Brooklyn

Just got back from a long weekend in NYC. Went to check out The Feelies show in Brooklyn on Sunday (and to take a break from job hunting).

Due to weather issues on the East Coast, the nice direct flight to Newark was rerouted through Chicago. Curse you, gods of rain! Ended up touching down at 2:30 AM - about 6 hours later than expected.

Saturday:
Spent the rainy morning walking around Central Park. The wet stuff was starting to move out of the area, but the weather seemed to keep a lot of people from the park. The Alice in Wonderland statue is a personal fave.


Had dinner in Chinatown at the Great NY Noodle Town, where the noodles were actually great. On the walk back to the subway station, we were startled by the Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy. Lots of people, food, carnies, and church activities. Apparently, it's a pretty big deal. Who knew?




Sunday:
Spent the day in Brooklyn. Started out in Crown Heights, but that was not very inviting. Williamsburg turned out to much more hospitable.


Took in a softball game between a team of Hasidic Jews and non-Hasidic Jews. Visually, the cultural contrast was very interesting, but on the field they were just a bunch of guys who liked softball.



Had dinner at a Thai place called SEA. Cool restaurant with loud dance music and a hip wait staff. Food was good, but the video surveillance monitors in the restrooms (with views of the restaurant) were more memorable. So was the large reflecting pool with a giant female Buddha.

The day (and the weekend) was punctuated by The Feelies show at Southpaw in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. It's a tiny Liberty Lunch-type venue that was packed with an enthusiastic audience - and a few overly enthusiastic people. Show was suppose to start at 8:30. The Feelies took the stage at 8:31. Not bad. They played 2 sets. The first lasted about 37 minutes - a little short. The band then took a very LONG 45 minute break before coming out for their 2nd set. Thankfully, the 2nd set lasted considerably longer. I think they played 5 encores.


All in all, the show was incredible, had a good mix of songs from their albums, some cool covers, and lasted about 3 hours. I managed to shoot a few videos which I posted to YouTube. One is below. Links to the others are here, here, here, and here.



Monday:
Leaving out of Newark at 8:PM, so had a little time to grab lunch in SoHo. Or at least try to. Apparently, Obama was in town having lunch in the same area, so many of the streets were closed with barricades. I guess he had a plane to catch after lunch and didn't want to be late. Trying to navigate the road blocks, we happened upon a bunch of movie trailers and a bunch of people milling around. A paparazzi said they were waiting for Sarah Jessica Parker to come out from hair and makeup. Sure enough, she stepped out of her trailer a minute later, signed some autographs and walked off with her security guards. Rounding the corner, Cynthia Nixon walks by with her escort, then Kim Cattrall, and finally Kristin Davis - why do I know who these people are? Turns out, they're filming Sex and the City, part Deux. I was going to leave it as a New York moment, but I figured some of my friends would want me to capture the moment, so here's KD coming.


And going.


Nice dress.

Had lunch at a really quaint place called The Kitchen Club. The owner is a very friendly Dutch woman who doubles as hostess and chef. Actually, a very busy woman who also teaches culinary classes and owns the sake bar next door. Bonus points to her for riding a cruiser in the city - in wedge heels no less. Lunch was leisurely, which meant rushing back to the hotel to catch the shuttle to the airport.

Couldn't leave, however, without a couple pix of the Hudson. The common areas are really incredible.


The rooms, on the other hand, are tiny. There's maybe 18 inches between the bed and the side walls.

FYI - The original building was constructed in 1928 by the daughter of J. P. Morgan as the American Women’s Association clubhouse and residence for young women in New York. I'm sure the original rooms had twin size beds. Still, at 150 square feet, I believe my college dorm was bigger than this room. Architectural Record has a good article on the hotel conversion.