Urban Rambles

posted by Patrick

    Left and Below: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Below: Entrance to Riverbank State Park, 145th Street, Harlem

Radiant Cynthia Nixon Warms Up Freezing Miami Beach

By Father Tony

I chatted with native New Yorker, Cynthia Nixon, at the fabulous Shore Club on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, Saturday, January 9, 2010. She was in town specifically to help the ACLU kick off its three-year campaign to end Florida's ban on gay adoption that dates back to 1977 and Anita Bryant. Standing behind Cynthia in this photo is Martin Gill.

The raw uncut video of my interview, after the jump.

A Very Highbridge Christmas

By baad lamb

Christmas Day exploration of Highbridge Park, Manhattan

Since my beloved (and newly unemployed) snowbird was spreading his wings for Braindeadlia on the 21st of December, we celebrated Christmas a week early. This left Christmas Day wide open, and like Beau on a snow-day, my feet did their exploration dance, and pointed north. I had been to Highbridge Park five or six years ago during OHNY, specifically to go up in the infrequently open tower, but this very large park stretches 45 blocks along the Harlem River, from Inwood through Washington Heights and down to Sugar Hill in Harlem, and it was time to see some more.

A SINGLE MAN

By Darling!

I thoroughly enjoyed Tom Ford's directorial debut in A Single Man showing at The Paris Theater in Manhattan. Simple and hypnotic with beautiful detail to the 1960s era but not overly done so as to distract from the tale of love and loss. Excellent casting of Colin Firth and Julianne Moore as the leads added a quiet realism.

QNY Wine List: A Fantastic Local Chenin Blanc

By Brooklyn Bill

I enjoy a dry chenin blanc every once in a while when I want a break from reds or when the main course for dinner calls for something white. I started drinking a lot of CBs from the Stellenbosch region of South Africa with my friends Bob and Jen not long after I moved to the city and into their apartment building. By accident, I hit upon a Stellenbosch chenin that we all really liked from a winery named Simonsig. (I wrote about that wine back in the early days of Hawleyblog, when I had no freakin' clue about photos.)

I'm always on the lookout for more good chenins labeled with that grape name (for U.S. and South African wines) or with the Vouvray appellation (for French ones).* And I was particularly excited the other day to see the 2008 Paumanok Chenin Blanc at Red White & Bubbly. I'd read in Lettie Teague's column in the December issue of Food & Wine that she considers this bottling, from the North Fork of Long Island, to be the finest CB produced in the U.S. (Eric Asimov of the New York Times is also a fan; he calls it "one of the best American chenin blancs around.")

The Paumanok cost $26, more than I'm used to paying for a CB. But it was an absolutely delicious, classic CB with aromas and flavors of citrus and pome fruits and honey and honeysuckle. I will definitely get more.

*There are other appellations in France's Loire Valley where CB is the predominant white grape used in wines ranging from dry to very sweet, but I haven't experimented with them. And Vouvray seems to be the most commonly available here in the States.

Day Three - No Caffeine, No Alcohol

By Father Tony

Odd to feel so calm and centered. The inclination to irony and urbanity evaporated. Sleep is deepened. I form words on the keyboard with greater accuracy.

I ran two miles today along the beach with neither improvement nor impediment (nice literal descriptive there). I think it's the carbs in the wine that I miss, and yet, tonight I had to locate the roll of cellophane and refrigerate the uneaten half of a bowl of vegetables that I'd usually demolish. Is my body reading this deprivation as a time of famine, and is it adjusting the appetite until food can be located and speared? The ancient survival instincts of the thick thighed Mediterraneans awaken in me! I am strong. I am of the people who built Rome. Etruscan blood races through my veins. I would howl at the moon tonight but it will not be full again until the 30th of January. Instead, I will do laundry and then recommence reading Joseph O'Neill's Netherland which I am tempted to review before I finish it.

New York Will Have a Hotel Axel in Hell's Kitchen

By Father Tony
(thanks to JoeMyGod for the tip)

Yippee! Great news! We've been guests of the Hotel Axel in Barcelona and in Buenos Aires. They were both excellent. In addition to the luxurious spa facilities, the great food, the attentive and attractive service and the fact that Axel always chooses the right neighborhoods for their locations, they hold a variety of regular social events that attract an interesting local crowd.

