwich shop on 9th by work . . .

Well, today topped it off. Today, after work, I met Tim Gunn, Season Two's winner Chloe Dao, Emmett McCarthy, Nick Verrors, and Kara Janx. See, there was a show going on at Emmett's store in SoHo that my wife and two co-workers visited over lunch. The three of them were actually the only people there, and were to try on all of the designers clothes in front of them, which must have been quite a treat! So Laura hurried back to email me that this skirt of Nick's fit her perfectly, and I just had to see it.

So I went down after work and we headed to the store. It was absolutely packed this time around, even with the 99% humidity. Everyone was just so friendly and personable -- and just like they were on TV. It was actually pretty sweet. They were wandering around, signing clothes and shirts and underwear (Kara's) and even some fan's chest. Tim was out back with Emmett tending bar -- make it work. Needless to say, we bought the skirt for Laura -- it fits her really well. It is blue wool, I believe, with this neat seam along each side that this little flair of men's shirt fabric along the bottom (just like Nick). It looks quite nice on her. As Jen said, Laura was made to wear haute. On our way out, Laura stopped to tell Nick she purchased his skirt and he had actually already heard about her and how well it fit over lunch. Really quite cool, especially since everyone was so approachable.

I apologize for the gushing.

Starting It Back Up Again

Again, I must apologize for tking my time in posting a new entry. It certainly is not because of a lack of desire or topics as I have plenty of both. I am simply a bit busy. Which is to be expected, I guess. I do live and work in New York City, afterall.

So, maybe I should tackle another restaurant rundown first. Through the grapevine, I heard that a classmate and New Yorker of eight years seemed to think that we were not going to the right restaurants -- or at least he had not heard of many of those that I had listed. So, the first one one the list is one of his suggestions. And it was indeed a good one, so I thank you, Tom.

Schiller's (Lower East Side eatery with a great vibe, "Good Better Best" wine, and a menu to match)
Blue Ribbon Bakery (great West Village restaurant with a wonderful menu)
Amber (good sushi in the Upper East Side)
Maya (some of the tastiest food I have had yet in New York was at this Upper East Side modern Mexican restaurant; the Halibut was amazing)
Lupa Osteria Romana (West Vilalge; Laura and I were not at all disappointed by our first trip to a Batali restaurant; everything was perfectly simple)
AOC (good French selections with a great garden; in the West Village)

While this certainly is not a complete list of the restaurants that we have gone to since the last time I posted (we have been cooking, but not that much), I just wanted to touch on a couple that stood out.

I also wanted to add that I have been pleasantly surprised by the level of service that we have received here in almost all of the restaurants where we have eaten. For the most part, the waiters and waitresses have been pleasant, patient, and knowledgable. I don't know what I was expecting, but I certainly have noticed the service.

Stay tuned for a brief recap of Bonnaroo, The Met, and the World Cup celebrations in Little Italy. And thanks again for reading -- don't be afraid to leave comments!