Gowanus Canal Canoe + Underwater New York

October 3, 2009
The Gowanus is pretty nasty. It is an industrial waterway through Brooklyn that collects some extremely grimy artifacts from the city and brings them to the bottom, or in the case of condoms (Gowanus Ghost Fish), float them to the top. It has been designated as a Superfund EPA site, and according to their website: As a result of years of discharges, storm water runoff, sewer outflows and industrial pollutants the Gowanus Canal has become one of the nation's most extensively contaminated water bodies. Contaminants impacting the canal include PCBs, coal tar wastes, heavy metals and volatile organics. The contamination…

Steve Lehman

September 30, 2009
Ever since I attended high school with him, I have been awed by the sounds Steve makes with his saxophone. He is a true master of the instrument and plays into another dimension; it is intellectual and conceptual jazz, rooted in the classic sound but with a modern edge. Tonight at Barbès was perhaps the most exciting performance I've seen from him, propelled by the absolutely ridiculous rhythm section of Matt Brewer on bass and Damion Reid on drums. Steve introduced his band and pointed out that they are, among other things, the reason people put up with living in…

Cheryl’s Global Soul

September 26, 2009
Yum. I ate some of the greatest comfort food that i've ever eaten tonight. Cheryl's in Prospect Heights BK delivered heaping portions of absolutely delicious down home cooking that I had been desperately craving after a day spent in the agony of a hangover -- last night involved epic and gluttonous consumption of every type of alcohol imaginable at a wedding celebration for my father-in-law and his bride (my step-mother-in-law?) at The Bowery Hotel and a late night at Last Exit. Six hours later I awoke in my bed in anguish and have been looking for help ever since. Cheryl…

Superhuman

May 29, 2009
I am a fan of basically any type of entertainment spectacle, from sports contests to film and TV to concerts. I like when people demonstrate extraordinary humanity and push the limits of our own experience. But if I had to show an alien just one event in hopes of proving our survival worthiness, I might take it to Cirque de Soleil. It has everything: music, dance, comedy and unbelievable stunts. Performing feats of strength and concentration with potentially lethal risks, these performers bring you onto the precipice with them, jarring your nerves and repacing your heart. At times, it is…

When a drag is fun

February 26, 2009
In celebration of our friends' engagement, we went to watch a drag queen perform at the gay bar Therapy last night. Sitting in the front row, I was obviously a target, but "Shaquita" had me pegged as a minority audience member from the start (baseball cap and beard don't blend in this environment)--constantly taunting me (in a flirty and friendly manner) with her privates (real or pretend). I may not fit into gay culture, but I can definitely appreciate their sense of fun. I love feeling like I can travel exotically within my own city.