Here's the rooftop of the Axel Barcelona:

In Key West last year, I met Juan Julia, the owner of the Axel Hotel chain. Entirely coincidental was the fact that I was wearing the official Axel t shirt.

Here's a party we attended at the Hotel Axel Buenos Aires.

Printing More Dollars - Our Gift to the Future

By Father Tony

We have a friend who invests as a hobby, and we suspect he is good at it. He sent us a link to an article summarizing and comparing the recent financial disasters of our country. I share it with you because of the frightening clarity of its perspective. After the break is a sample from his conclusion, after which you ought to take a moment to read his chilling summary of our recent financial history:

Random NYC Street Minute: The Blue Store in Chelsea

Random, quintessential gay NYC experience:  My husband and I meandered our way from dinner at Cuba Cafe to catch "A Single Man" (loved it, by the way...go read Patrick's review), and happened by The Blue Store, the local porn shop dead center in Chelsea's 8th Avenue cat-walk.  By the time it took us to walk the twenty feet past the store front, we'd bumped into one friend going in to find "fun things" for he and his partner's 8th anniversary and then met up with a second friend coming out where he explained he had just stopped in to "get warm."  We totally called him out on that lame excuse which got us a little giggle and smile as we left.

Subway Art

By Father Tony

Beau's post yesterday about his morning subway ride reminded me that I had taken some pictures of the mosaics in the subway station in which I began my mornings when I was employed....

They are by Nancy Spero who died last year. One of her admirers placed her NY Times obit next to her shimmery mosaics.

Each subway station has its own distinctive artwork. Except for those unfortunate and far flung stations that are artless. Given its proximity to Lincoln Center, Nancy Spero used the opera Aida as her theme. I like to touch the bits of tile that have a metallic glow in them.

NYC Community Boards - Sign Up!

If you are reading QNY and live in NYC, you are probably someone who ought to be on a Community Board. Consider attending the Thursday Jan 7th meeting or the Monday January 11th meeting.

The NYC Morning Commute: Subway Cruising

I'm reminded of the various inconsequential things I love about NYC during mornings when I commute on the 6 train down to my company's office: All the jostling, herding, and vigilance we as NYC subway riders are expected to endure and participate in is overshadowed by my love of watching hot dudes during their own morning commutes.

QNY Recall - Come Home, Kitchenbeard

By Father Tony

We never forget the ones who got away. Here at QNY, we will occasionally issue a siren’s call to a man or woman who has left the city for other streets, other pleasures, other dreams.

Our first subject is Stephen Roberts who is the fascinating, handsome and legendary Kitchenbeard. The Baad Lamb and I caught up with him a few months ago in San Francisco. Following the interview are some very NSFW (you've been warned) and gorgeous photo portraits of Stephen that clarify only one reason why QNY says “Come home, Kitchenbeard.”

(Walter Kurtz photo)

QNY: Tell our QueerNewYork readers about yourself in 100 words. You don't need to count the prepositions.

I get described as intense, intimidating, confounding, handsome and occasionally a sweetie. I often am amazed at how I appear to others because in my head I’m a neurotic clingy mess.  As Kitchenbeard, I try to live creatively without boundaries but that is actually more work than it might seem. I’ve reinvented myself many times and will do so again any minute now. In 2002 I went to culinary school and have taught myself some photography skills and am now trying to get away from the boredom of the corporate world and merge my love of food and images. These days I’m trying to learn to love and trust more.


(More, and photos after the jump)

Death of a Celesbian

Society writer David Patrick Columbia reflects about Casey Johnson and other wealthy New York youngsters in his latest New York Social Diary. Here is his NYSD photo montage:

I wonder if the Johnson family will let Tila Tequila, to whom Casey was supposedly engaged, keep the ring. Maybe she'll be spending more time at her NYC loft, but I doubt we'll be seeing her name in DPC's New York Social Diary.

