This NY Moment: Madoff Sentenced To 150 Years

Came across this sign at a store in the Village a couple weekends ago. It struck me as funny but also weirdly opportunistic. In any case, with news of Madoff's sentencing, I thought it a fitting post.

This NY Moment: First Springlike Weekend

The city came alive this weekend, as evidenced by the gorgeous trees in bloom along the bicycle path in Battery Park, the skateboarders and recumbent bicyclists near the World Financial Center and the tons of people out and about on the lawns, restaurant patios and sailboats.
Not all the trees were in bloom yet, however...Don't worry guys. Your time will come!

This NY Moment: Shop Windows on 19th St

This week was apparently Barbie's 50th birthday. Loved Kristin Wiig's Barbie impression on SNL's Weekend Update! Did you catch it?

Anyhow, mannequin maker Adel Rootstein had an exhibit of life-sized Barbie mannequins in her showroom window this week. Sorry you can't see the Barbie in this photo. I didn't have a polarizing lense with me. But hope you get the idea.

Right next door I saw this cute lingerie store called Sugar Cookies - what a great name! Didn't have a chance to stop in because I was on my way to an appointment, but thought I'd share.

This NY Moment: "Panda-handling" In The Cold

Are we getting more days with temperatures below 20-degrees this winter or am I imagining it? Now that the holiday season is over, this snow and cold is not charming any more. It's just uncomfortable, and I really do dread going outside.

Nevertheless, I braved the cold yesterday for an open house up the street, and wouldn't you know it - the broker didn't show! This is not the first time a broker hasn't shown up to his own open house on a cold winter day. Why announce an open house on Street Easy if you're not going to show!

I was angry to say the least--I'll save my rant for a separate post--but if I hadn't been out, I wouldn't have encountered the panda standing on the street corner across the street from the Rector St stop of the R/W. A couple of girls -- don't know if they were just adoring tourists or his handlers--were taking pictures of him, but no one else was around. I would think I had imagined him, had I not had photographic proof. It's lovely random moments like this one that save me from gritting my teeth.

This NY Moment: Korean Day, My Way

Yesterday, I had plans to meet up with my friend, Funny Dude and some his friends in K-town for an authentic Korean dinner at Kunjip (my favorite all-around Korean restaurant on 32nd St) before we went to Radio City Music Hall to see Margaret Cho in concert. But when we got to the restaurant, there was line snaking out the door with gobs of people on the streets.

Funny Dude informed me that he'd seen a float in Chelsea earlier in the day--there had been a Korean Day parade apparently, which we missed. Anyhow, 32nd Street between Broadway and 5th Avenue was closed off for a street fair that was held in conjunction with the parade (I assume), complete with concert stage where contestants of a karaoke contest (mostly women as I could see) were singing their hearts out. Boy do Koreans love to sing.

The wait at Kunjip was beyond our collective levels of patience, so we went a few doors down to look for a less crowded restaurant, and guess what? We stumbled upon a BCD Tofu House, which just opened this week! BCD Tofu House was one of my favorite places to eat in K-town in LA. They are part of a Korean chain that is well known for their "soon dubu" -- a traditional soft tofu stew. I was sooo happy! We had a great meal--most of us ordered the spicy tofu stews--but they also have bbq and bibimbap and other Korean staples.
We headed uptown for Margaret Cho's show after dinner. More people clogging the sidewalks; this time, no karaoke contest, but Margaret did close her show by serenading the audience with a dirty song. She's got some lungs on her. Again, Koreans love to sing.

She looked great, by the way--super skinny--and pretty and had me in tears with laughter throughout the 90 minute set. I had had the kimchee tofu stew at BCD, so I'm sure I smelled great during Margaret's show at Radio City Hall....

This NY Moment: Lehman Brothers Bankrupt

On my way to dinner last night, I passed the Lehman Brothers building in midtown. The entire street opposite the building was lined with media truck and bystanders snapping pictures with their cell phones and mourning the loss of one of this country's oldest banks. It actually felt like walking through a scene of an accident. When you look at this massive, modern building, it's hard not to think about how the mighty have fallen.

This New York Moment: Hot "Dogs" and the US Open Jumbotron

For some reason I always crave burgers & dogs on Labor Day (and on the 4th of July apparently). And today, so did City Guy. So we went to Shake Shack. Where else? I know, it's crazy, but we had our books and our iPods, so we were prepared for the nearly 2 hour wait from first joining the line to first bite of food.

The tourists were out in full force. So were the dogs. Here are some canine Shack-lovers we saw today:
On the grassy area of Madison Square Park, there was a jumbotron showing the US Open matches. For those of you who can't get out to Flushing Meadows, there's this:

This NY Moment: Motorcycles Shut Down West Side Highway

On Saturday, hundreds of motorcycles rode through Manhattan, shutting down the Westside Highway for at least 30 minutes. It was a sight to behold. Every type of motorcycle you could imagine--small ones, big ones, Harleys, Hondas--and the men and women who rode them, each with their own style, from skull masks to German helmets. I don't know where they came from or where they were headed, but seeing such a large number of people united in a single passion was pretty cool.