Cross Town Thoughts
Sat in our parked car getting glorious sun through the roof, safely away from the crowds all over the UWS today.
As mAd Ben calls it our caranda. We even got a socially distanced visit from him!
It’s right in front of the brownstone that famously blooms with wisteria each Spring. At least that’s stayed the same. Felt almost human.
Gabrielle Hamilton owns an acclaimed East Village restaurant called Prune. It’s a small 15-table closely seated cozy boĆ®te. As Hamilton herself recognized, it was becoming an anachronism in the new dining scene of brands rather than personalities, even before the coronavirus crisis.
Her NYTimes piece about the struggle to figure out what to do in this strange new environment is a poignant, poetic homage to the heart & soul of her 20-year James Beard– winning labor of love. It is a metaphor for so much now that it elicits a tear. One of the best reads of the year.
She began her torturous dilemma during the first warnings of an emerging pandemic “after 10 days of being waterboarded by the news”. What to do? An absurdiste lament, “That we are still a thread in the fabric that might unravel if you yanked us from the weave”.
The best quote is about how the industry has changed over the years, “The Brunch. The Brunch. The purebred lap dogs now passed off as service animals to calm anxieties that might arise from eating eggs Benedict on a Sunday afternoon”.
– Hamilton’s memoir Blood, Bones & Butter one of my faves. She is also featured in my old Northampton anthology Table’s Edge.
Actually stuff going on besides. You know. Tornado warning in NYC and surrounding areas this afternoon. Yay.
Kim Jong-Un may be in dire health and his sister is poised to take the helm of North Korea. Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin is pushing Amy Klobuchar for Veep. She’d be Biden’s best & safest woman choice.
You’ll soon be able to get a haircut, massage, tatoo in Georgia. But. Would you want to?
Tiger voted to 2021 World Golf Hall of Fame. Duh. And. The biggest news of the day. Gronk! He’ll join Brady in Tampa Bay. If they play.
And. Speaking of Tiger. Prince! Great tribute on CBS. Genius musician for the ages. Wrote this on April 21, 2016. Ā Ā Doves Cry.
Kinda looks like it. Except about half the people are wearing masks. Social distancing? Not so much. Lots of bikes. And kids on scooters. And. Strollers. And. Dogs. And. Cars full of people with New Jersey plates. So. Yup. Pretty much like any nice Spring Sunday. Is that good?
Great to see mAd Ben & friend who did a drive-by below our window. And. Passersby informed us that Thai72 has re-opened for take-out.
Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Brad Pitt. Perfect tonic.
As an agoraphobe for the past too many years, shopping or going to a busy restaurant or for a walk in the Park takes some courage. Yet. There was the glimmer of having a choice. Now that seclusion is mandatory, it seems silly to feel trapped. And. The scared shitless diet is no fun either.
Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters – along the same theme.
Please! Last night at 7pm the neighborhood erupted as usual with cheering & clanging for the first responders & frontline workers. Then. Old Blue Eyes could be heard belting out his classic New York New York. Uplifting & wonderful. Couldn’t capture it but we heard it loud & clear.
New therapeutic drug on the cusp? Stock market green. We got steaks & potatoes from Fresh Direct! Have a few bottles of wine left. And. Corks on Columbus is re-opening. We’ll take it.
Boxes go out on the street. Still happens every week. Got a coveted Fresh Direct window. Which may delay laundry day. Yay. Now there’ll be something to do on Friday. Through the window I see a couple walking their dog with masks around their necks as they smoke cigarettes.
Morning Joes. Biden whinin’ with Scarborough. Can’t win votes by sounding like the women on The View.
Besides Housewives. Have to try these series. What We Do In the Shadows- funny vampires in Brooklyn. Mrs. America- feminism, equal rights, Cate Blanchett, John Slattery. What’s not to like?
Or something like that –
Got money from Trump. $2,400 magically showed up in our account. Paying it forward to Central Park & local people on the front lines.
Lizzie Warren endorsed Biden. 3 endorsements. Not 1 headline. Where is Joe anyway? Dems need a new PR team. And another candidate.
Denise Richards. Kyle Richards. Kim Richards. They’re back. Don’t ask.
Trump does something that makes people on CNN and MSNBC go nuts. Bernie endorses Biden. Obama’s lackluster endorsement. Yawn.
So. What makes it not groundhog day? Cook something different on Tuesday. Carmelized Rutabaga. Roasted Zucchini. Ā Ā Recipe Detours
Now including guest contributions from family & friends.
Gwen’s Wine-Braised Chicken w/ Olives
Hungarian Chopped Salad
Joey 3 Sticks Grilled Steak
View could be worse. Appreciating architectural details out the window. Might as well. Making Colitti Spaghetti sauce. Playing David Foster’s piano album Eleven Words. Then. Will watch re-run of last year’s Masters narrated by Tiger himself. Need an azalea fix.
Happy East Over.
Side Trek . NYC 