(Getty Images photo)

Day One - No Caffeine, No Alcohol

By Father Tony

I am inclined to rave about the excellent coffee offered at Joe, but that is probably because I am beginning an experiment in body management today. Even though I consume coffee and wine in moderation and have no health problems related to their daily ingesting, I realized a few days ago that it has been many years since I experienced a day without those commodities. I wondered if perhaps it might be good to embark upon a finite abstention just to see how life feels without them, because I have rather forgotten how life feels without them. They are my norm.

How does it feel thus far? It is almost noon, and I seriously miss the ritual of my morning coffee more than the coffee itself although I fully expect some physical reactions to show up within a day or two. I miss the warmth and weight of the mug and the feeling of privately and specifically engineered indulgence. I know I will miss this again at lunch.

I won't be reaching for a glass of red wine until this evening so there's nothing yet to report about that.

I heartily recommend the coffee at Joe on West 23rd Street (There are other NYC locations), but at this point I would drink gas station coffee and am questioning the merits of this experiment.

A Single Man: A Review

posted by Patrick


Though the buzz I had heard about A Single Man was good, I still approached it somewhat warily. Fashion Designer Tom Ford was making his directorial debut with this picture, and while his menswear seems pleasant enough (at least in photos, which is the only way I’ve experienced it) and I usually found his ad campaigns very sexy, I wasn’t convinced that would translate into an effective film. Was I willing to pay $12.50 to see an extended Gucci ad?

Because It's Cold Outside

By Father Tony

I recommend touring the lush portfolio of one of my favorite New York City photographers, Frank Louis.

After the jump, you'll find two totally NSFW Frank Louis portraits of beautiful New Yorker Jack Mackenroth. You have been warned. (Plus a totally SFW recent photo of me and Frank.)

Go Jets - See you at Gym Bar!

Posted by Donnie


This week my friend Bob Herbert over at the New York Times opined about his addiction to the New York Jets. His sentiments reflect those of many New Yorkers who are fans of the team. My personal Jet addiction commences as a 15 year old New York Boy living in Brooklyn when Broadway Joe showed up at a football game sporting a fur coat. This marked the genesis of the  "sports diva" and  New York, of course, was the birthplace. As David Bowie would say FA FA FA FA Fashion.

Joe also became what is now commonly now called a metrosexual . Assuming you accept this definition of metrosexual,  Joe, who is straight, more than qualified when he displayed his hairy legs in a  panty hose commercial .  His appearance was very very controversial at the time. Looking back, it was a seminal moment shattering conventional notions of masculinity in marketing and advertising . Many consider that commercial an example of the commercial closet.

Now the Jets are led by the first Hispanic quarterback in football. The very hot Mark Sanchez. He has also appeared in commercials and is considered a linchpin for the NFL in recruiting and marketing to the Latino community.

Last nite the 2009 New York Jets secured a playoff berth when they dominated the Bengals 37-0. Look for all the boys and Jet divas to be at the Gym Bar, 167 8th Avenue, this weekend as the JETS take on the Bengals in their first playoff game in three years. Go Green Divas!

(AP photos)

Bomb Scare At Times Square - NYPD Drops Ball Big Time

Posted by Donnie

Recently, CBS reported that an abandoned van was noticed in the middle of Times Square shortly before New Year's Eve. Malfeasance in not inspecting the van in timely fashion which posed a clear security risk has been admitted by the NYPD. It's a serious matter given that the van was across the street from the NASDAQ ticker. To make matters worse, the van was parked very close to the exact location where an explosive device was detonated near the military recruitment station in March of 2008. ( That case is unsolved.) Reports are appearing that an authentic looking identification card issued by an organization called Detective Crime Clinic was displayed on the dash board. Many of these bogus placards which mimic legal parking permits are placed in cars with the intent of avoiding a summons or having one's car towed. A website called uncivil servant has long lobbied against bogus, legal or improper use of official parking permits. The organization photographs and publishes the offenders on their website. The owner of the van has been identified George Freyre, a street peddler from New Jersey. The van contained knockoff Burberry Scarves. It has long been known in law enforcement that the illegal counterfeit goods organizations have ties to terrorism and organized crime syndicates. This incident as well as the recent explosion onboard the Delta Northwest flight are strong evidence that our city and nation are still vulnerable to terrorism.

(AP photo)

Three Years Later: Remembering Wesley Autrey

Posted by Patrick

Walking to my subway stop last night, I saw what I first thought was an oddly garish display of Christmas lights, then realized were at least seven, maybe ten different emergency vehicles. Fire fighters were heading down the subway stairs. This was disturbing enough by itself, but it also seemed to mirror the thoughts I’d been having all day. For some reason, yesterday morning I had remembered that three years before on that day, I had brushed against a momentous event at the same station. Below are some of my thoughts from that day. You can go here if you want to read the unedited, thinking-it-through version.  My impressions that day were later fleshed out or corrected by news reports, but here I've tried to share my experience of that day, mistakes and all. 


January 2nd, 2007

Just before 1pm, I was walking into my local subway station. As I slid my card through the turnstile, a crowd of people rushed to the station agent screaming. "There are people on the track, a train is coming, ya gotta stop it!" I looked up to see the 1 train had indeed stopped, about a quarter of the way in the station. Unfortunately it had already run over two men.

A QNY Brunch Review: Tom's Restaurant

By Brooklyn Bill

Tom's Restaurant in Prospect Heights is a Brooklyn institution that looks like it fell out of a just-cracked-open time capsule. I had an enjoyable brunch there yesterday with Joey.

I arrived at the diner a little before our meeting time of 1, and there was a line out the door. I'd expected one based on what I'd read about the place online but was hoping the bitter cold might have kept people away.

Waiters offered coffee and strawberries and cream to those on line. It was good strong coffee.

Joey and I caught a lucky break by being a twosome and were able to leapfrog ahead of some larger groups. I ordered Sweet Potato Pancakes with crispy bacon; Joey got a vegetable omelette with French fries and wheat toast.

The Mango Walnut Pancakes would have been my second choice. The Lemon Ricotta Pancakes also sounded interesting. I was definitely gonna get pancakes.

The SPPs came with three kinds of butter—lemon, cinnamon, and strawberry—and syrup. I enjoyed them, though the sweet potato–ness came through more in color than in flavor.

David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center - A Bonus Reborn

Posted by Baad Lamb

 

David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center; Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects

Many New Yorkers have a Love/Hate relationship with Lincoln Center. But we want to love it, and so keep coming back even though it sometimes disappoints us (as Miss Tully has done again and again).

I am counting on a metronome swing far into the love side with the opening of the new David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center.

This prime location started life as a bonus plaza, a well intentioned but seriously abused zoning program allowing higher, bulkier ugliness in one of the ugliest buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood, the Harmony Building (designed by Philip Birnbaum, and completed in 1978). The original dismal space, a T-shaped “arcade” connecting Broadway, Columbus Ave and 62^nd Street, always seemed severely neglected, and lack of use by the pedestrian public allowed it to become a haven for the neighborhood homeless. For a while a climbing wall was added and brought some youth activity, but after a few years the novelty wore off as teens and tikes together turned their attention to texting, and the operator closed. The ugly tarp over the wall to prevent unharnessed climbing added to the torn and tattered ambiance.

The bonus plaza needed help and nearby Lincoln Center, looking to consolidate ticket purchases for all of its programs in one box office, became the logical savior.

Not sure of what deals were worked out by all the involved parties, and disappointed with the way Alice Tully Hall lobby and café 65 are being managed, (which is not a bonus plaza space) I feared some sort of sneaky removal of bonus plaza status in exchange for renovation and upkeep. I am happy to report that is not the case.

Photos and more, after the jump.

A QNY Book Review: The City Outside My Window - (with bonus voyeurism)

By Father Tony

Friends Christmas-gifted us with Matteo Pericoli's The City Out My Window, subtitled 63 Views on New York.

This is a collection of Pericoli's line drawings of the views of 63 well-known New Yorkers. The premise and the conclusion are fascinating: each New Yorker owns a small private view that is not postcard-spectacular but becomes his or her portal to the world. Seeing someone's private view is an act of voyeurism akin to looking in someone's bedroom or medicine cabinet.  Seeing their view is an intimacy shared. Also, from Paul Goldberger's introduction:

What is less in our control than a city view? We can choose not to live somewhere, but that is about as far as most of us go in determining what we look at from our window. Once we move in, we are captives of what is outside the window, whether it is an expanse of skyline, an array of rooftops, a sliver of green, or a dark airshaft. A view is like a mate: you must be sure you want to live with it, because you cannot really change it. And you have to be prepared for the fact that it may change of its own accord.

I asked the Queer New York team to photograph and share with you their private views. After the jump are their responses plus two of Pericoli's line drawings.

A New York Moment - An Accrual of Karma

By Father Tony

Taking the Airtrain from JFK into Manhattan is a pleasant connection but logistically challenging for anyone who has not yet done it once or twice. There are a variety of exits from your terminal with a variety of signs all placed where only a mind reader on a gurney would see them. The Airtrain logo itself is misleading.

The conceptual fusion between a directional arrow and the nose of a jet is confusing and will send a weary traveler far afield. In early December, I watched a flustered foreigner with a large unfolded map atop a heap of luggage try to make an impatient someone understand his desire to find the E train.

“It’s this way.” I offered, and as soon as he heard my voice, the collared impatient someone quickly slipped himself out of the noose of social obligation and hurried off. The foreigner gave me that port-in-a -storm look and began bubbling over with questions in fragments of English while spinning his map.

“I’m going to the E train” I overrode with a follow-me gesture.

NYC Tourism Down for the First Time in 8 Years

posted by Father Tony

This is not a surprise. The recession is not imaginary and we have friends who had been frequent NYC visitors before the economic downturn. I am glad this NY Times report included the fact that the downturn in domestic visits was offset considerably by foreign tourists taking advantage of the weaker dollar. I have never before this year heard foreign languages prevail on city sidewalks.

Let's boil down the stats presented. Visitors predicted to be down by 5%. Hotel occupancy rates down 5% and Broadway show attendance down 5%.

Looks like the downturn is 5%, no? Expect some discounted room and ticket prices in the new year. Don't hold your breath for Amtrak to wake up.

New Years Booze

Since it's New Years Eve and everyone is offering up their hooch-related blogs, I'll throw my hat in the ring too. We're heading to a small BYOB restaurant with friends and are to bring whatever it is we want to drink.  The star of my show this evening will be this stunning, sparkling Limited Edition Mirrorball bottle of Absolut(r).

Glittery booze for a better 2010!!

QNY Wine List - One of These is Excellent!

By Father Tony

Making a last minute wine run? Here are two Spaniards and One Argentinian:

Volteo 2008 Tempranillo + Shiraz

Tapeña 2006 Garnacha

Condor Peak 2008 Malbec

Can you guess which of these $11 bottles is head and shoulders above the other two?

Drinking in the New Year

Posted by Brooklyn Bill

Toward the end of '09, I did a lot of thinking about drinking. Pretty much the whole goddamn decade was one long reason to get plastered, if you were paying attention to current events. But I started focusing on, specifically, cocktail drinking late this year because of an article about making proper drinks for a party that I edited for the magazine where I work.*

Then I saw The Essential Cocktail by Dale DeGroff in a Papyrus store and bought it on impulse, though it was an impulse purchase backed with the knowledge—gained from the wine and spirits columnist for the magazine—that DeGroff is pretty much the person you'd want to learn about cocktails from. And I've been having lots of fun reading it and taking in the drink-porn photos.

For Christmas, at my request, my sister and her family gave me a sleek and sexy cocktail shaker, a jigger, and a cocktail spoon that doubles as an ice chopper.

Now all I need is some booze! And some recommendations. I've been on a kick for gin and tonics lately** but I'm eager to branch out. What cocktails do you make at home or request at a bar that I should try? I'm also curious about which brands of liquor you think are best and which expensive ones aren't worth the extra coin.

*In the interest of keeping my working and blogging lives separate, I'm not going to link to the story here. If you're curious to read it, shoot me an e-mail and I'll send you the link.

**That's the result of another article I edited by that columnist about new ways to spruce up the classic G&T. I'm obviously highly impressionable when it comes to what I drink. :-)

Review: The Understudy

I attended a performance of the new Theresa Rebeck play The Understudy.  Rebeck is responsible for such other works as Omnium Gatherum, Bad Dates and The Water's Edge.  The play stars Julie White (Tony Award for The Little Dog Laughed), Justin Kirk (Showtimes's Weeds, HBO's Angels in America) and Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Raising the Bar, NYPD Blue, and yes, Saved By The Bell).  The production is directed by Scott Ellis.

In short - I loved it.

My Very First Time...

By Baad Lamb “Bob’s sinks are now selling for hundreds of thousand of dollars!”

This was Saturday afternoon lunchtime conversation, a mother boasting about her son to old friends and now one new acquaintance (me). But an audible question mark in her voice hinted that she might not fully understand just what Bob actually did, or why anyone would pay so much money for his ”sinks”. Naturally, I was intrigued, but perhaps because I was both the newest and the youngest member in this group I remained silent as the conversation moved on.

A few years later at a similar gathering, I was lucky to have Leah speak of her son with pride once again.

“Bob has a new installation, and it is going to be at the Dia in New York.”

This time I was comfortable enough to ask the right questions, to get the where and when details. I now knew I had to schedule a New York weekend, seek out this “Dia” and see for myself what $100,000 sinks looked like; especially in an installation.

Back in high school, I had somehow managed to arrange my lunch, two study periods and my actual art class all in a row, so that three times a week, I was in the art room for more than half the day. A lot of my time was spent making drawings and paintings and occasionally clay sculpture. Sometimes, our teacher would tell us about the famous contemporary artists of the day. But if installations were part of the art-vocabulary in my rural town, I was absent that day.

Seems absurd that it took till 1993 before my first time.

Larry Kramer Is Still Kicking Ass at 74

Posted by Brooklyn Bill

I really enjoyed this profile of Larry Kramer from New York magazine. It sounds like he'd be a nightmare to deal with on a personal basis day after day, but in this time when the Democratic Party listens only to the wishes of its corporate overlords and Americans seem indifferent to everything except the latest celebrity scandal, we're sorely in need of about a hundred Larry Kramers to kick some major ass. I'll be buying his The American People in whatever form it eventually materializes.

Nine (the movie)

Posted by Mondschein

When I heard that the tale of Guido Contini was coming back to film, I was excited.  Having seen the revival of Nine on Broadway in 2003 (even with the replacement cast), I had high hopes.  With Rob Marshall at the helm, following his great success with "Chicago" in 2002, the potential was great.

Casting announcements were also pretty exciting - - Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson, Sophia Loren, even Fergie - - quite a starry production.  I was skepticalat first when Daniel Day-Lewis was announced as Guido, but knowing his work in such a wide variety of characters, I thought he would be a pleasant surprise.

Then I went to see it last weekend.

(Spoiler alert)

A Queer New York Review: Avatar

By Father Tony

I have been cinematically dazzled by the likes of The Wizard of Oz, King Kong, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, ET, Titanic, and Jurassic Park. Yesterday, I saw Avatar in 3-D and I am afraid that I may never again be thrilled by special effects that will surely limp compared to what has been delivered in Avatar. I highly recommend seeing this in 3D.

I loathe and avoid reading reviews that explain a movie and being subjected to trailers and stills that skim the best moments and use them to tease you into the theater. All I knew about Avatar was that it is supposedly visually fantastic. I was skeptical. Would I feel anything for animated blue aliens and more rampaging dino-beasts?  Surely, I'm not the most jaded of movie-goers, but I am not easily pleased as an audience member.

Review: Nine

By David

Over the last week I caught a number of different productions and films, and I know you are all just salivating with anticipation to hear my opinion on the merits of each.  

I'm going to start with the movie Nine, which is probably the only review you'll care about because the rest are theater productions in New York City and one has already closed, so really, I almost shouldn't bother with the other two, but I will at some point because I can.

But for now - Nine.

(click below to read the full review)

NYC, Witch's Tits, and all that Wind

I think we all need to hold mittened hands and sing the refrain from Moby's "When It's Cold I'd Like to Die":

"I don't want to swim the ocean

I don't want to fight the tide

I don't want to swim forever

When it's cold I'd like to die"

Father Tony is not invited in this gathering since he is someplace warmer.

QNY Wine List: An Organic Malbec

By Father Tony

Here's a great bottle of Malbec and you can find it in Manhattan. Details after the break.

The Unofficial Flower of New York City

By Father Tony

According to this 2007 press release from the Mayor’s office, the daffodil is the official flower of New York City. The “Daffodil Project" is a fine way to beautify the city, and an economical one, considering the fact that daffodils return and multiply with every spring.

That said, the orchid would have been a better choice.

Explanation and photos of some of our orchids, after the break.

First NYC 1/2 Marathon of 2010

Posted by Beau

(Photo of author, courtesy of Official Race Photographer, Brightroom)

The first 1/2 marathon of the NYC racing season is set for January 24th, 2010.  It is not too late to register and run if anyone is interested.  The 2010 racing season is packed with tons of different runs of varying distances, all over the five boroughs, with fantastic people.  There is room for runners of all levels of experiences and interest.  

Walking Backward through Times Square

Posted by Father Tony

Watch this amazing video by artist Hye Yeon Nam. It is the runner-up in Metropolis Art Prize 2009.

(via c-monster)

A Wonderful NYC Holiday Party

By Father Tony

I sometimes suspect that everyone outside New York likes the illusion that all New Yorkers live in immense converted industrial lofts and throw huge parties attended by fascinating and beautiful people. Ray and Bob's annual Christmas Party at their penthouse home on West 27th St lives up to that fantasy.

We took a taxi that fishtailed through the new snow on Fifth Avenue.



Photo/video of the party, after the jump.

Top 10 Architectural Moments of 2009 - NYC has #2,5,6

In the LA Times, Christopher Hawthorne offers his "Top 10" list of architectural moments of 2009. In the #2 spot is the new Alice Tully. The pedestrian mall on Broadway is #5 and the High Line is #6. These are great choices, and I am reminded of how many photos I have of these places. Thank God for digital or our home would be filled to the ceiling with boxes of photos and reels of what used to be called "home movies".

I made this video on Memorial Day, May 25, 2009, recording the celebration of the opening of the Broadway pedestrian mall.

A Divine Christmas

By Father Tony

Our pal (and favorite NSFW New York blogger) BJ has honored his annual holiday tradition by posting this. It's from "Female Trouble" by John Waters, but really, it's a page from my childhood.

Christmas Cookies To Die For!

By Father Tony

In this post, QNY's Brooklyn Bill makes ice cream inspired by a Martha Stewart recipe for chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies. They sounded wonderful so I decided to make a batch as my contribution to the menu of a Christmas Day dinner at the home of friends.

They came out perfect and they are extremely aromatic. After the jump, a step-by-step photo chronicle of the process will augment what Martha tells you to do. Her television studio is located at 221 West 26th Street. (It always makes me happy to use a few vintage kitchen bowls.)

Alicia Keys's Love Song to New York

Posted by Brooklyn Bill

I'm really enjoying Alicia Keys's new album, The Element of Freedom, and one of my favorite songs from it is a love song to New York called "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down."

"I'm gonna make it by any means. I got a pocketful of dreams. Baby, I'm from New York," Keys sings. "Concrete jungle where dreams are made of. There's nothing you can't do. Now you're in New York."

The original "Empire State of Mind" was a Jay-Z song that featured Keys playing piano and singing what's now the chorus of "Part II."

Because I bought the deluxe version of the album, I got an "intimate 'acoustic' studio performance" video of "Part II," which has a lot to recommend it:

SANTA BABY....

Posted by Darling!

Put a little something under the tree. For me!
As seen in The New York Times. Hit that link for "Mad Men" holiday style!

Holiday Greetings from Queer New York

For the Love of NYC: A Day Open to Adventures

Posted by Beau

(Photo by Robert Paul Young)

Rather than write a post about all the adventures I did have today, I decided to drop a little ditty here at Queer New York about one of the best, most enviable things I can think of about New York City: I have an entire day off from work and I'm in the city (after a much extended absence) with absolutely nothing to do.   This means I can set out this morning with nothing but NYC wanderlust crashing up against the Christmas Eve vibe of the city.  Running through Central Park! Museums! Christmas Windows! Walking around looking at weirdness and wonderfulness! Dare I stop in somewhere for a glass of wine for lunch?
I suppose you can do this in any city, but can you think of one more fun or full of possibilities than New York?
Doubt it.
(Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertpaulyoung/ / CC BY 2.0)

The Time Warner Stars

In its third (fourth?) year, the Moravian stars in the lobby of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle are my favorite New York City Christmas lights. When you watch them from inside, where you can hear the music to which they are set, the soaring glass wall reflects the stars and doubles the spectacle. I love the finale at the end of this video where the stars freak out and their tips start sparkling. Last year I spent an afternoon watching the installation crew hang these.

HO HO HO

Posted by Darling!

(Available at cleverfridgemagnets.com)

A Queer New York Subway Moment

By Father Tony

Carrying a heavy shoulder bag and dragging a wheelie, I get into the B train and deliver my question.

“Does this stop at 42^nd Street?”

A very pretty blonde lady seated in front of me shakes her head no.

“I guess that means I need to get off at 59^th because I need to connect with the E.”

“No, you should stay on until 50^th and transfer to the E there.”

“Thanks, Jessica, but I’ve been told that I’d have to get out at 50^th Street station and re-enter and re-pay to get on the E there, so I’m not taking your advice even though you are Cricket Blair’s mother and John Abbott married you before you died. Out of pity.”

She was laughing as I got out at 59^th.

PLAY ART (A new art form?)

By Father Tony

My pal and fellow Manhattanite, Bob Gregson, is a "play artist".  Here's what that means:

WHAT IS PLAY ART?

PLAY ART is a new art form that calls for active participation of the viewer. Only through interaction does Play Art disclose its secrets and inherent principles. It is the intention of Play Artists that their work be touched, influenced, and experienced; these are works that demand to be manipulated, rearranged, or set into motion.

Some Play Artists focus on shapes and structures, others rely on scientific techniques like mechanical principles, physics or digital technology. Whatever the elements, Play Art aims to stimulate curiosity and creativity. Play Art captures the viewer's imagination and gives rise to the joy of discovery by encouraging hands-on experimentation.

Watch the video and tell me if you think this is good art or hogwash.

Angels, Punks and Raging Queens

Posted by David

This past Sunday I attended a fundraiser in the West Village, just south of Washington Square Park.

The event was called Teddy Cares and is hosted and driven by Ruby Rims. Ruby is a drag queen, by the way, for those of you readers in Topeka.

Teddy Cares raises money for the Actors Fund AIDS Program. The event also supports Judson Memorial Church, where the performances were held. Judson is also deeply involved with the community and provides life-saving programs to any and all who need them.

I was there because of Ruby. I was first exposed - I don't think there is a better word for it - to Ruby when I was a regular at Eighty Eights, a long lamented piano bar that I have spoken of previously. Ruby was part of the inner circle at Eighty Eights that welcomed me almost immediately from the first night I happened upon the place. I, too, became a regular and in the years following the bar's demise, annual events such as this became the primary time we saw each other. [More, with pics and video, after the jump.]

Sharpen your pencils, QNY designers!

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene invites you to design a new NYC condom wrapper.

The designer yves béhar produced the current version (on the right).

Who would have thought we'd be living in an age of collectible condoms?

(Thanks, Birdie, for reminding me that we ought to get cracking on this.)

The Spa at Chelsea Piers. Ask for Scott.

Like most New Yorkers, the Baad Lamb and I have limited space and so we have stopped collecting stuff. Instead, on holidays, anniversaries and birthdays, we are apt to give each other spa treatments, a luxury that is memorable but involves no ongoing servitude and accommodation.

We have tried a variety of NYC spas but there is one to which we frequently return. It is located in the Chelsea Piers complex.